Edgeworth Ready Rubbed match

[brdavidson]

I know I posted this question in another thread, and I'm not trying to build my thread count, just trying to figure out how to fill my pipe with this stuff. It looks like Grape Nuts cereal to me and I've never seen a tobacco that looks like this. Do I just gravity load and go? Any help would be greatly appreciated, this was my Grandfather's go to smoke and I'm visiting him in a couple of weeks so I want to get a handle on how to properly load it (he won't be able to help me load it I'm afraid).

 

[brdavidson]

It's pretty dry already, there is actually almost a tobacco powder in the sample bag I bought in the bottom. Just such a strange looking tobacco, but can't wait to try it.

 

[sparroa]

I would just gravity fill the ERR match and give it a light tamp.
Try it first and if you don't succeed then you can determine a new plan of attack.
I wouldn't think about rehydration unless you have a series of unpleasant smokes. It may very well be at the perfect moisture level for that particular blend.
I always talk about the Wessex Burley Slices because they are my reference burley - I find they do not suffer from moisture levels that I would consider "dry" in a VA blend...
In summary, don't overthink it and don't worry about the appearance unless you have troubles with the smoking performance.
I haven't checked the TR.com reviews for that one lately, but sometimes people address how they approached the packing/lighting of the blend. You might get a few tips that way...

 

[brdavidson]

Thanks Mike, its the Pipes & Cigars match, my Grandfather smoked it so I was really interested in trying it. I'll have a bowl of it tonight and see how it goes.
Simenon thanks fot the advice, I'll check out TR.com and see what people have to say about it.

 

[sparroa]

I reread the reviews and nobody seems to address the cut or packing very much.
The latest review is as good as you are going to get.
"Small cubes and a few crushed plugs. smells lightly of cocoa in the bag. very easy to pack and simple to light."
Sounds like a stuff and puff blend to me! Very similar to the other codger burleys. Like I said, gravity feed, tamp, and you'll be laughing...

 

[brdavidson]

Thanks again, I'll try some tonight, think I'll go with a smaller bowl to see what it's like. I have a Grabow Grand Duke that may be just the size to test it out. If I like it then I'll go with a bigger bowl later this week.

 

[sparroa]

As long as the pipe is well seasoned and broken in, it should be good to go.
Trying a new blend in a new pipe is usually a recipe for dissatisfaction.
Smoking an old faithful tobacco in a brand new pipe or an unfamiliar tobacco in a well loved pipe are the best approaches IMO.

 

[brdavidson]

None of my pipes are really well broken in yet, but I've had a dozen or so smokes out of the pipe I used. I have to say this was my first AH HA smoke, the smell transported me back over 30 years to my Grandfathers house. I was actually at a loss for words when I had this bowl, but this is exactly why I started this hobby, to remember times with my Grandfather. I'm so jazzed right now!

 

[brdavidson]

One more question folks, would Edgeworth be considered an OTC?

 

[sparroa]

I am glad you liked it...
Those moments are what it is all about.
Buy a nice bit of the ERR match and dedicate a pipe to it. That will increase your enjoyment of the blend quite a bit.
I will also encourage you to pick up a tin of Wessex Burley Slices just to see how it compares.
That is supposed to be the closest that you can get to Edgeworth Sliced. (Which supposedly ended up as a somewhat different recipe from ERR - but they were still very closely related)
Edgeworth was once considered an OTC tobacco and it was available in the large 14 ounce tubs in recent times.
The Edgeworth brand goes back many years, however, to the time when they were blended by Larus & Bro. Co from Richmond, Virginia. Edgeworth Sliced and its variants are among those great old time American classics such as Prince Albert...
(I've just read that Larus existed independently from 1877-1968 when they were bought out by Rothmans. "The House of Edgeworth" continued to operate until 1974 when production was contracted out and facilities in Richmond were closed down. I believe it survived in modified form until the mid 2000s, ending its life as a Lane product. If there are other versions of Edgeworth out there, there's no information about it online. I don't know when the Edgeworth Slices or Edgeworth Ready Rubbed were introduced but I think they were the signature Larus brand so they could've been the original line of tobacco they offered. I've got a tin from the days before bar codes and they were certainly well established as a national brand before then)
"This small tobacco company, based in Richmond, Virginia, received national recognition with Edgeworth pipe tobacco, which then became the international hallmark of the company. By the 1930s, Larus had expanded to manufacture cigarettes, operate distribution centers outside Virginia, sponsor national radio programs, and manage local radio and television stations."
http://www.vahistorical.org/research/tacl_larus.htm

 

[rigmedic1]

I smoke Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match every day, it is my favorite all around smoke for when I am not concentrating on smoking, lol. Like simenon, I just gravity feed it, give it a slight press, and light it up. I believe it is similar in structure to what Mark Twain smoked in his corncob, if not completely the same.

I used to smoke Edgeworth slices, but I smoked the last that I had about a year or so ago.

An interesting note: Edgeworth Ready Rubbed was sold as "Pipe Tobacco for Hunters and Fishermen" by L.L.Bean.

 

[rigmedic1]

BTW, I have smoked Wessex Burley Slices, it is good, and similar, but not the same.

 

[brdavidson]

Thanks for all the information Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Unfortunately my Grandfather is unable to come up with details for me as his health is deteriorating, so this is welcome news. I plan on visiting him in the next few weeks and surprising him with a bowl (he doesn't smoke any more so I may just have to do it for him!)