Dogfight!

Hope that all are having a great Labor Day holiday, or Monday, wherever you are! I was really looking forward to a lovely rainy day here in Houston, but unfortunately the rain hasn’t arrived yet and it’s just hot and humid. Oh well, any time is a good time for a pipe, and today I want to share with you my impressions of two good dogs - John Bull Royal English and Junkyard Dawg.

Cornell & Diehl’s Junkyard Dawg is C&D’s take on the American classic Barking Dog. The blend is made up of burley, latakia, and virginia and omits Barking Dog’s touch of perique. The mournful boxer on Barking Dog’s label has been replaced with a snarling, cigar chomping bulldog. Don’t let him frighten you off, though!

Upon opening the tin you’re greeted with a lovely coarse leaf in various shades of brown. The tin note leans heavily towards the smokey brisket scent of latakia, and no hint, at least to me, of a topping or any kind of flavoring. The Mrs. gave it a whiff and immediately declared it to be an outside blend. This tobacco loads, lights, and burns with no issues at all. Junkyard Dawg is quality tobacco all the way, and has a very rich American English flavor. This dawg plays a bit rougher than Barking Dog, and can get a little bitey if you’re not careful with your cadence. It’s also a strong one, both in potency and aroma. If you’re not used to a good dose of nicotine, rolling with the dawg will leave your head swimming! The room note and aroma linger, so everyone you encounter will definitely know you’ve been in the doghouse!  

The other dog in this fight is STG/Lane Ltd.’s John Bull Royal English, represented by a very Churchillian bulldog on the pouch. This blend contains virginia, burley, black cavendish, and latakia tobaccos. The pouch note is, like Junkyard Dawg, tobacco forward with no detectable flavorings or toppings. The smokiness is dialed down a notch though and there is a hint of sweetness from the black cavendish. The Mrs. also deemed John Bull to be an outside blend, but said that it’s not as offensive to her nose as Junkyard Dawg. Pulling a sample out of the pouch, the cut is finer and there are flecks of black cavendish among the various shades of brown. Like its competitor, John Bull loads and lights easily and burns with no problems at all, only requiring a couple of relights. This is a very smooth smoking tobacco and is thoroughly pleasant. The various varieties of leaf play well together and the black cavendish adds a bit of sweetness while smoothing out the experience without making the blend bland. The latakia stays with you until the end keeping up its part in the flavor spectrum. The nicotine strength is quite a bit lower than Junkyard Dawg’s and the room note is much more tolerable to passers-by!

This was a fun matchup as we have two similar blends that differ mainly in the proportions of the component tobaccos and the inclusion of black cavendish in John Bull. Between the two I have to give the nod to John Bull in this matchup. STG/Lane’s bulldog is just a bit more polite that C&D’s Junkyard Dawg, and in my opinion beats the Dawg in the flavor department. However, if you’re looking for an American English blend that is strong , headstrong, and pulling at the leash, then definitely give Junkyard Dawg a home in your cellar!

Bonus: Along with the Junkyard Dawg, I ordered a tin of C&D’s Epiphany from the good folks at www.smokingpipes.com . The basic ingredients are the same as Junkyard Dawg, though the proportions are different and a bit of perique is added. This is a much more well-behaved blend. Like its stablemate it loads and lights easily and only requires a couple of relights. It’s quite strong, to be sure, but it’s full of flavor with the perique popping in and out to give you nips of Louisiana pepper. I’ve never had the pleasure of trying the original Revelation, but I can see why this blend would be favored by a particular well-known physicist! Highly recommended!

Until Next Time,

James

Lighter Collection

Happy Saturday  Pipemen! The first week of school is over, as is a rather difficult Summer. Happily, my wife is now cancer free and the Summer cold that turned into bronchitis (and left me looking sadly at my pipes and unable to use them) is gone! Today I wanted to share with you my little collection of pipes. I have been fascinated with petrol lighters since childhood when I would happily spark my aunt and uncle’s Zippo and Ronson. I love my lighters and I hope you enjoy this post!

First up is a pair of Zippos, on the right is my daily use pipe lighter purchased in 2017. On the left, is my trusty lighter that I bought the week I left home at eighteen in 1989. That Zippo and a swiss army knife saw me through my bachelors degree, working, then backpacking through Europe, returning to school and beginning my career, then living in Russia from 1997-2004, and back to the States again. I quit cigarettes in 2009, so It now enjoys a happy retirement cleaned up and with a place of honor on the shelf where my lighters live. By the way, the swiss army knife had to be replaced for everyday carry with a new one in 2015 when the red handles finally fell off. It lives in my tool box and still sees regular use.

Here’s a Zippo Varga Girl lighter I received as a gift in the 90s. You’ve got to love Varga’s art!

A pair of Zippo slims. On the right, a well-loved example that I found for a couple of bucks in a rummage bin. This lighter obviously got a lot of use and you can see where the hinge pin was replaced by the owner. On the left is a souvenir lighter from the  ocean liner America. I also collect postcards from passenger ships 1900-1971. I believe I have cards for all of the liners and cargo liners of the United States lines so this was an exciting find for me.

These are two Ronson standard lighters of different vintages. The one on the right is engraved with a serial number, but I can’t find anything that it might refer to. Any ideas pipemen?

Here we have a Japanese made Craftsman Trilite and a Nimrod Admiral that I love using now and again! I keep hoping that I’ll finally come across a Nimrod Sportsman that I can afford!

Here we have a pair of IMCO Austria lighters. On the right, a model 6600 Junior, and on the left, a model  6700 Super. IMCO lighters are absolutely terrific and deserve their good reputation. The 6700 is actually the second I’ve owned. The first took a fall from a 21st floor balcony where I had absconded from a party to smoke and flirt. In the light of day the lighter was found, and although dented a bit, snapped open firmly and burned bright. Unfortunately over the years and a few moves, that one disappeared. Wherever you are, keep burning brightly old friend.

Here is a Regens side squeeze lighter. I wish I knew more about it, like the manufacture date. All the same, it is a really cool piece of American engineering!

This is a bit of a mystery! Another rummage bin find, this well used, thin petrol lighter sparks and lights well. However there are no markings on it at all except for “Automatic First Quality Lighter” on the bottom.

Although I’m mostly interested in petrol lighters, I do have two butane lighters that have found a home in my collection. On the left is Flamex Pipelighter. I just love the space age, mid-century look. It’s a mighty fine lighter too! On the right is a Chinese lighter with built in pipe tools. I like that it has pipe shapes stamped on both sides.

This lighter is not part of my personal collection, but has a very special place in our home. This Zippo pipe lighter was gifted to my wife’s grandfather, Grandad Damewood on the last Father’s Day that he was with us. Today this lighter, along with a portrait of him with his ever-present pipe stays on our bookshelf with other treasured family items.

Well, that’s it for today Pipemen! What’s your favorite lighter? Until next time!