Home of the Kirsten pipe, already refferred to in an earlier blog-post. I arrived here yesterday and hope to get to one of the two Kirston stores today. I'll buy a replacement stem for my pipe (the same thing I think I did the last time I stopped in maybe ten years ago.
Pipe Of The Week
Since I'm traveling this feature will be postponed until next week.
Tobacco Bar
I have to return to a discussion of G.L. Pease's Robusto. I think I indicated, when I first decided to try it, that I liked it well enough. Since then it has significantly grown on me such that it threatens to become my everyday smoke. It is a bit strong as the first pipe of the day, so Louisiana Red still has that distinction, but for the rest of the time Robusto has been it. After a particularly heavy meal I am still working in a bowl of Maltese Falcon, so for the moment (and it will change!) I have a pretty set rotation.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tampers
American pipe carver Todd Johnson has a very nice blog called Musings On Life In General which is always fun to read. But this particular entry is really quite fantastic. It is the evolution of a spectacular Calabash pipe. You should really check out the photos and accompanying description.
On to the subject of this week's entry: Tampers. Those are the tools that one uses to tamp down the tobacco in one's pipe as one smokes it down. Among pipe smoker's they constitute an esoteric domain within the hobby. Some people use an old nail. It works. but you have to watch out for the point in your pocket. Others use a piece of dowel. A bit unwieldy, I find. Then there is the standard: know as the "Czech" because they're imported from Czechoslovakia for as long as anyone can remember. They are a three piece pipe tool including the tamper, a little shovel to clean out the bowl and a straight "pointer" presumably to unloosen overly tight-packed tobacco. I own two (they cost about $1.00) and have found myself using one for the last few months since losing a tapered tamper made by Brebbia that I really liked. I also own a number of more costly tampers made by more upscale firms who are identified on the tampers only by logos which I no longer can identify. Ah well. The first picture shows them in their tamper mode. the second shows that both of them unscrew to reveal a little shovel/pointer not unlike the Czech but much more elegant. I have resisted carrying them around for fear of losing them. There is also a traditional dowel in the photo, and a lovely little meerschaum "chess piece" tamper. The dowel is much too unwieldy, and though I actually used the chess piece for a few days I found its tamper surface to small.
So I've been wanting to find something the right size, the right weight, not too expensive, a little bit more elegant than a Czech. And I have. Thanks to the Oompaul podcast I heard an interview with Gunner Weber Prada artist, pipe carver and tamper maker whose work can be found on his web site Totemstar.com . It is an elegant aluminum tamper, just the right weight and size, a little pizazz ( it looks very much like a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti.)
Pipe Of The Week
Ser Jacopo - Picta Collection
This lovely pipe is part of a series of Ser Jacopo pipes made to resemble the various pipes featured in Paintings by Vincent Van Gough. The photo from the Ser Jacopo web page gives you the idea of the series. The photo below is my pipe and it is one of my favorite. It has the feel of a corncob, a workingman's pipe, while obviously not being such. Rather it is a fine relatively high grade pipe with a great sandblast grain. Extraordinarily comfortable and a great smoker.
On to the subject of this week's entry: Tampers. Those are the tools that one uses to tamp down the tobacco in one's pipe as one smokes it down. Among pipe smoker's they constitute an esoteric domain within the hobby. Some people use an old nail. It works. but you have to watch out for the point in your pocket. Others use a piece of dowel. A bit unwieldy, I find. Then there is the standard: know as the "Czech" because they're imported from Czechoslovakia for as long as anyone can remember. They are a three piece pipe tool including the tamper, a little shovel to clean out the bowl and a straight "pointer" presumably to unloosen overly tight-packed tobacco. I own two (they cost about $1.00) and have found myself using one for the last few months since losing a tapered tamper made by Brebbia that I really liked. I also own a number of more costly tampers made by more upscale firms who are identified on the tampers only by logos which I no longer can identify. Ah well. The first picture shows them in their tamper mode. the second shows that both of them unscrew to reveal a little shovel/pointer not unlike the Czech but much more elegant. I have resisted carrying them around for fear of losing them. There is also a traditional dowel in the photo, and a lovely little meerschaum "chess piece" tamper. The dowel is much too unwieldy, and though I actually used the chess piece for a few days I found its tamper surface to small.
So I've been wanting to find something the right size, the right weight, not too expensive, a little bit more elegant than a Czech. And I have. Thanks to the Oompaul podcast I heard an interview with Gunner Weber Prada artist, pipe carver and tamper maker whose work can be found on his web site Totemstar.com . It is an elegant aluminum tamper, just the right weight and size, a little pizazz ( it looks very much like a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti.)
Pipe Of The Week
Ser Jacopo - Picta Collection
This lovely pipe is part of a series of Ser Jacopo pipes made to resemble the various pipes featured in Paintings by Vincent Van Gough. The photo from the Ser Jacopo web page gives you the idea of the series. The photo below is my pipe and it is one of my favorite. It has the feel of a corncob, a workingman's pipe, while obviously not being such. Rather it is a fine relatively high grade pipe with a great sandblast grain. Extraordinarily comfortable and a great smoker.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Fathers and Sons
Most of my family were in town for the Passover holiday. My oldest son was unable to come, but my younger son was here and we scheduled a time to be together out of the hub-bub of kids and infants and just plain piles of people. On Monday we repaired together to Holt's, him for a cigar and me for a nice pipe full. That's him in the photo above, though obviously not from this trip. It is from a visit I made to LA and a morning bike ride we took together then.
I took with me the Winslow Crown that I actually purchased some time ago at Holt's during one of their semi-annual sales. So I thought I might as well make that my pipe of the week below. In honor of our visit to Holt's I picked up a can of G.L. Pease Robusto. This is a tobacco I've been wanting to try for awhile. It is made with cigar leaf and is, naturally, this week's feature in the Tobacco Bar, also below.
PIPE OF THE WEEK
The Winslow Crown has proven itself to be a very fine smoke and a lovely piece to look at as well. It is actually one of the very few smooth finished pipes that I smoke regularly, having developed an almost obsessive loyalty to sandblast and rusticated finishes over the past few years. The weight of this pipe in the mouth and in the hand is absolutely perfect and it was, in fact, this pipe that began my current collecting/smoking of nosewarmer pipes. I think the grain on this is quite lovely, especially for a reasonably priced pipe (of course it was on sale.)My only complaint is that the fit between the stem and the shank is not perfect, but I suppose that is symbolic of the price range.
I had actually been away from the pipe world just long enough not to have been familiar with Winslow when I encountered it at Holt's. I bought it "blind" and have since learned that it is indeed a more than merely reputable name. I'm glad I bought it and its really quite perfect smoking performance allows me to recommend it
unquestionably.
TOBACCO BAR
As previously mentioned, I purchased a tin of G.L. Pease Robusto for our father-son smoker.
Before I did I read a bit about it. I found the review at smoking Pipe tobaccos to be the most informative and, after I smoked two bowls, to be closest to my experience. I too found that it started off slowly, but not requiring a few days before delivering its flavor, only half a bowl or so. It did taste somewhat "muddled" for that first half a bowl, but then really kicked in. And the second bowl was terrific. I agree that it is incredibly easy on the palate for such a flavorful (read: powerful)smoke. Curiously, I could not taste or smell the presence of Latakia, though I take it on faith it is there. For me that was a good point. If the Latakia is shaping the flavor without itself being noticeable, all the better. Despite my continuing love affair with the strongly Latakia flavored Maltese Falcon, I was not looking forward to negotiating a second such blend at present. It worked out fine and I can't see not making this one of my regular smokes.
That's it for this week. Once more, because of the Passover holiday I am publishing this a bit early in the week. Next week I will return to the Thursday publication schedule.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Bamboo
Almost every pipe smoker/collector goes through a bamboo phase. Mine was several years ago and below is the result: seven fairly interesting specimens from the lowest of the low end to moderate examples of high-end makers.
From top to bottom: the first pipe is a corn cob. I bought this years ago as an estate pipe! Most people wouldn't buy a pre-smoked corn cob, I know, but the bamboo shank really appealed to me and after a good cleaning of the stem, and after a few smokes to get out the remnants of what had to be an aromatic blend, the darn thing smokes very nicely. It is not marked and I must assume that it is a Missouri Meerschum brand, but somehow I have a feeling it isn't. It just feels more solidly made or something. I'll never know.
The next pipe is a Bari and after that a Stanwell. Both solid factory pipes that have been decent smokers.
The next three are a Julius Vesz, a Tsuge and a Tom Spanu, all hand made higher end pipes that I had to stretch a bit for but have been more than worth it.
Finally, there is an estate Kaywoodie that I love. This classic American pipe with the bamboo shank smokes very well and somehow transports me to the forties or fifties of the last century.
Aside from the aesthetics, the supposed advantage of bamboo is, of course, the weight. I'm sure this has an effect on the feel and handling of the pipe, but for me it is definately all about the aesthetic. They just look cool.
Tobacco Bar
Before describing the various other tobaccos I either am or want to be trying, it really seemed appropriate to pause and review my regular, standby tobacco, not the least because I had a hand in blending it and receive some credit for that from the blender Craig Tarlor of Cornell&Diehl tobacco.
Craig introduces the series as follows:
HEBRAICA SERIES
A NEW SERIES BY RABBI IRA STONE & William Serad
Ira Stone is a longtime pipe smoker and co-founder of the Christopher Morley Pipe Club in Philadelphia. He is a Rabbi in that city and teaches Jewish Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Four of the names in this series build on the Hebrew word “Or” meaning light.
I'm not sure why nothing is said about William Serad. William was a member with me in the pipe club and really the master blender behind the series. I was more of a taster and made an occasional suggestion. Since both of our tastes leaqned heavily toward Virginia/Perique blends, we wanted to create a series that could introduce a smoker into this type of blend, starting rather mildlyt and moving on to a pretty heavy Perique presence. The series works pretty well. I never liked Halav and Davash, but Sha'are Orah is still my regular smoke. It is very like the Louisiana Red I wrote about last week, but not as strong. Now I regret we didn't lay on more Perique. But I
appreciate the Turkish touch. This was the other element that William and I were trying to get into it.
Below are descriptions and pictures from the C&D web page. Give them a try if your of a mind.
#837
Or Olam:(Light of the Universe)
A classic Virginia and Perique blend with an unusual added note of exotic orientals. Red and golden Virginia are married to Perique and just a note of red Virginia cavendish is added for a smooth, sweet finish.
#838 Halav U’Dvash (Milk and Honey)
A true blend of both black and red VA cavendish as a base, given strength and presence with rough cut and dark fired Kentucky leaf, combined with exotic Middle Eastern orientals and specially processed with a traditional aromatic agent. The blend comes into being with a final hand-blended note of Perique. An aromatic for those who think they don’t like aromatics.
#839 Boker Or (Morning Light, a response to Boker Tov, or Good Morning)
An unusual base of light yet rich orientals serves as a backdrop to a real Perique presence, enveloping stoved red Virginias sweetened with a bit of black cavendish. Perfect with a cup of strong coffee or on a morning stroll.
#840 Or L’yom (Daylight)
Lighter in the contribution of orientals and Perique, this blend gets it character from the elegant red Virginias and smooth, round burley that are melded with toasted cavendish. A bowl starting the day sets a fine course for what follows.
#841 Sha’are Orah (Gates of Light)
Named for a book of Jewish mysticism, this is a substantial blend with a special cubed burley base. It derives its subtle essence from the delicate interplay of Turkish leaf and Perique, further mellowed by stoved red Virginias. We are admonished to act with great care in this world, as we are not the final arbiters of actions we judge insignificant. Similarly, a microcosm of leaf adroitly balanced results in intricate and surprising flavors.
From top to bottom: the first pipe is a corn cob. I bought this years ago as an estate pipe! Most people wouldn't buy a pre-smoked corn cob, I know, but the bamboo shank really appealed to me and after a good cleaning of the stem, and after a few smokes to get out the remnants of what had to be an aromatic blend, the darn thing smokes very nicely. It is not marked and I must assume that it is a Missouri Meerschum brand, but somehow I have a feeling it isn't. It just feels more solidly made or something. I'll never know.
The next pipe is a Bari and after that a Stanwell. Both solid factory pipes that have been decent smokers.
The next three are a Julius Vesz, a Tsuge and a Tom Spanu, all hand made higher end pipes that I had to stretch a bit for but have been more than worth it.
Finally, there is an estate Kaywoodie that I love. This classic American pipe with the bamboo shank smokes very well and somehow transports me to the forties or fifties of the last century.
Aside from the aesthetics, the supposed advantage of bamboo is, of course, the weight. I'm sure this has an effect on the feel and handling of the pipe, but for me it is definately all about the aesthetic. They just look cool.
Tobacco Bar
Before describing the various other tobaccos I either am or want to be trying, it really seemed appropriate to pause and review my regular, standby tobacco, not the least because I had a hand in blending it and receive some credit for that from the blender Craig Tarlor of Cornell&Diehl tobacco.
Craig introduces the series as follows:
HEBRAICA SERIES
A NEW SERIES BY RABBI IRA STONE & William Serad
Ira Stone is a longtime pipe smoker and co-founder of the Christopher Morley Pipe Club in Philadelphia. He is a Rabbi in that city and teaches Jewish Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Four of the names in this series build on the Hebrew word “Or” meaning light.
I'm not sure why nothing is said about William Serad. William was a member with me in the pipe club and really the master blender behind the series. I was more of a taster and made an occasional suggestion. Since both of our tastes leaqned heavily toward Virginia/Perique blends, we wanted to create a series that could introduce a smoker into this type of blend, starting rather mildlyt and moving on to a pretty heavy Perique presence. The series works pretty well. I never liked Halav and Davash, but Sha'are Orah is still my regular smoke. It is very like the Louisiana Red I wrote about last week, but not as strong. Now I regret we didn't lay on more Perique. But I
appreciate the Turkish touch. This was the other element that William and I were trying to get into it.
Below are descriptions and pictures from the C&D web page. Give them a try if your of a mind.
#837
Or Olam:(Light of the Universe)
A classic Virginia and Perique blend with an unusual added note of exotic orientals. Red and golden Virginia are married to Perique and just a note of red Virginia cavendish is added for a smooth, sweet finish.
#838 Halav U’Dvash (Milk and Honey)
A true blend of both black and red VA cavendish as a base, given strength and presence with rough cut and dark fired Kentucky leaf, combined with exotic Middle Eastern orientals and specially processed with a traditional aromatic agent. The blend comes into being with a final hand-blended note of Perique. An aromatic for those who think they don’t like aromatics.
#839 Boker Or (Morning Light, a response to Boker Tov, or Good Morning)
An unusual base of light yet rich orientals serves as a backdrop to a real Perique presence, enveloping stoved red Virginias sweetened with a bit of black cavendish. Perfect with a cup of strong coffee or on a morning stroll.
#840 Or L’yom (Daylight)
Lighter in the contribution of orientals and Perique, this blend gets it character from the elegant red Virginias and smooth, round burley that are melded with toasted cavendish. A bowl starting the day sets a fine course for what follows.
#841 Sha’are Orah (Gates of Light)
Named for a book of Jewish mysticism, this is a substantial blend with a special cubed burley base. It derives its subtle essence from the delicate interplay of Turkish leaf and Perique, further mellowed by stoved red Virginias. We are admonished to act with great care in this world, as we are not the final arbiters of actions we judge insignificant. Similarly, a microcosm of leaf adroitly balanced results in intricate and surprising flavors.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Brian Ruthenberg
I recently acquired a pipe from the American carver Brian Ruthenberg. Acquired doesn't really do the process justice. Brian, whose web site identifies itself as BriarArt and provides a sample of his work, is a really nice fellow to work with. I initially contacted him regarding a blast nosewarmer that was shown on his site as sold to ask what would be involved with having a like model made to order. Brian immediately responded and said that as soon as he had a piece of briar that he thought would work he'd let me know. It didn't take long. He kept me up to date on his progress throughout the few weeks it took, including explaining when family responsibilities prohibited him from working on it for a few days. All along he made it clear that if I wasn't happy with the pipe I could refuse it, no commitment on my part required. You can see the in-progress photo below that he sent before doing the sandblasting or the silver work.
Then soon after came this photo of the finished product:
The pipe is as good as it looks! While it isn't fully broken in, it has smoked very well from the get go.
Pipe Of The Week
This is a lovely pipe hand made by Jan Zeman of New Zealand, my first and only New Zealand pipe. It's called an Old Sea Dog. I think I read about Mr. Zeman in Pipes and tobaccos magazine and I contacted him via his web site here. Here's a bit of what he says about himself Hello my friends, let me tell you a bit about me and my pipes. I live and work in the small city of Nelson in New Zealand. I am a tool maker by trade, but was involved in photography for the last twenty years. Both of these trades helped me to develop my pipe making skills and keen eye, a necessary skill needed by every pipe maker...When I create a pipe, I try to make it a personal item that is an extension of the smoker that receives it. I feel that this is my way of bringing a little joy and pride into the lives of my fellow smokers. I try to create pipes that I think a fellow pipe smoker will be proud of, enjoy and get the most value for the money. I want to create pipes that will bring pleasure to the true pipe lovers, rather then trying to produce smoking utensils for the masses.
His prices are terrifically reasonable and his work is fine. I love smoking this pipe!
Tobacco Bar:
This week a received a few tins (stocking up before the tax hike) from pipes and tobaccos.com of Louisiana Red blended by Russ Ouellette, store manager and master blender. I heard Russ interviewed on the Oom Paul podcast and was very impressed. This tobacco is one of his Hearth&Home series and is described in their catalog thus: "A great sweet and spicy blend containing two different Red Virginias and a good amount of outstanding St. James Perique. The rich, round sweetness of the Virginias are complimented by the plum and pepper hints of the cool-burning Perique. An overwhelming favorite of our local pipe club members." Sounds just like my style.
In fact, it is precisely my style! I've sampled three bowls and by the third I was craving more. I always know when a tobacco really "hits the spot" when I finish a pipeful and feel the urge to immediately refill the pipe with the same tobacco. I don't usually, and didn't in this case, but Louisiana Red hascertainly gone to the top of my list of Virginai-Perique blends.
Then soon after came this photo of the finished product:
The pipe is as good as it looks! While it isn't fully broken in, it has smoked very well from the get go.
Pipe Of The Week
This is a lovely pipe hand made by Jan Zeman of New Zealand, my first and only New Zealand pipe. It's called an Old Sea Dog. I think I read about Mr. Zeman in Pipes and tobaccos magazine and I contacted him via his web site here. Here's a bit of what he says about himself Hello my friends, let me tell you a bit about me and my pipes. I live and work in the small city of Nelson in New Zealand. I am a tool maker by trade, but was involved in photography for the last twenty years. Both of these trades helped me to develop my pipe making skills and keen eye, a necessary skill needed by every pipe maker...When I create a pipe, I try to make it a personal item that is an extension of the smoker that receives it. I feel that this is my way of bringing a little joy and pride into the lives of my fellow smokers. I try to create pipes that I think a fellow pipe smoker will be proud of, enjoy and get the most value for the money. I want to create pipes that will bring pleasure to the true pipe lovers, rather then trying to produce smoking utensils for the masses.
His prices are terrifically reasonable and his work is fine. I love smoking this pipe!
Tobacco Bar:
This week a received a few tins (stocking up before the tax hike) from pipes and tobaccos.com of Louisiana Red blended by Russ Ouellette, store manager and master blender. I heard Russ interviewed on the Oom Paul podcast and was very impressed. This tobacco is one of his Hearth&Home series and is described in their catalog thus: "A great sweet and spicy blend containing two different Red Virginias and a good amount of outstanding St. James Perique. The rich, round sweetness of the Virginias are complimented by the plum and pepper hints of the cool-burning Perique. An overwhelming favorite of our local pipe club members." Sounds just like my style.
In fact, it is precisely my style! I've sampled three bowls and by the third I was craving more. I always know when a tobacco really "hits the spot" when I finish a pipeful and feel the urge to immediately refill the pipe with the same tobacco. I don't usually, and didn't in this case, but Louisiana Red hascertainly gone to the top of my list of Virginai-Perique blends.
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