Sunday, September 24, 2017

Barking Dog Pipe Tobacco Review

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Barking Dog tin with Forseti Bent Egg Briar. © 2017 James Hill


   Happy Sunday, Pipesmen! Today we’ll be trying out a classic - Barking Dog. Light ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!


    Barking Dog is a venerable drugstore American-English cube cut blend of burley, latakia, virginia, and perique. This pooch poses a problem to ponder, however. Just what is the topping? Is it rum? Is it molasses? A combination of the two? I believe it to be rum primarily. The rum almost certainly combines with something sweet, either molasses or a natural sweetness from one of the tobaccos, to make a butterscotch-like flavor. Barking Dog was produced by Phillip Morris and later by the House of Windsor. The original is now unavailable, but a match by Sutliff can be obtained from Pipes and Cigars. (https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/match-barking-dog-pipe-tobacco/1473107/)


    The sad looking boxer on the tin seemed so forlorn that I had to give him a home. I wrote to pipestud (www.pipestud.com) and soon the doggy was winging his way to my home in Houston. Upon his arrival I chose my Forseti bent egg briar - my gift from the Mrs. and daughter for Father’s Day 2017 (thanks again, ladies!)  for the initial tasting.  The tin note is intriguing. Due to the mysterious alchemy of fermentation and aging, no one scent jumps right out. There is some smokiness from the latakia, a hint of spiciness, and an overall rich, beefy (for lack of a better word) aroma. Perhaps pipe tobacco umami is a good description. The topping is not apparent in the tin note. The Mrs. took a whiff of the tin and pronounced it “Beef Jerky”. With that I gathered my pipe, lighter, tamper, and tobacco and headed out to the back porch to take Barking Dog for a walk.


    The leaf was fairly dry, but not so much as to require rehydration. After the char light and tamp, I needed a few more lights to get the bowl going, then a few relights over the course of the bowl. This may very well be a result of my inexperience with cube cut tobacco rather than anything to do with the tobacco itself. Once burning, the flavor is very even. As with the tin note, no one tobacco stands out. Rather, the blend is well orchestrated with a firm foundation of burley and virginia, pleasant overtones of smoky latakia, and occasional trills of spiciness from  the perique. The mysterious sweetness/butterscotch flavor weaves in and out like a refrain. The room note is also even, but with a bit more smokiness from the latakia. This smokiness relegates it to a porch or workshop blend at my house. Thus far, the only English or American English blend that has been deemed “allowed in the house” is Lane’s HGL. As the tin says, this dog does not bite. I wanted a second opinion on the flavor so I got on the phone and rang up my partner in crime - an aficionado of blends such as Wild Atlantic and Orlik’s Golden Slices, who for the sake of privacy will be called Smoking Buddy. We lit up and chewed the fat over a pair of bowls, solving the problems of the world, and discussing the ups and downs of teaching High Schools. His impressions were much the same as mine in the flavor department, though he picked up more of a general undefined sweetness rather than an identifiable butterscotch flavor.


    I enjoyed Barking Dog, even with the frustration of keeping it lit. I’m slowly working my way through the two ounce tin and still hoping to find my groove with it. Overall, it’s a nice blend, but I don’t think that it will find a place in my permanent rotation. If you’re a fan of English or American-English blends, then Barking Dog, or its Sutliff match, may be something you’ll want to try! Until next time, keep the fires lit Pipemen!


Today’s LP - Rachmaninoff Sonata in G minor, op. 19  and Kodaly Sonata, op. 4
Nonesuch H-7155


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Old Barking Dog advertisement

Friends Pipe Tobacco Review

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Friends Tobacco tin with Bendetto Shamrock Briar. © 2017 James Hill


     Salutations fellow Pipemen! Today I will be reviewing an old-time American pipe blend, Friends. Light up and let’s get started!


    Friends, a combination of burley and virgina topped with rum (rum cured according to old ad copy) was produced by the United States Tobacco Company of Richmond, Virginia, and later, the House of Windsor of Yoe, Pennsylvania, from at least the early 1940s through the 1990s. Unfortunately, this blend is no longer available. The eye-catching yellow tin features a charming illustration of a man and his dog - best friends to be sure! I obtained a 30-40 year old factory sealed 12 ounce tin from the esteemed Steve Fallon - the pipestud (www.pipestud.com), In short order the tin arrived on my doorstep and my acquaintance with Friends began.


    When I broke the seal and unscrewed the lid I was greeted with the scent of dark chocolate with just a hint of alcohol - this stuff smells fantastic in the tin! I removed the paper insert, which has an ad for a ballpoint pen on a chain with a sticky base plate. The typeface and design appears to be totally 80s. Underneath the insert I found a full bag of lovely, dark brown leaf. Opening the bag, I found that the leaf was at an ideal moisture level. The years have been very good to this tin. Have I mentioned that the tin note is very chocolatey? WIth the bag open, the chocolate aroma became even more pronounced. Friends definitely passed my smell test! The Mrs. and daughter (chocolate lovers both) were also quite impressed with the tin note. An auspicious beginning to this friendship!


    For the first smoke I chose my Benedetto Shamrock - an Italian copy of a Peterson bent military mount briar. Based on my experience with other burley blends, I used a lighter pack. After a charring light and tamp, Friends lit easily and stayed lit, with only one relight, through a 30-40 minute bowl. The smoke was silky smooth and deliciously chocolatey, as was the room note. There was not a bite to be found.  Pipestud wrote that smoking Friends just naturally made a fellow want to pet his dog. Well, we don’t have a dog but the family cat -  as true blue a buddy as any dog - joined me in my chair as I smoked for quality lap time!


    Friends is flavorful, smooth, and satisfying, You could even say that it’s Chocolate Rum Cake in a briar! I will definitely be ordering more unopened tins to add to my cellar. Thanks again to pipestud for making these wonderful (and sometimes head scratch worthy - Greenbriar, anyone?) vintage tobaccos available.


    Until next time, keep the fires burning, pipemen!


Today’s LP - Jorg Demus and the Schubert Quartet playing Schubert’s Trout Quintet  and Sonatina in A Minor for Violin and Piano. Deutsche Grammophon/Privelege Stereo  2535 225


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Friends tin insert. © 2017 James Hill

Granger Pipe Tobacco Review

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Granger tobacco tin with Kaywoodie 13B Briar. © 2017 James Hill


    Greetings Pipemen! In today’s post I’m continuing my survey of three classic American burley blends. Up today is Granger. Let’s enter the lodge and light up!
    
    Granger pipe tobacco has been available at least since the 1930s. It was first produced by the American Tobacco Company and is now manufactured by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group/Lane Limited of Tucker, Georgia. Granger, “A Pointer on Fine Tobacco”, is a semi-aromatic, rough cut burley blend. At the time of its introduction, Granger was advertised as being for pipes only. This set the brand apart from many of its competitors that were sold as being for pipes or roll-your-own (I believe this dual use claim was a means to keep sales going during the depression and a bit beyond).


    Granger is currently sold in 12oz tins and is readily available. I placed an order with Pipes and Cigars (www.pipesandcigars.com) and waited patiently for my shipment to arrive. This was my wife’s grandfather’s blend of choice, so I was eagerly anticipating cracking the tin open! When my tin arrived, I opened it up and took a whiff. The tin note is cocoa, some nuttiness, and an unidentifiable fruit aroma. The Mrs. and daughter suggested fig newtons and raisins respectively. I’m not sure what the scent is, but I wonder if this could be the aroma of the mysterious “Wellman’s Process”. We have one of the wife’s grandfather’s classic Granger tins on the shelf, so we put a bit of of the tobacco in it to revive the tin’s aroma and remember Granddad Damewood. The tobacco has an almost ideal moisture level and is not sticky at all. I’ve found that this blend packs very easily with the scoop and tamp method and prefers a lighter packing. Lighting was a breeze and Granger stayed lit quite well, with only a couple of relights over a 40 minute bowl.


    For my first bowl I chose my trusty Kaywoodie 13B. The aroma is pleasant and one hundred percent “Old Time Pipey”. The family has classified it as an indoor blend - everyone enjoyed the room note, except perhaps the family cat, who walked by and sneezed. The flavor is richer and not as sweet as Granger’s cousin, Velvet. The tastes of tobacco, cocoa and that very mild fruit-like topping come through and become deeper and mellower as the bowl passes the halfway point. I didn’t get bit throughout the initial bowl and those that followed. You might get a bite out of that pointer if you push him too hard, but I think he’s pretty forgiving.


    I have really enjoyed Granger and have added a couple of tins to my cellar and plan on acquiring at least a few more. If you enjoy almost unadulterated burley, let me “point” you towards Granger. You really can’t go wrong with this classic.


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Early Granger advertisement

Velvet Pipe Tobacco Review

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Velvet tobacco tin with Bari Matador Danish Briar. © 2017 James Hill


    I had been curious for some time about the classic American burley blends. After reading up on them and sampling a couple of locally available blends, I zeroed in on Velvet, Lane Limited Ready Rubbed (The resurrection of Edgeworth Ready Rubbed), and Granger (my wife’s late grandfather’s tobacco of choice). The retro packaging appealed to the artist in me so Velvet was first at bat.


    Velvet has been produced for over a century by various companies and is one of the classic American pipe tobacco blends. Velvet is currently produced by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group/Lane Limited of Tucker, Georgia. Upon opening the pouch or tin, you’re greeted with the scent of sweet tobacco with a slight liquor overtone. Old advertisements indicate that Velvet is made with sunshine, rain, aged burley, and maple sugar. Some reviewers have stated that there is an anise flavoring in there as well. I don’t pick that flavor up, but I feel there could be a  small amount of some kind of fruit liquor in the blend. The moisture level in the pouch or tin may be a little high for some pipemen, but I’ve never had difficulty lighting Velvet or keeping it lit.
  
    I received my first pouch of Velvet as part of a package deal from Pipes & Cigars (www.pipesandcigars.com). Honestly, it took a few bowls for me to “make friends” with Velvet, but we worked out our differences and I can say that I thoroughly enjoy this blend. Once I found Velvet’s preferred means of packing (the scoop and tamp method works best for me and this blend does not like being tightly packed - YMMV), I’ve found the blend to burn easily and cooly without many relights after an initial charring. If you puff too hard, your briar might deliver a bite, so relax and puff gently letting Velvet’s charms wash over you. The smoke is silky smooth and mild with a mellow flavor that has a touch of sweetness. Interestingly, the flavor and aroma become richer and more complex as the bowl progresses. In the bottom third or so of the bowl a slight fruit flavor and aroma appear that remind me of cherries. Whether this is a result of the manufacturing process or if there is a small amount of fruit liquor, I don’t know, but this subtle hint of sour fruit plays well with Velvet’s sweetness and the nut/cocoa flavor so often associated with burley.  The room note is similarly mellow, pleasant, and complex, and elicits compliments from those nearby.


    Since finishing that initial pouch I’ve ordered several tins of Velvet and it has become my go-to every day blend. The room note is so wife and daughter pleasing that I am not only allowed, but encouraged to smoke Velvet indoors (just in my study, to be sure, and I’ll take that any day over the sweltering heat of Houston)!  There’s a reason why Velvet has been on the market for so long - it lives up to its name and delivers a smooth, flavorful, enjoyable, and satisfying smoke.



1918 Velvet Advertisement

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Opening the Pipeman's Lodge

“Nowhere in the world will such a brotherly feeling of confidence be experienced as amongst those who sit together smoking their pipes.”
– Doctor Barnstein, The Results and Merits of Tobacco, 1844

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Velvet advertisement, 1922

Welcome to the Pipeman’s Lodge, a blog on pipes, tobacco, books, music, and other topics of interest. I’m looking forward to chatting with you about all of these topics without the politics, partisanship, general nastiness, and ungentlemanly discourse that has become so sadly common these days. Let’s open the door, light up, and relax in the Pipeman’s Lodge!

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