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Rossi - Sera (8315) (6mm)
Wonderful Pipe
I’m fully enjoying every bowl through this pipe so far. The pot really lends itself well to presenting all the flavor nuances of your tobacco. It stays cool both bowl and draw and is an easy clencher. Great bang for the buck.

Cobblestone - Outdoors Hunting 1.75oz
See You Later
In full honesty, I bought this to cellar for a few years since we will never see any more Cobblestone blends. I haven’t trued it, but we all know the Cobblestone reputation for blends. All I can say is get this before it’s gone and the secondary market prices increase in the coming years.

Cornell & Diehl - Latakia
Choose Your Own Adventure
Pure Latakia for doing some testing and tuning at home with your own blends. It’s good quality tobacco and perfect for forming the base foundation for a home English blend, or adding as a supporting cast member to a non-English blend. I have a few different experiments underway right now.

Prince Albert - Prince Albert 14oz
A Classic
I can’t say enough how much Prince Albert is my favorite codger. The moment you open the container you literally smell raisin bran cereal. It smokes a little on the dry side, but the burn is very consistent. The flavor is a very gentle burley with a sweet note that accents every draw. It even retros nice with a full flavor and nothing harsh. I found out through my family grapevine that my great-grandfather smoked Prince Albert and they all recalled how wonderful the smell was. It’s one if the big three every pipe smoker should have on hand at all times. Also, for my fellow experimenters out there. I made. 75/25 mix of Prince Albert and C&D Green River Vanilla. It is fantastic. I keep the blend in a separate grab and go pouch for certain days.

Rattray's - Red Rapparee 100g
A Definitive Go-To
Red Raparee I decided to try based on an AI recommendation while searching for English blends that were best suited for my palate. I hate to say the machine was right, but the machine was right. There’s enough Latakia and Oriental to announce its presence as an English, but man when the sweetness of the Virginia catches up, I can honestly say it’s one if the most delightful blends I have tasted in a while. Nothing about it is overpowering or out of balance. It’s an every day carry for sure.

Cornell & Diehl - Bayou Morning
It’s Worth a Look
It’s not the most “sidekick to your face” VaPer, but it will let you know what’s up. I smoked a few bowls as it is right now and there were no surprises. Virginia did her thing. Perique did his thing. The flavor was good, especially on the retro. I decided to cellar the rest for a year and compare the profile. I think with some age, the additional sweetness will form a more perfect union.

Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East
It Grows On You
For a Latakia-forward English, it definitely hits the mark. At first it felt a little “business as usual”, but about halfway through the first ounce, I found more and more I was putting it in my EDC pouch for the day. I love the high Latakia content, but the type and proportion of the supporting cast really round it out as one of my new English favorites. Get an ounce to try it. You won’t be disappointed.

Missouri Meerschaum - Cornell & Diehl Southport Ferryman Dress
Love This Cob
It’s hard to believe it’s a cob while I’m smoking it. If it weren’t for the subtle cob flavor every now and then, it feels like you’re using a well-balanced poker. Very nice to clench and she burns cool. We live a few miles away from Southport and take the ferry almost daily. So, this one is quite special to me.

Cornell & Diehl - Byzantium
One of My New Favorites
My initial bowl for some reason seemed very uninteresting. I thought maybe it wasn’t going to be what I had hoped. A few days later, I tried another bowl and found everything I wanted. The Latakia is definitely in the backseat on this one. Orientals are up front and the Perique adds a delightful undertone. On the retro I continue to get this remarkable sweetness that makes it a very pleasant smoke. If you like Balkans, this will scratch the itch.

Cult - Blood Red Moon 50g
Outstanding Aromatic
If anyone is looking for a cherry-bomb aromatic, this is the one. The moment the seal of the tin is broken, the cherry note is immediately obvious. The tobacco is a little moist, but not super wet. You can absolutely go tin to bowl without any drying time. The false light will give you and everyone around you a smell of what’s to come. Once lit, you will not only enjoy the strong aroma, but you will in fact taste the cherry. In my experience with it, I did not taste anything resembling cough syrup. The tobacco held a light as long as I wanted it to. When I did go for a relight, there was no ashy flavor piggybacking on the cherry. Every relight all the way down to the end was just as pleasant as the first. The tobacco burned evenly throughout. This is now my go to aromatic. The wife loves the smell and enjoys when I smoke it inside. I did not experience any tongue bite, but it will burn hot if you don’t pay attention. All in all, it’s a wonderful experience. I can’t recommend it enough.

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First Pipe Stories: Josh Burgess
  • ► Thanks for sharing your story. I bounced in and out of pipes for a few years until a couple of months ago when I decided that it added more positives to my life than most other hobbies. I too had started like everyone else with aromatics. Then, I bought a tin of Pirate Kakealmost by mistake and without fully understanding what I was getting into. That first draw sent me spinning trying to figure out what just happened. The flavor and “velvet texture” (best way I can describe it) I experienced was most certainly unexpected. My first thought was that I made a mistake, but I persisted over a few days smoking a bowl of it every day. I too learned how properly separate the cake and let it dry longer. More and more it grew on me until I found myself really enjoying it. Now, I’m ready to cast off on a voyage sailing into more English blends. This blog post just reaffirmed to me that I am on the right course. Thank you again.