Wednesday, July 30, 2014

From Russia Beyond the Headlines

Planet’s strongest shamans gather in Tuva for landmark festival.

Might not be pipe related, but it has a cool photo at the top.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Just a few tobacco comments

I haven't updated my online tobacco cellar in quite some time, but it's still there to give anyone who cares an idea of what I like to smoke.  I recently made a purchase for the first time since Cornell & Diehl was sold.  So I ordered from smokingpipes.com.  Am I wrong, or is their bulk tobacco much less expensive than when C&D was selling it themselves?

Anyway, they were out of my standard Bayou Night at the time, so I ordered some Byzantium.  Their description:
An intriguing interpretation of the classic Balkan.  Redolent of Latakia, Orientals and bracing Perique.
Since I so thoroughly enjoyed a tin of Samuel Gawith's Balkan Flake recently, I decided I'd try this instead of waiting until Bayou Night came back in stock.  Now almost finished with my first pipe of it, and the word is:  it's good.  I like it.  If I had some straight Perique on hand, I'd probably give it a dose to increase the Perique content, but I am enjoying it as it is.

Since I depleted my entire stash of tins that I'd had in the cabinet for a few years, I also ordered one tin each of the aforementioned Balkan Flake, 1792 Flake and Escudo.

I'm pretty sure the last time I ordered from C&D, their bulk tobacco was running around $40 per pound, but this pound of Byzantium was only $25 from smokingpipes.com.  So I'll probably be ordering some additional tobacco soon:  Bayou Night for sure, and possibly a tin of Three Nuns now that it's available, and maybe a tin or two of Nightcap.

I also got a small free sample of C&D's Briar Fox, which I haven't tried yet.  I'll post some thoughts on it when I get around to trying it.

I guess I should also add that, while waiting for this shipment to come in, I finished off the last of my St. James Woods.  This is the only Perique blend I've had that I didn't really care for.  I don't think I'll ever be ordering it again.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

"Mr. West and his fine mustache"

Mr West, and his fine moustache, on a duck shooting trip in Sindh, India. From a British holiday album, 1906, with more here: bit.ly/U5btiM
via