There is no such thing as a bargain in tobacco. Promise. That being said, bulk tobacco by Stokkebye is some of the best tobacco period. Walter Raliegh Regular is a decent pouched burley too.
Recent smokes: Monday, lawn mower pipe, H&H Chatham Manor in an H.I.S. Bent Tonight, half a bowl of loosely rubbed out and loosely packed McClelland Blackwoods Flake in Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation slight bend pipe.....great smoke, lasted a good hour.
Saw P&C's 20% off sale. Immediately logged on, went to McClelland Blackwoods Flake, out of stock. Next clicked on McClelland Dark Star, out of stock. Sigh.....just logged out!
I'm liking the shape of a Prince. Been doing some thinking about the meteorologic conditions here in Swampland. Considering a dehydrator as well. I've attempted to slow my puff, but still get gurgle. Could my tendency to ; smoke 1/3, let it go cold, relight & next 1/3, back later for grand finish be causing the issue? I've taken to grabbing the bowl in hand, thumb over the top, and slinging to clear unwanted moisture before relighting. I don't want to "sour" the bowl of these fine briars with bad technique or newbie mistakes.
Yes, letting the pipe go cold can do that I'm in Houston, and had some gurgle issues when I first picked up pipe smoking, but it's very rare now and it's just about as humid. You can always pass a cleaner down the stem when it starts to gurgle. You might want to read this thread for some info. http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-smoking/is-that-a-gurgle-i-hear/
I googled, independently found and read, and came back to ask if that article was TSD POTD Crew Approved. They did specifically address the DGT style, and condensation. I'll carry pipe cleaners as a corrective measure until I can adjust other factors. I don't want to gurgle. Lake Charles and Houston share climactic conditions. @Erik Redd do you dry your tobaccos before use and/or long term storage?
I occasionally have to clear a gurgle with a pipe cleaner in Colorado. Packing to tightly also may contribute. Air flow is key.
I will start my adjustment of technique by only packing half bowls, and looser at that. I had already figured out I prefer my Rossi Prince. It's 2/3's the depth of the others. Less cool downs & relights have happened. Eliminating that DGT behavior ought to increase my pleasure. I'm also thinking of posting a newbie piper Question of the Day. A year from now I'll have received lots of opinions, advice, and actual information. Stuff like," Do you store your pipes stem up, bowl up, or horizontal?"
Peterson Connoisseur in the knock about cob. I'm contemplating a cleaning session this next weekend. Don't want Sour to set in. Besides Everclear & non-iodized salt any suggestions?
@RyX when I started pipe smoking every pipe from cob to briar gurgled. With experience I have elimated most of that, except with my full bent egg (whole different story with that pipe). Packing and smoking cadence appeared to be my issue. Like anything else there is a learning curve. Being a cig smoker before taking up the pipe, I was smoking way to fast, even when I thought I was going slow. It can get pretty humid here in Michigan right now dew point is 64 degrees and 61% humidity (low actually for us lately). As long as I dry baccy out, pack properly and sip while smoking I have no issues. Takes time, but you'll find your sweet spot of everything and have that "ah ha" moment. Keep at it, experience is a big factor.
Some could benefit from drying, some are fine out of the bag or tin. The problem with high humidity is the tobacco doesn't dry very fast. I don't dry my tobaccos, mainly due to my schedule with smoking. With high humidity I don't see a big change in half an hour. After opening a tin, it will somewhat dry out on it's own over a couple of weeks. The bulk tobaccos I jar for use tend to dry out with use (opening and closing the jar). I really don't have anything jarred for long term storage. I've got some aromatics I haven't opened yet and some of them may be goopers, I will probably leave the container open a day if they are. I'm still too much of a novice to accurately assess how much drying would benefit a blend, the Bama boys are much more experienced at it.
All this talk of gurgles and goopers enticed me to open a tin of Borkhum Riff Limited Edition 36°N. I received this tin in a goodie box from P&C with an order on International Pipe Smokers Day. This burns hot and has a tendency to bite, without much in the way of flavor. Maybe drying will help it a bit, but I'm not sure. I'll probably try a couple of more bowls over the next few days then set it aside and maybe revisit it in a couple of months. After trying this I checked out the reviews on tobaccoreviews.com, three 1-star and one two-star review, and everyone appears to have gotten it as a freebie. I like the tin though, not the label but the paint can type lid appears to make a good seal.
Immediately after smoking, bowl down to encourage moisture to move toward the bowl and dry out. After 24 hours back to horizontal storage in a pull out drawer in my stash cabinet.
After dinner, I decided to try the other aromatic in the goodie box, Sutliff Top Shelf Bourbon. It has a great tin note, caramel and bourbon, and I had high hopes. It started of well, but then became flavorless and unsatisfying. I cut it short because it started to rain a little. Edit- hmm, the tobacco reviews indicate this is a medium-full flavored tobacco. I don't see it, but I'll have to give it another chance. Maybe I'm spoiled by latakia blends.
Rain? Yup, one of those weeks here, too. OGS in Medico Apollo in Kroger's parking lot. Back door neighbor's grilling. In the Stone Soup tradition, I'm bringing sides. Rice dressing, beans, and I kicked in a 10lb bag of chicken legs n thighs. It's raining, what else ya gonna do? Fumble fingers Via Kyocera / Tapatalk
