G'day from North Queensland

[chopper]

I lost 3-4 orders before I found out about the ban. Disappointing as there were a few discontinued aged tins. I've been paying the exhorbant Oz prices for my most recent orders - at least I get to smoke them rather than the Customs incinerator.

Hey mate.

Before importing tobacco became illegal, 1 in 4-5 orders were intercepted by Customs.

Although I'd already had one warning since it became illegal, I thought I'd push my luck since the Rona debacle.
I lost count but I received over 12 orders [Most were 1lb. The last 4 were 1.5lb] before I got a parcel intercepted.

2lbs of Comoys Spiced Virginia. I'd been eagerly looking forward to this as it's great straight, would make a fine Va mixer and it ages superbly.

It felt like a punch in the gut, I was so upset at losing it and being caught.
Not only for the above reasons but also because it means that my run is over.
Not ever again will I get to smoke any of the numerous mild blends I'd love to try and no more of my favourites once they're gone. [No way will I pay $125 for 50g of baccy, just on sheer principle]

Nonetheless, I'm way better off than most Aussie pipe smokers. Those +12 orders means that I have [and had] over 15lbs of tobacco for my 'cellar' that I wouldn't otherwise have.
[It's my 2nd offence. Not sure what the penalty is]

Now I will have no choice but to turn my attention to growing, learn the art of drying/curing the many various methods and the art of casing and topping [Bought a 750ml bottle of 13yo Bundaberg spiced rum that I'm soaking a few cinnamon quills and a few split vanilla beans for my first attempt]

 

[Pastor Richard]

G'day and welcome from the Hawkesbury.

Hope you enjoy the MM965 [Latakia was an acquired taste for me]
1Q is an enjoyable aromatic that is not at all goopy like some aromatics [despite what some of the baccy snobs say] It's a nice 'all day' puff.

Thanks chopper. Think I might prefer 1-Q, I’m obv not a bacccy snob!

 

[Pastor Richard]

Hi everyone: I smoked pipes (say 3 bowls a week) for some years until I got married more than 30 years ago. Never smoked cigarettes, perhaps a semi-annual cigar. When I stopped pipe-smoking, I gave away a good selection, including a couple of Meerschaums (the real deal, not corn cobs). I moved to lovely, tropical North Queensland almost 3 years ago, and found that at my first ministers' gathering (I'm a Uniting Church minister), some colleagues broke out pipes. I got home, told my wife, who decreed "No! You are not to take up pipe smoking again!".
Cue a couple of Sunday evenings ago, a few of those colleagues came round for dinner. Afterwards, while we were sitting outside, they asked if they could light up pipes, and produced a spare for me ? So now I'm waiting for UPS to deliver a Savinelli (tomorrow, the tracking number says) and Australia Post to deliver a 50g tin of Peterson My Mixture 965 (also tomorrow according to Aus Post tracking). Just in time for a Sunday off and a long Anzac Day weekend at a beach shack.

Fiddle (substitute stronger expletive of choice), I’m at a beach shack at Flying Fish Point (look it up on Apple or Google Maps), looking forward to the first break-in smoke of my shiny new Savinelli, and it‘s blowing half a cyclone so that I can’t sit outside. No smoking indoors ?

 

[Pastor Richard]

Fiddle (substitute stronger expletive of choice), I’m at a beach shack at Flying Fish Point (look it up on Apple or Google Maps), looking forward to the first break-in smoke of my shiny new Savinelli, and it‘s blowing half a cyclone so that I can’t sit outside. No smoking indoors ?

The wind has shifted, so that although it’s still tipping down, I can sit out on the deck with my new Italian friend ? And my Irish mixture ? The Savinelli is a 626, a fairly small bowl. It took only two stuffings and thumb pressings of 965 to overfill it, and only three relights for a lovely half-hour smoke. I am one happy chappy. Now to watch the North Queensland Cowboys thump the Canberra Raiders and my joy will be complete.

 

[Toast]

Welcome from the UK!

 

[timelord]

Hey mate.

Before importing tobacco became illegal, 1 in 4-5 orders were intercepted by Customs.

Although I'd already had one warning since it became illegal, I thought I'd push my luck since the Rona debacle.
I lost count but I received over 12 orders [Most were 1lb. The last 4 were 1.5lb] before I got a parcel intercepted.

2lbs of Comoys Spiced Virginia. I'd been eagerly looking forward to this as it's great straight, would make a fine Va mixer and it ages superbly.

It felt like a punch in the gut, I was so upset at losing it and being caught.
Not only for the above reasons but also because it means that my run is over.
Not ever again will I get to smoke any of the numerous mild blends I'd love to try and no more of my favourites once they're gone. [No way will I pay $125 for 50g of baccy, just on sheer principle]

Nonetheless, I'm way better off than most Aussie pipe smokers. Those +12 orders means that I have [and had] over 15lbs of tobacco for my 'cellar' that I wouldn't otherwise have.
[It's my 2nd offence. Not sure what the penalty is]

Now I will have no choice but to turn my attention to growing, learn the art of drying/curing the many various methods and the art of casing and topping [Bought a 750ml bottle of 13yo Bundaberg spiced rum that I'm soaking a few cinnamon quills and a few split vanilla beans for my first attempt]

The first I knew of the ban when I was living in Sydney was when I placed an order with smokingpipes.com and they said they couldn't ship tobacco to Australia - it wasn't exactly publicised before then! Interestingly I see that smokingpipes.com no longer has Australia on the no shipping list (for tobacco) but it does list Brazil

They do ship pipes here and so far tobacco orders from another supplier have got through but I wonder for how longer my luck will last with those.

 

[chopper]

The first I knew of the ban when I was living in Sydney was when I placed an order with smokingpipes.com and they said they couldn't ship tobacco to Australia - it wasn't exactly publicised before then! Interestingly I see that smokingpipes.com no longer has Australia on the no shipping list (for tobacco) but it does list Brazil

They do ship pipes here and so far tobacco orders from another supplier have got through but I wonder for how longer my luck will last with those.

U.S. Customs visited the one supplier that I was using and gave them a hard time. They would no longer declare tobacco as something other . Shame because their sales service was 2nd to none.

They will post baccy to Oz [the last I heard] and now will declare it as say 'Butternut Burley pipe tobacco' but in such tiny lettering that it would avoid a casual glance - I-o-w, the label would need to be inspected for anyone to notice - [Any Aussie who'd like to give them a go send me a PM]

The only reason why I didn't continue to use that particular tobacconist was because the most commonly used tobacconist by Aussies who still 'plays the game' still sends baccy here [I think. The owner stopped answering my emails a couple of months ago] and an online mate from this forum helped me with blends that they don't hold [Thanks big time Jay]

My advice is to keep ordering - may as well order 1lb at a time as it's not considered a commercial quantity. More bang for your bucks - until you get your first warning letter. [Tinned tobacco gets intercepted more regularly than bulk for some reason]
I learned the hard way to order pipes and baccy separately. One parcel of pipes with a couple of tins got pinched years ago and I lost the lot [It was cheaper to reorder the pipes than to pay the duty]

 

[chopper]

The wind has shifted, so that although it’s still tipping down, I can sit out on the deck with my new Italian friend ? And my Irish mixture ? The Savinelli is a 626, a fairly small bowl. It took only two stuffings and thumb pressings of 965 to overfill it, and only three relights for a lovely half-hour smoke. I am one happy chappy. Now to watch the North Queensland Cowboys thump the Canberra Raiders and my joy will be complete.

Good luck with that . . . the NQC aren't doing so well this year.
Raiders appear to be a top 4 team again this year.

 

[OzPiper]

Now to watch the North Queensland Cowboys thump the Canberra Raiders and my joy will be complete.

Richard, you must have been praying hard. Your tobacco arrived, then the pipe was delivered, and now the Queensland Cowboys won their match ! Your cup runneth over

 

[Pastor Richard]

Richard, you must have been praying hard. Your tobacco arrived, then the pipe was delivered, and now the Queensland Cowboys won their match ! Your cup runneth over

It doth indeed ? As to the pipe (and tobacco, of course), I’m getting a good half hour out of a small bowl (Savinelli 626). I had tried My Mixture 965 in a borrowed/donated pipe, wasn’t too impressed. Prob not a fair test.
So I sacrilegiously mixed it 70 (965) 30 (Borkum Riff Cherry Cavendish) and it’s pretty yummy In the Savinelli.

 

[chopper]

I am one happy chappy. Now to watch the North Queensland Cowboys thump the Canberra Raiders and my joy will be complete.

I don't believe it; The Cowboys gave it to the Raiders. Won by 2 points.

 

[Dio]

Welcome

 

[chopper]

It doth indeed ? As to the pipe (and tobacco, of course), I’m getting a good half hour out of a small bowl (Savinelli 626). I had tried My Mixture 965 in a borrowed/donated pipe, wasn’t too impressed. Prob not a fair test.
So I sacrilegiously mixed it 70 (965) 30 (Borkum Riff Cherry Cavendish) and it’s pretty yummy In the Savinelli.

Is 965 your first introduction to Latakia Richard?

It's an acquired taste for many of us.
My introduction to Latakia was a generous sample of Becks 'ol Limey Bastard from 4noggins.
The bag note I described as "Burnt rubber, asphalt and butt".

Thinking, do people actually smoke this crap? Of course I had to try a bowl.
It was intriguing but was too strong so I blended it 50/50 with Windsail Virginia.

One small bowl after dinner was pleasant. Two was one bowl too many.

Now I enjoy blends with just a touch of Latakia.
One of my favourite blends with Latakia is Count Pulaski that has a light anise and rum topping.

For something different I often will mix an English blend 50/50 with an aromatic.
You might like to experiment by mixing a bowls worth of 965 with the BR Cherry Cavendish.

 

[Pastor Richard]

Is 965 your first introduction to Latakia Richard?

It's an acquired taste for many of us.
My introduction to Latakia was a generous sample of Becks 'ol Limey Bastard from 4noggins.
The bag note I described as "Burnt rubber, asphalt and butt".

Thinking, do people actually smoke this crap? Of course I had to try a bowl.
It was intriguing but was too strong so I blended it 50/50 with Windsail Virginia.

One small bowl after dinner was pleasant. Two was one bowl too many.

Now I enjoy blends with just a touch of Latakia.
One of my favourite blends with Latakia is Count Pulaski that has a light anise and rum topping.

For something different I often will mix an English blend 50/50 with an aromatic.
You might like to experiment by mixing a bowls worth of 965 with the BR Cherry Cavendish.

Yes, my only Latakia to date. Now that I have an import permit (or will have, you know how quickly these government departments get their act together), I plan to take up @anthony416 ’ wise advice of using it only for expensive or hard-to-get-in-Aus tobacco like H&H’s (Black House? - forget what it’s called, a Balkan Sobranie smoke-alike).

 

[Ahi Ka]

Yes, my only Latakia to date. Now that I have an import permit (or will have, you know how quickly these government departments get their act together), I plan to take up @anthony416 ’ wise advice of using it only for expensive or hard-to-get-in-Aus tobacco like H&H’s (Black House? - forget what it’s called, a Balkan Sobranie smoke-alike).

Sutliff 759 match is the same thing but in bulk

 

[Pipenwheels]

Welcome from Ohio! Enjoy learning from the best on this great site!

 

[chopper]

Yes, my only Latakia to date. Now that I have an import permit (or will have, you know how quickly these government departments get their act together), I plan to take up @anthony416 ’ wise advice of using it only for expensive or hard-to-get-in-Aus tobacco like H&H’s (Black House? - forget what it’s called, a Balkan Sobranie smoke-alike).

That makes sense.

There's an Aussie importer where one can buy as little as 10g of particular blends.
He had a rather good selection when I looked and was tempted to buy several before committing to ordering a pound but I simply can't pay the contemptible taxes on mere principle.

Although most of the blends that I ordered by the pound were all new to me, it was fortunate that I enjoyed most and the few that weren't to my taste I was able to tweak by mixing with other blends.

I'm unable to find that importer.
Any Aussies have the link? Thanking you in advance.

 

[chopper]

Btw Richard, how are you off for pipes? [Apologies if you've already said]

 

[Charlie718]

Welcome from New York

 

[weezell]

Welcome from Ohio!...