I spent a good deal of time this summer with my neighbor in his back yard; after-work evenings when I could enjoy a pipe while we chatted, while I watched him do yard work, and while he would smoke his American Spirits. Last night he finally succumbed to the wonderful aromas I always produce and said, "I should get a pipe and try it out sometime." Well that's all the invitation I needed, so I went out this afternoon and picked up a cob for him, and had him come over to pick out an estate pipe of his liking from my pile that is yet to be restored. He selected a nice little Medico Casino bent billiard, about a group 3--not what I'd figured him for at all; I'm glad I had him pick it out. Then we went through a selection of my open rotation, which is a decent range of some good examples of all the major styles--aromatics, burleys, Virginias, VaPers, condiments and of course English and Balkans. Again, to my surprise he chose a medium-body Balkan, the prototype of the NYPC signature blend we've been tweaking; I'd thought he'd be more intrigued by the VaPerO blend that was of a similar ilk to the tobacco in his cigarettes. I could tell by the rise of his eyebrows and the glimmer of a fond recognition in his eyes, though, that this tobacco had chosen him as much as he'd chosen it. We retired to his back yard, I gave him a brief primer on packing, tamping, and lighting, and off he was on his voyage of discovery. He thoroughly enjoyed his first bowl, and managed to smoke it down to ash in so doing. He leaves in a couple days for a short vacation, during which time he can enjoy the tobacco I packed up for him at his own pace. I'll restore the Casino and have it ready to start his collection when he returns, and another will join the brotherhood of the briar.
It was a good day.
It was a good day.
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