Hello from Western Massachusetts.

[lloydcole]

Hello from Western Massachusetts.

I'm Lloyd Cole. I'm a musician.

I'm returning to the pipe after a couple of years off. Frankly, pipe smoking isn't great for singing, but I'm not singing, right now, and I've missed it.

I became rather pipe and tobacco obsessive a few years ago and amassed far more pipes than I needed. In the sabbatical I sold most of them and now I have one for each day of the week. Mostly Italian. My best pipes are a Castello Old Antiquary that's maybe a lovat, a couple of Pease/Radice chubbies, and a lovely big Becker billard.

Given what's been going on in Syria, I wasn't overly surprised, but was still rather saddened to see that most of my favourite tobaccos from 2015 are no more. I was a Penzance, Frog Morton on the Town, and across the Pond smoker. Since returning, I've tried a few other blends and I'm enjoying Quiet Nights, Plum Pudding and Brebbia latakia flake. I have some Penzance I bit the bullet for on eBay but I think I might be joining the school that thinks latakia doesn't improve with age.

Any suggestions would be welcomed. I think I'll see if I still like Compton's Macedonian.

I have concluded, in the last couple of weeks, that I finally 'get' Virginias and I know why I don't enjoy mixtures with that leaf to the fore. If there are any members in my area who love Virginias, feel free to PM me, I have about 6 tins I won't be smoking that you're welcome to if you fancy a drive.

 

[cachimbero]

Try Mac Baren HH Latakia Flake and HH Balkan. You might like them and they are easily available.

 

[pitchfork]

Welcome, Lloyd.
I'm in Connecticut, but I've spent many years off and on in western Mass. Sorry to hear about the Virginias.

 

[jerry]

Greetings from Sheffield (Massachusetts, that is)!

 

[cigrmaster]

Welcome from Florida.

 

[trouttimes]

Welcome from Colorado high country

 

[jpmcwjr]

And welcome and hello from N California

 

[redglow]

Welcome from Detroit!

 

[alaskanpiper]

Hello from Knik River, Alaska! What kind of music?

 

[mso489]

Welcome aboard, Lloyd. My paternal grandmother grew up in Holyoke, and my maternal grandfather was named Lloyd, and that's what he had his grandkids call him. You've had quite a history with your pipe smoking. Have you ever explored burley blends? Cornell & Diehl does well with burley based and burley inclusive blends.

 

[lloydcole]

"Have you ever explored burley blends? Cornell & Diehl does well with burley based and burley inclusive blends. "
I have no experience with Burley, but I have read comments likening it to an American Latakia. Any specific recommendations?

 

[lloydcole]

Hello Alaska! "What kind of music? "
It's been 35 years so hard to put a finger on what exactly I do...

It's not blues... http://www.lloydcole.com/

 

[mso489]

lloyd', my disclaimer on burley is, some can't taste it; some don't like it; and some like it a lot. Going from English blends in a Virginia base, for a mild refined smoke, Nat Sherman 536 might be an introduction. If you'd like a sturdy medium strength burley, the new Amphora Burley gets good reviews. From Cornell & Diehl, in fuller strength burley blends, I like Old Joe Krantz, Billy Budd with cigar leaf, and the milder Tuggle Hall. A surprisingly good (to me) aromatic over-the-counter pouch tobacco is the burley based Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, with Virginia as a condiment, and flavored with three liqueurs. None of my suggestions may be agreeable to you, so try small samples. OJK and Billy Budd are available in bulk, and SWR Aro in pouches. Burley used to be a codger thing, but now blends are decidedly expansive. Daughters & Ryan does some good blends at moderate prices.

 

[derhammer]

welcome!

 

[kylef]

Welcome Lloyd! Greetings from Rockport on the other side of the state.
(And BTW, I was a college student and music fan in the 80's, so I knew who you were without going to the link--and I really dig "Perfect Skin.")

 

[danimalia]

Welcome from the SF Bay Area!
I recently bought a bag of Penzance, and tried it for the first time. I like it a lot. As luck would have it, the same day I bought the Penzance I had a package come from Watch City Cigar, outside Boston. They have their take on Penzance, Ahab's Comfort, and I think it's pretty close, and I like it a lot as well. Obviously, with different tobaccos from different places it isn't exactly the same, but I think it would be close enough to make for a decent substitute.
The burley that makes sense as an American Latakia to me is dark-fired Kentucky, which is both air-cured and then smoked. Whereas Latakia is more pine-like, the dark-fired is more BBQ/Hickory. And decidedly stronger in nicotine. I'm a sucker for both, but blends centered around dark-fired Kentucky may be worth checking out. MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired or Bold Kentucky, GL Pease JackKnife, and Peterson's Irish Flake all make great use of it. It's usually combined with VAs, because like Latakia it can be intense, so YMMV if you don't care for VAs.

 

[seldom]

Greetings from an American expat in Germany. I've been enjoying a number of the blends on offer here. HU in Germany, for example, is producing very nice blends. There are still Latakia blends being produced, it is sourced from Cyprus rather than Syria. Perhaps HU Fayyum Kake would be one you would enjoy. Tobacco Reviews makes it easy to search for blends. You can choose Latakia in the "contents" search field. Apparently you can order HU from America via Esterval's Pipe House and pfeifendepot.

 

[mso489]

A footnote: Western Mass. has a distinctive style of regional cooking. My grandma (paternal) grew up there. I thought it was just her style, until I traveled there. A lunch stop at a handsome old frame house redone as a restaurant revealed it was incredibly like Grandma's food. Of course, not quite as good, but very good.

 

[lloydcole]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.