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londonbriar

Lurker
Apr 17, 2019
29
97
London-ish, UK
Hello everyone, a short introduction.
My name is Steve, and I am a pipe smoker living in the East of England. In many regards, I am quite like a Hobbit. I like working with wood, taking country walks, making Elderberry wine, a pie and a pint in the local pub, and of course, smoking a pipe. I am fond of all kinds of music - British Isles folk music, Jazz, Rock, Classical, Electronic - you name it. I am a big fan of Gilles Peterson's Saturday show on BBC 6 Music, if anyone is familiar.
I have been smoking a pipe for about 20 years now and collecting tobacco since 2008. Many of my tins are approaching, or have reached, their 10th Birthday, so I have decided it was time to dig through my cellar and do some side-by-side comparisons of old and new. I have signed up here mainly to get involved in the conversation and share my findings and reviews.
So, what do I smoke? My current top five are:

- Samuel Gawith's Skiff Mixture

- Rattray's Red Rapparee

- Dunhill Aperitif (recently departed, but there are alternatives!)

- Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake

- Samuel Gawith's St James Flake
But there is just so much good tobacco around that I have a LOT of Honourable Mentions, including:

- Samuel Gawith's - Squadron Leader, Full Virginia, Golden Glow, Sam's Flake, Cabbies...

- JF Germain - Special Latakia Flake, Rich Dark Flake, King Charles Mixture, Virginia Goldleaf, Royal Jersey Latakia

- GL Pease - Westminster, Maltese Falcon, Samarra

- McClelland - Legends, Wilderness, Celebrated Sovereign

- Smoker's Haven - Exotique, Our Best Blend, 20th Anniversary
Pipe-wise, I have a few 'name' pipes (a Dunhill, an Askwith, a nice Stanwell Hans Christian Andersen with the two stems), but my day-to-day favourite smokers are all 'London Briars' - those sub-brands all stamped London-made, that I usually pick up for less than a tenner on the flea-bay or in bric-a-brac shops. Hence the name.
Anyway, I have rambled a LOT there. I will stop. Hope to see you on the forums
Steve

Oh, one quick question. What is the etiquette in posting reviews here for discussion that are also posted on tobaccoreviews.com? TR is so great, but it is also nice to have some discussion occasionally, instead of just broadcasting

 

cachimbero

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2019
244
288
55
Cordoba, Spain
Welcome Londonbriar. Very interested in those new vs old tobacco blends comparisons. There is a tobacco review sub-forum. You can post your reviews there and they will be open for discussion.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
You are much in tune with the Forums membership. Welcome aboard. I'm in central North Carolina between the U.S. eastern seaboard and the mountains. I've been to U.K. twice, an England/Lake District/Scotland trip mostly on our own, and later a London trip.

 

redglow

Lifer
Jan 7, 2019
1,822
4,043
Michigan
Welcome aboard LB from Detroit, Michigan. I just acquired 3 tins of Squadron Leader. Looking forward to cracking one open here in the near future!

 

trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
Welcome! I very much look forward to learning the results of your side-by-side comparisons of aged blends. I just put up my first jars of a couple of your favored blends and would love to know if it will be worth the wait when I already like them just fine. I'm the proud owner of a fine pipe stamped "London Briar," which I unfortunately broke soon after buying it. (It failed the old "Can you drop it in -8 F weather?" test.) It still smokes great and has become one of my Lakeland-dedicated pipes.
img_20190311_220315-450x600.jpg


 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,064
Carmel Valley, CA
Fine intro, and look forward to your side x side smoking reviews.
England seemed so much closer when I live in NYC, and traveling was less of a hassle when I was younger. So, now in CA and a Sr. citizen, I don't get to London as much.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Greetings from Cornwall :puffy:
"England seemed so much closer when I live[d] in NYC"
John, that's likely because England is closer to New York than it is to California!
Regards,
Jay.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Welcome to the site from Florida. I am a big fan of the SG Best Brown, Full Virginia and St James flakes. All of my batches are from 2004-2012. It ages very nicely for my tastes.

 
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