Questions about the Frog...

[dean73]

Hello Gentelmen,

It has been a while since I have posted, but I have finally made it back.

I found a little tabacco shop in Tokyo. Nice hole in the wall place. They have some nice pipes and a little bit of tabacco. I was finally able to pick up some Frog Morton. I also picked up a tin of Dunhill's London Mixture. They had 3 Nuns and some Mac Barren Navy Mixture, but no Navy Flake.

I have heard of a couple of other tabacco shops around town, but I have not had a chance to go out and explore yet. (1 year old son = no time)

Now to the question:
I have smoked 3 or 4 bowls of the Frog and it has been so so. I am patient because I used to use the same pipe for Boswell's Best and I think it took a while to get the taste of BB out of the pipe. (It was always in the background.)
Today I was getting near the end of the bowl and the magic moment happened. Maybe I hit a concentration of latakia...I am not sure, but the flavor changed and I could taste a almost salty- woodsy flavor. I was great. This was after the pipe had sat for a few minutes and I relit it.
So, the question is was it because the tabacco was a little drier that it taste better? Should I let my tin air out a bit?

What do you guys think?

Dean

 

[Doc Manhattan]

It's entirely possible that proper drying made the flavor pop for you--most McClelland blends, in my experience, run moister-than-average straight out of the tin. Though you're also correct that smoking past the aromatic ghosts helped, too.

You can let the tin air out, and then transfer the tobacco to an airtight container. Or you can let it dry out in single servings a while before you want to smoke a pipeful.

 

[ftrplt]

D73....I would strongly suggest you smoke der Frog (and other Latakia blends) in a different pipe from your aro pipes. Just not a good mix; too much ghosting from the aromatics; and vice versa. ipe: FTRPLT

 

[jj1015]

My only complaint about Frog Morton is that it's far too mild for my tastes -- there are times when I fire up a bowl and get little more than the flavor of hot air. Other times, however, it's sublime.

You definitely want to smoke this only in a pipe used for non-aromatics. You might also want to try another latakia-based blend that's got more kick!

Also, I'd recommend trying Frog Morton On the Town over the original Frog -- much tastier and a little stronger.