...after a few years, I just stopped and put it away. (In the early '80s, smoking a pipe was too conspicuous an affectation for my circle of friends and I wasn't too attached to it anyway.) I smoked, amongst other common brands, Nightcap, Troost Slices, Captain Black and a very dark aromatic house blend from a tobacco shop on the south side of 42nd St., across from Grand Central Station. I don't remember the name of the place now, but the proprietor was very helpful in educating me about different tobaccos. (luh-TAHK-ee-uh, BTW)
A couple of months ago I came across a box containing, not only my old assortment of pipes, but my sealed, unlabeled stash of 40- year-old tobacco! It was quite dry, of course, but some of it rehydrated amazingly well. To smell those aromas again after so many years brought back an amazing slew of memories. It really reinvigorated my enthusiasm for it! I have since picked up a pretty extensive assortment of new blends as well as a few nice pipes (Peterson, Savinelli and Nording) and I'm back to being a pipe smoker.
Although I enjoy variety and will smoke English blends on occasion, I'll probably lean toward the aromatics for now.
My current favorites are SPC's Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel, John Cotton's Double Pressed Creme, Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream, St Bruno's Flake, Bob's Chocolate Flake, Country Squires' Rivendell, Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake and Sillem's Musketeer.
Yeah, I'm trying everything!
I'm glad to be on the forum and learning about pipes, pipe making and restoration and tobacco varieties.
