Help Me Solve A Pipe Mystery!

[GothPiper]

The first time I ever smelled a pipe was when I was a kid. My grade school janitor smoked one, and the wonderful aroma is burned into my brain. The problem is: now even as an experienced smoker, I've never smelled a blend quite like it!

Here's some basic info/clues:

1. This was in the New York City area in the late 80s. It was a branded pouch, so it could only be what was commercially available in that time & place.

2. It was for sure an aromatic, but not vanilla or cherry. So not 1Q, not Capt Black, not SWRA. And it wasn't just a sweetened codger like SWR or Half and Half.

3. The best way I can describe the scent was deep and rich. Like a cross between hot buttered rum and incense.

I've only ever smelled a similar scent outside a group of folks smoking outside of a club, and they weren't pipe smokers. So I'm guessing it may have an analog in one of those cheap gas station cigars. My janitor was a humble man, so I would imagine it wasn't anything fancy.

Thoughts? Guesses? My own initial guess was perhaps one of the Backwoods pipe tobaccos, but I'm totally unsure about that.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Maybe Borkum Riff Whiskey?

 

[WVOldFart]

Prince Albert. It comes in a pouch, is an OTC, and smells like a pipe should.

 

[GothPiper]

Maybe Borkum Riff Whiskey?

I've tried Super Value Bourbon Whiskey, which I've heard is similar to Borkum Riff and that definitely wasn't anything like that smell.

 

[GothPiper]

Prince Albert. It comes in a pouch, is an OTC, and smells like a pipe should.

Definitely not the culprit, alas. I've tried PA many times and it wasn't that.

 

[canucklehead]

Could be a UK pouch like Condor or St. Bruno.

 

[chilllucky]

Things smell much differently when you're also tasting them. If you have a pipe smoking friend, you may want to ask them to try a couple of these suspects in your presence so you're only getting the scent, as when you were a child

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I've tried Super Value Bourbon Whiskey, which I've heard is similar to Borkum Riff and that definitely wasn't anything like that smell.

What about Backwoods Buttered Rum?

 

[GothPiper]

Could be a UK pouch like Condor or St. Bruno.

Possible - I haven't tried those. But would that have been available to the average person in NYC at the time?

 

[GothPiper]

Things smell much differently when you're also tasting them. If you have a pipe smoking friend, you may want to ask them to try a couple of these suspects in your presence so you're only getting the scent, as when you were a child

Very true. That may be worth a try.

 

[GothPiper]

What about Backwoods Buttered Rum?

Honestly, that's my #1 suspect at this point. Heck, I suppose it's not a very expensive prospect to try it out.

 

[canucklehead]

Possible - I haven't tried those. But would that have been available to the average person in NYC at the time?

Yeah I'm pretty sure someone in NYC in the 80s could get the bigger name brands from the UK. Amphora was popular too and came in a few flavours.

 

[canucklehead]

Have you tried Mixture 79?

 

[bullet08]

80s NYC had everything you wanted from a local stationary. From rolling papers to cheap ass cigar that's been humidified that morning with yesterday's wet rag. Of course, don't forget the turkey on Italian with butter on the way out. They knew how to make sandwiches.

 

[GothPiper]

Have you tried Mixture 79?

I have. That isn't the scent (though I do enjoy it).

 

[mso489]

I think it was Backwoods Buttered Rum combined with your elevated sense of smell as a grade school child. Remember, kids have much more sensitive sensory equipment than adults. To an adult who is hungry, a hamburger and fries might smell pretty good, but to a child it smells like ambrosia from heaven. And same thing with Backwoods Buttered Rum from a bag in a pipe. You may never entirely replicate that smell.

 

[Hillcrest]

Did you ever see the pouch it came in ? Do you remember anything about its color or design ? Just wild guessing here but maybe Sutliffe 704 spiced rum or Smoker Friendly Jamaican Rum ?

Try running a search on tobacco reviews for rum and incense and see what is recommended ...

 

[Hillcrest]

I think it was Backwoods Buttered Rum combined with your elevated sense of smell as a grade school child. Remember, kids have much more sensitive sensory equipment than adults. To an adult who is hungry, a hamburger and fries might smell pretty good, but to a child it smells like ambrosia from heaven. And same thing with Backwoods Buttered Rum from a bag in a pipe. You may never entirely replicate that smell.

Agreed but actually children do not fully develop sour taste buds until after 7 years old so that's why the gravitate towards sweeter flavors and avoid sour vegetables. It takes a few years to appreciate the sours.

 

[GothPiper]

I think it was Backwoods Buttered Rum combined with your elevated sense of smell as a grade school child. Remember, kids have much more sensitive sensory equipment than adults. To an adult who is hungry, a hamburger and fries might smell pretty good, but to a child it smells like ambrosia from heaven. And same thing with Backwoods Buttered Rum from a bag in a pipe. You may never entirely replicate that smell.

Quite true, and excellent observation!

However, I did smell a very similar smell outside a club, with no pipes in sight. Fairly recently, in fact. I do suspect Backwoods Buttered Rum because I know they also make cigars widely available in gas stations & convenience stores.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Quite true, and excellent observation!

However, I did smell a very similar smell outside a club, with no pipes in sight. Fairly recently, in fact. I do suspect Backwoods Buttered Rum because I know they also make cigars widely available in gas stations & convenience stores.

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