How do you find that clay pipe smokes? Is it a challenge to learn? The bowls look quite small. I have seen a few of these for sale and would love to get one for display or when the mood for historical immersion strikes me!@vosBghos Many thanks for the baccy recommendations. I always think of shag as RYO cigarette tobacco and another forum member has suggested twist / rope & plug for re-enactment smoking. @simong recommends SG Cannon Plug as it's rumoured to date back to the English Civil War era.
My preference is for Virginia / Cavendish blends as they seem most suited to the period I'm interested in; I've tried 1792 Flake in a clay and will have to order some more SG Cannon Plug and some Gawith ropes for the Sealed Knot / Lace Wars / Redcoats & Revolutionaries / Pirate Mutiny events.
I was smoking GH Brown twist in my Old Dominion Jamestown clay at the Battle of Nantwich re-enactment last January and C&D Yorktown at the Redcoats & Revolutionaries event at Cromford Mill. Getting my clay pipe lit with an ember from the blacksmith's forge was an unforgettable experience
@thepipesman I think the Jamestown clay has a better draw (due to its wider stem) but a smaller bowl than my Pollock pipe. The Jamestown probably wouldn't last me long so is better suited to short smokes with a strong slow burning baccy. Something like Clan or a Virginia baccy would probably burn down to ash in a few minutes. I got 54 minutes out of my Pollock filled with St Bruno Ready rubbed recently; about 30min is a regular maximum smoke for me...
Thank you, I am a huge historical nerd and the thought of smoking 18th century tobacco pipes strangely appeals to me. Do clay pipes have any special considerations for use or care? Do you have to rest them to dry out more than say, a briar?
@thepipesman I run a pipe cleaner down the stem; I've only smoked a briar twice - clays all the way for me!
On closer examination, "Navy Plug" and "Honey dew," are handwritten. And perhaps "Cob Cut."
YT has a little clip on "Ireland's Tobacco" and a bar is mentioned, what we now call a plug was cut from a bar it seems.
I think the out look at the time really differed by rustica and not rustica. It was tobacco. Or at least that is the impression that I get.
Thank you for posting this. Very interesting indeed. I found the Cultivation and Production sections particularly so.Here’s a good read:
Tobacco in Colonial Virginia - Encyclopedia Virginia
Introduction of Tobacco to Virginia Tobacco Pipe In 1611 Rolfe, known as “an ardent smoker,” decided to experiment with cultivating tobacco in Jamestown. The plant had first been brought to England in 1565, perhaps from Florida by Sir John Hawkins, and by the 1610s there was a ready market in...encyclopediavirginia.org
The strictness they took on quality was very interesting. It was no joke.Thank you for posting this. Very interesting indeed. I found the Cultivation and Production sections particularly so.
I have 10 or 12 clay pipes and yes the bowls are smaller than a briar but that doesn’t necessarily mean a shorter smoke. I use my clay’s mostly for sampling new blends and I’ve bowls last close to 45 minutes.
@pappymac Well done! My best time was 54 minutes with a clay bowl of St Bruno Ready Rubbed. I once got 45 minutes out of a clay pipe of Condor Ready Rubbed.
