McClelland's Frog Morton's Cellar: First Impression by a Noob

Frog Morton's Cellar is, by far, the most interesting tobacco I've tried. Is it good? Yes. Is it strong? Yes. Is it a lifetime/daily smoke. Heck, no.

Opening the tin, I was greeted with a familiar sweet, highly flavored aroma. My hackles were raised, "another overdone, syrupy aromatic" I thought.

I dumped the tin into my glass jar and saw the (in)famous cube of a stave (from a barrel of rum/cognac/wine?, I forget). Very cool. And not as strong smelling as one would expect.

First smoke: sweet, aromatic and...clean. Yes, clean! Hallelu-yah! I was expecting a cloying, sticky mess and this was very easy to smoke.

In sum, it is a good blend. Strong flavor, but clean. I don't see this a regular tobacco, but it is a hot date whose memory I will cherish.

New Pipe Tampers from catniphill.com Unboxing

David Jones New Pipe Unboxing

Peterson Rosslare (shape 606) unsmoked demo

Capstan and Three Nuns have crossed the Atlantic once more

I just received this email announcing the return of Capstan and Three Nuns tobacco to the US markets. Since the original brands owned by Imperial Tobacco were sold some years ago, these are not the exact same mixture, so I will be curious, as many others, how they will taste. But I definitely want to try these out...

From www.smokingpipes.com:

The Capstans have arrived, at last! And, though fashionably late, they did bring girls -- Three Nuns, to be precise. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited reintroduction of these old Imperial blends to the U.S.A. is, at last, here. Not "at hand" or "to follow shortly", but here, now. As in, you can, at this very moment, rush over to our site and order tins - Capstan Blue and Yellow, both in either flake or ready-rubbed form, and Three Nuns coins -- and they'll be on their way to your door before the day is through.

Cheers!

-- Eric Squires

Fantasy Freehand Plateau New Pipe Unboxing Video

Presbyterian Mixture

I wish all English blends were like this. Like a good conservative Protestant, this blend is not flowery in the least. In fact, I'd say it was ashamed of it baroque nature and only grudgingly offers the dark, langourous perfumey flavors.

Do I like it? Yes. Will everyone? Probably. It's non-assuming and can be smoked every day. The only real danger is that you will get bored with it's plainness. Like a Presbyterian.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group buys pipesandcigars.com

I don't like politics or gossip, per se, but sometimes a bit of news drifts by me and I think it useful to pass on. In the realm of online pipe and tobacco retail, I regularly use www.pipesandcigars.com and www.smokingpipes.com. Both of these companies have done right by me and I will continue to patronize their online establishments.

I purchased a couple of new Stanwell pipes recently (unboxing video coming soon) from pipesandcigars.com and, like a good hobbyist, did some background research on the company. What I found was that the aforementioned online retailer was purchased by the parent company of Stanwell (The Scandiavian Tobacco Group (www.st-group.com)) back in April of this year.

Here's the press release:
http://www.st-group.com/index.php/press-releases/303-acquisition-of-pipe-tobacco-retailer-to-fuel-us-growth

I think this will reflect in more retail offers and discounts on their various brands which include:

• Benson and Hedges
• Borkrum Riff
• Erinmore
• Escudo
• Half and Half
• Orlik
• Peter Stokkebye

...to name a few. They also own two legendary brands that are about to be re-released in the US market: Three Nuns and Capstan. (sold at smokingpipes.com)

The full list of brands can be found here: http://www.st-group.com/index.php/pipe-tobacco/complete-brand-list.

Needless to say the Scandinavian Tobacco Group is a big, big company that determines a lot of how the tobacco/cigar/pipe industry moves.

Peterson System Standard model 31:

This is my go-to pipe for a quick smoke if I only have 10 or 15 minutes. Of course, one should never rush a pipe smoking experience, but some mornings are more hurried than others.

This was my first Peterson System pipe (I wrote about my other one previously). Of all the system pipes offered this is the only one that is straight. The bowl is pretty small and only about half the depth visible from the exterior because, like all System pipes, there is a reservoir below the bowl for the fluids to accumulate, but, because of the shape, unlike the bent pipes, there is no way to drill another hole at an angle that a curved bowl would provide.

Here's a cross-section of how a "normal" Peterson System pipe looks:

Dunhill Flake: "Medium strength flake of selected grades of Lemon and Bronze Virginias. One of Dunhill`s most expert blends of highest quality."

Oh yeah.

"Bright" Virginias, as they are known. High sugar content means a sweet, some say "creamy" flavor. I tried it once, and it rocked my world, in an understated and sublime way. The burn is clean leaving just a pile of white ash. There is not funky, syrupy aftertaste. Just a single clean note of, what I imagine to be, high quality Virginia tobacco.

This is a consistently highly rated tobacco which, if you haven't tried it, you definitely should to find out what all the fuss is about. After only five months of pipe smoking, this one has become my favorite and pulled me away from the sweeter, "cased" flavorings out there.

It's slightly more expensive than other tinned tobaccos, but not by too much. I found it on sale recently so I bought 25 (!) more tins, some of it to age. Apparently it ages beautifully and is reputed to hit a high note around three years old. I'll let you know....

Maltese Falcon by G.L. Pease:
"Stylish, dark and alluring. Generous quantities of Cyprian Latakia are blended with matured Red Virginias, exotic orientals, and just a little bright flue-cured leaf to offer a deep, full-bodied yet silky smoke with an intriguing sweetness, enhanced by a discreet and mysterious spice. Maltese Falcon possesses an exquisite balance - a wonderful all-day English style mixture."

 

I just finished off a 50g tin of this brew.  Silky? Check. Sweet? Check. Discreet? Umm...

I enjoyed it's "deep, full-bodied" quality for about half of the tin. Then, because I alternate between English and Virginia blends, I got over it. The last half was a chore and I finished it to see how my taste and pleasure would evolve. It's got loads of orientals so be prepared. I don't see how this could be an all-day English, it's way too flavored. I felt strong cravings for the cleaner, simpler flavor of Virginias by mid tin.

Long story short, I liked it at first, then it felt too rich and "exotic".

I will not purchase this again; it was a nice affair that had to end.

Pictured above is a Peterson System Standard XL 315. I purchased this in March, 2013 after discovering the Peterson brand. Most of the system pipes are beyond what I am willing to pay, but I got this for$85 because it was an estate (pre-owned) pipe. It was smoked once or twice, but www.smokingpipes.com cleaned it up so that it looked new.

Peterson trademarked their "system" to keep the smoke cool and dry by drilling an extra reservoir in the body of the pipe, below the stem, that would allow smoke to condense slightly. It's not a perfect system by any means, but does represent a unique approach to the problem.

 Here's a cross-section of what the interior looks like:

Other ways to keep smoke cool are pipe stem inserts like the Savinelli I wrote about or lengthening the stem like a churchwarden.

This is a nice smoking pipe. Good draw with a very capacious bowl. I will sit for 45+ minutes when using this one. Peterson is known for making durable and easy smoking pipes. Their value for money is among the best and I can see why.

I have smoked many types of tobacco in this pipe, but I plan to use it only for English blends from now on. I recently purchased another Peterson pipe that will be exclusive to Virginias. I will divulge that one soon.

Welcome to my blog.

I am a new pipe smoker and I thought it would be of prurient interest to the interwebs to jot down some of my discoveries and experiences on this magical journey.

Pictured below is one of my first pipes. A Savinelli Morino with a 6mm balsa insert for a "cool, dry smoke".

 I really like this pipe. This pipe uses a balsa wood insert to absorb moisture. It works pretty well because that thing is soaked through each time I change the insert. It's a little disgusting actually, so I change it more often than the recommended once every fourth bowl.

The only problem I've encountered is that the finish is blistering  due to the heat of the bowl. I haven't followed up to see if this is a problem with this particular style or if it's a problem with Savinelli in general. I'll continue to use it anyway.