http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/allanmassie/100068196/why-i-believe-in-the-wisdom-of-pipe-smoking/
An Interesting Article About UK Pipe Smokers
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Good article. I agree with the author in that pipe smoking today is much like pipe smoking back in the Victorian age - in a designated smoking room and not out in public. To me, this is not a bad thing. As far as OTC's go, there are only a few left standing - but most were not that good anyway. Commerce has changed, and we now buy our tobacco, mostly, off the internet. It's still thriving there. I'm not sure I miss the old B&M's that much. For many of us, I think that they've attained a mythic status that overshadows their reality. I just don't have any real experience with those mythic temples of tobacco, and the closest I ever got to one was the Tinderbox near Fort Meade, Maryland. It was pretty nice, but not all that. Most of the B&M's that I remember were tiny affairs, and not that much different that the cigar shops I occasionally go to today.
I love the Sutliff line of tobaccos. Not because they're outrageously good, but because they're priced like an OTC of yor, they offer as many varieties, and the tobacco is of better quality. Their Mapleton, Great Outdoors, R Blend, and CD Blend are great blends, and very reminiscent of the great OTC's of old. They're just not sold in grocery or drug stores, and I have to order them off line. but for about $7USD a tin they're great. Well-worth the few days that I have to wait for them to arrive.
Pipe buying is a whole different experience. I miss being able to handle them, but the reality is that I cn get a far better variety and at far better prices on line than at a B&M. If I stick to names that I am familiar with, in my case Sav, Pete, Falcon, and Dr. G then I'm good to go. I've never had a dog off the internet - but I have from the old B&M's.
I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I love the Sutliff line of tobaccos. Not because they're outrageously good, but because they're priced like an OTC of yor, they offer as many varieties, and the tobacco is of better quality. Their Mapleton, Great Outdoors, R Blend, and CD Blend are great blends, and very reminiscent of the great OTC's of old. They're just not sold in grocery or drug stores, and I have to order them off line. but for about $7USD a tin they're great. Well-worth the few days that I have to wait for them to arrive.
Pipe buying is a whole different experience. I miss being able to handle them, but the reality is that I cn get a far better variety and at far better prices on line than at a B&M. If I stick to names that I am familiar with, in my case Sav, Pete, Falcon, and Dr. G then I'm good to go. I've never had a dog off the internet - but I have from the old B&M's.
I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I thought there was a movie or documentary about Walt Disney that gad his cigarette edited out. I think it was saving Mr. Banks. Not sure though
royodhner: You are too late to the party. A good brick and mortar was a place of refuge, even the many that were not particularly notable. Usually a worn chair or two in a corner with coffee available to the regulars. Nothing spectacular, kind of a replacement for the old general store. As asocial as I am, they were a place discuss and solve the serious problems of the world while enjoying a smoke, maybe testing a new blend or two, usually in the quiet company of others, knowledgeable and full of opinions.
I am not disposed to purchase a pipe through the mail. I have to see the selection, have one catch my eye, examine it closely for fit and finish, and feel how it fits my fist. Can't do that with pictures! I never feel the need to acquire a new pipe. I have to stumble on one I like and take immediate possession. I usually smoke the first bowl in the store.
If you're happy with mail order pipes, good for you.
I am not disposed to purchase a pipe through the mail. I have to see the selection, have one catch my eye, examine it closely for fit and finish, and feel how it fits my fist. Can't do that with pictures! I never feel the need to acquire a new pipe. I have to stumble on one I like and take immediate possession. I usually smoke the first bowl in the store.
If you're happy with mail order pipes, good for you.
Always wished I could find one. Tobacco Lane, up in Fort Worth is kinda close to your description, Warren, but it's mostly a cigar lounge. Not a bad selection of bulk blends, and they only charge one arm and leg for a tin of OGS or Erinmore. However, anything else up there is gonna cost you both arms, both legs, and another appendage or two. Nice atmosphere, though.
Thanks for sharing Simon, a great read. I guess after Tony Benn left Parliament, there was no more smoking in the Tea Room or anywhere else in the House for that matter. Such a pity, for Pipe smokers to be looked down on the way we are these days! I think I will go outside for a breath of fresh Carbon monoxide.
Eric
Eric
Interesting read, thanks for posting the link. I imagine sometimes, being born in the early 1890's. I've always wished I could've seen the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis. Now I also imagine smoking in those days, and all the tobacco shops.
Accurate, well written but sad article.
A good B+M is a godsend. I am lucky enough to have three within an hours drive in the greater SF Bay Area.
A good B+M is a godsend. I am lucky enough to have three within an hours drive in the greater SF Bay Area.
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