Let me blunt. In my opinion, Rattray’s makes some of the finest tobacco blends available. A large percentage of their blends have earned three- or four-star ratings on tobaccoreviews.com. I have enjoyed many a bowl of Red Rapparee, Hal O’ the Wynd, Bagpiper’s Dream, Exotic Orange and the Rattray’s Winter Editions. Now comes a blend I’ve never knew existed – …
When it comes to estate pipes, one of the biggest turn-offs is the heavily oxidized vulcanite or hard rubber stems. Non-pipe smokers will see an estate pipe with a grayish green crusty stem and think, “Why would you want to put that in your mouth?” Savvy pipe collectors know deoxidizing hard rubber stems is worth the effort. What they don’t …
The truth about Stanwell Danish Star Pipes is elusive. If I was to have a nightmare about pipes, it would be me sitting at a table and a famous carver, like Sixteen Ivarsson, sitting there yelling, “You can’t handle the truth!” like Jack Nicholson did in “A Few Good Men.” Take, for example, the three Danish Star pipes I just …
I’m back with 3 Ascorti’s to be restored and sold. It’s not like I really went away, but a combination of advancing preparation for one of my other “hobbies” and getting ready for the holiday season. That, and I just didn’t have any new estate pipes or new tobacco blends to blog about. Until now. In early February I received …
As a fan of the tobacco formerly known as Rattray’s Exotic Orange, I often hear pipe smokers express their love for Holger Danske Original Orange Mellow. I’ve withheld my opinion because I hadn’t smoke it. Now I wonder if they are buying a different blend than I did. The tin I bought at Mayan Imports Metairie location last months does …
I keep telling myself that the rectangular shaped 100-gram tins should come with a “Best By” date stamp. I keep telling myself not to buy said tins because I know what I’m going to find. A nice, tightly packed, cellophane wrapped bundle of dried out tobacco. For some reason, I am still buy tins like this. To be honest, when …
When is an estate pipe find not sweet? When it’s a Savory pipe. If you never ever heard of a Savory pipe, you’re not alone. When I first saw the “Crown over S” logo I thought it was a Stanwell. But, it was stamped “Made in London England” so I knew it wasn’t a Stanwell. I started doing some research. …
Searching antique shops & malls has always been a hit or miss situation. You go hoping to find something worthwhile and you get nothing. Or, you walk in not looking and you find treasure. Last week was definitely a “finding treasure when not looking” one for me – mostly, anyway. My wife collects salt & pepper shakers and pie birds, …
Pipe smokers keep asking me how I keep finding good pipes at antique shops, malls and junk shops. My answer is always, “Just dumb, blind luck,” and that is the Truth. I’ve come to the conclusion, that I go looking for a pipe, I don’t find one. For some reason, I seem to have more success just going into a …
I saw my first Ardor pipe seven years ago at a Denham Springs “antique shop.” It had eight or nine beautiful, new Ardor pipes on display and priced at the MSRP. This “antique” shop – about a half-step above a roadside flea market, was asking full retail for the pipes. The least expensive one was $375. (In my opinion, an …
