Blakeney's Best Latakia Flake

A distinctive full English mixture in the grand tradition, rich with smoky Cyprian Latakia, fragrant with exotic Xanthi Yaka. Toasted for smoothness, then pressed in cakes to age and marry the flavors. Result: Exceptionally smooth, cool-smoking, full-flavored little Levantine flakes ready to rub out--the Best Oriental Mixture.
McClelland introduced their Blakeney's Best line at the 21st CORPS (Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers) Pipe Show in Richmond, Virginia. The 50g tin was released to the public in late 2005.
At this rate i won't have to buy any tobacco in Australia. [ Take that nanny state and "The Man" ]
Just smoked my first bowl in my Peterson Bulldog nice smokey flavor and a fair dose of nicotine i like it.
Its the Latakia flavor i like.
The same flavor is in the Black Mallory's it has Latakia in it as well.
I am learning little by little about tobacco as i smoke different blends o what fun.

This can 2005 vintage.

The smell is so wild my eye's almost watered.

Smells so rich and strong.

Zoomed you can see the bloom and sugar crystals .

Tobacco

Salmon & Gluckstein 1894 Silver Billiard

Well....Tom and Emily showed up with a birthday present...what do you all think?

It is Salmon & Gluckstein cased billiard, square shank from 1894. Fantastic craftsman ship with perfect carving. The bit is a screw-fit and seats in perfect line with the shank...after almost 120 years and a lot of use...WOW. What can I say, incredible pipe that I can't wait to smoke. Will take some better pictures of it in the coming weeks, but I just wanted to get it up tonight!

Easter Sunday Pipes.

I have been out in Lachlan's XR6 today so not a lot of pipe smoking no pipes in the Ford.

Lachlan's XR6 Falcon

My 3 favorite pipes.

I love my flake cutter.

All ways perfect flakes.

I smoked my Comoy's filled with Black Malory this morning.
Smoking my 11s Peterson now with Peterson's 3P plug now.
And later before bed i will smoke the Peterson 80s Bulldog with some Gold Brick plug.
Only 3 pipes but they all super classy.  

Pipes i have smoked today.

I smoked the Falcon twice.
Today's tobacco's  were Black Mallory,Wessex Gold brick And Erinmore Flake.

Pipe Packing

I have been experimenting with packing using the air gap method.
You make a packet of tobacco between your fingers and screw it in to the bowl
leaving a air gap under the tobacco.
It needs to be packed fairly tight but the draw has to not be too hard.
It's the balance of just the right amount of tobacco and pressure.
Folded flake tobacco works best but you can use rubbed tobacco.
I find rubbed tobacco to work best if its fluffy and sprinkle some crumbs on top
to help  get it going.
A pipe with a tapered bowl works best.
I use my freehand pipes mostly for this as they have a nicely tapered bowls.
Then you need to try and light the middle of the bowl so it burns towards the outside.
Anyone have any thoughts on this or other packing methods maybe you could post them.

Hobo Dave

The packet or pinch..
The tobacco is Wessex gold brick plug.

Burning from the center out.

Stanwell registration era Straight Grain

Mother and father in-law flying in about 30 minutes from now, so just a quick post. I'll try to get this one cleaned and polished for tomorrow!

Great Stanwell Straight Grain - Selected Briar shape 95 (chimney). The overall bowl height is just over 2", pretty big :) It's also a registration era pipe, so interesting all round. I'll add some captions to the jumble of photo's later as there are some interesting anomalies in the this pipe.

The pipes i have smoked today.

Morning to evening smokes

Peterson Bulldog

Love the grain.

Let us know what pipes you have smoked today.

Interesting pipe YouTube links

Thought I'd create a post for us to share some interesting YouTube (or other video sites) links re. pipe stuff!

The first is a Friday afternoon with the people from Chacom. More than anything I think the air drying barn and the tooling in the factory are incredible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtZl7f0lJ3E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxPgdpIupz8

Aged Rattray's Black Mallory

Andrea said it smelled nice.

January 2009

Add caption

                                           Black Cavendish Virginia Latakia Oriental

Only smoked a mini cob so far.
I has a unique taste but i like it. 

The tin that keeps on giving i get to smoke it, it cost 1/2 price,I get to stick it to the Nanny State, all so a new tin for my collection and i get to blog about it nice.
The black Malory is good there is something different in i have not tasted before.
I fairly sure its not cased or top flavored.
But then again almost all tobaccos are cased in some way
i wish i knew more and could identify the tobacco flavors.

Mastro De Paja 3C One Sun

For Mastro De Paja this 3C One Sun is one of their higher grades. I got it for a steal on eBay, no-one bid on it for some strange reason. I love everything about this pipe; the long shank, the bend, the small curved bit, the bowl shape, the grain...everything. As if this wasn't enough, it smokes like a dream - thankfully not a wet one! It was made in 1980 and appears to be almost unsmoked.

Mastro De Paja

Here's the box, but what of the pipe? Later perhaps, more work to do! But seriously, There is something about this box that just screams classy to me. It's not often I get excited about both the box AND the pipe.