What the advantage of plug?

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jazzlover

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 15, 2013
119
0
I saw somebody on YouTube cutting up a plug. It seems like a lot of work just to smoke. Is it worth the effort?

 

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
Part of the fun is the preparation. I enjoy it, and usually cut a thin flake and rub it out. I enjoy Peterson's Perfect Plug.

 

redbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 2, 2013
841
4
Wow, seems whenever I'm writing a post, something near it is posted right bellow it! :rofl:
I smoked my first today and made a big post about it. I can't comment from too much experience but it seems well worth it. Just like setting your tobacco out to dry takes time and so many other things that are worth the time. I think the flavors should be more prominent in a pressed tobacco like a plug too. Not so much my experience with 3P's but it was my first experience with a plug and that tobacco so only time will tell.

 

zekest

Lifer
Apr 1, 2013
1,136
9
I would think a razor would make neater thinner slices.
Maybe use my wife's meat slicer if she had one.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Plugs are good for studying how different cuts can affect the taste of a blend.
There is also one aspect that I never really considered until Kashmir mentioned it. The interior of a plug is an

anaerobic environment. So if you keep the plug intact for long periods of time, it will age differently than ribbon,

cube cut or flake forms. The relevant text is...
The sugars that do remain, that were not accessible to the early degredation by the obligate aerobes, is what is going on with the sugar-rich Virginias. Apparently, the packing of the tobacco (plug verses loose) is what determines how much of this sugar is freely metabolized early on. To me, it would seem, a Virginia plug would retain more sugar than a loosely packed Virginia.
This is the link to the whole post.

 

bryanf

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 16, 2013
742
8
I like my tobacco moist, so the advantage for me is that it stays moist longer.
Also, plug smokers live longer, though I can't find the study that proved it.

 
K

klause

Guest
It's an excuse to pull a knife. Sometimes thats enough.
Best laugh of the week - thanks. And, of course, it's funny, because it's true!

 

swampmouth

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 4, 2013
123
0
I like what's been said already. For me flakes and plugs are good for packing a tight kit. Sometimes space saving is equal to more and better down the line. Not to mention in the bowl. Nobody is forcing you to rub it out. Chunks=Hours

 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,997
26,616
New York
I would say so IrishKevin but some of the oily black bee hive twist that comes out of Ireland is beyond great. The trouble starts when it dries out and burns so hot either your tongue or pipe explode! As for the comment on the knife - well thats just pure class. Off to bed now after one last bowl so I will see one and all tomorrow! Good Night chaps

 

stbruno70

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2013
580
238
Plugs are wonderful for their history as well as flavour.
Yes, they require more care in preparation, but fiddling about with the stuff is one of the joys of pipe-smoking.
Many plugs from the UK are strong if not sometimes harsh, so I smoke a small bit at a time. A little can also be added to a milder baccy to augment the taste or nicotine.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I admit I like the lazy way of just pulling out the tin, jar or pouch and tucking the pre-rubbed tobacco in a pipe,

but the preparation of plug gives a little more ritual and involvement, and builds anticipation, and tempts me

to mix tobaccos. I think in previous centuries, plug and rope tobacco provided a way to keep tobacco fresh longer

under difficult circumstances, like aboard ship. Had I been smoking a pipe aboard the minesweeper, I think a plug

would have survived all that salt air and fluctuations in humidity better than regular pre-rubbed blends. However,

some of the old smoking paraphernalia from whaling days, for example, indicates that some sailors used pre-rubbed

tobacco kept in cloth bags. Any excuse for a break and a smoke, to break the endless routine of work was probably

welcome.

 
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