Cigar and pipe spooking: how to smell like a corpse

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Cigar and pipe spooking: how to smell like a corpse

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

gently caress COREY PERRY posted:

Smoking some semois for the first time (Reserve du Patron) and this poo poo is fascinating. Presentation is pretty radically different being packed tight into a dry brick and it goes up like kindling as soon as you put a match to it. Despite that there's no harshness as long as you sip it, and a nice rich taste. Seems like it'll be a great summer smoke.

For you cigar folks smokingpipes.com has some semois cigars in stock right now too in addition to the usual pipe tobacco.

I'm dying to try semois but I have so much tobacco I still haven't smoked

# ¿ May 21, 2021 12:47

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 09:59

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

gently caress COREY PERRY posted:

If you are a fan of burley in any way, do yourself a favor and grab some semois. It's both fantastic and unique for the genre.

Thanks for tipping me off on Chatham Manor a little while back by the way! I got some and it's a good premium version of the codger blends I'm fond of. It's weird though, Chatham Manor is undeniable better tobacco than Carter Hall, but I don't think I like it quite as much? Something about Carter Hall sticks with me better even though it's more of a Bud to Chatham Manor's craft beer. Unfortunately Carter Hall is sold out drat near everywhere that ships to Canada, I need to get a tub of it when it's back in stock as I'm nearly out of the pouch I started with last year.

Glad you liked it! Yeah supposedly Prince Albert is getting back in stock after people started hoarding it due to some spurious discontinuation rumors, so hopefully Carter Hall is the same.

I know I'm going to buy some semois soon, just a matter of time.

# ¿ May 22, 2021 22:08

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

I'm a cigar idiot but I smoked a smallish Ashton Connecticut and it was real good

# ¿ Jun 8, 2021 02:44

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Smoking a Leaf by Oscar Connecticut at (apparently) their flagship cigar lounge in Pittsburgh. Was a little worried at first that this was going to be too intense, but smoking it gently I'm in heaven.

I started smoking a pipe occasionally, mostly Virginia, and found I much preferred it to cigars, which were too intense. But recently I've smoked a few Connecticuts that I've really really enjoyed. The mild flavors nicely temper the fact that I'm sucking on a giant wad of tobacco.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2021 19:44

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

I finally tried Semois, and that poo poo is wild. Really good but not something I'd like to smoke all the time.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2021 19:58

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Finishing up a nice bowl of Full Virginia Flake in the hammock. What a totally classic tobacco.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2021 23:29

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Virginias tend to burn hotter because of their high natural sugar content, or so I've been told. They're the best though, not much better than a good Virginia or Va/Per.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2021 01:29

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Smoking some HH Pure Virginia. If you want a widely available straight VA that stacks up to much of the poo poo that's constantly out of stock, buy some of this and forget about it for a couple years.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2021 14:28

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Yeah mason jars, particularly the ones with a two-piece lid, are literally all you need to properly store tobacco. Storing them in a cool dark place is good, too. Mylar bags also work.

NewFatMike posted:

A lot of my Virginia blends have been in hot-pressed flakes, and I don't think I'm a big fan of the format. Even with filters, it gets too steamy and I get a lot of tongue bite.

I've got a mess of cigars on the way, too, but I think I might take it easy for a few days on those because my mouth is chooched from some excessive smoking this weekend.

Are you drying your tobacco? That's a big cause of tongue bite, along with packing too tightly and smoking too fast. Booze with the pipe can also exacerbate bite.

Try fully rubbing out your flakes/coins, drying for at least 15 minutes (more like an hour if we're talking Sam Gawith), and packing using the Frank method or even the gravity fill. Packing too lightly just means a shorter bowl, while packing too tightly means a crappy experience and probably a burnt tongue.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2022 13:38

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Gotcha. Yeah some blends are just a pain in the rear end.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2022 17:25

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Edit: nm

# ¿ Jan 30, 2022 17:17

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

I've smoke my new Stanwell (shape 54) a couple times now, and I will be getting more Stanwells down the road. Knockout quality for the price.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2022 21:28

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Howard The Dork posted:

Anyone ever use a FoodSaver jar vacuum sealer on their pipe tobacco? I'm borrowing one to try out for cellaring bulk varieties. It seems to work pretty well sealing up the wide-mouth canning jars.

Edit: I did a cursory internet search and it seems many pipe-heads in the pipe forums think that vacuum sealing a canning jar will somehow remove all of the oxygen from the jar and thus somehow prevent it from aging properly. I don't buy that. There is no way my rinky-dink FoodSaver comes anywhere close to evacuating all the atmosphere from a rigid jar before the pressure differential causes the lid to pop and seal. Also, by my understanding, tobacco tins come vacuum sealed in the first place (i.e., they aren't sealed using any hot-canning process). So I'm going to press on until I read something more convincing.

There seems to be some debate as to this. For me, I'm lazy, and there's no clear benefit to vacuum sealing the jars, so I don't.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2022 16:25

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

St Bruno is a great intro to that style of tobacco, very nice stuff. I have indeed heard that Ennerdale is the King of the Lakelands. Rum Flake is incredibly rich in taste and fairly high in nicotine, as well. I honestly still don't know if I like Lakelands yet, but the non-sauced Sam Gawiths are probably my favorite blends.

Edit: GL Pease Stonehenge is manufactured by Gawith and Hoggarth if you're looking for something that's always in stock.

big boi fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Mar 14, 2022

# ¿ Mar 14, 2022 15:34

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

NewFatMike posted:

ENNERDALE IS INCREDIBLE

I cannot wait to try the rest of them.

E: WØ Larsen whips. It smells aromatic - like chocolate and maple, but maybe that’s just a little topping? Maybe not. But if it’s excellent.

Lol, I have to dig out my sample of Ennerdale now

# ¿ Mar 20, 2022 17:09

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

There's still a bunch of Samuel Gawith tins kicking around. Several of their blends are must-try. I grabbed 3 tins each of Full Virginia Flake and Best Brown Flake last night. Check TurboTin if interested.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2022 13:02

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

NewFatMike posted:

Thank you very much for that heads up, I’m antsy to buy a 500g bag of Ennerdale

Boswell's has it for 4.95 an oz. That's a deal.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2022 16:15

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

I smoked some Peretti 150th and Cringle '21 yesterday. Both good but not great.

gently caress COREY PERRY posted:

Concurred that Boswell's is the best, I've already got half a pound of Ennerdale but I'm still tempted to get some more from them.

Hadn't heard of this website before, thanks for the heads up! This'll be awesome for keeping track of some of the harder to find drops, I've managed to grab Sam Gawith and Gawith Hoggarth before but still have never managed to get any Esoterica or some of the Rattray's blends that interest me.

The Esotericas go faster than TurboTin can keep up, probably but something like Rattray's should stay up for long enough to make the site useful. Not that I've seen Rattray's in a long time.

You can also sign up for the one-time email notifications for those blends. Tedious but worth it.

NewFatMike posted:

For those of you interested in smoking pipes, I made a mistake in spending more on pipes than I did on my tobacco (which still isn't all that expensive even for nicer stuff). Grab some cheap as hell Missouri Meerschaum pipes and just go hog wild on an ounce or two here and there on whatever you can find that sounds interesting, and good tobacco is so worth it over cheap stuff. The easiest way to tell is "if you're pulling stems from your tobacco, it's not the nicer stuff".

Yeah agreed, the MM cobs are 100% the way to start along with an oz of a couple different genres of tobacco.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2022 17:05

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

I also like small, straight pipes, and my best pipe is a Stanwell 54. Perfect little VA flake pipe.

# ¿ May 4, 2022 11:59

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

DerekSmartymans posted:

Am I misunderstanding, or are you folks talking about removing the pipe stem to swab it during a smoke, or after the bowl has finished and cooled down? Because it’s a really bad idea to move/rotate/break down a hot stem on a briar/vulcanite/clay/meerschaum pipe, because it could expand and/or cool unevenly and ruin a well-fit pipe permanently. That’s if you’re lucky enough not to just snap the stem off in the first place. Are these pipes you’re discussing made to where this doesn’t matter anymore? I would be interested if this was “new” (at least to me!) technology for briars—-I break cobs all the time because usually I’m more interested in just putting it away quickly cleaned, even if the bowl is still hot/warm to touch. I’ve seen broken briars from the same treatment, though.

Falcon pipes. Google 'em

# ¿ May 18, 2022 00:17

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Finally smoking my Ennerdale sample. I like it.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2022 01:17

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Presby is very good agreed. I gave some away because it was biting me, but I should have just kept it and let it age.

If you like light Englishes, try out Chelsea Morning. That stuff is excellent with coffee, and with a year or two of age it's spectacular.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2022 21:02

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Howard The Dork posted:

It�s not a sweet as I expected�

It actually manages to be less over-powering flavor wise than 1Q or BCA, despite the tin note.

My wife says the room (deck) note does smell strongly of Irish cream.

Getting some grassy Virginia notes intermingled with Irish cream in the flavor. A bit of malt.

First impressions: Not awful. Has potential.

Later impressions (end of first bowl): I will finish the tin. It�s good enough to enjoy smoking. Highly unlikely that I ever get more. I probably wouldn�t recommend it to someone looking for a nice aromatic. I feel like a clown saying this, but I kind of want more of the tin-note to come through in the flavor. At this point I would probably rate this below 1Q. When I decide it�s time for an aromatic I want to taste it. By the end this is like when you suck all the flavor syrup out of a snow cone and just have ice left.

I wouldn�t say it pairs very well with Miller Light either. Mustache smells pretty good, but not as good as 1Q.

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.

# ¿ Sep 6, 2022 21:13

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

NewFatMike posted:

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?

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.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2022 03:51

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

ComradePyro posted:

- 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)

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.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2022 03:58

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

ComradePyro posted:

Having gone through most of what I bought, I can solidly say I'm hooked. And also the Haunted Bookshop is kinda bad.

Just ordered some more of the 5 Brothers and Ten Russians (now to find a tobacco that starts with 15), a bigger bag of the Lane 1Q as it's grown on me, and:

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake
GL Pease JackKnife Ready Rubbed
Gawith Hoggarth Balkan Mixture
MATCH Elizabethan (apparently the new name for Match Victoria

I'm pretty excited to try these, it's nice going from "I know nothing" to actually having a vague idea of what I'm getting into! I also picked up a MM Ozark mini to try, trying very hard to resist ending up with a ton of pipes but it's very difficult.

Thanks again for the recommendations everyone, I really appreciate it!

Seconded, show us your cool robot NewFatMike.

Good choices. Jar all the blends as you open them and leave them be for a while if you don't enjoy any of them. You may find that you like them after all as you gain smoking experience and as your tastes change.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2022 05:39

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Yeah, preferring strong flavors is common when you're first starting out. Not to say that you won't always like them, but as smoking technique improves people generally start to appreciate more subtle blends. OTOH Haunted Bookshop has a lot of haters, so the other VA-based stuff you got may be more of a test.

big boi fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Oct 9, 2022

# ¿ Oct 9, 2022 14:18

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

ComradePyro posted:

same tbh

I think there's something legit wrong with the Match Elizabethan. It's very strange, around the same time that I switched to smoking it for a few days, my pipe turned sour. I gather from googling around that that isn't supposed to mean sour as in like lemons, but it made my pipe sour as in like lemons. I cleaned it a few separate times with alcohol, then acetone, over a few days and today is the first day my mouth isn't gross and sour for hours after smoking a bowl. I hadn't made the connection between the tobacco and the issue until I just now sniffed the jar and it smelled like acidity and a mild stinging pain.

So, I asked this before but I kinda downplayed the issue, is this tobacco supposed to have such a strong acidic tang to it that it literally hurts to smell? I'm not 100% convinced that it's the reason my pipe went all lemony on me, but it's hard to think of what else it could be.

I may have been the one to recommend it. Unfortunately I have not smoked it, so I can't answer here. It is a very popular Va/Per bulk. My advice would be to troll sites like TobaccoReviews, PipesMagazine forums, or Pipesmokersden for discussion about the blend. Sorry you don't like it.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2022 20:55

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

NewFatMike posted:

The man's goggles are really throwing me for a loop.

Anyone have any recs for baking spiced/holiday pipe tobacco blends? I'm thinking I wanna go all in for holiday theming (e.g. Boswell Christmas Cookie, Pom Holiday, C&D We Three Kings). The stronger the better because I am a nicotine goblin.

e: Turns out the best James Bond smoked Falcons, so I am very glad to have found The Correct Pipes no additional comment necessary

Rum Flake!

Edit unless you said you already tried it

# ¿ Nov 18, 2022 20:27

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

H&H Louisiana Red is an excellent bulk Va/Per. That is all.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2022 20:51

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

RoboJoe posted:

Thank you both for the super useful info, it's much appreciated! So much more detailed than I expected which has given me a lot to think about and I'll definitely check out those recommended cigars.
I asked about online websites because those are much easier for me to deal with, as I live in a rural area, but I googled and my nearest city does have a couple of cigar/tobacco shops so the next time I go there I can pop in and ask for advice and if they have any cigars that either of you suggested. I'll check GQ Tobaccos for sure though!

See you in five years when you discover pipes :sickos:

# ¿ Dec 20, 2022 17:04

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 09:59

big boi: Jun 11, 2007

Empty Pockets posted:

Greetings, can anyone make me some recommendations for a good “Balkan” blend pipe tobacco? That is to say, an oriental-focused blend with some latakia but distinct from English blends. I want it sour! Tangy! Latakia is assumed but can’t be the only oriental leaf tobacco present.

Here’s some examples that are at least in the right ballpark:

Skiff Mixture - Samuel Gawith
Cairo - G.L. Pease
Rare Breed - Gurkha (this one surprised me)
I think Byzantium by C&D but I didnt keep notes so I’m not certain that was the one

Here are some great blends that are examples of not what I’m looking for:

Plum Pudding
Star of the East
Quiet Nights
White Knight
Blackhouse
Pirate Kake
10 Russians
Bengal Slices
EMP - although, maybe not super far off
Nightcap

Presbyterian and Mississippi River

# ¿ Mar 4, 2024 15:11

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