My first year in, or there bouts.
I started out with Carter Hall I heard it was a good over the counter blend that had been around forever. And I could find it everywhere. I also tried Prince Albert because it was my grand father’s favorite blend.
After doing a lot of online research I called around and found a local tobacco shop that had "bulk" tobacco for sale. This was in large glass jars on the shelf. You could buy as little as an ounce at a time and the prices where very reasonable. I bought six or seven one ounce samples; they put them in a zip lock bags and labeled them for me. I know I had less than 20 bucks in the deal. They included there top seller and a couple I liked the smell of.
I bought some 1/2 pint canning jars, one ounce fits perfectly in them, and labeled the lids. Some of the samples I liked more than the others, only one of them I did not like. But I just felt like I had yet to hit the one for me.
I kept reading about this Frog Morgan and how it was people’s favorite. I had to make several phone calls before I found a place that carried it anywhere near me. I made the trip after work one evening, city traffic both ways. I took home two different types of the frog, one was the regular and one was “out on the town” or something like that. It’s not in front of me at the moment. Because it was so out of the way I also got some Virginia flack in a small tin. BTW this is the only tobacco I have purchased so far that actually came in a “tin”. I found the Virginia Flack to be fine, perhaps a bit bland.
But this Frog Morgan stuff, that’s a different story all together. Upon opening the can I was really struck by the aroma, its one of a kind. I will say that it is the first tobacco I have tried that tasted like it smelled. In my case that was not all together a good thing.
After the first pipe I got a few comments about the aroma from my wife, she suggested that this particular blend might be better suited for garage use. It was pretty strong for me, I can see where it might be a love it or hate it type thing, not much room for middle ground with the frog.
After some further study I found that many tobaccos need to air out a bit, so I left the lid off for a while in the garage. But found its scent just too alluring. I ended up placing it inside a metal popcorn tin I keep some of my pipes and tobaccos in, in part to keep the mice out. After a week or so I thought it was time for another try, I had read about “ghosting” of a pipe, it was only after the most diligent repeated cleaning did I get the taste of it out of the first pipe.
Turns out you can “ghost” just about anything with the stuff if you leave it sealed up in a metal popcorn tin for a week. I am not sure it took the entire week; ten minutes may be enough if you care to try it out. Might make an interesting science fair experiment, for those with kids still in elementary school? Anyway everything in the tin smelled like the stuff, I had a couple of pouches of different tobaccos, and two corn cob pipes, a box of filters and cleaners. I tried it again after the airing out with no better result than the first, but this time I used a much less favored pipe.
I understand not every taste is for everyone, so I thought my BIL might like it better than me. He has been a smoker all his adult life, and enjoys a pipe now and again. Next time he was over I loaded him up a bowl full of the frog, he had sampled several of my canning jar tobaccos, and he even liked the one I didn’t so I gifted it to him. So he thought nothing of my offering a sample. Not to bias his decision in any way I only told him it was something new and “different”. He remarked on the aroma right away, I told him to “just wait till you taste it”.
In short he didn’t think much of it either and I had a really hard time getting him to take the remaining contents of the popcorn tin home with him. He refused to take the can of frog outright. He later told me he trashed the filters and pipe cleaners right away, and gave the corn cob pipes to a guy we worked with that he didn’t like much. There was a pouch of apple flavored tobacco that once aired out for a month or so was OK.
I don’t think I ever opened that second can; I am saving that for a very special occasion. My fishing buddy is always coming up with some lousy cigars during out camping trips; he may just get a special can of pipe tobacco for Christmas.
This all came to mind last night as I sat in my recliner; I noticed one of the canning jar samples on the gun cabinet while loading my pipe with Prince Albert. Thinking I need to get another pouch of Carter Hall, as I am about out. Sometimes a person should learn to appreciate what they already have and you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.
I started out with Carter Hall I heard it was a good over the counter blend that had been around forever. And I could find it everywhere. I also tried Prince Albert because it was my grand father’s favorite blend.
After doing a lot of online research I called around and found a local tobacco shop that had "bulk" tobacco for sale. This was in large glass jars on the shelf. You could buy as little as an ounce at a time and the prices where very reasonable. I bought six or seven one ounce samples; they put them in a zip lock bags and labeled them for me. I know I had less than 20 bucks in the deal. They included there top seller and a couple I liked the smell of.
I bought some 1/2 pint canning jars, one ounce fits perfectly in them, and labeled the lids. Some of the samples I liked more than the others, only one of them I did not like. But I just felt like I had yet to hit the one for me.
I kept reading about this Frog Morgan and how it was people’s favorite. I had to make several phone calls before I found a place that carried it anywhere near me. I made the trip after work one evening, city traffic both ways. I took home two different types of the frog, one was the regular and one was “out on the town” or something like that. It’s not in front of me at the moment. Because it was so out of the way I also got some Virginia flack in a small tin. BTW this is the only tobacco I have purchased so far that actually came in a “tin”. I found the Virginia Flack to be fine, perhaps a bit bland.
But this Frog Morgan stuff, that’s a different story all together. Upon opening the can I was really struck by the aroma, its one of a kind. I will say that it is the first tobacco I have tried that tasted like it smelled. In my case that was not all together a good thing.
After the first pipe I got a few comments about the aroma from my wife, she suggested that this particular blend might be better suited for garage use. It was pretty strong for me, I can see where it might be a love it or hate it type thing, not much room for middle ground with the frog.
After some further study I found that many tobaccos need to air out a bit, so I left the lid off for a while in the garage. But found its scent just too alluring. I ended up placing it inside a metal popcorn tin I keep some of my pipes and tobaccos in, in part to keep the mice out. After a week or so I thought it was time for another try, I had read about “ghosting” of a pipe, it was only after the most diligent repeated cleaning did I get the taste of it out of the first pipe.
Turns out you can “ghost” just about anything with the stuff if you leave it sealed up in a metal popcorn tin for a week. I am not sure it took the entire week; ten minutes may be enough if you care to try it out. Might make an interesting science fair experiment, for those with kids still in elementary school? Anyway everything in the tin smelled like the stuff, I had a couple of pouches of different tobaccos, and two corn cob pipes, a box of filters and cleaners. I tried it again after the airing out with no better result than the first, but this time I used a much less favored pipe.
I understand not every taste is for everyone, so I thought my BIL might like it better than me. He has been a smoker all his adult life, and enjoys a pipe now and again. Next time he was over I loaded him up a bowl full of the frog, he had sampled several of my canning jar tobaccos, and he even liked the one I didn’t so I gifted it to him. So he thought nothing of my offering a sample. Not to bias his decision in any way I only told him it was something new and “different”. He remarked on the aroma right away, I told him to “just wait till you taste it”.
In short he didn’t think much of it either and I had a really hard time getting him to take the remaining contents of the popcorn tin home with him. He refused to take the can of frog outright. He later told me he trashed the filters and pipe cleaners right away, and gave the corn cob pipes to a guy we worked with that he didn’t like much. There was a pouch of apple flavored tobacco that once aired out for a month or so was OK.
I don’t think I ever opened that second can; I am saving that for a very special occasion. My fishing buddy is always coming up with some lousy cigars during out camping trips; he may just get a special can of pipe tobacco for Christmas.
This all came to mind last night as I sat in my recliner; I noticed one of the canning jar samples on the gun cabinet while loading my pipe with Prince Albert. Thinking I need to get another pouch of Carter Hall, as I am about out. Sometimes a person should learn to appreciate what they already have and you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.
