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First time tobacco: C&D Virginia Gentleman in a Road Town Classic Freehand. Smoked on the patio in sub-freezing temp, accompanied by dry dancing snowflakes, a bit of wind, black Cowboy Coffee. Really enjoyed this one.

Road Town Classic Freehand.jpg
 
Gawith & Hoggart Scotch Mixture in Medico Crest. Good little pipe off eBay.
 
McB vanilla cream in a pete full bent apple. Good match. A chilly 26 degrees on the patio this morning but doable with the patio heater on and the morning sun in our face.
 
Trying something new: WC Flake 558 in a bamboo Pioneer. Rather muted and lacking vitality; left me feeling lethargic. Having a second cup of coffee to revive what's left of the morning. :sleep:
 
First time around with a bowl of Rattray's Jocks Mixture, very much enjoyed in a Road Town rusticated Apple. Sipped and puffed on this delightful tobacco while large, dry snow flakes swirled out and about and into the patio. Nothing like snowflakes coming into your coffee! A very sublime experience and I love the nuances of this blend. Feels like I found a new friend today. :)

Road Town Tomato.jpg
 
2012 McClelland Celebrated Sovereign in a Charatan Meer. This was a real treat, savored from start to finish. The tin had five years on it when I popped it, now another 3+ years in jar, sampling a few bowls every year to see how it's coming along. Getting a bit dry and was thinking I might have to rehydrate next time - but no, it burned better than ever. A hit of flinty gunpowder when first set to flame, then the quality Turkish Dubec took the spotlight the rest of the bowl. The good kind of Turkish flavors (toasted sunflower seed, pine nuts, baking spices, not the sour and herbal type). No McClelland ketchup, which can easily dominate any blend, this is all about the Syrian Latakia and Turkish. Good stuff!
 
First voyage of John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky in a Road House sandblasted freehand tomato shape with Cowboy Coffee on the side. Enjoyed outside at near freezing temps while the stars shone following snow flurries today. This was a velvet Burley carpet ride.
 
A couple of "new to me" blends this eve. Dunhill Royal Yacht from 2014 in a Radice Rind Billiard; then L.J. Peretti BPC in a '49 Dunhill Shell LB F/T. Ice water on the side.
 
Started off with my old standby, Big N' Burley in a Rossi Stout Billiard. With the cold winds blowing today, the tobacco went up very quickly. Stepped away from the pipe to get a refill of my coffee, only to discover at the tamp that the tobacco had been 75% gobbled up by the wind. Prayers sent up in the smoke!

Then, for a 180 degree change of pace, had my first taste of GL Pease Montgomery in a Ropp Vintage Devil Anse sandbast with a bone stem.

Basically, between these two, I experienced a Rachmaninoff concerto!

Black Cowboy coffee, wind and snow falling from the pines under a blue sky as fellow members of the audience.
 
This evening smoking War Horse Ready Cut in an old Peterson 312, I'm working on smoking the floral ghost out of this pipe. Then Watch City One Shot Apricot in a C&D/MM Charles Towne Cobbler. Maybe, if I feel up to a third pipe, some John Bull Royal English in a Icarus smooth stubby bent apple.
 
A shout out of gratitude to Brunello and his sample offer. The samples I requested came in today and right after lunch, I dove into one of them: a five year old C&D Yorktown. Historically, I shied away from Virginias in my previous piping iteration, so when I resumed the pipe, I began a new journey into VA's and have been really enjoying them. This is one I will certainly acquire and cellar (and enjoy now too!). One of the tell tale signs I'm enjoying a tobacco is when I'm at the half way point, I'll add more to the bowl!

Some may cringe at this, but to me, it is like taking a second serving of a great dish because you're hungry for more! I do so this with gratitude, rather than two fisted gluttony in mind. :) .

Savored every puff in a new Rossi stout, rusticated Billiard (the second one I picked up in 30 days; it too arrived today). Enjoyed on the patio with black cowboy coffee, cold winds, blue skies in almost 40F shade.

A lovely time had be all.

Rossi stout billiard #2.jpg
 
Smoking some aged FVF in a Herbaugh w/bamboo shank. Then moving on to Peretti blend 52 in an Arley Curtz pot.
 
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