Tobacco Types
Quick question. I'm reading in here, trying to get my learn on. It seems that you don't want to only have one pipe, because the tobacco will "ghost", or impart a flavor on the pipe after a while. So, with that...what are the different types? The only two I seem to be able to find are regular and aromatic (sp?). How do you tell the difference? Is this like the difference between Habano and Maduro, or infused and regular? Right now, it seems easier to say "This pipe is only for CAO blends".
Comments
Gentlemen:
I smoke a pipe all day long. I have going on 30 pipes. I smoke about 10 or so MANY times a day. I don't worry about the aromatic versus this or that. I choose a pipe by mood and how one of my blends fair in the pipe I want to smoke at the time and which blend I want. To save a pipe for a particular type or blend in my mind is a waste of a good pipe. I started with a few and now have many. I enjoy the pipe I ALWAYS have one in my mouth. Sit back relax say " I would like to smoke this pipe and I feel like smokin this blend" Put them together and enjoy.
First, the agreement part.
I'd never let the fact that I usually smoke, oh, say, Cavendish blends in a particular pipe stop me from trying something else in it. Say, for instance, we're out for a ride and I've brought a pouch of some Cavendish blend and the pipe I usually smoke it with, and you say
"Hey, I just got some of this English Blend, want to try it?"
My answer is "yes", and I'll smoke it in a heartbeat, and offer you some of whatever I've brought. I'll discern the flavors, bearing in mind that the cake in my bowl is affecting it, at least somewhat, and I'll enjoy it for what it is.
On the other hand
Pipe tobaccos are more like wines than beers. You can mix any two beers together, you still have beer, and it's still drinkable. Many wines do not mix well with others, and trying to do so produces an un-drinkable liquid.
Case in point, I've been smoking some Latakia blends out of a pipe for about a year now, and that pipe had nothing but Lane 1-Q smoked out of it for at least 10 years. I've also been smoking those same blends out of a pipe that JDH sent me that wasn't really quite broke in yet. The JDH pipe has taken to the Latakias quite well, and the older pipe develops an unpleasant bitterness that I thought would fade with time, but isn't.
Well, Walt sent me some Lane blends recently, very nice tobaccos, and I decided to smoke them in that old 1-Q pipe, and they're great! The bitterness is gone! Similarly, I dedicated another pipe to Orliks Flake, a VaPer, for awhile, and after 5 - 6 pipefuls, I'm able to appreciate the subtleties of the Perique far better than the first couple bowls.
With all that said, I'm back to agreeing with Pilgrimtex in that I'd never let the fact that I usually smoke a particular blend stop me from smoking a particular pipe, if I just felt like using that pipe at the moment.
I only drink wine out of crystal wine glasses. The flavor comes through in crystal. I also rinse a wine glass thoroughly before going to a different wine. Again its something I learned by visiting some of the best wineries and having friends that owned wineries in Italy.
As for cake in the pipe; I scrape mine out quite regularly. If you don't you get too much buildup and the smoke will begin to taste bad on the palate. 1/16 is plenty. Anything more can add to unenjoyment. When I scrape the bowls I also washout the stems under warm running water with a scraping pipe cleaner. Gets them back to new condition. You can really taste the difference after a good cleaning.
The blends I sent Steve are not 100% Lane. The Black Kathy I blend with Lane's BLWB is from Altadis. Its a 50/50 blend by volume not weight.
In the 5 years I spent in Germany, I never made it to Italy. Right up to the border on a bike trip through Switzerland and Austria, but never over into Italia. I sure do miss a lot of things about Germany in particular, and Europe in general, though. For those who've never been, make it a point to spend at least a month sometime in your life. As Pilgrimtex demonstrates, there are some things you just have to experience for yourself.
That said, I would and do smoke VA in pipes I have dedicated to Lat. and VA/Per blends. I would never cross in the other direction as the Lat. and the Per. both ghost so heavily that I can taste them in straight VA blend just from the pipe itself.
Amos, if you still want to use that pipe that had 1-Q in it for other things I would try the salt and alcohol treatment. It will take the ghosts out of most pipes. If it doesn't there are other things to try. Greg Pease has a good method for extreme situations but I doubt that 1-Q even at 10 yrs would be extreme.
On that note, 1-Q was the first blend I tried and I almost stopped. It looked like tobacco and had a great smell but I could not taste tobacco just a wisp of vanilla here and there. I think I will want to revisit it after a few more yrs as so many seem to love it.
I liked it. I don't know if it would be an all-day for me, like the 50/50 was, but very enjoyable.
Back to the thread topic. I don't think VA's and Burley really ghost unless they are cased with something. Even then it will often smoke out of a pipe within a few bowls. Lat. and Per. both ghost and I would not smoke them in a pipe dedicated to VA's and Burley.
Aromatics all ghost and I would never smoke them in a pipe dedicated to traditional tobacco. I am not a big fan of the aromatics but I have 1 pipe that I smoke them in. Rain, I hope this helps a little.
LOL. Sorry andy. Thinkin I was in the other thread Tobacco reviews. My Bad. Hey everyone Randy started this thread!!!!!
Blame it on my PTSD.
hmm
I rubbed that out, then added an equal amount of Walts 50/50 blend of Very Cherry and BLWB, mixed those together gently and sniffed it.
hmm
Still needs something, so, in goes a slightly smaller amount of the Black Kathy cavendish. I tossed my little tobacco salad, packed a pipe, and voila!
It came out very well. I thought that the other flavors might mask the Perique in the Orlik, in fact, I think it enhanced it, or the Perique enhanced the cherry/cavendish mix.
At any rate, I was very pleased with the result, and I'm afraid my last two Orlik flakes future have been decided.
LOL. Welcome to my world. There are so many pipe tobaccos out there to play with and no rules. The only down side is that you could wind up with an inventory of blends that rivals the largest tobacco shops. LOL Did I say Down side? NOT!!!!
Ok so you changed the name. Remember I put the 5 stars on it. I love the CC forum And I'm feelin no pain. LOL