What is your pipe for english?
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Mostly billiards and bulldogs. My three best for any English are; an old Dunhill LB, an Ashton xx billiard and a large Castello bulldog (the only Castello I've ever had that didn't turn latakia too sharp).
As for default shapes, I've never found a shape that was 100% for one blend or another. The Pot is generally offered up as perfect for English mixtures. I have two Pots, a Comoy that is great with Latakia, and a Caminetto that smokes nothing well, save Tilbury. What I have noticed is that CERTAIN brands in my collection are either Latakia pipes or Virginia based pipes. Only one of seven Castellos will smoke latakia well, and none of my Rinaldos. My Ashtons make Virginia blends dull and tasteless, as do my Charatans. Every palate is different. I'm sure someone out there has a palate that demands Castello only be filled with latakia goodness.
As for default shapes, I've never found a shape that was 100% for one blend or another. The Pot is generally offered up as perfect for English mixtures. I have two Pots, a Comoy that is great with Latakia, and a Caminetto that smokes nothing well, save Tilbury. What I have noticed is that CERTAIN brands in my collection are either Latakia pipes or Virginia based pipes. Only one of seven Castellos will smoke latakia well, and none of my Rinaldos. My Ashtons make Virginia blends dull and tasteless, as do my Charatans. Every palate is different. I'm sure someone out there has a palate that demands Castello only be filled with latakia goodness.
I don't smoke a ton of English blends, partly because I'm still searching for a pipe that does them right. Trying out a few blends in a Dunhill pot, but so far I'm not sold.
I believe that "the pot is perfect for English" is a load of bull puckey. Partially because I don't like to smoke pots for any tobacco, but the bits about tasting more flavor or whatever due to a wider chamber, when the tobacco is already blended, flies in the face of physics. YMMV.
So any and all shapes you like are just fine for English.
So any and all shapes you like are just fine for English.
4th Gen 1931 bent "pot", with the Espresso finish. One night, at a pipe club meeting, I packed it with some Squdron Leader, put it in my bag, and forgot about if for a few hours. Later that night I remembered it and lit it up. I achieved Nirvana that night, for sure. One of the best smokes I ever had. Now, I broke the pipe in with VaPer blends, which never seemed to be as good as another Neerup pipe I have that is excellent with VaPers.
The difference between the two objectively is that the 4th Gen is a group 4 chamber, and the Neerup branded pipe is a group three. That being said, my Ligne Bretagne group 2 size pipe smokes English blends well, but doesn't do well with VaPers either. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw.
The difference between the two objectively is that the 4th Gen is a group 4 chamber, and the Neerup branded pipe is a group three. That being said, my Ligne Bretagne group 2 size pipe smokes English blends well, but doesn't do well with VaPers either. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw.
The only pipes that I have for dedicated blends are MM Legends as I have over a dozen from a few seconds bags I've got in the past 5 years.
With a fine tip Sharpie I label the underside of the shank so they don't get mixed up.
As a rule I usually don't worry about this but with new blends or certain stinky ones it is good to let them have their own pipe.
With a fine tip Sharpie I label the underside of the shank so they don't get mixed up.
As a rule I usually don't worry about this but with new blends or certain stinky ones it is good to let them have their own pipe.
I use two pipes for english blends/ Latakia heavy blends.. A Falcon extra straight with two bowls Apple and Algiers shaped.. And the second is an Orlik Deluxe L220 Pre-Cadagon
My Peterson system 303 rusticated with vulcanite fishtail stem, loves Latakia/oriental blends.
I found that Latakia/oriental blends in particular tasted really bad if there's is too much moisture at the bottom of the bowl. The Peterson system helps with this and I find it tastes better at the bottom of the bowl.
Its so good with these blends that I have purchased another two of them.
-Tim
I found that Latakia/oriental blends in particular tasted really bad if there's is too much moisture at the bottom of the bowl. The Peterson system helps with this and I find it tastes better at the bottom of the bowl.
Its so good with these blends that I have purchased another two of them.
-Tim
I don't really dedicate pipes to blends, but for some reason if it's an English blend, especially one with a generous dose of Latakia, I usually reach for one of my bulldog/Rhodesians. Just 'feels' right. Plus most of the examples of these shapes I own have relatively wide, fairly shallow bowls which I think helps English blends.
That has been written many times, and quoted and requoted.
Not saying it's not true for you, but why, in the name of physics, would a well mixed blend have more taste notes or whatever just because it's spread out over a wider area? And why would that be different from a VaPer? I don't mean to single you out, hierophant, but it's been bugging me for a while. Is this not a shibboleth we can knock down?
@jpmcwjr, the best explanation that I have been given, and I'm not claiming whether correct or not, is that the English blend typically has many different types of tobacco. So it is not just English blends, but any with five or more different tobaccos in it. The explanation is that a narrow bowl will burn the two or three tobaccos at any given moment, but a wide bowl is required to make sure that all five or more tobaccos are burning in a complex blend.
Well, crash, maybe so. If "just" three tobaccos in a blend are burning at a time, then the other two will burn shortly thereafter, giving a different taste. I just haven't experienced that, but then again, my palate isn't that discerning.
Andrew-
Andrew-
Personal preference. I don't like igniting the whole surface of a pot, nor do I like starting just one area of a pot. I guess I am partial to some ratio of depth to width, and when I stray from that, I'd rather go deep than wide. (Football starts in a month!)(or that's what she said.)
For English blends, I seem to lean towards the Billiards, Bulldogs, Prices and Rhodesians, bent or straight, with about a 1:1 or wider width to its depth. I tend to go for deeper, narrower bowls for Virginians and for the most part, aros. Just smoked some McClelland Wilderness last night in a Prince after reading comments here. Yum. It was like many aromatic actors performing a complex play upon my nose and palette acting out a scene in my mind.
When I did smoke English Blends one of my favorites was Deadons DownFall.
" Dark and mysterious! This Two Friends blend is rich with Latakia, Black Cavendish, dark stoved Virginias and Perique. A bit of Oriental leaf adds an exotic spice. This is a tobacco for those seeking a big, powerful flavor that isn't harsh or overwhelming. One bowl, and you'll know just what caused the Deacon's Downfall!"
I would smoke this blend in a group 6 sized pipe. It was big enough to handle all the different components, quite nicely. If you have never tried this blend I highly recommend it. I have a number of group 6 Willmer AAA Straight grains that would be perfect for the job.
" Dark and mysterious! This Two Friends blend is rich with Latakia, Black Cavendish, dark stoved Virginias and Perique. A bit of Oriental leaf adds an exotic spice. This is a tobacco for those seeking a big, powerful flavor that isn't harsh or overwhelming. One bowl, and you'll know just what caused the Deacon's Downfall!"
I would smoke this blend in a group 6 sized pipe. It was big enough to handle all the different components, quite nicely. If you have never tried this blend I highly recommend it. I have a number of group 6 Willmer AAA Straight grains that would be perfect for the job.
@jpmcwjr, I'm not sure if I could taste that difference myself, but that's definitely the most logical explanation that I have heard thus far. The first one that made me think about how reasonable it may actually be.
@cigrmaster, sounds like I need to add that tobacco to my list to try. It's quite the combination of leaf.
@cigrmaster, sounds like I need to add that tobacco to my list to try. It's quite the combination of leaf.
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