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  1. Butter Side Down

    What was your first blend and is it part of your current rotation?

    I walked into a pipe and cigar shop in Chicago 20 or so years ago with a passing interest in trying out pipe smoking. I walked out with a Savinelli Dublin, and when she found out I was a cigarette smoker, the wise woman working there steered me away from aromatics and towards a tin of McClelland...
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    Dedicated Pipes

    I have only one pipe dedicated to a specific blend. It's for my all time #1, skiff mixture. I smoke it in other pipes as well, but it's always magical in that one specific pipe and I don't want to mess with that mojo. Beyond that I have a haphazard blend type dedication. Some pipes are only for...
  3. Butter Side Down

    Post Your Bamboo Pipes Here

    My beautiful black and brown Bay bamboo brandy. Purchased at The Danish Pipe shop while I was in Copenhagen earlier this year.
  4. Butter Side Down

    Alternatives to Golden Slice

    Me too. TR says "Notes: Blended for IRC By Orlik/ Peter Stokkebye per the gentlemen at the Iwan Ries store." So, there is a chance it might actually be rebranded OGS. Some people on there claim it's Luxury Navy Flake. I can tell a distinct difference between IRCVA and LNF though. I've asked a...
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    Alternatives to Golden Slice

    Just keeps getting funnier every time I hear it! It's a fair question though. If the goal is something almost exactly the same, I stand behind my Iwan Ries VA flake recommendation. But if the goal is finding "stuff that's similar, but different, you know, to explore and maybe broaden the old...
  6. Butter Side Down

    ***What Are You Smoking, Nov. 2024?***

    Ending a day of VA. Started with Rattray 40 VA in the morning, then on to Iwan Ries VA flake after lunch. Winding things down now with some Luxury Twist Flake in the beautiful black and brown Bay bamboo brandy.
  7. Butter Side Down

    Alternatives to Golden Slice

    Golden Sliced is a favorite of mine too. The closest thing to it I've ever had is Iwan Ries Virginia Flake... which (supposedly/maybe?) was at one time made by Orlik, so who knows, it might actually be the same stuff. Or not. Either way it's good. And remarkably similar to OGS.
  8. Butter Side Down

    ***What Are You Smoking, October 2024?***

    Yorktown in a green cumberland Dunhill 4103.
  9. Butter Side Down

    Favorite Crossover Blend With Some Strength

    Favorite English/aro crossover, Boswell Northwoods. Favorite Virginia/aro crossovers, Erinmore and Luxury Twist Flake. Favorite Burley/aro crossovers, 1792 and Warhorse Bar. Of those, 1792 and Warhorse bar are the only ones I'd classify as a strong tobacco in the nicotine department.
  10. Butter Side Down

    Cellar Spreadsheet

    I just did this a few months ago. My cellar is literal, so I got tired of having to do a flight of stairs up and down whenever I wondered what I had. Laugh if you want, but at my age, the knees ain't what they used to be. I also made one for "what I have open" and another for "every dang...
  11. Butter Side Down

    English Fatigue?

    I had a similar thing happen earlier this year. Suddenly it felt like I couldn't even taste Latakia anymore. I thought "Hey, maybe my tastes are just changing," so I went through a period of experimenting with other types of blends. On the plus side, I did a deep dive into burley (which I had...
  12. Butter Side Down

    Years of Pipe Smoking vs. Pipe + Tobacco Count

    20ish years smoking a pipe. 30 pipes right now. About half of them are ones I made (some better than others). 3 blends i would call all time favorites. 8-10 blends that are regular staples in the rotation. 25 open tins currently. Probably about 75 unopened tins in the cellar. Have tried...
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    Iwan Ries Blends

    Re: Parking. They offer discounted parking at the garage located at 55 East Monroe. Take your parking ticket to the counter at Iwan Ries and they'll validate it for you. Be aware that the garage is in downtown Chicago, so even at a discount, it is still jaw-droppingly pricey ($20-$40 depending...
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    Iwan Ries Blends

    Bullseye and Luxury Twist Flake are obviously Peter Stokkebye. But still good and at a reasonable price. IRC Virginia Flake is my favorite of the bunch. I've seen conflicting information on its origin. I remember reading somewhere that it used to be blended by Orlik (which, if true, would now...
  15. Butter Side Down

    Latakia Taste Test?

    Looks like you found the original thread, but just to confirm, sample F was Smoker's Haven Krumble Kake (made by Germain). Not Penzance, but a close cousin. Good stuff. Glad you enjoyed it. Sad that the SH blends are not in production anymore.
  16. Butter Side Down

    ***What Are You Smoking, October 2024?***

  17. Butter Side Down

    Your Own "Best" Tobacco

    Some great ones have already been mentioned. Since I like variety, I'm glad I don't have to pick just one, but if I had to... I could be entirely satisfied smoking either Skiff Mixture, Old Dark Fired, or Rattray 40 Virginia all day every day.
  18. Butter Side Down

    Pipe Smoking and Sports

    I smoke some pretty high nic stuff (dark flake and old dark fired) and pretty low nic stuff (heavy Latakia blends). Can't say I've ever noticed a difference.
  19. Butter Side Down

    Pipe Smoking and Sports

    I'm a fairly die hard tennis player and I smoke a pipe. I usually play for 2 hours 3 x a week, both casually and in competitive leagues. But honestly it's hard for me to say how much it affects my performance because I was already older and I already smoked a pipe before I took up tennis. I play...
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    Pipe Mortar problem

    I don't know if this will help or not, but the format of the charcoal can affect the results as well. One time I tried with activated charcoal sold as "odor neutralizer." The grains are much larger than those in the dietary capsules. My results looked a lot like yours. Too much clumping. Grainy...
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