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  1. makhorkasmoker

    The Mystery of the Modern Dr. Grabow

    Looking at new Dr. Grabow pipes on line, I see a dearth of specific information and, often, what information there is contradicts. One site will say a Savoy has a vulcanite stem, another assures me it is plastic. Weights, measurements, when available, are often obviously wrong (with chamber...
  2. makhorkasmoker

    Are Small Bowl Briars Better for Heat and Humidity?

    And, if so, small in what way? Wide and shallow? Narrow? I smoke outdoors, in Florida, where conditions are hot and humid much of the year. My solution is a cob. A clay or hardwood does pretty well under these conditions too. But I find briars under hot and humid conditions more challenging...
  3. makhorkasmoker

    The Clear Coats on Inexpensive Factory Pipes

    I like it when the clear coat or wax wears away, leaving the pipe matte. Sometimes this happens quickly, and I like that. Sometimes it happens very slowly, with the matte area growing over many, many smokes, the glossy area shrinking. That makes the pipe unsightly, to me, during the long...
  4. makhorkasmoker

    What was Penny Baxter Smoking?

    Penny Baxter is a major character in the classic novel, The Yearling-- a book I love. The setting is the 1870s, in the North Florida scrub--not too far from where I live. I sometimes go hiking in The Yearling territory. ... Anyway, Penny smokes a pipe, a cob, it seems, and he grows his own...
  5. makhorkasmoker

    Pipes Keep Slipping Out of Clench

    I snapped the tenon on my salvatella the other day. I was walking though the garden. It slipped right out of my mouth and hit a paving stone. I have dropped it before. And other pipes before. I knew I was going to break one sooner or later because this is a problem for me that doesn't seem to...
  6. makhorkasmoker

    Experiences with Whole Leaf Burley/Air-Cured Tobaccos?

    Hi all. My main smoke is C&D's Dark Burley, usually with a pinch of their white burley. I love this stuff, and I'd like to explore more the world of strong, relatively untamed, pure burleys. But when I look at the offerings of the mainstream pipe tobacco sellers, I don't see many...
  7. makhorkasmoker

    Some Simple Burley and Burley-Turkish Mixes I'm Enjoying

    Mix #1: 80% C&D Dark Burley, 20% C&D White Burley This is a good strong straightforward business smoke, but one with a lot of nuance, too. Mix #2 Same as mix Mix#1, but with a pinch of izmir Turkish (I use Ramback, lately) to take the edge off the burley. Mix #3 80% Izmir Turkish, with 20%...
  8. makhorkasmoker

    From Cobs to Clays

    For years, I have smoked a small rotation of cob pipes, and though I know many here love cobs, I have always had mixed feelings about them. For one thing, it takes me forever to "break in" a cob. By this I mean I will smoke many dozens or even hundreds of bowls before it begins to seem *right*--...
  9. makhorkasmoker

    A Deertongue Story

    Deertongue is a wildflower that is used as a additive/flavoring/scent for pipe tobacco. The unusual thing is this: it's not added as an essence, the way, say, ordinary vanilla flavoring is added. Actual bits of deertongue leaf are blended with the tobacco. I believe this is a very old tradition...
  10. makhorkasmoker

    Short Smoke Breaks and Strong Tobacco

    After several years of pipe smoking, I find myself sticking mainly with strong tobaccos and short smoke breaks. I will typically pack a pipe in the morning, smoke maybe five or ten minutes--the first quarter of a small bowl. I will then set the pipe down, go do something, work or whatever. A...
  11. makhorkasmoker

    Big Floppy Tobacco Pouches

    I watch a lot of old movies on TCM, mainly because I love classic films, but as a side benefit, I get to see many depictions of pipe smokers in a heyday of pipe smoking. One of the many interesting things I've noticed is the sort of tobacco pouch used by some of the pipe smokers in these...
  12. makhorkasmoker

    Your Favorite Pipes for Power Burleys

    For those of you who enjoy the power burleys (Five Brothers, Big N' Burley, OJK, Dark Burley, homegrown burley, etc.) what are your favorite pipes for these tobaccos and why? I love strong burleys, and I've been smoking them in a variety of cobs. Each cob seems to bring out a different quality...
  13. makhorkasmoker

    Your Most Important Discoveries in Pipe Smoking

    I have been smoking a pipe for only a few years, and when I look back on the experience thus far, I see key moments of discovery where everything changed. For instance, when I first learned to take small sips, to keep the pipe only barely lit, this was a big discovery. I enjoyed smoking so...
  14. makhorkasmoker

    C&D Dark Burley

    I have developed a minor obsession with C&D Dark Burley. I'll admit first off that one of the things that I love about this tobacco is that it is gentle on the mouth. I have trouble with Virginias, orientals, and even some sweetened burleys. No matter how slowly I smoke, they make my gums...
  15. makhorkasmoker

    Blends like Crooner

    By "like Crooner" I do not mean blends that contain deer tongue. (I know C&D for one offers several, and I hope to try them all bit by bit.) What I'm really looking for here are blends that "work" the way Crooner does. This is to say, I'm looking for blends of straight burley tobacco that...
  16. makhorkasmoker

    Long-Time Lurker from Central Florida

    Hi all. You don't know me but I feel I know many of you. I've been reading these forums for several years now, learning lots! I've come to pipe smoking by what I think may be a slightly unusual route. I'm a gardener, and about ten years ago I began growing wild tobacco--Nicotiana...