I am gonna jump on 4noggins like you suggest. Have some sitting on my online shopping cart. I figured Chinook was a good price point to get into Brigham. It's weird, I like Grabow filter pipes, but not the Savinelli System so much. Maybe I will like it. Filters are nice because generally I don't need a cleaner mid bowl when filtered. That's a big plus when smoking while working!
So when the Regent comes, I'll likely have some cleaning to do. What's everyone like for cleaning and shining briar and vulcanite?
Best heed the advice of @Bama Samurai. Perique is a condiment tobacco. I like a light touch, but many VaPer blends use too heavy of a hand with the Perique for me.
Personally, I don't use anything on briar. If it's smooth, I just rub it down with an old t-shirt. I use a baking soda paste to clean vulcanite stems. It may take a while, but does a pretty good job. When most of the oxidation is removed, I rub it with olive oil, and then buff it out until dry with a t-shirt. I only have one estate pipe, and it was already cleaned up, in fact I'm smoking it now, an old Lorenzo. If I got an estate pipe not already cleaned up, I would probably wash the stem in soapy water really well, run multiple spirits soaked cleaners through it, and do at least a couple of salt/alcohol treatments on the inside of the bowl. You can buy a cleaner for briar, but I can't remember what it was called. It was a spray can, and I was told you spray it on a soft cloth, then rub down the briar.
John Aylesbury English Mixture in a bent Lorenzo estate pipe. First bowl of EM since I dried the entire jar after I overdid the hydration. The tobacco is back to normal now, I really like this blend. A little more complex than straight Virginias, medium fullness with a hint of sweet from the Virginias and unflavored toasted cavendish.
I received the Comoy's Silver Cloud today. Absolutely no tooth marks on the stem and the pipe looked very lightly smoked, so I cleaned the stem with alcohol and decided to give it a try. I believe these pipes were a lower grade of Comoy's made in the '70s to '80s.
For sure going to be working the mild end of the spectrum until I identify my preferences. Learning that this variant is a local product enjoyed world wide I have to experience it. Seems I might find it available as a cigarette available from Murphy's gas stations. "...perique can also be found in Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company's perique cigarettes under the Natural American Spirit brand in an approximately 1 part to 5 blend with lighter tobaccos. These cigarettes are marketed in a black box (Perique Rich Robust) and in a gray box (Perique Rich.)"
I highly recommend you try Orlik Golden Slices, a lighter Virginia with a light touch of Perique. OGS may very well be the ideal beginner's tobacco. I had never smoked it until I read @Bama Samurai talking about it. It's not an aromatic, but I truly believe most beginners are better off staying away from aromatics to begin with. Aromatics can be downright soggy wet, hard to light, are often heavy with PG (chemical humectant) very tasty at first, but then turning into something else entirely. Not all aromatics are that way, and many people highly prefer them. I just think you're better off with a more pure tobacco blend to start with. OGS is very good for laying down an initial carbon cake. Perique is a very special tobacco. It's actually a type of burley, but it is only grown and processed in St. James Parrish. It can be peppery spicy, or add a plum type flavor. I'm not sure if the latter is processed slightly differently, or if it depends more on the overall blend. Perhaps Chris can shed some more light on that. Tony
Second pipe of the night, somewhat a rarity for me. Brigham Hudson's Bay in a Neerup cherrywood. Hudson's Bay is a new tin I recently opened. Mature Virginias with stoved Virginia, in a somewhat course broken flake. Tin note is fantastic, plum/fig/raisin. That carries over to the taste, no hay/lemon flavor here. Somewhat medium in strength, and smokes down to a fine gray ash with a couple of relights. This is the third bowl I've had, and I'm liking it.
The differences in Perique are due to microclimate and the fact that it is a fermented product like wine. Things as small as that particular plant's location, or even weather at harvest change the outcome. No two vats will ever be the same, but if you've tried some of the good stuff, you've tried it all. Maybe that helps?
@RyX Above is a single Flake of OGS. It fits on your palm, and is about 1/16" thick. The dark spots are perique, and also what looks to be 3-4 grades of light Virginia. You can clearly see that this was cut against the grain vertically from a pressed cake. This tobacco would be bland alone, and Perique adds subtle fruity spice. After wadding into a ball and rolling between my palms until it completely disintegrates, ribbons. These dry for 30min, then I smoke.
Yes. a very nice semi-translucent silver-gray lucite stem. It's really what attracted me to the pipe.
Slow day so the boss sent me home early. With pay! So my plan to smoke a pipe this afternoon came to fruition earlier than planned, right? Wrong. Second planned pipe cancelled this week due to a structure fire. Spent my afternoon at a barn fire, knee-deep in horseshi...well, I keep telling myself it's "dirt with hay in it," but I still don't believe it. Luckily, all the animals were out in the pasture. And the smell of burning hay made me want a pipe more. Kinda smells like a Virginia blend. But anyway, my new Kaywoodie Regent came, and it looks better than I thought. Stinger intact, finish is excellent, stem looks darn good with just a little bit of tooth mark on the bit. Top of the bowl looks a bit gunky but will probably clean up, and the bowl looks as though it's been reamed almost to the wood. I'll be cleaning it up next week probably. Now if you gents will excuse me, I need a shower. I smell like "dirt with hay in it."
And continued with break-in of Spanu. I guess you're getting old when your idea of an enjoyable Friday evening is sitting in your backyard smoking a pipe and sippin' bourbon.
