My guess would be this pipe was previously owned by someone that didn't have anyone to tutor him on pipe smoking, bought some overly dry drugstore tobacco, puffed madly away, and as a result didn't have a good experience and decided to dump the pipe. Good score.
Thanks. Just like vintage razors, I kinda enjoy having a pipe that hasn't been in production for several years, although it appears to be difficult to date these pipes.
Escudo has slightly more, but it uses more than one grade of VA. It's different than the LA Red. It's coin cut true navy, I believe rum top-dressed, no casing, three grades of VA and perique rolled and sliced. An "Escudo" was a Portugese Gold coin, commonly used as currency in trade in the 1600s or so.
That's a good start! It will be neat to see of you can resurrect it to glory. Like @BamaT they are new to me also. I have shopped them though on Amazon and such, might just be worth it for either. It's so very hard to guess the quality of unknown briar pipes. Briar is the root ball of a few specific shrubs and trees. The real limiting factor on briar is that it must be aged for long periods (years) to dry almost completely before making the pipe. There is oil curing too, but older is better in briar. Less expensive pipes use newer briar, and actually vastly improve with age. I am lucky as a pipe smoker, average humidity here is 20% or so, so my pipes stay dry and continue to age over time faster than at higher humidity locales. So when you add all that up, the number of high quality, well aged briar blanks is quite finite, and makes the top end briar pipes very pricy. Science says you should get one.
I found out why it was smoked very little. It had a tight draw, there seemed to be a restriction in the bottom of the bowl. With the pipe empty, you could hear it whistle a little when drawing on the pipe. It was probably worse with the stinger. After trying to smoke a bowl, I let it cool off, took the stem off and used a small drill bit thru the shank to open it up, it was just a tight spot where it entered the bowl. Smoked another bowl and there was a vast difference, it was a great smoke.
After your original post, I started doing some research on Webers, and read where someone else had that same exact problem, and they did the same exact thing! I guess great minds really do think alike. As I recall, where I read that, drilling out slightly solved the problem. With the existing draft hole as a guide, sounds like a risk free fix. Glad it worked out! For a small price, sounds like you got a good smoker
I am thinking about pipe smoking recently. I smoked a little in college, but not for many years. My wife likes the scent of sweet pipe tobacco, so she would be more ok with a pipe than cigars. Where should I start? I looked online, and I don't want to drop $200 right off the bat. Thanks for any insights.
Thank you! I've been reading this thread off and on for a while now, but just got up the notion to post.
I own this one, it smokes as good as anything I own. http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipes/87040/wessex-standard-saddle-bit-sandblast/ First pipe listed
I agree with @Bama Samurai completely. For pipes, you can go with the P&C 3fer deal. 3 briar bargain pipes for $60. I have one of said pipes and I love it. You could also try Missouri Meerschaum Cob pipes, which are $5-10 a piece. Or grab a decent Dr. Grabow or two. I would also recommend trying both Aromatic and Non Aromatic. For Non Aro, I say start with Orlik GS which is a VaPer, and I'm sure @Bama Samurai and @BamaT will agree with me. Maybe also try an English blend. I recommend John Bull, which is a "Proper English". It's $3 a pouch and is a good tobacco; it also has added cavendish to make it a little sweeter. For Aromatic, try Cest La Vie, which is french vanilla. Also $3 a pouch and a good tobacco. Also, kind of poke around on there and see what catches your eye and fits your budget. I'd say for $60-100; you can get yourself pretty well setup. Also check and see if they have any of the Customer Appreciation Samplers: 2015 left. You can't get a better deal than that sampler at $100, I guarantee it! Oh! And check out the other pipe kits they have. Those are a good way to start as well.
Do you have a local pipe shop? If so, I would highly recommend stopping in, getting to know your local tobacconist, and seeing if they have any "basket" or "counter top" pipes. Those will usually be seconds, with some flaw in the finish, drilling of the draft hole, stem, putty fill in the briar, etc. you can sometimes pick those up for as little as $20, and can go up to about $40, depending on the exact condition and quality. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be poor smokers. One of my favorite pipes has a visible putty fill, and a couple others have them but they're not as visible. I have other first quality pipes, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to start with, or ever. Making friends with your local shop can pay large dividends down the road. If you don't have a local shop, Pipes and Cigars will have some sort of sale on most of the time. Right now they have a sale on H.I.S. pipes, an Italian entry level brand. http://www.pipesandcigars.com/brands/2171/h-i-s/?type=Pipes&slide=2 This isn't a bad deal, especially since you really need more than one pipe and rotate them after smoking and subsequent cleaning to allow them time to dry out and not sour. http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipes/3-pipes-for-59-99/ I know you specifically mentioned aromatic tobaccos. But they are generally a poor choice for breaking in a new pipe. A straight Virginia is ideal for this purpose, as well as being an excellent mild tobacco that will have a natural sweetness, but not cotton candy sweet like aromatics. Bama Samurai put me onto Orlik Golden Slices, and I genuinely believe this one of the best tobaccos for breaking in a pipe and just in general. I know going forward I will always have some on hand. There is a lot to learn about pipes, tobaccos, and how to smoke them. Don't be afraid to ask questions, there are several knowledgeable people here that will be glad to help! And welcome to the POTD thread.
Hey Weeper, good to see you back in the thread. How did the dental work go? Back to your pipes yet? Sorry to be late getting back to you. I knew it wasn't a Savinelli because I remembered it was stamped with Made in London, England. I did take another look, and the only other marking is the number 73.
In my response to Tdmsu, I mentioned that Virginias were a mild tobacco with a natural sweetness. I specifically had Orlik Golden Slices in mind here. All Virginia blends will have varying degrees of natural sweetness, but they all aren't mild! Many are mild to medium in strength, but some of them can be pretty strong. Sorry for having to clarify that, my fingers couldn't keep up with what my mind was thinking. Orlik Golden Slices is a great all around tobacco, and has few peers for breaking in a pipe.
Read back a few posts and look at the sampler package Lo'Gosh recently got. A great way to get set up initially. When you get started, get a couple packs or more of pipe cleaners. I clean my pipes after each smoke, but don't separate the stem from the shank until the pipe has cooled.
Pipe of the evening, no pics, sorry: My Lorenzo estate pipe (there's a pic a few posts back), burning some Orlik GS.
@Tdmsu , +1 on H.I.S, I have a rusticated Canadian that is a great pipe. Also, looking in local stores for quality seconds or shop brands is how I got started years ago. If you really did your HW, you could probably build a seven day set for $200. He mentioned Orlik Golden Sliced (OGS), I agree on all points. It is inoffensive in every way, and burns cool and easy. Orlik Golden Mixture (OGM) is something to try if you like sweeter tobacco. It is basically OGS cut with a touch of white burley, a bit of red VA, and a condimental level of sweetened Black burley cavendish. They both cost about the same as drugstore stuff, but are free of stuff like PEG and glycerine. this means a cleaner and cooler smoke experience, and a drier pipe. I am also a fan of Viginia and Virginia/Perique. For change of pace, I like unflavored aged Burley. Solani 656 or Wessex Burley Slices (they make pipes and tobacco products) out of a Wessex Standard is a sublime experience! Aged Burley is usually unflavored, but is sweet and nutty in its own way. The only things you absolutely must have are a pipe, tamper, tobacco and air tight jar for storage, pipe cleaners and fire. To clean the pipe, a tiny bit of cheap vodka or rubbing alcohol on the end of the cleaner replaces any commercial clean. The pipe can be periodically deodorized and cleaned with alcohol and table salt. Just be sure never to let alcohol touch the stain or finish of the pipe, it will wreck the finish. Wipe gently with any soft cloth and you're set. P&C sells starter kits that contain most of these items including tobacco for less than $100 (some way less). The rest of the stuff you likely have around the house. I would be more than happy to answer questions too. I dig this stuff a lot.
