Hello from Victoria BC
- Thread starter SpyHill
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The village is named after the only hill in sight -- and it's not much of a hill. I think they could have chosen a better name.
well as far as naming a place after geological features, it's got little rock beat. Like the name but the story behind it....
Oof. So I just got my tobacco from SP -- came through Canada Post. $70+ in duty and taxes for just under 5 ounces (3 ounces + 50g). That amounts to about $15/ounce, FYI. That's BC, of course, so maybe a few dollars less in SK, assuming it's not all random.
I've decided to take a route through the U.S. to get to Spy Hill. I'll have to make the trip last 48 hours to avoid duty and taxes. Cheap tobacco isn't the only reason I'm taking this route, but it's definitely a factor. I'll be able to get 400g between my wife and I, if I understand the regulations correctly.
I may try to find a forum member in Montana who wouldn't mind me delivering to their house, so that I'm not limited to what a B&M has in stock on the way.
So if any Montanans see this...
Sounds about right. I think I figured once that when I get hit with duties, the price per tin was close to what shops in Saskatchewan have them for (likely still a little cheaper).
I had my first smoke last night. Complete failure.
Dr. Grabow Lark with Arango's Balkan Supreme. The pipe is quite small (0.75" diameter), so I had some trouble packing it to the right density. I probably packed it too tight. I also think the toacco was too moist. I noticed quite a bit of smoke coming from the bowl itself, but it wasn't staying lit.
I probably relit about 25 times, each light lasting 5 or 10 seconds. I tasted nothing but burnt tobacco. I was trying the breath method, but it just seemed impossible to keep it lit without heavy draws, which is not the idea behind the breath method. I kept dumping ash. Even with such a small bowl, I didn't finish it.
I know I'm not the only one to have a bad first smoke, but man is it frustrating, especially given the cost of tobacco in Canada.
Any tips/guidance is appreciated. I put a bowl's worth of tobacco on a piece of paper to dry this morning. I will probably try again this evening.
Cheers.
First off, I am a G.K. Chesterton fan as well.
It sounds to me that you really did pack the bowl too tightly. Smaller bowls are a little trickier to pack, since any top pressure gets transferred all the way down to the bottom.
My advice is to try this: After drying your tobacco, just let the first third of the bowl pack by gravity. Just let it fall. Pack the second dose with your thumb or finger, but just lightly push it in. Finish packing the bowl with the pressure you are using right now.
When you light, the tobacco should swell up out of the bowl, so very lightly tamp it in. You may need to relight here, but this should get your smoke going.
Take your time, don't get impatient with yourself, and enjoy your pipe! Cheers!
It sounds to me that you really did pack the bowl too tightly. Smaller bowls are a little trickier to pack, since any top pressure gets transferred all the way down to the bottom.
My advice is to try this: After drying your tobacco, just let the first third of the bowl pack by gravity. Just let it fall. Pack the second dose with your thumb or finger, but just lightly push it in. Finish packing the bowl with the pressure you are using right now.
When you light, the tobacco should swell up out of the bowl, so very lightly tamp it in. You may need to relight here, but this should get your smoke going.
Take your time, don't get impatient with yourself, and enjoy your pipe! Cheers!
Thanks very much. I'll give that a try tonight. I think you are right about the bowl being packed too tight. It's tougher to gauge when the tamper covers the majority of the tobacco's surface.
The trouble I had with letting the tobacco fall into the bowl was that the ribbons were simply sitting atop the bowl, on the rim. So I ended up tamping them in, probably too tight. But I will be more intentional with it this time and not tamp down at first.
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