Half way through this bowl of Watch City English Ernie-ental in a straight dark brown and tan rusticated Peterson 2023 Saint Patrick’s Day 264 Canadian with an Irish flag colored ferrule and tapered black acrylic stem.
***What Are You Smoking, April 2024?***
- Thread starter JimInks
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Arango Balkan Supreme in a Barling EL Ye Olde Wood pre-trans Fossil bulldog.
Wifey is out gallivanting on horseback, so I'm going to putter around the ranch doing the least strenuous odd-jobs I can find, with SWR in a MM Dagner poker keeping me company.
Bird report: Spotted towhee, White-crowned sparrow, Golden-crowned sparrow, American tree sparrow, California scrub-jay, California towhee, American crow, House finch, Northern flicker, Dark-eyed junco, and Mountain chickadee.
According to the P&C calendar, today is National Beer Day. I shall have to do my part this evening.
Bird report: Spotted towhee, White-crowned sparrow, Golden-crowned sparrow, American tree sparrow, California scrub-jay, California towhee, American crow, House finch, Northern flicker, Dark-eyed junco, and Mountain chickadee.
According to the P&C calendar, today is National Beer Day. I shall have to do my part this evening.
Sitting down tonight with some Carolina red flake in my Vauen bulldog and glass of bourbon.
Finishing a tin of Waccamaw in my Nuttens Dublin
Halfway through a bowl of Pease Windjammer in a Bondarev billiard 
I like the new paint scheme
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I like the Calabash.I'll bet it enhances the Ye Olde Signe by far.Thanks for the Calabash idea.
Smoked Low Country Natural VaBur while mowing the grass
Bonsun plug in a Kaywoodie before calling it a night
GH&Co Kendal Flake in my Lakeland cob, with a delicious beer.
Brown Flake Aromatic in a Kaywoodie 5153 straight bulldog.
Finished my pipeful of Haunted Bookshop and now I'm on to G.L. Pease's Union Square in the Rattray's Blower's Daughter before bed.
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I've only had Union Square a few times thus far so I'm still working out my thoughts on it, but it definitely captures that "moldering leaf litter" aroma and flavor profile that some red Virginias can have moreso than any other Virginia blend I've ever smoked. It's surprisingly dark and earthy for a pure Virginia and would be a really excellent gateway into Virginias for a Burley smoker, or a gateway into Burleys for a Virginia smoker!
The melange of Virginia flavors are soft but not too subtle, with the dark, earthy, bready, autumn leaf litter red Virginia flavors right up front and just a little touch of green tea-like bright Virginia off in the background to keep it from being monotone, and it's surprisingly forgiving when it comes to burn temperature and smoking cadence. You'd really have to freight train it to get Union Square to bite or turn ashy tasting, so it would be a very forgiving blend for a less experienced pipe smoker or just absentminded all day puffing. It stays lit quite easily too (after rubbing out the broken flakes and giving it 10 minutes of dry time at least), and the pleasantly noticable but not overbearing medium nicotine content makes it seem like a good all day smoke. The high red Virginia content does make for a very zingy retrohale though, so it's not a perfectly smooth blend, but it is a tasty one.
All in all I'm really enjoying Union Square, and while I'm not sure it'll replace Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia as my favorite darker Virginia blend, it's certainly giving Mac Baren's offering some strong competition and I think it would be a top notch choice for a fall and winter Virginia.
Beautiful pipe! Union square is top 5 for me all time. It ages wonderfully!
Chenet's Cake in an Abe Herbaugh lovat. 
Riverboat Gambler in a Peterson Donegal Rocky X105. This is a new blend for me. 
Argentine twist from close to the border with Brazil in the Hardcastle's bullcap.
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