Public Profile

Kramer's - English Blend
Two years later....
When I first ordered this back in March 2017 it was something I quite easily passed up; the dry flavors of this blend didn't quite sit right with me. 2 years in a mason jar later and it's an impressive palate cleanser-- as a fairly heavy Virginia smoker I didn't realize how sweet the various blends I was smoking were until lighting a bowl of this on a "keep or clean" binge. It's a dry smoke, not a trace of sweetness with a background sort of soapy flavor (not unpleasant but I'd worry about ghosting were I not smoking out of cobs). The smell of steak is strong after two years with a vague bit of campfire-- I don't get that taste in the pipe while smoking but it's an interesting room note. Worth a go for someone looking to get into non-aromatics.

Lighters - IMCO Gold Pipe Lighter
I'm rough on things...
I really liked this lighter... almost had it swiped from me several times because it just looks awesome with the built-in tools. The scraper was a bit suspect but I never cut myself on it, the tamper was convenient if not fiddly, but the angle of the lighter was spot on. But then the flint gave out and I found the only thing holding the spring in the lighter was a small piece of plastic attached to the screw. My lighter now is non-functional as the little plastic retaining arm snapped off (basically rubbed off) while I was attempting to replace the flint. I'm going to miss this lighter but not enough to buy another one.

Tampers & Tools - Rubber Pipe Bits (2 pack)
Not For All Situations
... but for the ones you need them for, they're important. Especially for driving. You're not going to break your wallet but you could very well bite through your stem on a bumpy road without it!

Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies - B. J. Long Regular Pipe Cleaners (56 pack)
Decent For What They Are
I've used these for quite a while now, almost a decade in fact, and they work well. I've recently tried Brigham which is the only reason these get a 4-star; they work well for their intended purpose but there are other alternatives for better cleaning.

Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies - 8deco Premium Shank Brush
As Advertised
It's a reusable nylon brush. Dip in your high-proof alcohol and save yourself some pipe cleaners, then soak it in the alcohol (you weren't planning on drinking that, were you) and get ready for next time.

Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies - Brigham Bristle Pipe Cleaners (75 pack)
A Very Good Pipe Cleaner
I occasionally get poked by the bristles but, for the job they do, it's well worth the occasional discomfort; this pipe cleaner is now my go-to to clean an ever-growing pile of Missouri Meerschaums I have at my desk.

Lane Limited - 1-Q
Worth A Try
This is a great representation of Cavendish aromatic tobacco. Very few complaints at the price point, the flavor, or quality. Bought a pound of it based on the reviews here and have absolutely no complaints; I'll likely buy it again.

Cornell & Diehl - Virginia Flake
No Secrets Here
It's good, good enough for me to suggest to someone who wants to give flake a try, but did it stand out? No, not really. I agree with the majority of the good comments here but there are others in the Virginia Flake category which stand out a bit more.

Peter Stokkebye - PS315 Black Coffee
A Bit Off
I had bought a bit of this thinking that I wanted to get back into cavendish but the smell from the bag was very 'raw,' the smell of alcohols and other flavorings. Not that I suspect that there was anything 'wrong' with it as it smoked fine, though a bit flat for my tastes. Still glad I'd given it a try and would recommend that others do so as well, just don't buy a pound right out the gate.

Tampers & Tools - Pipe Nail
Where Has This Been?
Seriously, easily the best tamper I've owned. I have to agree, this is a must have tool and I can't believe I've gotten on this long without it.

Newminster - No.400 Superior Navy Flake
Cellaring is a Must
When I first bought this blend I couldn't help but think 'oh well, had to try it.' I threw it in a mason jar and tried smoking it four months later and got a much stronger whiff of a grassy, slightly honey flavor. Bought a pound of it and stored it in a large mason jar for several months and I've found it to be one of my go-to smokes for nights when I want something subtle. Aged +1 Year: The flavors have gotten better over time. I think it's worth having a pound of this in four mason jars (date them: I've learned my lesson) and letting the first jar mellow for a few months before opening it.

Sutliff - 150 Mark Twain
Mild and Aromatic... in the pouch
It's pleasant and it's mild-- not as sweet as the pouch note suggests. The Mark Twain blend reminds me of a nougat/amaretto mixture I used to blend years and years ago and its main strengths are a very nice room note and not a lot of thought. This one will definitely be a repurchase. Aged +1 Year: The love affair is definitely over. The flavors have become paler and, while it's still a great puff, I wouldn't recommend aging this one for the sake of it.

Pipe Tools & Supplies - Joseph Rodgers Premium Smokers Knife Red
You Need This Tool
And before you even consider closing this page, YOU NEED THIS TOOL. A pipe reamer not only helps your pipe dry out faster but also helps to do a series of other cleaning activities/tamping that are necessary for the long-term care of your pipe. If you plan on keeping your pipe you'll eventually have to look into a tool like this. Maybe not this one, but this one works well.

Mixture No. 79 - Mixture No. 79 1.5oz
An aromatic worth trying... once.
And just once. Buy the small pouch just to say you did, if you like it, you'll love Lakeland essence or other aromatics, perhaps. If you don't, don't worry yourself too much about it.

Sutliff - 507C Virginia Slices
Just Sweet
It's grassy, a bit more body than the 707, but just not enough there for me to really want more of it.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Grasmere Flake
Like Smoking Rose Petals
Someone else wrote on here that the Ennerdale is the 'light' version of this tobacco... I think I'd rather say that instead of that mild floral taste this has a dominant rose petal/flower taste that is a bit unusual. It's not going to be pleasant for certain smokers, that's for sure, and if you do want to try it, buy a small portion first. It's a love it or hate it blend. Edit: It somehow managed to ghost my corncob, which is in itself an impressive feat; I don't think I've even had rose hip tea that was as strong a rose taste.

Cornell & Diehl - Old Joe Krantz
Worth a Visit
It's got body, it has flavors, and it'll definitely leave an impression. I pull this out every so often when I want something different.

Replacement Stems - Black Bent Filtered Stem (for Missouri Meerschaum)
My Mark Twain appreciates this purchase...
... and if you're a MM fan you likely will as well. I use the Savinelli Balsa filters (thanks to a great suggestion by customer service) and the mouthpiece has a tendency to mold to the filter a bit over time. One of the mouthpieces was unsmokable after about two months. Replacement mouthpiece means that my Mark Twain lives on.

Cornell & Diehl - Briar Fox 2oz
Nope
I'm not a fan. I really was intrigued by the crumble cake-- which is fantastically prepared, by the way-- but there just isn't enough in this bowl to keep my interest.

Sutliff - 707 Sweet Virginia
Not Bad
This is about as Virginia as you get-- hay smell, grassy flavor, not as sweet as I'd thought it'd be. I'll likely try blending with it later but this just doesn't have enough body by itself. Great for the price, though.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Ennerdale Flake
It's a 'Love It Or Hate It'
I honestly couldn't describe what I'm smelling in the jar other than a kind of light soap essence without the soapy aftertaste of Half and Half. The flavors are rather unique and worth a visit.

Pipe Accessories - Clear Glass Tobacco Jar 62oz.
In or Out
I've defaulted to storing tobacco in one of three ways, in a pouch, in the original sealed packaging out of direct sunlight, and in one of these jars. It reasonably holds the pound and a half of Stokkebye out of the box and keeps my flake reasonably moist. For the price a solid purchase.

Peter Stokkebye - PS402 Luxury Twist Flake
Easy Choices
Updated: I've bought four boxes of Luxury Twist Flake and have got to say I can see myself buying more at some point. I've come to appreciate flakes more and more as they travel pretty well and this has been the flake I most consistently reach for (and frankly reach for over pretty much everything else at the moment). Aged +1 Year: Still a fantastic smoke; I highly recommend aging this for a few months just to taste the difference. I didn't notice a huge difference between aging for six months and a year, for what it's worth. Aged +2 Years: I've experimented with several ways of keeping this flake-- in an air-tight environment the sweeter notes are more retained as opposed to grassier flavors in a plunger-sealed jar. A box is going into two separate mason jars and I'll compare that against what I have.

Carter Hall - Carter Hall 14oz
When you've got some kind of choice but not much
Carter Hall has a special place in my memories because, for the longest time, it was the only pipe tobacco I could regularly get my hands on that would provide a decent 'any time of day' smoke. I have to say, given a choice between this and any number of other products, I'd probably hesitate, but when you're looking at brick-and-mortar choices? Carter Hall is a fairly safe bet. You won't get anything terribly fascinating... but you won't do terribly either.

Pipe Accessories - Claudio Albieri Italian Leather Tobacco Pouch Russet
Very much worth it (Updated)
This was recommended to me when another pouch I'd gotten from the site failed-- it's kept my tobacco moist through a fairly bad heatwave week, moist and ready, when pretty much all of the pouches I've owned up to this (and there have been several) would have given me kindling in a few days. Did I mention that I live just outside the Mohave in Las Vegas? Did all of that without even using the button humidifier that I'd purchased as a backup. It's a simple envelope but the placement of everything makes the design not quite airtight and relatively flat. I'll update this in a month regarding durability! Update 01/2018: The pouch, which I purchased 06/2017, has held up very well-- no tears, still keeps my ribbon cut for just over a week. Definitely worth the purchase and I'd give it higher than five stars if I could. Update 10/2019: This is my favorite tobacco pouch, bar none. And I'm fairly rough on things. The pouch has a fair bit of staining on the inside but has no tears or outside discoloration.

Peter Stokkebye - PS403 Luxury Bullseye Flake
Benchmark Standard
The coin-cut seems to preserve the moisture for me a bit more (and I live in Vegas by the Mohave, that's a thing), price point is good, flavor is consistent, sweet-ish with a slight chocolate-y tone, and there's a weird-but-entirely-pleasing ability to pack the pipe in one of several ways to directly impact the flavors in the bowl. I'm actually ordering another pound of this as I'm writing this review. Update: It's been several months and I'm now getting a chance to taste it aged for a bit. Some of the sweet is gone but there is an emphasis on the darker flavors here. I'm not sure if I like it better aged or out of the box; fortunately I've stored the majority of it in a container I open once a week and that gives me the ability to compare the two.

Filters & Adaptors - Savinelli 6mm Balsa Filters (100 Count)
Great Filter-- Don't Push Too Far
So balsa shouldn't be pushed too far into your mouthpiece or you'll end up having to smash it and push it until it eventually gets worked out-- just put about 2/3 of the filter in there and you're great. The filter works excellent to take out moisture and I've found myself taking a Mark Twain MM out more often than another MM I love just because it had this filter.

Cornell & Diehl - Yorktown
It's a Virginia
Grassy, sweet, and further proof that my palette wants something less heavy that it can smoke all day.

Stands & Pouches - Brebbia Tobacco Pouch
Underscore, Underline-- I'm Rough On Things
Bag materials are rather thin and the cord frayed on me pretty terribly within a few days of my owning it. Went to cut the cord to replace with 750 paracord (I'm tough on things) only to find that the 'knot' they'd used to secure the cord had already come undone. Tied 750 paracord to carbiner and had a much better solution overall which put less stress on the bag (I don't trust how thin that tag feels). Lining of the bag is rendered irrelevant because the design of the bag constantly lets moisture escape, though that will matter to some more than others. As I live in the desert that's a pretty major thing-- ribbon cut Virginia was a dry as cigarette tobacco by Day 2. The size of the bag is *perfect* for a few days of pipe smoking; if it all went dry you won't weep over the quantity and yet I never felt like I was going to find myself without a pinch through the day. It's smaller than a 50g tin and softer which means it fits in places where the tin can't. That the bag has a 'bottom' that can stand means that this can also sit on a bench without spilling tobacco all over the place (and you never know you need a feature like that until it happens to you). My particular bag had a defect and the merchant took care of the purchase rather professionally-- I've since ordered a 'Claudio Albieri Italian Leather Tobacco Pouch' and we'll see if that one fares better. Kudos to smokingpipes.com for taking care of me so brilliantly!

Peter Stokkebye - PS400 Luxury Navy Flake
Good Go-To
I really enjoy Stokkebye's blends and this one is no exception to the rule.

Cornell & Diehl - Cube Cut Burley
Quick Break Smoke
Smoked out of a Tsuge Blowfish, agree with the 'nutty' flavor, definitely scratches that itch for something a bit more potent.