Man, am I glad I found you guys!

[bachrachj]

OK, so I inherited my Father's pipe collection and it's been hanging around my garage for a couple of years. There are some sweetheart pipes and a "bucket" of tobaccos. Dad had little glass snap seal style jars for his tobacco. The problem is, how do I know if what is in them is aromatic or not? Dad had good tastes and I always remember tins of tobacco and hardly any pouches. Is this a good sign that, perhaps most would be non-aromatic? After reading about gurgle and bite, I think I'd like to avoid the aromatics from the start. Having fun and digging the whole accompanying squalor of the pipe biz! Happy new Year from Flagstaff,
John

 

[Perique]

Welcome aboard. You'll know immediately if the blends are aromatic from the aroma in the jar before you even pack or light up. But don't worry - try them all. If you don't like a blend, set it aside until you've had more pipe smoking experience. Then come back to it. Many a pipesmoker has changed his mind about a blend. Tastes (and tobacco blends) change over time.

 

[mso489]

Welcome to Forums, bachrachj. Sorting out the aromatic from the non-aromatic will be a good learning

experience. You might not get it absolutely right, but you can learn a lot in the process. If you can go

to a pipe shop and sniff their various jars of bulk tobacco, this will help a lot. Aromatics have definite

non-tobacco flavoring and scents -- vanilla, rum, whiskey, chocolate, caramel and so on. Anything other

than tobacco smell is probably a flavoring. Incidentally, don't pre-judge your dad. A lot of experienced and

inveterate pipe smokers will smoke nothing but aromatic; it's the dominant tobacco category. When you think

you know aromatics from non -- or maybe they are all one or the other -- sample a few and see what you like.

This is your adventure, building on your dad's pipes and leaf. Have fun exploring, and don't be afraid to buy

your own selection of tobaccos (in small quantities for starters) and see what you like.

 

[boilermakerandy]

If they smell like cherries, vanilla, pumpkin pie, your grandmother's perfume, etc they are aromatics. Personally, I hate aromatics but you may find you like them. Try them all and see what you like. To me aromatics smell wonderful, have a wonderful room note, but burn hot and taste like shit, YMMV.

 

[darthcider]

Welcome aboard, enjoy the ride.

 

[easterntraveler]

Smoke everything you have. I don't smoke aromatics but that doesn't mean I won't try them

 

[bachrachj]

Wow. Very cool. I should have found you all a long time ago. Ok, so now I think I'll go burn one and keep track of the jars of tobacco. I especially liked the "set it aside until you've had more pipe smoking experience. Then come back to it. Many a pipesmoker has changed his mind about a blend" I feel the same about whiskys. First impressions don't always last. I've never pitched a Scotch because I didn't like it first time around. I may not buy it again, but... Thanks again. This'll be fun.
John

 

[bachrachj]

Can't find the "Arizona Smokers" thread. Can you direct me?
Will get some pictures going. A little embarrassed about the piled up condition of the pipes right now.
Thanks again.

 

[tppytel]

Note that even with good storage any aromatic blends may have faded considerably if they've been sitting around for a couple years. It may be tough to judge how they originally tasted, especially for an inexperienced smoker. It may be helpful to pick up a few new tins of some benchmark blends just have some known quantities to compare your old stock to. I might suggest a spread like Orlik Golden Slices (a straight VA, or close to it), Escudo (a VA/Perique), Dunhill Nightcap (a Latakia), and some kind of Burley blend (not my forte, but maybe MacBaren Golden Extra?). Those suggestions aren't necessarily my very favorites, but they're pretty straight representatives of their genre, tons of people have tried them, and they would help you navigate what you've got.

 

[simnettpratt]

Welcome to the forums, bach. I agree that you should try them all to find out what you like. I liked aromatics (usually abbreviated aros) at first, then got tired of the sweetness and turned to Englishes and Balkans, and currently aros are making a comeback with me - good for an easy, light smoke.
Enjoy the journey, and smoke what you like
PS Yes, we love pics. How to post them is on a sticky.
PPS I loved Scotch my first sip; it was a surprise: oh, peat and whiskey - awesome!

 

[jeepnewbie]

Welcome to the forums, we are happy to have another on board! Indeed post some pics we love seeing pipes.

 

[huntertrw]

bachrachj:
Welcome aboard, Sir! I am proud of you for honoring your father by conserving and enjoying his pipes and tobaccos. As they served and solaced him, may they do so to you likewise.

 

[patiobum]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[bachrachj]

OK, you asked for it. Here are the first ten pipes that I cleaned enough to start my experimentation. Not as thoroughly as they probably should be, but a basic cleaning so that I can get going on the smoking! I made a list of the pipes and starting at the bottom right, moving left, then to the top row and back right, are engravings on each of the pipes. I just grabbed 10 with different shapes and bowl sizes out of what I estimate to be 70+ pipes. I also went and bought an ounce of Aromatic and an English for these trials. Here are the descriptions:
1) Wenhall - LAN (with several letters following that are not stamped deeply enough to read, and then slightly overlapped by FREEHAND - Made in Denmark

2) Charatan's Make - London England - Special

3) Comoy's - Sandblast - 331 - C - Made in England

4) Lorenzo - Matera - Studio Italy - 827

5) Savinelli - Autograph - 5 - Italy

6) Alberto (inside of an oval) - Hand Made - Italy - Special

7) Garrick (also inside of an oval) - 130

8) Ben Wade - Nobel Prize - 2000 - Made in Denmark

9) Bari - Special - Handcut - Danish Made - with the number 657 towards the stem

10) Jobey - Shellmoor - 200 with Jobey on the stem

After the cleaning session, which was very enjoyable in its self, I loaded pipe #7, the Garrick 130, (because my wife liked it) with the English (no namo from the shop's bulk bin), applying the wonderful techniques I learned from the forums, and "sipping" both the pipe and the Scotch (Ledaig 10 year), I had one of the most enjoyable smokes I've had in years. Slowly, slowly, slowly smoking and puttering with some old lighters, getting them ready for further experiments. Ahh. Thanks again. Will keep you updated as I get the pipes all cleaned and the cabinet I have planned built and stocked.
John

"F--- it! I'm eighty five years old. Get the good stuff!"​

Dr. Arthur J. Bachrach (Dad)​

 

[mustanggt]

Good for you!!! I can tell you're well on your way to the joy and simple pleasure experiencing this wonderful hobby.

 

[seagullplayer]

That some start you got there!
Looks like your dad made use of his pipes, I hate to see a pipe unappreciated.

 

[pylorns]

What sparks said - those pipes need some pipe love before you can smoke them and not have a horrible taste, if it's something you don't want to worry about, send them off to be cleaned up.

 

[phxrock]

To find the Arizona Smokers thread look for the Pipe Club forum. You will find it there.
John ( phxrock)

 

[pipebaum81]

bachrachj, welcome welcome welcome. As with everyone else here, I am excited for you.
Use this link as a Custom Search Engine speciafically tooled for this forum. You can seach anything like polish stems, clean pipe, ream and so on. Very useful tool. Credits and a big thanks for it goes to its creator, user ghost.

 

[cobguy]

Welcome to the Forum John!
I lived in Flagstaff for 17 years and still own a house there ... currently in Prescott.
What brought you to Flag and what do you do?

What is your current favorite smoke?

Is McGaugh's Smoke Shop still around?
I hope we can get together for a bowl and scotch someday!