The Smoking Lounge (mainly cigars, but all tobacco welcome!)

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by ChaChaRealSmooth, Nov 8, 2020.

  1. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    Yes @YMO UK but i live in Sweden.
     
  2. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Good news is the UK and the Scandinavia (Denmark) still have pipe tobacco makers that does really great work.

    Since he has a raspberry flavor blend then he currently has one aromatic blend. Aromatics are more popular in the US due to the easier to smoke flavor profile than an English/Virginia blend. Some stick to aromatics since it tastes sweet like candy. While I do like some aromatics, I mostly don't smoke them as much anymore.

    For starters since he is in the UK he should try to find something that is made in the UK: Samuel Gawith. These guys been in the game since the 18 century, and should be much easier to obtain than other blends. If I have to pick something that is "the Samuel Gawith blend," I would pick Squadron Leader. I never had any of the Samuel Gawith blends since they sell out quickly as soon as they hit with US tobacco retailers, but I have good things about Squadron Leader and it has a lighter flavor profile. Samuel Gawith makes other stuff as well, so I would recommend either have him research it on his own or perhaps he needs to locate a tobacconist that specialize in Pipe Tobacco. Now if you want to slightly kick it up a bit, there's always Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake which should have a more nicotine kick.

    UK is the home of the Dunhill blends, which since they got out of the Pipe Tobacco business they are now under Peterson's, which makes both Pipes and Tobacco. If your brother wants another non-flavor English blend that is light as goes well with coffee, I recommend the Peterson's Early Morning Pipe, which is a classic blend in the Pipe Tobacco world. If your brother has balls, I recommend down the road the Peterson's Nightcap (which I talked earlier in this thread), it's strong but smooth and great to have at night reading a book before bedtime.

    Since you are in Scandinavia, you have some of the big Pipe Tobacco makers in your backyard for the most part. The Scandinavian Tobacco Group pawns the production of Pipe Tobacco in this world with their Orlik and various blends, and they are the ones who make the Peterson's pipe tobacco on behalf of Peterson's. Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is a little stronger blend for beginners but also on the sweet side which I like.

    My favorite Pipe Tobacco maker outside of the Scandinavian Tobacco Group cartel is actually Mac Baren in Denmark. Their HH Flakes series are fantastic from low strength to uber strong. They are also complex as well. The HH Pure Virginia should be the lowest powerful flavor of the bunch that is solid. If your brother gets into the game long enough, the HH Old Dark Fired is their best seller and for a good reason: It's dark flavor is complex and always a pleasure for the adventurous smoker.

    Would be hard to ship tobacco from your country to UK due to laws, so maybe your brother should locate a tobacconist who knows what the f**k they are doing and knows Pipe Tobacco, not just selling them.
     
  3. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    Very much appreciated @YMO. I told him that talking with the local pipe mom/pop stores would be the best but this is Corona time and it's the UK so it's undoable for the time being so i suggested looking for chat groups, surely there must be several there. Either way we got good tips, thanks!
     
  4. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I've only smoked cigars a few times, but I love the shop I go it in Hartford. The guy there actually knows what he is talking about, always recommends us something good. Just a good environment, last time I was there me and me friend randomly got in a 10 minute conversation with another guy there about pipe tobacco and other things.
    One weird experience: we were in the store, and some presumably homeless guy walks in, and says "I have 2 questions, and that's it. Who was the first black president?" And the worker/owner says "you know as well as I". The homeless guy then says "when was the first dollar made" and the shop owner says he doesn't know. The homeless guy thanks him, and leaves after asking his 2 questions, just like he said he would.
     
  5. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Like any social place, you never know who you might bump into. I was at my local shop on C. Eve and I bump into a professional Pipe Maker who just recently moved from CA to FL. Being surprised that someone like him who is local is an understatement.

    Also at my local shop we even have VIPs who walk in to get a box or two of cigars.
     
  6. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Good day today. Hard frost in the morning with t-shirt/shorts weather in the afternoon. Got some bacon to cook it at home, deathstroke'd the GF pretty good, beer in the morning, and enjoyed an afternoon smoke. Look at how bad I am in photos while holding a good Corn Cob smoking some stuff:

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    This post will be two things:

    1. Still smoke a Corn Cob:

    I was talking to @ChaChaRealSmooth or @penguins about pipes when one of their local tobacco store had these men who told one of them that corn cobs pipes suck and you must get a briar pipe or a meerschaum pipe for the best blah blah blah.

    First I will admit a few flaws of corn cob pipes:
    • They have a limited life due to a corn cob will have its bowl burnt out.
    • They don't always smoke well.
    • They do introduce a little "sweetness" to the smoke.

    Next I will point out the benefits of corn cob pipes:
    • Inexpensive
      • Great for beginners who don't know if they want to do pipe tobacco or not since most corn pipes are about $10 or so dollars or less on average. Good briar pipes can start around $50ish up until the sky is your limit.
    • Can take a beating if you smoke them hard too much.
      • They can get hot which will reduce the life of the bowl, but will still smoke.
    • Due to being a corn cob, it reduce moister in the pipe.
      • I never smoke a pipe with a pipe filter, which while it will catch the moister it will kill the flavor IMO. This also helps on aromatic blends.
    • They do introduce a little "sweetness" to the smoke.
      • Smoking a really bold/strong blend? A corn cob can help reduce the flavor profile a bit but not too much to the point that it ruins the smoke.
    Anyone who might even have any little interest in pipe tobacco should first start off with a corn cob pipe. Get a box of matches, then get a cheap Made in China "Czech" Pipe Tool and a really basic aromatic blend and you are ready to go. On average you are looking at $20-$30 for everything depending if you are ordering online, living in a state with high tax on pipe tobacco and restricts online sales on pipe tobacco in general (WA, ME, MA, UT, etc.).

    If you want to get a corn cob pipe, better get one from Missouri Meerschaum (while their name is Meerschaum, they don't make real Meerschaum pipes). Do not get any Made in China corn cob pipe, they suck donkey nuts.

    Missouri Meerschaum been around for over 100 years I believe. Here's a famous pic of a famous user of a corn cob you bums should know by now:

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    Fun fact: If you want the MacArthur pipe, get them here. If you have an aromatic blend fetish, this pipe will work well since the smoke travels farther to the mouthpiece, which reduce tongue bite. The pipe that I have on my picture is this one, which is the General (much less distance than the MacArthur but still longer than usual).

    Solid quality for the price, good burn quality (but not to the level of a higher end briar pipe), and a classic look, you can't go wrong with Missouri Meerschaum.

    As a pipe tobacco snob I have various briar pipes that are in the $$$ range. However, I will always enjoy smoking from a corn cob pipe since it is a different take of the pipe tobacco hobby, and it is a piece of America. f**k the haters they are a bunch of virgins.

    2. Review Time

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    The Cornell & Diehl Mississippi Mud was the blend that I was smoking earlier in my picture. As the name said, it taste like "mud." Ok ok ok I kid, it taste like a little bit of mud with an earthy taste. Ok ok ok, it is a mix of Latakia (Smokey flavor), Perique (leathery flavor with maybe a little zest, hard to tell) and Black Cavendish (tones down the Perique which is strong and add volume to the smoke).

    This looks like a mix for an aromatic blend, but this one is not. What you taste are the different flavors of the tobaccos working together. While the blend looks strong, it is only medium flavor profile so it won't really knock off your feet IMO. Since the taste has a more earthy quality, this one will not be a winner with everyone. I feel like smoking this when the FL rains past my apartment building, or when I'm sick of smoking my strong Kentucky stuff. I don't recommend smoking this everyday, but it is great on a rotation. Since this is not an aromatic blend, it doesn't burn too hot.

    If you have other blends and you smoke a certain style too much, perhaps the Mississippi might be what you need.
     
  7. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    The Montecristo Espada that I referenced earlier in this thread does go nicely at an Euro Cafe that is walking distance from my apartment. Taken these photos last weekend:

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    Double Espresso and Perrier is $4.34 at my cafe place. Can't beat that.


    Was at my local Cigar/Pipe shop yesterday. They had some Estate (used) Pipes that were just introduce a day ago. Picked up some good deals, but too lazy to take a picture of what I obtained. Here's what they had in the glass:

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  8. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Alright virgins,

    today is International Pipe Smoking Day.

    Wiley Pipe from Tampa, FL
    Peter Stokkebye PS52 Proper English blend with added latakia

    [​IMG]
     
  9. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

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    To celebrate IPSD, I took out my Claudio Cavicchi pipe and smoked a bowl of dunhill royal yacht. A bit strong for me for this bowl size, felt dizzy for the night.[​IMG]
     
  10. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Royal Yacht is one of the stronger tins from Peterson's (since Dunhill is officially out of the pipe tobacco game and STG/Peterson's purchased the recipes). This is due to the Royal Yacht being a Virgina focused blend. Virgina focused blends does hit you hard on nicotine, which is why I normally avoid them. I do fine if the Virginas aren't the focus on a blend.
     
  11. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

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    Which is why I always smoke after a meal, nicotine hit is no joke. tobaccoreviews.com is also a good resource for how the smoke would be.
     
  12. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Agreed on both points. While I enjoy the Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fried, it is a heavier smoke to the point that the nicotine hit gets me in random points. Normally my smokes are the lighter to medium end of things. I don't need the really strong stuff, and help me if you are making me smoke a very heavy Virginia blend.
     
  13. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    [​IMG]

    Not one of the famous C & D blends, but the Pennington Gap is a great taste of the southern US, where men are men.

    This is actually on the aromatic side of things, which I'm still debating if it is even a aromatic. Most call it an aromatic, but I think it is due to the bourbon touch they add to this mix. Also, the room note is nice for this blend (not offensive). Fine...it's a aromatic.

    Three big tobaccos are burley (which is in a cube cut and focus here), perique (minor spice/leather), and black cavendish (give more room for the notes of the burley to come out). The bourbon smell on the tin note is nice, but easy to tell this blend has been mixed with the alcohol. The strength is on the medium side of things, but the nicotine kick is bigger here. If you hate nicotine rushs (similar to a Virginia-focused blend)..I wouldn't get this.

    Very nice, not earthy or hash. It's just the right mix considering burley blends can be a little nutty (which is how burley bends can be). I shouldn't open this can up too quickly (my tin was canned in Dec 20), might be better off let it age for six months/one year to let the burley mature a little more. Some can say they can smoke this all day, I disagree. I would smoke no more than one or two bowls a day.

    Oh well....still damn good. I enjoy this one on my smaller pipe bowls and of course in a corn cob for the classical Southern Americana.
     
  14. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Have tried several more since I last posted, here are the ones that stood out to me:

    - HVC - Hot Cakes - Nice cocoa and dark chocolate flavor and pancakes w/ syrup or a cake-ish note (hence the name), has some great espresso and coffee notes, a little bit of spice here and there mixed in. More sweet at first, will diminish in chocolate flavor after first third, the rest of the sweetness diminished slowly as it went on. About 5/10 or 6/10 complexity. Priced well too - somewhat surprising to me given the contents of the cigar.
    - Rocky Patel - Special Edition (white and purple band with gold letters) - Again, not normally a big RP smoker, but this was good. Chocolatey w/o being sweet, more emphasis on the main chocolate note instead of complexity, but not overly singular in flavor. Didn't have too much nicotine.
    - Room 101 - Farce (Get the Maduro or Habano, the CT wrapper didn't have magic for me) - Good, easy to smoke with a lot of subtle and subliminal flavors like most Room101 stuff. Get a little pepper, caramel, and cinnamon. Leaves a sort of Moravian Molasses Cookie taste with some baking spice and less sweetness in the mouth.
    - Caldwell - Blind Man's Bluff CT - A very crisp tasting CT wrapper. Had mild chocolate and cocoa, reminded me of a slightly sweetened cafe con leche with some leather and toasted nut notes. Slightly dry smoke. Hint of spice. Very different style of CT wrapper cigar vs the Perdomo Champagne.
    - La Barba - Ricochet "Blue" or "Orange" (wrapper color) - Imagine a well executed stereotypical cigar but with some extra notes. "Blue" gives extra graham cracker and chocolate with a mild spice and mineral flavor + a tiny bit of oak, creamy leather, and maybe raisins? "Orange" gives some richness, something similar to leathery or richness but note quite, and cedar plus some chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla. @ChaChaRealSmooth was a big fan of these too.
    EDIT: Add the LFD Air Bender (chisel shape) - Pretty good. Different from and bigger than what I normally go for flavor-wise and the draw will be a little restricted due to the chisel shape (but not tight like you can't draw through it). Get a rich earthiness, a very nice and somewhat fermented tobacco flavor (the main is not the fermented flavor though, just a mouth filler), some spice (think red peppers, not black pepper), and a bit of nougat or butterscotch feel in the mouth but without the sweetness. Get some more wood (mostly oak I think?) and coffee flavors as it progresses. Pair with water to get all the flavors, pair with a less sweet alcoholic drink or cafe con leche w/o sugar otherwise. @crazychile - based on your notes in fermenting + spices thread and the fact that you like the Perdomo Champagne, you may like this if you're ok with a fuller cigar.

    These 3 don't align with my preferences as much, but were very good anyways:
    - My Father Cigars - Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial - Not the typical "My Father" spice bomb house flavor. Main note was still pepper, but in a more balanced amount along with earth and some cedar.
    - Perdomo - Lot 23 - Milder, easy smoke, with some decent complexity and fermentation flavors. Good and inexpensive.
    - Aging Room - Nicaragua - A rich full tobacco flavor with a little wood and pepper for me. Other person I smoked with got a little almonds, caramel, and chocolate, but I didn't get any in mine. Very nice chocolate smell.

    Only have about 5 - 10 more new ones that I'll be trying before I'll be pretty much done exploring. A lack of boutique stuff here doesn't indicate lack of quality, etc - I don't find it as worthwhile to share about something that will be unavailable after a single small scale production run.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 17, 2021
  15. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    [​IMG]

    The Mac Baren: HH Balkan Blend is not a strong Balkan Blend. What the hell is a Balkan Blend? It is just an English blend with extra spiciness depending on the tobaccos in the blend. Freshly opened tin can be too much for some. But leave it open for a bit and the right humidity and you are good to go. The different tobaccos give it a nice English tobacco smoking experience. The Mac Baren HH blends are blends from Mac Baren with no added flavors and limited processing. A fine smoke if you are into a spicier English blend without the stupid. Can work in a lot of pipes, but maybe not a pipe with a big bowl.
     
  16. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Cigar time for once: The Alec Bradley Gatekeeper is such a super keeper, if you can get a box ATM. I believe the sons of the company founder are the ones who are doing this blend. First thing first this is a super smooth blend. The wrapper/filler/binder do not overload each other when smoking, a semi-spice flavor that is similar to leather. Hard to explain...but this is an excellent balancing act cigar. Medium strength that I recommend to smoke after you eat something. If you hate uber bold flavor cigars, but you want something more to offer than a CAO, get this.


    Now to pipe tobacco time. I visited my local friend who is also a pipe maker. Ever want to see a regular pipe maker shop/station, here you go.

    First thing first, my friend was generous to give me a pipe (the one that isn't used) and another one that is used for me to try out:

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    Here's the pics of my friend's shop. See the baskets of briarwood just sitting and other fun stuff. I wish I can work more with my hands and not being on a computer for my job.

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  17. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    I'm back with two classics from Mac Baren:

    [​IMG]

    The Mac Baren Mixture is one of the most famous blends from Mac Baren. They been doing this blend for a very long time. Mac Baren claim that they put "35 different tobaccos" in this blend, but honestly I think they put left overs in this blend with a good enough aromatic casting that to me feels like a sugary base. It has this good lighter room note that won't offend the others around you, and the flavor is on the lighter side with low enough nic kick. It's a classic European aromatic where it isn't gooie the more you draw from the pipe or it is overloaded with artificial flavors that you get crazy bite from the draw. However, the bowl will get hot quickly if you draw the pipe too quickly due to being an aromatic blend and due to the sugar based stuff in the blend (anything aromatic normally have sugars to help with flavoring, and burning sugars make it hotter). Takes a wise smoker to control the smoke of not getting too smoke and trying to point out the different tobaccos in the blend.


    [​IMG]

    The Mac Baren: the Solent Mixture is a classic cross-over blend of an aromatic and an English blend. Mac Baren states that there's a rum flavor topping in this, but I small something sugary in this mixture as well. The Latakia tobacco here is light on this one, but as of late I keep getting tins where its been age for over two years before I open the tin and where is the Latakia? A very lighter English blend with a pleasant room note that won't offend people. Another Mac Baren classic that has similar rules of how to smoke it like the Mixture as I discussed above. If I have the pick one, I would pick the regular Mixture.

    As usual, let them both dry out from the tin before smoking them.
     
  18. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I splurged on a box of Perdomo Champaign (Epicure size) to share with the family over Memorial Day. Great smoke that pairs well with coffee or bourbon.

    10c_box.jpg
     
  19. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    That is a good one.
     
  20. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    ^I honestly never heard of this cigar, and my Google-fu sucks right now and I can't find much about it. But what I do know is that I paid roughly $13 for it, and it seriously smokes as good as some more expensive (think more than $20) cigars. Has this malted barley taste not unlike some scotch, tiny notes of leather, earth, and rubber, and great complexity. Maybe a tiny bit of good roast coffee. All this in what I'd call a medium body smoke. Excellent and I would definitely buy again.
     

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