Houston is a big mess. I lived on San Felipe, 1/4 mile west of the 610 loop, middle of Briar Grove/Galleria neighborhood.. The concrete jungle...it was fun because I was early twenties, but I doubt I would like it much now.

I generally use the pear wood pipes from them. I have not used a briar yet from them but of course I have several

I agree!

A Sunday morning pipe on the patio while drinking coffee and reading the paper, unfortunately it is overcast so there was no sunrise to enjoy. This was my second pipe with the Gatsby Luxury Flake, and I have to say this is one of my favorites. A nice cool smoke of a bit over an hour in a corncob. Now it's time for a shower and shave.

I really liked the Gatsby LF. It's not as complex as some blends, but I thought it was a cool, easy smoke, very enjoyable.

Here is a better picture of my new "old" Chacom Lumberman. You can see the beautiful cross grain in the shank, and although it doesn't show in this angle, that same cross grain is across most of the back and the front. The darker Canadian also has some cross grain visible, but it really shows up in the lighter stain of the Lumberman.

In this picture, you can see the cross grain on the back of the Canadian and the Lumberman. These old Chacoms are beautiful pipes, and while they are taking a bit of break in, they are great smokers.

They are real beauties.

POTD - I pulled an old tin of J.F. Germain Brown Flake out a few days ago, a blend I've never tried. First, I must mention that this is an exceedingly hard blend to find, and having never tried it, I was really looking forward to it. I moved the contents to a jar a few days ago with the intention of firing it up over this weekend. It is a small tin, and the flakes are compressed to the point where they came out as one large piece, and I jarred it that way. The tin note was incredible, with the typical dried figs and raisan scent of dark brown Virginia flakes. This afternoon I took out the somewhat solid piece of compressed flakes, and it was apparent that pulling off an intact flake would be difficult, but large strands came off easy enough. I pulled off enough for close to a bowl full, rubbed it out, and let it dry for only about 15 minutes. The "cake" that came out seemed moist, but as I pulled off the strands, I could tell the moisture was pretty close to what I would like, especially rubbed out. I selected one of my Nording pipes because it is above average bowl thickness which would keep the smoke cool, and the draft is perfect requiring minimal draw. I bought this pipe at one of The Briary's annual pipe events when Erik Nording was there, and I got him to autograph the pipe bag.

Brown Flake lit easily, requiring only a minimal relight. The initial flavor had a slight sweet flavor with a hint of fruit, and settled into a nice comfortable smoke. It was very easy to keep lit with minimal tamping and only a very few relights. I make no attempt to make it through a bowl with no relights, but I also don't want to have to work too hard at keeping the fires burning. Flavor wise, it settled into a slightly grassy flavor, more salty than sweet, although the Virginia sweetness is always there in the background. All in all, not what I would call a complex blend, but excellent in it's simplicity. It's not like any Virginia I've had before, and is a nice break when the Perique gets a little too much in the VaPers. I'll try it again soon in a different style pipe, most likely a Neerup poker or the Chacom Canadian, and see if a taller and narrower bowl gives any different result. I will add it burned down to a fine ash, getting a slight ashy flavor right at the end.

It will be interesting to see if it smokes differently in a Canadian. Kudos on keeping a Lakeland Flake lit!

Really beautiful grain in those pipes!

I tried out the 1888 today and I like it. The smoke is more mild than the scent from the tin, which to me smells like BBQ - my wife says it smells like ham!
I'm getting the hang of puffing, too. Slower is better.

I believe what you are liking about the 1888 is Latakia tobacco. You may want to explore English style blends in the future. And yes, slower is better!

Exactly right! A proper pace of smoking contributes to a cooler smoke, more flavorful smoke, more even burning, is easier on the tongue, and all that equals a superior experience!

Earlier, I had a bowl of H&H Anniversary Kake in the Danish Crown. Right now, I am about to select a pipe of the night, compose a photo, and smoke it!

Beautiful ash on the top of that bowl...it looks as if you packed it well. High quality tobacco should burn to a fine white/light gray ash, much like I see in your pic. It's all about consistent density and airflow.

I'm enjoying another morning pipe today as school is out for Sukkot. I went with Orlik Golden Sliced. I took @Bama Samuai's advice and balled up the slice first and let it rest for a bit. The result was easier to load and light.
I put a filter on the photo to show off the nice grain on this pipe.

My Family of Kaywoodie. These pipes burn a ton of Stokkebye Bulk Navy and Orlik GS. These are my "working pipes", and many people do shy away from the stinger/condenser system. But, when working outside without proper pipe tools, the ability to unscrew the metal fitting hot and clear it with a lung full of air is a great feature. I do recommend Kaywoodie for guys who smoke while getting their hands dirty. Last night's absent late post was pipe top left with some Stokkebye Navy.

A bowl of

after dinner. A very enjoyable smoke.

It's hard to go wrong following the advice of Bama Samurai!