Had to have another bowl... I try and ration this stuff to about a flake a month but, man is it hard to stay out of!!! And hawkbills FTW!
That is an amazing pipe. Is the chamber small, or the bowl huge? I don't recall seeing such thick walls.
Hello, @nikonNUT, I bet that's a cool smoke with those thick walls! Are you a fan of any other Sam Gawith blends? I love FVF, but it is a pain to prepare due to the thickness of the flakes.
RyX, The walls are that thick! They don't call them "Giants" for nothing The outside diameter is just shy of 2" and I can fit my thumb in the bowl to the first joint! It's a bit of an odd duck in that it doesn't have an aluminum screw in stem or stinger. Best guess is that it is WWII vintage when there was better uses for AL. It also lacks rustication that was common with the bigger briars ... I hunted a long time for this one! BamaT, I love Cabbies Blend, St. James Flake ,FVF, Sam's Choice, 1792 Flake, Squadron Leader, Perfection, Best Brown Flake, and Bracken Flake! I am truly sad that that last one is gone I keep my eyes pealed for stray tins but they seem to be impossible to find these days...
SG Medium Virginia, Neerup cherrywood. I haven't had any of the SG MV lately, so it's up in the rotation. It's a bulk broken flake, more like large strands with a piece of flake here and there. Still have to rub it out. Unlike tinned SG blends it wasn't so moist, but a little drying helps it. I dried the entire batch, and jarred it.
Welcome to the board! Getting ready for one of America's finest, or lowest, moments, depending on one's perspective. Probably need another bowl after.
Wow, folks bringing out the Big Guns. I stopped by my local shop and refreshed my Perique stash today. Photo after I finish my mac n cheese.
After cleansing my palate with a cool glass of minty sweet tea, I loaded the Rossi Prince with my second purchase of locally produced Perique. My recollection of the first batch; more moist, more plum. The shop had run out a couple weeks ago, but have now restocked. This time it seems the same long tangled cut, much dryer, with more of the vinegar note. With no drying time allowed, I loosely pack a bowl. Toast, tamp and light revealed less of the fruit tone I enjoy from others like Peterson's University Flake. As I enjoyed my way through the bowl on exhale the plum intensified. I asked the clerk if she knew the source, but no information was forthcoming. While Perique is an exclusive to a Parrish near me, I'm not sure how many different producers make variations on the theme. I will seek to further educate myself on the matter.
I also picked up and tried an aromatic by Sutliff. Z92 - Vanilla Custard proved to be both tasty tin note and an enjoyable smoke. I avoid cherry flavors for their artificiality, but vanillas please me. They had another Aro I considered, might have been from McClelland labeled "Pastry". It seemed quite moist. I still struggle with the occasional gurgle and don't have the patience to wait for a product to air dry. I'm working on that.
Aros almost always gurgle a bit, even with slow puffing, the dressings add h2o to the blend and it condenses back out in the shank. I've been smoking for a long time, and still will not hesitate to stick a cleaner into a lit pipe to dry the shank. Though not a bid aromatic consumer, I am with you on Cherry. I've never found a good one.
