Topping a Pipe With a Cigar Cap

[joemelon]

Just wanted to share an experience I'm in the midst of having. About a month ago I picked up a cigar from a friend who had come into an excess of cigars and was looking at getting rid of some. He had an Arturo Fuente Churchill that caught my eye, said the cigars had around 10 years age and this was one of several I had chosen. Was it ever a good pick, excellent smoke (wish I knew which Arturo Fuente it was).

Wanting to at least hear a whisper of how extraordinarily mellow that cigar was just one more time, I saved the cap. Today, loading a Savinelli 906 EX with some McClelland 5100, I figured now would be the time to use it. Packed the pipe and then took the cap (along with some strands of tobacco that came loose from last night's Padilla 1932) I topped the bowl and proceeded to light. From the first puff, what an experience. Around five minutes of that mellow cigar taste before noticeably transitioning to red Virginia.

I know there are those among us that chop up cigars to mix in with pipe tobacco, others who top pipes with nasal snuff and so on. Any of you save or use cigar caps as a pipe topping?

 

[Fatman]

This sounds very yummy. I am a huge fan of Arturo Fuente cigars, those and Partagas are my favorite makers. I also am a fan of 5100, so all in all it sounds like a match to really enjoy.

 

[DoverPipes]

Do it all of the time when I have clippings from my stogies.
I also keep a big zip-loc bag on hand that has cigar leaf for punching things up a bit!

Smoking a Paul Bonacquisti Torpedo & drinking some "Southern Tier Warlock Stout"

 

[joemelon]

Fatman, it was and enjoyable smoke all the way through! Arturo Fuentes were one of the first thing I started smoking. Think the 5100 was the one for this, great blend that's not complex so naturally it went well with what was a mellow cigar.

Dover, do you mix in the clippings with pipe tobacco or put it in the bowl as a top or bottom layer? Never heard of the Bonacquisti cigars before but a search brought me to the Park Lane site and the description sounds great.

 

[DoverPipes]

Dover, do you mix in the clippings with pipe tobacco or put it in the bowl as a top or bottom layer? Never heard of the Bonacquisti cigars before but a search brought me to the Park Lane site and the description sounds great.

I mix the loose leaf that I have with the tobacco. The caps / clippings are used as "toppers".
The loose leaf is a hodge podge of cigars that I have ground up due various reasons (Plugged, split, too dry, lesser quality due to variations of batch mix, etc.). Most are on the higher end of medium - full in flavor profiles & overall taste.

As far as the Bonacquisti cigars are concerned, they are great!
I "rediscovered" them this week after one of the members of my pipe club, gave me a torpedo to try. I had tried Paul's initial Toro offerings, that may have been "test samples" :suspect: . That was close to two years ago. The smoke that I had this week was excellent! He is having them made up for him at Nestor Plasencia's factory in Esteli. Nicaragua. Paul worked on the blend himself and had the factory produce it for him.

All in all a very good, well rounded medium, just shy of full, smoke.