TAD! And AAD?

[joeval]

So, as an early Christmas present to myself, I ordered in a few little goodies. A couple of tins I've not tried before, a shiny new pipe case, and a couple of those rubber mouth bits.
So, less talk, more pics.


I've had a 5g sampler of the Mac Baron, but as a ribbon cut. These are my first Flakes, in fact.

I'm slightly worried about the Sam Gawith - after I ordered it, I looked it up a bit more and found it's fairly heavy in nicotine. I'm a tragic lightweight!


As for the case - first off, it looked pretty. But, I travel a fair bit for work, and have so far had a couple of tins loose in my bag and my pipe living in its box. Time for a proper case.

The downside with this is that there's nowhere to keep pipe cleaners secure, without bending them around. The only way I've found is to use one of the pipe spaces. Or, hide them away behind the tobacco pouch.

A shot of the (almost) packed article:

 

[pylorns]

The vanilla flake is excellent. I smoked some night before last in a larger bowl and got a nic hit. That generally doesn't happen to me, so fair warning like with any flake - it may be a bit stronger. BUT that said - I really, really enjoy that vanilla flake - much better than the shag from them.

 

[papipeguy]

Those two blends are nearly at opposite ends of the spectrum. I say nearly because the tonquin in 1792 is an herb used as a vanilla flavoring. I have not smoked the Mac Baren Vanilla but I have consumed copious amounts of 1792 and it is a manly blend. Fell free to dry out 1792 for a long time and then settle into a comfy chair. It's a heck of a ride. In love the stuff. Enjoy and share your thoughts on the blends.

 

[mrenglish]

Mac Baren sells a pipe cleaner holder. It holds 20-30 cleaners and keeps them straight so that might be an idea.

 

[blueeyedogre]

I used a plastic cigar tube. Keeps them straight and clean.

 

[joeval]

Mac Baren sells a pipe cleaner holder. It holds 20-30 cleaners and keeps them straight so that might be an idea.

Well, that's a bit nifty... Must keep an eye out.
I quickly gave up on leaving them behind the pouch - I opened up the case and they ended up all over the floor. Won't be doing that again! So, now they're residing in one of the pipe holder bits, with the second pipe unsecured. Luckily, the case is pretty roomy, so no major drama.
Just enjoyed a lovely bowl of the Mac Baren, the flake is much nicer than the shag, as I recall it. Lasts a good deal longer, as well! Very leisurely, sat in the garage with a fan heater to keep me a bit warmer. A happy piper.

 

[joeval]

Well, that was a bowl of the Sam Gawith. Tasted lovely, but the very bugger to keep lit! And, a wee bit wet. I ended up only smoking half a bowl in the end, just got fed up of relighting the thing. Emptied the bowl out, and it was getting a bit gungy in the bottom.
Next time, I'll try rubbing the flake out, see if it behaves any better.
Aside from that, by all accounts, two very nice tobaccos!

 

[cigrmaster]

joeval, I have found that I need to dry my SG flakes a good 1-2 hours before smoking them. I cube cut them and then let them dry. Of all my flakes, the SG take the longest to dry.

 

[natibo]

Would a non-aro smoker enjoy that Vanilla Flake?