***What Are You Smoking, June 2024?***

[JimInks]

Enjoyed a tasty golden delicious apple, and am off to work with a bowl of year 2020 D&R Penhooker Silver in a straight smooth brown undated pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock 263 Canadian with a nickel band and a tapered black p-lip stem. Community Coffee, neat, is my drink.

 

[didimauw]

Nice looking claw

Thanks! Carved by Mustafa at Astas Meerschaum. Worth every penny. All 30,000 of em.

 

[Bbailey324]

I’ve only had Gh&Co’s Bob’s, how’s the strength of the SG?

Similar in overall strength but the SG comes across to me as more Virginia dominant rather than the mix of tobacco in Bob's. It does seem that my tin of the SG has minimal topping as the chocolate flavors are extremely muted. Much more in the background than Bob's.

 

[Sandblast]

Half way through this bowl of 2019 Prince Albert in an undated, unbranded straight smooth brown made in France Los Alton VBF Canadian with a tapered black vulcanite stem.

Passing the quarter mark of this bowl of year 2018 D&R Windsail in a smooth straight dark brown family era “Canadian” by Sasieni with a tapered black vulcanite stem.
Just finished work and this bowl of Wilke High Hat in an undated black sandblasted straight made in France Silvermatch Canadian with a tapered black vulcanite stem.
Enjoyed a little snacking, and am off to the studio with a bowl of year 2020 D&R VIP in a 2004 smooth long shank Trever Talbot Ligne Bretagne Faite en Bretagne 4/3 lumberman with a tapered black vulcanite stem.
Enjoyed a tasty golden delicious apple, and am off to work with a bowl of year 2020 D&R Penhooker Silver in a straight smooth brown undated pre-Republic Peterson Shamrock 263 Canadian with a nickel band and a tapered black p-lip stem.

Gosh, Jim. Seems like you've been on a bit of a "roll" .... a "Canadian roll".
This gets my attention due to the emotional connection I have for Canadians, harkening back to my Grandfather.

 

[JimInks]

Now smoking Wilke Gentry Royal Blend No. 2 in a black sandblast quarter bend undated Briarcraft (Dr. Grabow made) Wimbledon 810 author with a tapered black vulcanite stem. Working and listening to The Lone Ranger from my radio collection.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

McClelland 40th Anniversary in a Howell.

 

[PrivatePiping]

C&D From Beyond in a Morgan Bones bent brandy.

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Why thank you! I'm often hesitant to do a formal review of tobaccos since I feel like you have to smoke a blend at least half a dozen times and in a few different pipes to really know it well enough to do a proper review, and many of the blends I try end up being a one and done affair for me. It's not often I find a blend I like enough to smoke half a dozen or more times, but I do still like writing up my impressions of them!


For this morning's smoke I just finished a bowl of Gawith Hoggarth Kendal Dark in the Dr. Grabow Lark again. I was a touch worried that it might be too punchy to smoke first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but I feel really pleasantly relaxed and awake with no ill effects so it seems just fine to me!

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Edit: On a side note, I just ordered an ounce of Dark Bird's Eye and an ounce of Kendal Kentucky, since I do really like the mechanics, smoothness, and strength of Kendal Dark but the flavor isn't quite what I'm looking for. Fingers crossed that one of Gawith's other two dark fired shag cut blends will hit my tongue just right!

Nice, old, garden table you have there...

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Captain Black White/Regular in the Pipex (Greek made briar pipe).
It pleases me to think myself as one of the legions of pipe smokers that have smoked this blend in the past, are smoking it now and will smoke it in the -at least near- future, with satisfaction.
Happy weekend to all of you good people!

 

[Tongue-Fried]

Relaxing after a wonderful salad, chicken primavera and sugar snap peas dinner with a bowl of freshly made chocolate pudding for dessert. I'm smoking year 2019 Seattle Pipe Club Deception Pass plug in a smooth straight brown late 1930s Linkman’s Dr. Grabow Deluxe Bruyere 9703B pot with a nickel accent and a black tapered vulcanite stem. Watching the Braves-Pirates game, and getting ready to clean a few pipes.
View attachment 320580

Quite a handsome pipe!

 

[Tongue-Fried]

View attachment 320601McClelland 40th Anniversary in a Howell.

Howell sure makes gorgeous pieces…

 

[BenMN]

Couple for me this evening:
The last of the vintage Brown Clunee in a Peterson.
The last of the too-dry Pegasus in a Castello

Onward

Hope you are all well

 

[JimInks]

About a third of a bowl left of year 2018 Mac Baren Acadian Perique in a straight smooth brown 1933-36 KBB Yello-Bole Honey Cured Briar 2384 Acorn with a tapered yellow rock ambra stem. Ice water and bergs is my drink.

 

[upnorth1]

Pegasus in a Dr. Grabow Tru Grain straight bulldog with an Irish coffee and Bulleit bourbon on the side.

 

[Chasing Embers]

2016 Watch City Slices

 

[JimInks]

Near the half way mark of this bowl of Wilke No. 72 in a pre-1974 dark brown straight Larus & Brother Co. Signature billiard with a nickel band and a tapered black vulcanite stem with the initials LCR on the top of the stem. This blend was smoked by Walter Cronkite. It's time to listen to This Is Your FBI from my radio collection.

 

[Roach1]

Good Morning,
Just fired up the first bowl of the day.
Haunted Bookshop Cake in my trusty Jirsa Nosewarmer.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Nice, old, garden table you have there...

Captain Black White/Regular in the Pipex (Greek made briar pipe).
It pleases me to think myself as one of the legions of pipe smokers that have smoked this blend in the past, are smoking it now and will smoke it in the -at least near- future, with satisfaction.
Happy weekend to all of you good people!

View attachment 320603

And a nice old garden table you have as well! I know Captain Black is looked down on in some circles on account of it being a drugstore aromatic, but honestly it's probably my favorite vanilla aromatic and I always keep some on hand! The original/white has got a surprisingly good Vitamin N content for an aromatic too and is a pretty dang satisfying smoke if you ask me.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

After trying War Horse Bar and Kendal Dark, the next stop on my high Vitamin N pipe tobacco journey is Royal Yacht
(in my usual Morgan Bones Milan sampling pipe) and oh boy this is a neat one!




The tin note is really wonderful, like a vanilla cupcake with marzipan as well as something sweet and fruity in the mix that reminds me very much of a blueberry muffin. Given how aromatic it smells I wasn't sure whether to treat it like an aromatic and smoke it wet or treat it like a Virginia and give it some dry time first, since it is a pure Virginia blend.

I ended up deciding to try it wet and it took to the flame and lit quite well, and that enticing top note really comes through in the flavor when smoked! Everyone's taste buds are different, but to me Royal Yacht truly tastes like a blueberry muffin when smoked; with the underlying red Virginias and what appears to be dark fired Virginias combining to form a flavor that tastes really similar to a good strong black coffee with a little bit of cream. Every puff from the start of the bowl to the bottom I get blueberry muffin and coffee, with the coffee flavors intensifying towards the bottom third of the bowl.

The smoke is smooth, sweet, and creamy all the way down, and very retrohale friendly and easy on the sinuses as well except for in that last third of the bowl. In terms of nicotine content Royal Yacht is often thought of as a very strong blend, and it certainly is stronger than your average English or Virginia blend and most Burley blends, but I don't think it's going to put you on the floor. If you're accustomed to dark fired blends like Mac Baren Old Dark Fired or Gawith Hoggarth's dark range then Royal Yacht is going to feel pretty par for the course. I'd say it's right between medium and strong but leaning to thr strong side, maybe a 7 out of 10 on the nicotine scale. I would recommend a little caution with this one if you're not used to higher nicotine content blends though, since it's sweetness and smoothness would lead you to think it's less strong than it actually is.

All in all I'd say Royal Yacht is a definite winner for me and will likely find a spot in my regular rotation! It's rare to find a blend so aromatic and sweet with the kind of Vitamin N content I appreciate, and Royal Yacht really delivers on all fronts!

 

[JimInks]

A third of the way through this bowl of C&D Virginia Gentleman in a straight smooth dark brown pre-1940s Comoy’s Jost’s Olde English Supreme J299 Canadian with a tapered black vulcanite stem.