Smuggling daydreams into reality - A Pipe Journey

Day 5 - It's a Beautiful Morning!

As some of you may have noticed (or not); I did not make an appearance on Wednesday due to unforeseen circumstances. But, It's Friday and I'm back! This morning started off just so~so as there was a fellow who arrived at the trail the same moment as I and he was walking his (over-protective; adolescent) dog. I can't say that I'm an animal lover. I've had enough bad experiences with dogs to say that I don't find myself able to fully relax around them and apparently they feel the same towards me. So the gentleman kindly said good morning and I the same as he waited for me to pass, his dog somewhat taught on the leash and a slight bristle on his neck. So shortly after passing I subtly slid my knife into my hand and "hid" it under my water bottle that I was carrying just in case I needed to pay my respects to said dog. I will state that I had seen this fellow and he normally had two dogs and typically not on a leash. He had passed by me, several occasions, on the trail within a few yards and none the wiser. I not trying to draw attention to myself and he focused dually on the trail and the dogs. Well I got about a half mile along and turned back to check on his status since I was at a high vantage point. I could not see sign of him nor the dog, so I relaxed a little. Put the knife away, yet still within reach, and focused on better things. After all, the morning was bright and cool and soon the views and distance washed away any malicious feelings. The morning ended up being the best walk I've had since returning to the trail. Weather was perfect; water a many shaded turquoise; sky azure and deep; clouds of cotton; and a light breeze.

The Reviews.

Rattray - Hal O' the Wynd

Smoked in the Gentleman bent cob. A good char light. And after that I don't think that I had to relight at all for the whole bowl. Perhaps once, but if I did, I did not take notice. I am starting to pick out some nuances in the tobacco. I could clearly taste the virginia and the "something else" which I presume to be the perique, perhaps it's the Kentucky? I don't really know. I will say that this was a flavorful smoke. Clean and nuanced. I decided that I wanted to add some distance to my walk, so I smoked this on the move, stopping every now and then to drink some water and at times to avoid neglecting the view. It was a very good smoke and was a warm welcome after having missed my mid-week pipe.

I want to take a moment to give a big "Mahalo" to Mike (simon1) for sending me a sample of this tobacco. One thing that I did notice was that I got notes of raisin with this smoke, which I had expected to get with the Escudo? Overall - Good stuff.

The Reviews.

Pembroke - Second time

So having had an good morning bowl of Hal O' the Wynd, I turned my attention to the next pipe of the morning. Pembroke making it's debut in the Savinelli. I specifically chose this combination since the Pembroke provided such a pleasant smoke and also to add in Mike's review of Pembroke (I hope that he doesn't mind), since I have such a limited perspective into the world of pipes. So the Savinelli. I was concerned about building a cake, etc with the pipe, so it was about a 2/3 full bowl. Lightly packed, picked, and tamped. I applied the flame and noticed a good char forming, clouds of smoke, then wait. Tamp a little to get the cake more fully shaped and formed. Relight and away we go. One thing that I noticed right off the bat was that the flavors seemed to stand out a little bit more with the briar than with the cob. There was a mingling and dance of flavor rather than a single creamy "flavor" that I had experience before. Again ~ probably the palate opening up more to the different tobaccos. I also would get these subtle and sweet room notes wafting by as I clenched the pipe in between sips. The experience was quite intriguing and seductive. I did get the charred briar note one time. I also found about 1/3 through the bowl I got a bit of a gurgle (argh!). The worst part was that there was a balsa filter in the stem, so I couldn't run a pipe cleaner through to remedy. I set the pipe down for a minute. i let it go out and then did a relight. I ended up doing more relights with the briar than with the cob. The smoke was more flavorful and the flavors stood out better with the briar. The smoke wasn't as dense, but that may be attributed to the balsa filter, or the fact that I had packed this bowl on Tuesday night and did not smoke until Friday morning? Either way it was a hit as I smoke it down to ash and dottle, enjoying every moment.

Mike's review as sent to me via PM. Again Mike if you read this, please let me know if you want to remove your pm message as it is certainly not my intention to violate any privacy, although I really don't think you'll mind. I would not post if I felt that you would object. Without further ado:

"That is some very good tobacco.

The Virginia seemed to keep it smooth, with some hints of the Orientals. The Latakia was present, but not overpowering. The Lat. did start to be more pronounced at the end of the bowl. I didn't seem to taste the Cognac, but I don't believe I've ever had any. That will be an excuse to go buy a bottle.

I really like it, and I'll probably buy some when I run out of the sample."

Thought of the Day - Who am I?

I was thinking about my brother yesterday as I sat at my computer working. He is only 15 yrs old and I don't have much of a relationship with him. I have lived in Hawaii since he was about 2yrs old and when I lived in Georgia, where I was raised, I lived over an hours drive away. We are 20 years apart in age as well, so I can't really relate to him since I am "an old man" according to him. At any rate. I found out that he was starting to home school in lieu of attending regular school. Apparently the public school system offers a home school option now? Who would of thunk? I had inquired with our mother as to why he had chosen to home school and she had stated that most of the kids at his school come from well to do families (as in the majority of the kids drive new bmw's to/from school) and he felt out of place as they are very middle income. So I was thinking about all of the thoughts that plague kids (and adults), but primarily how we so often associate who we are with what we have. I need to make a call to my brother and see if he would listen to an "old man" seeing how I have been in his shoes in many ways. Ultimately the truth is that who you are should remain independent from what you have. Otherwise you have no peace in this world. I enjoy fine things in life and I want more stuff, but within reason. I take care of what I have and also do not spend foolishly. I sometimes justify spending more based upon wants, but take it all away and I'm still me. Who I am would not change. My advice for my brother would be to simply strive to be the kind of person that you want to be and let the "haves" and "have nots" work themselves out, for if you are happy with who you are, then what you have makes little difference.

A little pic from this beautiful morning. Edited slightly which gave it that painted look.

I was wondering where you had been. I was waiting on the reviews of the samples I sent you.

You tried the Tambo yet?

Your comments on your brother are very timely; my teenage granddaughter is having "problems."

It involved a razor blade.This is a shaving forum, isn't it?

Your thoughts are consistent to mine. I think I'll get her up here and slap her on the back of the head.

"I've been your age but you've never been mine."

Oh, but that wouldn't be politically correct.

Ahhh, but they don't listen until they are about 30 or so, do they? Who you are will never change, as for your inner person.

Hi Mike,

I was only able to try the one today. The others will probably have to wait until next week since I can't smoke on property, but we'll see. I am a bit nervous about the Tambo after reading the label , but curious all the same.

As for your granddaughter. I believe that my brother was a cutter as well. I think it is an emotional thing "just to feel alive" since they feel invisible. I had a girl in my youth group when I was the co-youth leader who was a cutter and now is well on her way to being a writer, so there's hope yet. Still, it can be a worrisome thing to have to deal with, especially with the stigmas that surround behavior outside of social norms. I will keep your granddaughter in my prayers; as with teenagers they refuse to listen to anyone that makes sense!

When I was a youngster I would be lucky to get by with just a quick slap up side the back of the head. My how times have changed; even my mother who was notorious for flipping out, has become quite the pushover with her youngest.
And the part about listening by the time that they are 30... Well, I guess there's still hope then for my youngest sister who is only 25. As for the rest of my siblings.... I give up already .

Oh, and I love that quote!

simon1 said:

"I've been your age but you've never been mine."

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Thanks for sharing!

MrSmith said:

I've had enough bad experiences with dogs to say that I don't find myself able to fully relax around them and apparently they feel the same towards me. So the gentleman kindly said good morning and I the same as he waited for me to pass, his dog somewhat taught on the leash and a slight bristle on his neck. So shortly after passing I subtly slid my knife into my hand and "hid" it under my water bottle that I was carrying just in case I needed to pay my respects to said dog.

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I too don't particularly like dogs, but they love me...they always want to slobber me and jump on me with their icky paws and rub their smelly fur on me. I guess it's better than them disliking me!

Anyway, have you ever fought with a dog? A knife against a dog is, at best, a damage control weapon. Dogs are REALLY fast, not just the way they move their bodies but the biting too. If the dog doesn't latch on to your knife arm you might get to use it after the dog has severely injured you; then the knife won't even distract the dog until the life starts to drain out of him. I suspect that a heavy tree branch would be a better weapon; a single bludgeon to the head might put the lights out immediately, it might be used to keep the dog back, it could be used before the charging dog reaches you, and in the inevitable drama afterwards you come out looking like an angel (which may not happen with the knife). Anyway, by far the best defense is distance, as much distance as possible, and it sounds like you did that.

MrSmith said:

I did get the charred briar note one time. I also found about 1/3 through the bowl I got a bit of a gurgle (argh!). The worst part was that there was a balsa filter in the stem, so I couldn't run a pipe cleaner through to remedy. I set the pipe down for a minute. i let it go out and then did a relight. I ended up doing more relights with the briar than with the cob. The smoke was more flavorful and the flavors stood out better with the briar. The smoke wasn't as dense, but that may be attributed to the balsa filter, or the fact that I had packed this bowl on Tuesday night and did not smoke until Friday morning? Either way it was a hit as I smoke it down to ash and dottle, enjoying every moment.

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I mostly smoke cobs but have one briar, and I get gurgle from it too.

I would not attribute the less-dense smoke to the filter or the prepacked bowl. In my experience, balsa filters do not reduce density at all, and prepacking a bowl to let it sit often improves everything.

MrSmith said:

I will keep your granddaughter in my prayers; as with teenagers they refuse to listen to anyone that makes sense!

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Thanks Mike...I think her mom and dad will have things under control, as well as they can be.

As for the dog thing, they probably sense your apprehension towards them. The "walk softly and carry a big stick" thing is a good idea. Being it's almost Halloween...they make a reproduction of the walking cane used in the movie The Wolfman. But they ain't cheap.



http://www.factoryent.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=408456

This is probably common knowledge, but you know how when you try and kick a dog they will fade back and then lunge in again a split second after you have kicked and get your leg? (Dang they have good reflexes) You can fake them out by doing a half-kick, then quickly rechamber and do a real kick. It will catch them on the nose as they are coming back in every time. But it has to be quick; the whole maneuver should take less than 1/4 second.

"Ah, a walking cane and a nice briar pipe. He's such a dapper fellow."

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the advice. I've been charged by a dog and lunged at by a few as well. I've never actually got into a fight with one. I grabbed the knife as it was the only thing I had on hand. I figured that I could get the dog to lunge at the forearm with the water bottle for padding and come in with the knife to the throat ala pig hunting style. Fortunately it didn't come to that and I am grateful.

PS. I looked into walking sticks while running errands and didn't find anything I liked. I'll probably just fashion one out of some guava wood as that is the "norm" round these parts. Perhaps I'll get a fancy topper similar to the one posted above. Then I'll be a proper gent eh?


Day 6.

SO. I had a quick smoke today prior to picking the wife up from work. It was a bit rushed, but nice. I had been hankering for some FVF, so I set off to find a quick spot for a 30min smoke before picking up the wife. The smoke was nice, exactly what I remembered and was looking for taste wise. I was probably smoking a bit too fast as I felt the beginnings of a little bite. I slowed and the "bite" went away. The smoke was dense, the pipe a little bit more condensation than previously. Altogether a fine 30min smoke and relaxation prior to leaving to get the wife. This was a nice repose from the hectic week that I've had and I plan on getting back to my walk in the morning and give the other samples a try.

One thing to note. I got a bit of a nic hit today. Probably from smoking too quickly and accidentally inhaling a little smoke. Nothing major, just a bit unusual for me and thus felt "weird", yet relaxing... A slight headache from coming down, but again. Nothing major.

SG-FVF. A pleasant repose.

Day 7.

Today marks the seventh day of pipe smoking for me. So to take a tally that would be 11 different tobaccos smoked in 4 different pipes over the course of 3 weeks comprising of 7 individual days of smoking. Alas there are no more new tobaccos to try. This is almost a relief in a sense as I can start to do a longer spell with each to see how they may have changed as my palate is opening up to the various flavors. Today was a bit of a nervous day considering the lineup. I was a bit torn out on the trail as there are some conflicting things going on. I used to jog the trail and getting back into walking, I find myself yearning to cover distance and reawaken that body that I once had when I was jogging. On the other hand, my purpose has been split into walking and pipe smoking. The pipe smoker wants to relax and enjoy the morning, maybe read a little news or just drink in the views.

The Review.

Tambolaka in a MM Huck Finn Cob

Thanks Mike for sending me a sample of this. I found it to be quite dry, so I tried to reintroduce some moisture content to little avail. Due to the notorious reputation I decided to pack a half bowl in the smaller Huck Finn cob, figuring that it would be best to sample this one in a smaller quantity. I ate a piece of bread, a breakfast cereal bar prior to leaving the house as I had been instructed not to try on an empty stomach. I also carried a ginger ale with me and opened that to refresh myself during the smoke. First puff was heady, dense, full bodied, and quite spicy. The aftertaste ~ musky; a quick reminder that this tobac is "not from 'round these parts". The muskiness seemed to draw a good image in my mind of the environment that this tobac was cured in, as I'm sure that the huts in which they are stored probably smell exactly like the aftertaste. The pipe was packed a bit loose for such a dry tobacco and I found myself babysitting a bit with the tamper. A few minutes into the pipe I found the cigar note to appear, but not linger as it came in whiffs. I kept waiting for the nic hit and it found its home towards the end of the smoke as more of a lingering effect than the punch that I was expecting. Truthfully if the musky note that was so present swapped places with the cigar leaf note, then this would be a fine smoke. Full bodied, deep pure tobacco note, and if the cigar note supplanted the musk, then would round this one out to perfection. Unfortunately that was not the case and I found the ginger ale to be a welcome wash to rid the palate of that musk. The two paired well together as a sort of sweet and savory experience. Overall not a bad smoke. Perhaps something more fitting to end the night around a campfire and a few beers. Probably not the sort of thing to smoke in mixed company and most likely not something that you'd want to start your day with. The pros: It has true character. The cons: Its like getting hit on by the 90 yr old grandma at the local farming village, flattering, but not really.

The Cleanse.

SG-FVF in Legend bent

I still had the half pipe of FVF from yesterday that I chose to wash the palate with. Smoked a bit hot today, perhaps lending credence to the "resting a pipe" theology. A very good choice to refresh the palate, but a bit unusual as it was a hotter smoke than it should have been.

Sidenote> Smoked all pipes down to ash. The first time I've actually had a bit of ash come through the stem. Not terrible, but certainly a signal that the fun is done.

The Review.

MacBaren - HH Acadian Perique in Gentlemen bent cob

The tobacco took a light well. I was hoping for more perique punch here, but found that it was present more in the room note than the palate. Perhaps just enough perique and orientals in there to give character and body to the smoke, but again left me wanting a bit more. This could be my untrained palate wanting to taste a pure perqiue, and a pure oriental; a pure kentucky or burley just to be able to better distinguish the flavors, but again. Just my layman impressions. There was a note in there that brought back that musky flavor from the Tombolaka, which I'm thinking was the Burley. Not sure, just a presumption. Overall the room note was slightly better, and more nuanced, than the actual taste. I found myself content to let the pipe fade down and thus required a few relights as I caught up on some shaving related reading (specifically the ATT Slant, and some newb advice concerning straight razors). I had found a quiet spot to relax at this point and enjoyed the idleness. I found that it was soon time to start heading back and decided to finish the pipe on the move. Little did I know that I was soon to find out something new. It would seem that just as I finished up the pipe, I had inadvertently stumbled upon my nicotine threshold. I took care of the pipe, running a pipe cleaner and tapping out the ash and dottle, but it was too late. The body was speaking and it wasn't good things.

Overall a nice smoke. Perhaps a little on the delicate side. Nuanced in aroma, a bit simpler in taste.

Thought of the Day.

Today taught me a good lesson. Know Your Limits. I ran into the nic limit today. Not a good feeling at all. I also rested too long and allowed my muscles to cool and therefore my calf muscle tried to seize up on me while trying to rush to the bathroom. All of this happening simultaneously. Thankfully I didn't have any mishaps, but it was a good reminder that too much of a good thing isn't good. I rested to long, I had a bit too much nicotine. I tried to rush to get to the bathroom. Then I found a wasp hiding in the bathroom when I arrived. Thankfully he decided freedom was a better option than to fight me. Overall everything ended well, but what an end to the pipe sessions!

Another lesson learned was that I had swung the pendulum in my packing from too firm over to too loose. A lightly packed pipe is easy to fix with a little extra tamping, but it was pesky to babysit the pipe. Still provided a good smoke, though.

As a little treat ~ I ran across a small group of goats crossing the ridgeline on my last leg of the walk. It was a nice little pick-me-up to refreshen my spirits and remind me that it indeed was a good day.

MrSmith said:

Its like getting hit on by the 90 yr old grandma at the local farming village, flattering, but not really.

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You have a wonderful way with words.

The Tamobo kinda snuck up on ya, huh? And a couple of other blends on top of it.

I couldn't fit "muscle cramps" on the warning label.

"WARNING! This product is known to cause nausea, lightheadedness, loss of balance, fainting, difficulty breathing, and muscle weakness."

At least now you can say you've smoked some of the strongest tobacco known to mankind. Hope you're feeling better.

Thanks for the comments fellas. I have survived thus far and should continue to do so, God willing. I will certainly revisit the Tambo as a single serving setting down the road, as I enjoyed its character... I'll just need to try and figure out how to mellow that musky aftertaste..Hmmm.

Day 8.

A pipe for a day.

This morning's pipe was the Savinelli paired with a nice full bowl of Pembroke as part of my "break-in" period for this one. There's really not much more to say about this blend and pipe that has not been said already. I quoted Mike's very good review back in post #43. This morning I desired to make my way further south along the shoreline beyond where I have gone before. I would say that I traveled in the range of about a mile southward along the shoreline. The landscape is surreal and the shoreline was scattered with numerous arches and small inlets where the water was as clear as glass. There were many salt deposits that resembled miniature asteroid craters with rings of salt that outlined the depressions in the rock marking the slow progress of evaporation. The tide was shifting and many times I had stumbled upon small tide pools that contained many a small fish darting here and there, trying to find their place in such a small pond, undoubtedly yearning for the tide to rise and bring with it the freedom of the vast ocean just paces beyond reach. I watched fishing boats make their rounds, as if upon a track that loop de looped up and down the coastline. My trek finally came to a rest upon a magnificent stretch of lava and sand that had been cut away into many fingers thrusting out into the deep waters beyond. A certain section catching my attention as the the fingerling of ocean reached in towards land; ending in a series of washed out blowholes; each surge of the ocean causing plumes of water to spew into the air leaving a salty seasoning upon all.

Ahh. What a way to start the week. The pipe smoked well. No briar taste, no bite, no troubles. I ran a pipe cleaner through the pipe a few times during the smoke just to keep any gurgle at bay. Overall just a superb, comfortable, overcast Monday morning!

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but after reading about your findings and seeing your pictures that desire has increased tenfold!

Senshi said:

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but after reading about your findings and seeing your pictures that desire has increased tenfold!

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Just for you oh great Senshi! and to stoke the coals... Here's a few more pics from this morning! Oh and if you do get to Hawaii, bear in mind that all of these pics were taken along the Kona Coast of the Big Island, not Oahu, etc where you'll find more "white sand & palm trees", which we don't really have here. And as your desire is to visit here, I am sure that many whom have seen your pics have been inexplicably drawn to visit Japan (I for one being one of them whom have desired to spend some time in Japan for many years).

In order by description above. (pics in spoiler)

Some interesting lava that looks like Damascus steel


Archway

Some Crabs (A'ama in Hawaiian) hanging out on the rock face


Salt Crater