McConnell's Scottish Flake

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...considering Yak's alluding to "smoking only what you like" in a recent thread (presented in that leading, murky and challenging Yak way)--PD, would you say you don't try too many tobaccos anymore? Do you find there's a threshold where the tongue and preferences just level out, and you are perfectly satisfied with one or a handful of tobaccos?
 
I think it's simply a matter of immersion and then refinement. You start off diving in and trying all kinds of pipes and tobaccos, and then finally you find yourself. You end up with the pipes that smoke best for you and fit your view of yourself, and the tobaccos that continue to satisfy you. Myself, I've certainly bought well over a hundred pipes and now have a couple dozen, and the tobaccos I've tried I couldn't begin to count but now smoke less than a dozen regularly. My actual core, what you'll likely see me smoking daily, is maybe half a dozen Stanwells and a 3 or 4 Petes, and a few burly tobaccos, a couple of Lakelands.

When I started out in this hobby almost a decade ago I couldn't really understand why so many old codgers were happy with 3 or 4 simple inexpensive pipes and 1 or 2 simple burly blends. Figured they just didn't care about the art of pipes and the array of flavors available in high end tobaccos. Wrong. Though these things are great, there's also beauty in simplicity. A lot of old dudes had it figured out.

No, I don't try too many tobaccos anymore. I've already tried so many.... Still have dozens of little jars stashed away. I've found that my own personal circumstances prohibit me from being a collector of pipe art, so I collect the best, most interesting, good inexpensive little smokers I can. I've owned pipes by Bang, Hedegaard, Chonowitsch, Castello, Dunhill, Barling, Sasieni, and on and on and on...... I kept very few of those, mostly a small handfull of Castellos, but for the most part I am quite happy with the 10 Stanwells and the 10 Petersons I own. There are a few other odds and ends, a lone Ashton that's simply too good to let go of, a couple of pipes carved by or given by friends, etc., but for the most part I just decided to be happy with culling down to the best smoking Stanwell and Peterson pipes I could find, and enjoy them. Same with tobacco. I could be happy with 2 or 3 burleys and a couple of Lakelands, and that's it.

If someone said "You're going away for years. Grab one pipe for each day of the week and take 2 tobaccos" I could do that now. Not so long ago I couldn't have.
 
Puffy, this was a great post. One that I completely agree with. However, it left me with a desire that was opposite the spirit of the post. The desire was to try a castello pipe. Oh the irony.

:lol!:



Bill
 
Puff Daddy":td7df89b said:
I think it's simply a matter of immersion and then refinement. You start off diving in and trying all kinds of pipes and tobaccos, and then finally you find yourself. You end up with the pipes that smoke best for you and fit your view of yourself, and the tobaccos that continue to satisfy you. Myself, I've certainly bought well over a hundred pipes and now have a couple dozen, and the tobaccos I've tried I couldn't begin to count but now smoke less than a dozen regularly. My actual core, what you'll likely see me smoking daily, is maybe half a dozen Stanwells and a 3 or 4 Petes, and a few burly tobaccos, a couple of Lakelands.

When I started out in this hobby almost a decade ago I couldn't really understand why so many old codgers were happy with 3 or 4 simple inexpensive pipes and 1 or 2 simple burly blends. Figured they just didn't care about the art of pipes and the array of flavors available in high end tobaccos. Wrong. Though these things are great, there's also beauty in simplicity. A lot of old dudes had it figured out.

No, I don't try too many tobaccos anymore. I've already tried so many.... Still have dozens of little jars stashed away. I've found that my own personal circumstances prohibit me from being a collector of pipe art, so I collect the best, most interesting, good inexpensive little smokers I can. I've owned pipes by Bang, Hedegaard, Chonowitsch, Castello, Dunhill, Barling, Sasieni, and on and on and on...... I kept very few of those, mostly a small handfull of Castellos, but for the most part I am quite happy with the 10 Stanwells and the 10 Petersons I own. There are a few other odds and ends, a lone Ashton that's simply too good to let go of, a couple of pipes carved by or given by friends, etc., but for the most part I just decided to be happy with culling down to the best smoking Stanwell and Peterson pipes I could find, and enjoy them. Same with tobacco. I could be happy with 2 or 3 burleys and a couple of Lakelands, and that's it.

If someone said "You're going away for years. Grab one pipe for each day of the week and take 2 tobaccos" I could do that now. Not so long ago I couldn't have.
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Puff,
I think you've put it in one of the most succinct and definative manners yet! I would have to agree completely with you about this and really, until I got caught up in all the "do like the rest" which permeates here, I to had basicaly gotten to about 3-4 tobaccos and my pipes I had aquired over the years. Now I have aquired over 3 times the amount of tobacco I've ever had and I don't think it really is going to benifit my smoking pleasure all that much :) But I am beginning to go through a change in my tastes in tobaccos so have rationalized my recent aquisition of so many different blends/mixtures recently. This is something most of us do, though we usually don't want to admit it :p , I know I do and with this as a given, I'll probably give it a try and once again, decide on 2-4 blends to stay with and continue on my
fat and happy" way as most of us "old farts" seem to do. :p
 
Thank you, PD. 8)

Two thoughts, and both are making me realize I'm on the most right path I could be.

One: I'm having a great time doing this hobby--the learning, the smoking, the trying new things, the pipe art and the excitement about what's around the corner...

Two: I'm delighted to know I'll one day have enough pipes and tobacco to select from when it comes down to a select few of each (whatever that may be)...when that corner has been rounded.

One thing I've noted recently is I'm already looking at the spread of pipes that usually greets me in the Tinder Box, and I'm getting picky. The $600 pipes make my heart skip a beat, but I don't bite. The basket pipes don't wow me with cheap price anymore, either--not that there's anything wrong with 'em. I'm picky within reason, I suppose. Which is great... I don't feel compelled to grab whatever pipe is available. I took note of this.

Tobacco is another story. I'm having so much fun figuring out what pipes like what tobacco, and what tobacco I like, it's been fantastic. I'm still willing to try the most unique and different thing out there. At this point, why not? I have some ground to cover, but I'm getting some foothold.

Thank you again. Good thoughts. 8)
 
Kyle, those $600 pipes still wow me too. And every time Greg Pease comes out with a new blend I still think "Ooh! I gotta try that!". But, I know myself. I know I could pull some extra overtime and in a few weeks I could go get that pipe. But I also know that as soon as I do a bill will pop up or a kid will need a couple of fillings. And I've been down that road so long and so often that if nothing happens, I'll not enjoy having the pipe because I'll be expecting 'something bad' to happen and I'll feel like that money should be in the bank. I know that if I buy 5 tins of that new tobacco when it comes out I'll smoke half a tin and then wish I'd used the money to buy a couple of pounds of 'Ol Tried and True' for the future.

I think it's a combination of being old, and having gone from being broke for a long time to having some money for a while, and back to being broke a long time again :lol: Without going into too much detail, inheriting little grandchildren after having raised your own kids to adulthood and thinking you were finally free of all that financial responsibilty, well, it can change the way you look at things. By the time I'm done raising these I'll be too old (mid 60's by then) to earn anything else, so I'm looking at this whole thing from a fiscally conservative position. You're young, buy the expensive pipe and get off on it! ;)



 
I'm not going to buy too many expensive pipes. I'm not that free with my money, even if I can or have it. I'm too responsible sometimes. I like knowing I have value even through luxury, so if I know a pipe is a $600, and I get it for $400, I'm good. :lol: It's all stupid justification.

Anyway, I get ya. It's too bad that you're stuck with another brood to look after, but obviously it sounds like you're the kind that would rather see it through than anything. You obviously have a good heart.

With that, you've found your happy medium with pipes--if just a few blends and a few pipes still allow you to enjoy what you can, then you're doing alright. May you keep with those 10 Savs and 10 Petes and whatever half dozen baccas that do it for ya. And if you can't, let someone here know and we'll pull for ya. 8)
 
monbla256":h64vfo5p said:
"You start off diving in and trying all kinds of pipes and tobaccos, and then finally you find yourself. You end up with the pipes that smoke best for you and fit your view of yourself, and the tobaccos that continue to satisfy you."

Puff,
I think you've put it in one of the most succinct and definative manners yet!
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Monbla, that's what PD does!
He sits back and lets us talk ourselves into a stupor, then clears the chaos with a post of crystal clarity.
He's been doing it as long as I've been hanging around here.
8)
 
Harlock999":an10v462 said:
Monbla, that's what PD does!
He sits back and lets us talk ourselves into a stupor, then clears the chaos with a post of crystal clarity.
He's been doing it as long as I've been hanging around here.
8)
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Much better than Yak :p
 
I have to defend Yak a little--he tends to let everyone talk themselves into a stupor and then says something that might make a few of us furrow our brows and go, "Say what?" Then it's up to us whether or not we stumble on ourselves or we get something from the interaction. It ain't always smooth, that's for sure--at times, even instigating. We're big boys, though. We can figure it out for ourselves. I hope.

...why do you think I asked PD his thoughts on this in the first place? 8)

We got some seriously great dudes here, from all perspectives, walks and methods.
 
I'm always a little aprehensive to talk about my family situation for fear that it may come across incorrectly. Yes we did go from two incomes and no kids back to one income and two kids, unexpectedly. Yes, some changes had to be made. Yes, everyone gave things up. I'm lucky, and I'd do it again 1000 times over. I feel fortunate, I have a 5 year old girl and a 7 year old girl who love me, we've been a family almost 5 years now. The hobbies, the vacations, all those extras, they're totally unimportant. Yeah, we have some hard times, but the hard times ain't about my pipe collecting suffering. Just a hobby, just a hobby. I do think that there are plenty of other Brothers out there who are also in similar situations with shortened hobby funds, so I thought my reflections and findings might help a little. You're not alone Brothers, you're not alone. This hobby is great because there are so many gorgeous pipes and wonderful tobaccos, but it can be thoroughly enjoyed even if you're not able to participate in the high end of the game.


Boy, talk about thread drift! :lol:


 
Puff Daddy":nf91lh8f said:
This hobby is great because there are so many gorgeous pipes and wonderful tobaccos, but it can be thoroughly enjoyed even if you're not able to participate in the high end of the game.
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Not in the 'High End' of the game? Been there, done that, still doing that.

Honestly though - I've had many a pleasurable smoke with a simple MM Cob and Lane Bulk tobaccos. And even if that's all I ever had to look forward to, it would still be most worthwhile and I wouldn't trade it for anything...
 
I usually stand back and listen when PD and Yak get going. Whatever I can add usually is more along the lines of comic relief! :p

Me no have the same way with words as they.
 
Blackhorse":hsygbyl8 said:
So...PD:

Spill. What are the 5 blends that ended up above all others for you?
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Please do spill. We are all very curious :albino:

 
What I regularly smoke

Uhle's blend 00
GH & co Curly Cut regular
GH & co Conniston Cut Plug unscented
MacBaren Burley London blend
Wessex Burley Slices
MacBaren Golden Extra

What else I smoke on a semi regular basis, meaning not all the time but enough to have put up a stash for the future.

Uhle's Perfection Plug
Uhles Crushed White Burley
SG Medium Virginia
astley's 109
Skiff
Brown Pigtail
Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark Flake

Anything else gets smoked once in a blue moon......
 
Yak":9s5iqpf7 said:
In the end, it's about the magic.

:face:
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This.

Puff Daddy":9s5iqpf7 said:
What I regularly smoke

Uhle's blend 00
GH & co Curly Cut regular
GH & co Conniston Cut Plug unscented
MacBaren Burley London blend
Wessex Burley Slices
MacBaren Golden Extra

What else I smoke on a semi regular basis, meaning not all the time but enough to have put up a stash for the future.

Uhle's Perfection Plug
Uhles Crushed White Burley
SG Medium Virginia
astley's 109
Skiff
Brown Pigtail
Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark Flake

Anything else gets smoked once in a blue moon......
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I'm noticing the Wessex and the MacB are getting represented pretty solidly--two more intriguing producers of stuff I like more and more, too.

Glad you're taking care of your family, PD. I come from kin where even the basics are half-assed, so it means more to me when people do what they do (no matter how inconvenient), let alone go beyond. You deserve your pipes. 8)
 
I keep realising, with a shock, that the Telepathy feature I assume others are running isn't operating. Tossing out one corner of a bigger pattern isn't getting it across. :oops:

The pipeweeds you stay with are the ones that make magic happen. Same with pipes. You might go through a phase when you get infatuated with expensive, big-name pipes, but time and experience wears with them that trip down to a nub. It doesn't stand up in practice. When you look around, most of those have been gone for a while, and what remain are the faithfuls that conduce to magic happening.

Maybe you don't even do much of anything else (beside, maybe, reading) while you're smoking, because you don't want distracted from the experience at hand.

"Enough" is a term that defines itself as you go along -- often shrinking from what it was once imagined to be down to what experience shows it is in practice.

:face:
 
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