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I think Atlantic is the best all-round experience. Cigar Page has a few things that are cheaper and easier than anywhere else, but they trend towards large RG and are also gigantic chud idiots. Cigar Auctioneer is great for deals hunting, but being an auction site it has its own bullshit. Cigar Bid has easily the worst packaging of any of the places I've ordered from, and a somewhat more limited selection than CA for a bargain site, but the prices are about as cheap as it can get on the stuff they have.
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Aug 30, 2022 05:53
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Fox Cigar is solid, usually ships same day and I think I get my cigars is 2 days every time I order from them. They also seem to throw in freebies on a semi regular basis which is cool (and also how I discovered how awesome the Casa Cuba line is)
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Aug 30, 2022 18:23
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Kenning posted:I think Atlantic is the best all-round experience. Cigar Page has a few things that are cheaper and easier than anywhere else, but they trend towards large RG and are also gigantic chud idiots. Cigar Auctioneer is great for deals hunting, but being an auction site it has its own bullshit. Cigar Bid has easily the worst packaging of any of the places I've ordered from, and a somewhat more limited selection than CA for a bargain site, but the prices are about as cheap as it can get on the stuff they have. This is 100 percent correct. Atlantic is the best overall, and if you have VIP their prices are very hard to beat. Page is best for consistently good deals and stuff ships QUICK, but yeah kinda chuddy (their sister sites are hunting/fishing crap if that's your thing). Kinda hard to get what you want sometimes, but they're the ONLY place I've consistently seen stock on Sobremesa Brulee Blues and or Liga stuff so they definitely get some great stuff, you just gotta check all the time. CigarBid is great if you know where to look (Freefall auctions!!!). Half the stuff you get from them will be pretty crispy, but if you find something good from them you can reorder it over and over again. I buy Master Blends 3, caldwell, 601, and camacho samplers from them all the time for absurdly cheap and they've always been good.
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Aug 31, 2022 01:07
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Ordered from Small Batch on the 29th and my package is out for delivery today, I'm impressed. I grabbed a Nub Cameroon from the local shop yesterday and it was pretty nice, excited to see what the maduros taste like! I fear for my wallet's future.
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Aug 31, 2022 14:02
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ComradePyro posted:Ordered from Small Batch on the 29th and my package is out for delivery today, I'm impressed. I grabbed a Nub Cameroon from the local shop yesterday and it was pretty nice, excited to see what the maduros taste like! Nub maduros are widely regarded as the worst of the line. I don't think they're terrible, just boring and kinda bland for a maduro. The DUB which is a double maduro (maduro wrapper and binder) and THAT is a fantastic stick. That and the CT are the best nubbies in my humble opinion
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Sep 1, 2022 13:46
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Gramps posted:Nub maduros are widely regarded as the worst of the line. I don't think they're terrible, just boring and kinda bland for a maduro. The DUB which is a double maduro (maduro wrapper and binder) and THAT is a fantastic stick. That and the CT are the best nubbies in my humble opinion Yeah they were solidly mediocre, but I have since widened my world view and I was right: this is going to gently caress my wallet all the way up. It was fun to give them to people though, they're very silly. I tried an Oliva Serie O shortly after getting through the Nubs and holy poo poo, wow. I understood immediately that the curly heads I'd been buying kinda suck (the ones from cigar page were dry and smushed) and there's a whole world of cigars. Currently smoking a Muwat KFC and it's just unreasonably nice, it was rolling around in the side of the humidor and I said gently caress it and bought it. Didn't realize until I'd lit it and googled it that it was a drew estate cigar, I've been eyeing their swamp thing cigarillos. Are they any good? My girl likes tobacco but isn't willing to commit to an hour on the porch so cigarillos are kinda interesting to me, she likes the smell of the KFC tobacco so I'm thinking she might enjoy those. ComradePyro fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Sep 6, 2022 |
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Sep 6, 2022 00:12
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Yo it's been a minute but since the PNW has been unreasonably nice this summer I've burned down my stash a bit. I'm a big fan of My Father sticks, any hot reccs? Wanted to thank the folks that recommended me the Perfec Draw and Smart Mouth wash. Both have been immensely useful. This thread also turned me onto the petit corona and I must admit I'm smitten. I'm no longer the size queen I was as a newbie and there's something very nice about easily finishing a good smoke in an hour or so. Think I'll finish off this Labor day with a RyJ Short Churchill
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Sep 6, 2022 03:37
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Get L’Atlier sticks. The 52/54 are awesome my fav is the 52. I rarely smoke new world stuff but they are in my rotation
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Sep 6, 2022 05:35
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Yeah, LAT54 is a pro move, both are excellent. Been burning cheap and cheerful for the most part lately. Favorite new find has to be the Aganorsa Leaf New Cuba corojo torpedo. It’s $1.50, try it 
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Sep 6, 2022 06:43
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Howard The Dork posted:It’s not a sweet as I expected… If you want aromatics that actually taste like something, try H&H Classic Burley Kake, Mac Baren Vanilla Roll Cake, or a heavily sauced Lakeland like Ennerdale or Rum Flake.
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Sep 6, 2022 21:13
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I finally got around to picking up a falcon pipe — goddamn unobtainium somehow, I think a vintage store in town might be my actual most reliable source. I really wanted to try one with a meerschaum bowl, but those are super not anywhere. I hope I enjoy it — I really love my pipe tobaccos, but pipe ownership is kind of a drag. Hopefully these are the low maintenance thing I’m looking for.
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Sep 8, 2022 14:43
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I've had to import all my Falcon stuff - cheaper and easier to get the pieces off a UK site like GQ Tobacco, and I didn't run into any customs issues as it was just accessories and not tobacco itself. The meerschaum bowls especially I've had to buy from abroad, best deals are if you get them right from Turkish folks off of eBay or whatnot
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Sep 8, 2022 20:04
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Ooh interesting, I hadn’t even considered checking third party! Checking on it they’re all over the place, that’s just dandy. Hopefully I’ll enjoy the briar enough to invest in the meerschaum! I picked up a Casa Fuente from my local Binny’s and uhh this is real good. Smelling it unlit was like drowning in Christmas baking. Just fantastic.
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Sep 9, 2022 01:52
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Lots to update about : The Casa Fuente was pretty good! It’s like the Opus X or other higher end Fuente smokes in that it starts very very light and delicate and ends up being a powerhouse. I’m actually not certain I’d be able to tell the higher end blends apart blind.  I did get my first Falcon pipe in though! It came two days ahead of schedule, so I’ll really get to break her in over this work trip this week. I’m about halfway through my first bowl, Sam Gawith Grousemoor. It’s super super good, and this “short” stack bowl is absolutely massive. I have some fine tuning to do on my loading, but the bowl is smoking great. I really hope this solves the gurgling and maintenance problems that keep me off pipes routinely—so far so good, though, as I didn’t get a mouthful of fine flakes while puffing! I do like that you can remove the bowl from the stem mid-smoke without hurting it like as it would with pipe shank mortises and tenons.
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Sep 11, 2022 20:18
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NewFatMike posted:Lots to update about : Yo that is a sexy pipe.
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Sep 11, 2022 20:38
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I agree! Can’t wait to get some meerschaum in this bad boy. That first bowl was dry and cool all the way down, holy moly. Sam Gawith tobacco is packed pretty wet, so even topping it with some fresh out of the tin, my tongue is still in good shape! The heat radiates off this in no time, too. I’m going to run several bowls through it today — I don’t have a particular tobacco variety in mind for this, so I don’t really care if this bowl gets some ghost flavors. Cleaning up from one bowl was so easy, too. Dump out the ring, replace, and a single pipe cleaner pulled almost nothing from the stem. I feel like such a ding dong for holding out on these for so long because I thought the stems looked doofy
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Sep 11, 2022 20:59
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This will be my last multi post today, I can’t get over how great a Falcon Pipe is — it dries out the smoke so much more than I thought possible. I’m on my third bowl in a row — this time Boswell Northwoods. It was already a top tier tobacco, but everything tastes so elevated in this. I chief the hell out of my bowls, and this manages the heat fantastically. I really don’t think I’ve ever had a pipe smoking experience like this. This is the bowl I got — I chose it because it’s so similar in dimensions to my favorite pipe. Hopefully the experience keeps being so good with other bowls! https://www.gqtobaccos.com/pipes/falcon-bowls-chimney-small-smooth/
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Sep 11, 2022 23:04
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I've probably said this before, but chiming in with the falcon love. I have two, and haven't smoked a briar in ages. Whenever I do, it's disappointing. Taking that bowl off and flicking out any moisture mid smoke is a game changer for me, I struggle to smoke slowly and can never be arsed drying out the tobacco.
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Sep 15, 2022 20:26
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Hell yeah, happy to see all the love for Falcons - they and cobs are about all I smoke. I've actually had a few cigars this summer and enjoyed them, particularly the little Toscanos I grabbed to pretend to be Clint Eastwood.
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Sep 15, 2022 21:41
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Turns out that Iwan Ries carries a bunch of Falcon stuff! I'm a dingdong. It doesn't look like they have the Continental or Dental stem varieties, but they do have quite a wide variety. Cheaper than importing from GQ, too: https://www.iwanries.com/falcon-C184.cfm Looks like NewFatSpouse and I are gonna have a date to Iwan Ries this weekend 
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Sep 19, 2022 15:36
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I think you have a dental stem already from your last photo, so curious to hear your thoughts if you pick up a normal stem - those are what I have and they're nice to clench. I have a bent and like it, but they are a tad more prone to gurgling and needing mid-bowl reservoir cleans to have them smoke nicely. I tend to use my straight stems more due to that, but appreciate having my bent in the rotation.
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Sep 20, 2022 00:17
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That’s good to know! Do the bent ones rest as well as the straight ones? I guess while I’m here I’ll ask about Lakeland or similar tobaccos—St. Bruno has been ok, Stonehenge Flake is better, Grousemoor is great, and Ennerdale is the GOAT IMO. Are there any others out there worth looking at?
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Sep 20, 2022 02:39
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NewFatMike posted:That’s good to know! Do the bent ones rest as well as the straight ones? I hear good things about the following: Rum Flake Dark Flake Scented Bosun Cut Plug Bob's Chocolate Coniston I've tried Bob's and Rum Flake of those. Bob's is quite pleasant and easy smoking. Rum flake is super rich and sweet. Too much so for me, but if you like Ennerdale you'll probably love it.
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Sep 20, 2022 03:51
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Ooh I think I have some rum Flake hanging out around here somewhere—I hate how hard it is to get Gawith/Gawith and Hogarth tobacco here 
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Sep 20, 2022 15:17
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Payday was today, so I picked up a grip of smokes. Tatuaje Tattoo Caballero 50 cab and Casa Fernandez New Cuba Corojo Torpedo, both to split with my spouse. I’m also moving to transition to more pipe smoking so I’m not smoking so many cheap cigars, and Falcons are finally letting me do that. Unfortunately this guy is going to land while I’m traveling for work, but I look forward to running Gentleman Caller and Lakeland tobaccos up in this meerschaum bowl:  Now I just have to smoke down all the tobaccos I’ve accumulated 
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Sep 22, 2022 15:42
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Iwan Ries has a boatload of Gawith and Hogarth, I walked out of there with a 500g bag of Ennerdale. E: Bob’s Chocolate Flake is out of this world. NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Sep 24, 2022 |
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Sep 24, 2022 21:52
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NewFatMike, I am choosing to blame you for my newfound love of smoking a pipe. Mostly because I went back like ten pages and read a bunch of excitement posting about different tobacco blends and pipes and got secondhand hyped. Thanks for that, this is much easier on my wallet than the cigars! I've been smoking Captain Black original, which is pretty okay, but just doesn't taste very much after the first couple of puffs. Last week I decided to pick up some more tobacco and, without knowing what I was doing really, ended up buying: - Cornell of Diehl Haunted Bookshop (the name sounded cool) - Captain Earle's Ten Russians (I gathered that Latakia blends are smoky, I like smoky flavors, plus the name sounded kinda cool) - Five Brothers (I read that it has high nicotine and I've been missing that, pipe tobacco seems to have much less of a kick than a cigar) - Lane 1Q (I kept seeing it recommended and people say it's inoffensive) How'd I do? I was looking to get a little bit of variety but not go too far out so I didn't end up buying something I didn't like. Package came in today so I went out to Tobacco Cove in Jax (seemed like a pretty nice place) and picked up a new pipe. We tried an antique store first but they somehow managed to have 1 pipe in the entire huge store, and sadly not a falcon pipe. The one I have is one I bought on Amazon like two years ago to smoke weed out of, it's like 3 oz so I can't keep it clenched like I want to. I grabbed one out of the basket that I liked the look of, it weighs ~18g so it's nice and light. Has no branding on it but I don't think I know enough about what I'm doing to be picky, really. Again, not knowing what I was doing (but a little more so now than last time I posted her), I picked up a few cigars while I was there: -Perdomo Lot 23 Toro Maduro -AF Reserva Don Carlos Presidente -AF Gran Reserva Churchill Maduro -AF Hemingway Short Story Is there a difference between Reserva and Gran Reserva? I'm instantly overwhelmed the moment I'm in a humidor trying to pick out cigars, and trying to find info online seems to be weirdly hard. E: Okay, yeah, Five Brothers has a lot of nicotine lol. I get super hungry when smoking a cigar and after a small bowl of this I'm fuckin starving even though I ate less than an hour ago. Anyone else get hungry from nicotine? ComradePyro fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Sep 25, 2022 |
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Sep 25, 2022 20:35
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Haunted Bookshop and 1Q are wildly popular — I don’t know about the others, but as long as you’re learning what you like or don’t like, you’re doing great! My spouse loves 1Q so they’re smoking it all the time. I think I’ve come around to an idea that isn’t often talked about in the pipe circles I run in, and it’s that expensive pipes are not necessarily better. You’re mostly paying for craftsmanship. The best smoking pipes I’ve had are Missouri meerschaum hardwoods with the 6mm Medico/Dr. Grabow filters ($5/ea) and Falcon pipes (~$60 to get started, $30 for most stems or bowls). I hosed around a bunch with expensive pipes, filtered pipes, all a manner of filters, estate pipes, but none of them were as good as the Falcon and those Missouri meerschaum smoke better than all my other briars anyway. Although I guess this is from the perspective of someone seeking out the driest possible smoke because cigars are kinda my GOAT nicotine delivery mechanism. I’m positive there are loads of people who enjoy wetter pipe smokes, but it ain’t me and likely isn’t other primarily cigar smokers. /piperant Re: Fuente cigars, they’re a good option for regular smokers. There’s a dizzying variety of lines from the one brand. Based entirely on the Fuente website, I think the Gran Reserva and Reserva are the same. If you’re spending Fuente money and enjoy them, I would be curious to hear what you think about Padron. They’re another “old school” line that totally meet that need for me. There are some other Padron stans in the thread. Eat something sugary around your nicotine intake — it takes a lot of sugar to metabolize nicotine, and that might be where your hunger is coming from.
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Sep 25, 2022 21:16
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A Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipe is the ultimate beginner pipe, and honestly a good cob smokes better than most briar pipes anyways. I'd recommend you grab one, though any basket briar won't be an enemy when you're learning. That seems like a good assortment of tobacco to start with - give em all a smoke, figure out how you'd like to lean between them, and there will be plenty more blends to explore. TobaccoReviews.com will be a good resource for learning blends and seeing what's popular. With pipe tobacco, your main distinctions are aromatic or not (1-Q vs Five Brothers), and then what strains go into the mix (in broad strokes latakia adds smoke, burley adds body, Virginia is grassy and light, etc). It's common that aromatics smell fantastic but lack oomf when smoking, as your noticed. Part of why NewFatMike & I both praise Gawith Hoggarth is for unique aromatics with a solid tobacco backbone. Also don't be afraid to blend together your tobacco and see what happens - Five Brothers and 1-Q is a nice mix itself, as the 1-Q is overall pleasant and the Five Brothers will punch it up with more nicotine and tobacco flavour. NewFatMike posted:I think I’ve come around to an idea that isn’t often talked about in the pipe circles I run in, and it’s that expensive pipes are not necessarily better. You’re mostly paying for craftsmanship. This is definitely true - a good cob will be under $20 and smoke better than a briar five times its cost. But it'll never look like an elegant briar; some pipes are truly art. FUCK COREY PERRY fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Sep 25, 2022 |
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Sep 25, 2022 21:37
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Totally agreed on many pipes truly being art pieces — I think my point is that there can be a confusing interplay between pipe and tobacco that’s hard to suss out. I’m my experience that’s led to owning a bunch of pipes I don’t really use because my best smokers are either cheap as hell or recent finds. There really is no substitute for good tobacco, though. Praying that extra buck or two a tin really can elevate the experience unexpectedly. And a dollar or two spread out over…15? 20? Bowls really won’t hit the wallet too hard. E: holy moly Semois in a Falcon is preposterously good. I still haven’t managed to pick up the different kinds, I’ve just had Reserve du Patron, but what a smoke. NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Sep 25, 2022 |
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Sep 25, 2022 21:46
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NewFatMike posted:Many very helpful words! Thanks, this is crazy helpful. The nicotine taking a lot of sugar to metabolize bit especially helped me connect a few dots about other things. I kind of suspected that the difference between an expensive pipe and a reasonably priced pipe is largely aesthetics, seems like the shape of the pipe would have a few basic necessities and beyond that there's no "right" answer, good to hear that confirmed. 100% same with both preferring a cool/dry smoke and cigars being the GOAT, I'm not sure if it's the moisture or what but the captain black has had my tongue all hosed up with tongue bite.because I have no sense of moderation. Conversely, when I opened the pouch of 5 brothers, I was pretty amazed at how dry and finely cut it was, it was so nice to smoke and I didn't feel like I had to be finicky about packing it (still figuring that out though, I tend to have to relight a lot but I think that's because I smoke too fast). gently caress COREY PERRY posted:More helpful words! Good to hear I didn't waste my money, I figured it'd be kinda hard to go too wrong as long as I didn't buy something weird. Thanks for the word on blending, I was literally thinking of combining those two exactly earlier but wasn't sure if it was as simple as that or if I should know more about what I'm doing before trying it. I'll definitely give both Padron and a Missouri Meerschaum pipe a try, thanks for the recommendations! Cheap recommendations are good because now I will have an excuse to grow my collection  I took a look at what kinds of stuff G&H has available, and it got me thinking: Back when I used to smoke cigs, every once in a while I would get a sweet cigarette. It was genuinely sweet-tasting in a way that even vapes are not. I can't find anything about it on google and I've always wondered how that happened. Is there a kind of tobacco that tastes really sweet when smoked?
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Sep 26, 2022 01:26
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ComradePyro posted:- Cornell of Diehl Haunted Bookshop (the name sounded cool) Not a bad selection. I've heard of people mixing Five Bros with 1Q to balance both. There are a few different directions you can go from here, but as I see it you've got two or three ample holes in your stable: Virginias: I would start with a Virginia/Perique instead of a straight VA. Try Orlik Golden Sliced, Luxury Navy Flake (bulk), Escudo, or Match Victorian (bulk). Dark Fired Kentucky: Honestly I don't really like this stuff, but people go nuts for its bold smoky flavor (which is different from latakia's bold smoky flavor). Popular blends include Old Dark Fired, Bold Kentucky, Amphora Kentucky. Lakelands: This is a whole other animal but very much worth trying. They're generally stout British aromatics with natural flavorings. They can be made with just about any type of leaf. Anything by Gawith and Hoggarth falls here.
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Sep 26, 2022 03:58
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big boi posted:Not a bad selection. I've heard of people mixing Five Bros with 1Q to balance both. Nice, thanks! I know from trying a MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured that I love the stuff, I was expecting more smokiness from the Latakia because of that so good to know I have that option. My wallet is refusing to talk to me after my visit to the tobacco store yesterday but I will definitely be pulling this list up next payday
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Sep 26, 2022 19:30
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Many blends change how much Latakia they put in there — Peterson Early Morning Pipe has so little that I use it in my bowl for Virginia tobaccos. Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding is loaded with it and spicy oriental tobacco, I love that poo poo (unfortunately it didn’t play great in my Falcon! Alas). Regarding sweet tobaccos, most cigarettes are rolled with Virginia and Turkish (Oriental in pipe lingo) tobaccos. Smoking Pipes‘a tobacco locator is a very fun tool to explore different leafs. It’s a really handy site to help you broaden your palate: https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/
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Sep 26, 2022 19:45
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Holy crap I have some really nice meerschaum pipes, but these are art! I can only imagine what one of these with 3 or 4 generations of orientals smoked through would darken up to look like!
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Sep 26, 2022 21:58
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Oh man I have a Rattray’s Dark Reign with a metal rim around the bowl and I love that thing. I’m traveling for work and am very pleased with my pipe tobacco travel case. Ennerdale in one of my new bowls and stems: 
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Sep 27, 2022 01:05
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Fellow meerschaum friends, I’ve put probably a half dozen bowls into my new Falcon Meerschaum bowl, and I guess I’m still getting to know it. Do they just smoke…differently from briars? I haven’t developed much cake in the bowl yet, I’m just trying to figure out if I’m packing it wrong or if it has a longer break in time, or maybe they just smoke a lot cooler than briars? Guidance would be much appreciated! Picture tax: 
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Oct 2, 2022 16:53
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Meerschaums aren’t supposed to get any cake at all! Clean out the bowl completely after every smoke through it, which is easy because there’s not any cake buildup. The way you “develop” (cannot come up with any other word…maybe “age?”) a meerschaum pipe is to smoke through it…over (a longass) time the oils from your hand + tobaccos’ oils bring a mellowed brown to the bowl…the word I’m looking for is “patina,” but not in the yellowed-fingernails-from-cigarettes sense. As a caveat, I have no experience with Falcon pipes or interchangeable bowls. My meerschaum pipes are all about as old as my grown son, and are packed away in gentle storage with my scrimshaw ivory pipe and tiger skin rug 🥰. Fake edit: I like your pipe in the picture! I don’t own any Falcons, and am opposed to filters (I will die on this hill!) in general, but I’m also able to appreciate beauty and engineering. You don’t have to worry about ghosting in a meerschaum at all, and Falcon shouldn’t have had to change that aspect. I recommend smoking at least a small bowl through it every day, as the color is added directly through time and use. Aromatics are wonderful in a meerschaum!
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Oct 2, 2022 17:43
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Falcon + meerschaum bowl is a great combo because it's easy as hell to deal with - when you're done smoking, use some paper towel to swab out the bowl, then the reservoir, then you're done with cleanup. As mentioned cake is actually bad for meerschaum, so you want to keep it clean on the inside, but as a bonus you don't really need pipe cleaners for it. It's also a great combo because meerschaum is cool, and a falcon is cool, so overall it's a fantastic smoking experience.
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Oct 2, 2022 17:50
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Yeah, your meerschaum won't get the carbonized layer inside. I love my meerschaum - best smoking pipe I have.
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Oct 2, 2022 19:44
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