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All New Pipes
Thomas Dean B.
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Reviews
Molina - Starter Kit Sandblasted Brown Billiard (9mm)
It's a budget pipe.
It's very lightweight. I thought it was Styrofoam at first. The stems airway gets dirty fast but cleans easily. The black on the pipe is a weird finish that comes off in alcohol. Nice wood underneath. The chamber coating actually is tasteless and builds up cake fast. Cleaning with alcohol turns it into a nasty gritty material as fine as sugar.
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kentucky Nougat
Cherry vanilla
Room note isn't bad. But its a tongue bite machine. No drying time it was like ducking on steam, the smoke was that wet. Gave it 2 hours , dry but still horrid tongue bite. After 2 hour dry down, it smells of prince Albert cherry vanilla. Taste is weak cherry at the light up. That fades into a nasty watered down imitation vanilla and warm plastic flavor at first tamp or relight.
Cornell & Diehl - Constellation
Garbage fire
I smoked a sample last year. That sample tasted of burning tire and oak leaves. And kerosene. This however, was chewing on pine needles and burnt plastic. Left me smelling of burnt plastic and diapers. Had me constantly on the verge of throwing up, and the Marijuana users at work found the smell as gross.
Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies - Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil 18ml
its scented
Its scented. Not sure what the scent is, its annoying and sharp. It is there.
Books - Pipe Smoking in Middle Earth: The Fellowship of the Smoke Ring 3rd Edition by Mark Irwin
Dont bother
No, I have not purchased or read this book. I do not have to do so in order to review it. Why is that you ask? The topic of the books is essentially the only active thread topic on a certain american based pipe and pipe tobacco forum community. And it is a nauseatingly dull and boring topic. And its a horrid topic really. The one that should be asked, if wizards are all so powerful and mighty. Why do they have to carry such big swords around?
Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies - B. J. Long Pipe Cleaners - Regular (56 pack)
A pure joke
Many years ago, 20 some odd, I started smoking a pipe. I started using something called BJ Longs, well these are not the same product. The BJ is missing from the name. That should have been the first red flag for me. One end of each pipe cleaner is indeed bent at an odd angle, and unless you straighten it out, you will damage the pipe and get it stuck in the pipe stems internal passage ways. 20 years ago, the BJ Long pipe cleaners were actually cotton, the ones TODAY I have to say are most likely synthetic material based on how they handle something called heat. They shed terribly, and I should have known something was off when the bits of fluff would burn and give off a plastic taste. I should have known something was off, when the pipe cleaners smelt of hot plastic when inserted into the pipe stem during a smoke to collect moisture. And the nasty plastic taste they leave in the pipe after use to collect moisture during a smoke, that is the final means to know they are made of a synthetic material.
Cornell & Diehl - Blockade Runner 2oz
mediocrity in a can
Everyone who has cleaned a pipe stem with rubbing alcohol or high grade alcohol such as ever clear knows the nasty flavor and tongue tingle of smoking a pipe with a stem, in which upon the alcohol has not fully dried inside the air way. This tobacco when first opened, was like a sponge. Moisture leaked out when squeezed. After 2 weeks being opened with lid on, it was the same way. and until I broke the tobacco apart and let it dry with lid off for 10 hours Every smoke was nothing but sucking on hot air with the flavor of rubbing alcohol. After the 10 hour dry down, flavor of ash with serious tongue burn.
Savinelli - Essenza Cipriota 100g
the oddity
first upon breaking the vacuum seal, it was like the OLD dunhill EMP made by murrays, with a rather strong scent of wine. Heady, dizzy, interesting and strange. first smoke was good and had a good over taste of the "wine". After sitting a day in the car, the second smoke was different. The tin still had the wine ish smell, but the smoke itself had almost no wine taste this time. The latakia came through, but instead of being woodsy, it was that PINE i dislike
Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation - Max Erik 1989 1.75oz
citrusy
tin note is very similar to orlik and mac baren virginia slices, just no honey to it. very little bite, it lights easily enough but things got strange after I tried to smell the tobacco by sniffing with my nose about an inch away from the burning ember... it was like taking a sniff of that citrus scented peterson sherlock holmes, very industrial lemon.. stuck around in my nose. Tobacco itself is fine, light, pleasing. Its not technically flavored so thats good in that if you have a pipe that needs more then one flake stuff and folded in it, you can use one of this blend to stretch out a tin of the "good stuff" or something high in nicotine and NOT ruin the flavor. Its slightly more then a mindless smoke, it will work as an all day mainly in that if it goes out, gets put aside for a while, the flavor doesnt change upon relight.
Two Friends - English Chocolate 2oz
chocolate crayons...
smells like burnt plastic and those scented chocolate crayons/markers from the dollar store. Tastes like plastic and the new bobs chocolate flake. Pure let down. no bite but,, just nasty taste and nasty smell. Very artificial and dissapointing. Then again all CD aromatics are.
Samuel Gawith - Navy Flake 50g
not good enough to be called poor
Had some smell, had a marginal taste of something that I could not identify. Totally subpar product from a sub par company.
Samuel Gawith - Chocolate Flake 50g
just bad
smoked it 20 years ago, it was wonderful. The new version is like a completely different product. no actual flavor, just a light smell of cocoa in the tin. The actual tobacco had no actual smell or flavor of anything. no longer buy gawith products as the company enjoys trashing customers on tobacco forums and brags about reducing the quality and quantity of the flavoring.
Peterson - Connoisseur's Choice 50g
an oddball
havent smoked it yet. Ordered a tin when perfect plug was last in stock. I spent a month this summer with MacBaren Original Choice. And from what I can tell by tobacco, feel, smell, Connoisseur's Choice seems to be Original Choice with a lowered amount of maple syrup. And it was indeed like mac baren original choice, with a dose of coconut thrown in. Actually nice smelling in tin and in the smoke, however a nauseating experience when drawing on the pipe.
Peter Stokkebye - PS52 Proper English
perfume
I think its the orientals.. starts out bland. I mean, so bland that i could taste the butane from my lighter for about 10 minutes. Then the taste went away. And was replaced with a generic sweet note for a few puffs, then went to perfume like. After smoke, it just tastes like an ash tray. The pipe smoked dry at least. The smell in the air where i smoked was very strong cig. not bad strong, just "yeah someone was smoking here"
Half and Half - Half and Half 1.5oz
what a letdown
I have only smoked the 2004 pikerton version. That was wonderful. I still have a partial box pouch of that. Almost smokable. Still has the minty smell to it. NEW version came, very unimpressed with the package. The contents had a rotten fermenting smell familiar to anyone who has cleaned a horse stall or goat pen. Hint of Apple and cherry. After 5 days opened on the shelf, but closed tightly. The apple and cherry went away. Smoking was crap. The contents have ribbon in it. Packs well, lights ok. But for some reason I get a large bit of bite from it. The bite is familiar to the perique nip from orlik, but its actual bite after a few moments. Good amount of smoke. Thats the best i can say. Sure the flavor was just tobacco. But it went from a few puffs of virginia to just burley. Then to just generic ciggarrette.
Filters & Adaptors - Vauen 6mm Filters - (30 Pack)
my first charcoal filter
I got them in the mail, put them into a dr grabow pipe with much effort. They were slightly smaller then the dr grabow and medico filters I have used. To get it in, I had to really stuff it in and only the ceramic cap stuck out of the aluminum on the stem. Smoked well, really helped with the smoke and did as promised by the maker. However, during the smoke it swelled up so much that I had to resort to pulling it out in pieces with a needle. After a single use, the 3x use filter cant be used. Cant draw through it. The box was left on the shelf and during a week of high humidity, the filters swelled up and stopped fitting the pipe. The filted DID shrink down enough to fit after a week of normal humidity but the charcoal pellets inside seem to have changed shaped, and the filters barely draw air through. To explain, suck air through a straw, then put your finger over the open end NOT in your mouth and start sucking air again.
Peterson - Sherlock Holmes 50g
It has issues
When the tin arrived, I opened it up and loved the smell. So I did stupid and smoked a pipe with it right then. Very stupid, hot air with general notes of steam. Left sores on my tongue for a week. Second smoke went better, left the tin closed on the shelf for 2 weeks. This time it was gentle on the tongue. The burley came to the forefront and stayed there. Virginias present at light up, tamping, and any relights. The burley itself was more like cigar leaf blends I have smoked in the past. Not good, not bad, just very dour tasting and not changing. Jared it, and let it have another week on its own. Very different animal. The virginias come out randomly during the whole smoke. The burleys are always present. The burleys are more docile and unsweetened. NO cigar note to it at all. But through tamping the tobacco in the pipe got to compacted, and instantly became ashy cigarette tasting, heavy pepper effect on tongue. Nothing could undo this change. Dumped it. Burns cool second two uses. The citrus/lemon scent is extremely faint. Chasing it for a flavor by puffing will only cause tongue bite and burn. Chasing it for a scent will only end up with the nasal system and throat getting raw from the effort. Its not bad, its not great. If they figured out a nicer burley to use, and evened the ratios of tobacco it would be good.
Rattray's - Year of the Dragon 100g
A Lacklustre Dragon
When it arrived in the mail, I was excited as the unsealable tin and its plastic envelope/bag have an excellent smell. Incense, licorice, cherry, vanilla. The first smoke was straight from the bag, no drying whatsoever. Smoked hot, and my tongue was not happy with me. The only smell I could manage was tonquin when i shoved my nose into the hot ash. The flavor of burley and wet cardboard was all I had for a taste. Waited a week, and let a pipe full of this stuff sit inside the unsealed tin for an entire week. The attempt to dry it out did allow me to taste a generic virginia tobacco tone at light up, and when it needed to be tamped down. Rest of the time it was very strong burley and a generic burnt flavor. With the extra drying time, the room note went into that "10 guys smoked cigars and cigarettes in here last night" vibe.I smoked outside, and I ended up having to clean the kitchen sink with bleach in order to kill the odor in the house from my clothes. It is an attempt that was let down by tobacco.