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  1. JimInks

    Jim's Watch City American Cut Plug Mixture Review.

    Ernie at Watch City is targeting the on sale date for mid-November. Full disclosure: I am the co-creator of this blend. The various mixed cut burleys provide an abundance of nuts, earth, wood, bread, mild spice, sugar, light smoke, floralness and a touch of sourness. The molasses, cocoa, anise...
  2. JimInks

    Jim's Comic Book Interview, Sept. 19.

    This coming Tuesday evening , Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. EST, Bill Cox will live stream an interview with me about comic book history on YouTube. Here's a link to his Comic Art Live page on YouTube. Click on my image, and you'll be directed to the program. https://www.youtube.com/@ComicArtLive
  3. JimInks

    Jim's C&D Steamworks Small Batch Review.

    This goes on sale Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. The exceptionally tangy vintage sun cured Orientals include year 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum and provide an abundance of earth, wood, floralness, vegetation, herbs, some spice, leather, dry sourness, mild buttery, creamy sweetness, smoke, cigar, and a little...
  4. JimInks

    Mad Magazine's Al Jaffee Dies at 102.

    Al Jaffee spent the the 1940s and early 1950s as a writer, artists and editor for Timely Comics, later known as Marvel. A Mad magazine contributor since the 1950s, he started creating the back cover fold-ins in 1964 and continued to do them until the age of 99. Al's work appeared in 500 of the...
  5. JimInks

    TCM Basil Rathbone Marathon, Oct. 5, 2022.

    This Wednesday, Turner Classic Movies will have a Basil Rathbone movie marathon starting at 6 a.m. EST and running through out the afternoon. I will record the three I haven't seen before. They are showing two Sherlock Holmes movies, too.
  6. JimInks

    I'm Quoted in Today's New York Times.

    In today's New York Times, I am quoted several times about the life and comic book career of the late Lily Renee. Here's a link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/arts/design/lily-renee-phillips-dead.html
  7. JimInks

    Joe Lankford, RIP.

    Joe Lankford, creator of the Seattle Pipe Club blends passed away this morning. Joe was a good friend of mine. We had many great phone calls, and I was privileged to interview him about his blends a few years back for another venue. Three months ago, Joe and I were chatting about pipes, and he...
  8. JimInks

    Historian David McCullough Dies At Age 89.

    Historian David McCullough passed away yesterday at age 89. He greatly enriched the scope and study of American history. I read all of his books, and enjoyed meeting him some years back. RIP.
  9. JimInks

    Jim's Revised Prince Albert Review.

    Thanks to @Swede for the generous sample of the current production. The lead component is the very nutty, earthy, woody, lightly sugary burleys. The Virginia cavendish chips in with a little grass, tart citrus, light sugar and a few drops of honey in the background. The bourbon and cocoa...
  10. JimInks

    Jim's Revised Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong Review.

    The woody, earthy red Virginia adds much of what sweetness there is: tangy and dried dark fruit. It's a bit subdued by the dark fired Kentucky, but that's not a complaint, just an observation. I consider the RV to be more of a condimental addition. The woody, lightly floral, nutty, vegetative...
  11. JimInks

    Jim's Revised Carter Hall Review.

    In 1976, I tried this blend and hated it. I wasn't ready for burley blends. Except for my occasional SWRA forays, my reluctance for smoking OTCs since then was hard to break. In 2012, I decided to try it again. The burleys are nutty, woody, earthy, and bready with a touch of cocoa. They are the...
  12. JimInks

    The Peterson 4AB POTY Is Coming.

    My first exposure to Sherlock Holmes was the movies where Basil Rathbone played Holmes. I quickly learned that Sherlock Holmes was one of the earliest fictional detectives. Thanks to my local library, I was able to read every one of the sixty Conan Doyle written Holmes stories. The next year...
  13. JimInks

    Jim's Revised Heinrichs Curly Block Review.

    I'm posting my original review followed by my current review of the latest production of Curly Bock since STG now produces it. Mac Baren was the original producer. The Virginias are very earthy, bready and woody with a fair amount and variety of sweet fermented flavors: brown sugar, tangy...
  14. JimInks

    Jim's Three Nuns Reviews.

    Occasionally, I am asked about Three Nuns, so I decided to rewrite my review, which is fairly long. I detail the three versions I have smoked, and compare them in this review. The Yellow and Green Three Nuns blends, which are later manufactures, and are using the Three Nuns name on the label are...
  15. JimInks

    Archie Comics' Editor Victor Gorelick Has Passed.

    Victor Gorelick was my Archie Comics editor for over twenty years. He made working for the company easy and fun. He trusted me with tight deadlines many, many times, saying "I can always depend on you". When I needed extra work, he was there to help me. When I came to him for professional...
  16. JimInks

    Jim's Amphora English Review.

    This Amphora English blend is due for general release in the next week or two. Here's my review of it. The earthy, woody, smoky, leathery sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component, but not by much. The spicy, woody, earthy, mildly floral, dry and sour, moderately buttery sweet Orientals...
  17. JimInks

    Peterson 4AB.

    As some of you may know, the Peterson 4AB model was the one Basil Rathbone smoked in the Universal Sherlock Holmes movies. This model hasn't been made in many decades, but I know quite a number of Sherlock Holmes' fans want one. Not long ago, I talked with a couple of people at Laudisi...
  18. JimInks

    Mac Baren Takes Over Planta Blends.

    Mac Baren Tobacco is pleased to announce an agreement to acquire the outstanding brands from Planta Tabak-Manufactur’s traditional portfolio. “We are very proud to have completed the acquisition of the pipe and finecut tobacco business of Planta Tabak-Manufaktur,” said Mac Baren CEO Simon Sophus...
  19. JimInks

    Per Jensen's You Tube Channel.

    Mac Baren master blender Per Jensen has started up his own You Tube channel, independent of Mac Baren. Here's a link to the first video: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kTfXWpgOhps" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen ></iframe>
  20. JimInks

    JimInks Podcast.

    This Saturday at 10:30 pm, I'll be interviewed about old time radio and comic books. Here's the link: http://yesterdayusa.com/?fbclid=IwAR0cOJ7qQexMo_Gj9EXmMXR_QKDA9LkMzHvvjhASc4Q6Csv2lW-6Mw11bhE
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