Orlik Golden Slice Pipe Tobacco: A Review

To get right to it, this is a worker man’s tobacco and by that I mean it’s a no frills, straight forward Virginia/burly tobacco. Heavy on the Virginia and just enough burly to smooth it out. This is an old tobacco that has been around at least 30+ years and just recently the verbiage on the back of the tin has changed to say that it is a Virginia and Perique mix and that ‘burly’ was a mistranslation from the manufacturer. Hard to believe that for over thirty years a mistranslation has existed on their product packaging. In my research though, I have noticed that there is no mention of perique in any of the reviews, articles or conversations prior to the ‘correction’ on the tin. Perique is a pretty identifiable tobacco and I am most certain that with the extreme popularity of this tobacco over the years, someone would have questioned the ‘burly’ notation on the tin. Wouldn’t you agree?

My personal opinion on this is that there is no perique in this tobacco. I am VERY sensitive to perique tobacco. It does not sit well with me. There was however, one occasion that it did and boy, did it sit well with me! You can read it about it here.

The aroma upon opening the tin is one of strong hay. It’s a very clean scent to me. I smiled when I popped the tin and the aroma wafted its way up to me. The perfectly thin sliced flakes appeal to my OCD nature and you can feel the smoothness of the cut on the flat side of the flakes. They hold up under their own weight as you pick one up. Simply rub one between your palms and it clumps together but not tightly. Fill the pipe as usual and light. I have on occasion, simply folded the flake and bent it over itself and shoved the ‘stakes’ lengthwise into the bowl much like what shoving tree limbs into a barrel would look like.

Lighting it was simple and easy. Charring light and puff, puff puff. Tamp a little then light again and enjoy. The flavor is all Virginia and like I said above, the burly rounds it out and makes it much smoother. It is a very clean taste and is not overpowering at all. The room note is very pleasant and well, I quite don’t know how else to say it but it’s a very clean, refreshing (fresh) flavor and taste. It does not have that cigarette smoke scent that a lot of burly infused tobaccos have. The aroma and the flavor work well with one another to make this an easy choice to be an EDS (Every Day Smoke). You will not get tired of this tobacco. It simply is the ‘go to’ tobacco on those occasions when you cannot make up your mind on which tobacco to smoke or when you have no desire for the rich savories of latakia or the fruity sweetness of an aromatic blend.

Go ahead, keep three, four, five hell, 10 tins of this tobacco at the ready on your shelf. You’ll be glad you did.

McClelland’s Blue Mountain Pipe Tobacco: A Review

A little background to this blend.
There once was a blend called Balkan Sobranie #759 or simply, #759 as it is known in the pipe world. It is THE Holy Grail of pipe tobacco. Ask any serious pipe smoker about it and both those who have smoked it and those who have not will have the same expression on their face, one of longing.

About a year or so, a 100g tin sold for $432 on eBay. Needless to say, it is highly sought after.

In 2011 at the Chicagoland Pipe & Tobacco Convention there was a “#759 Throw Down”. Three master blenders were invited to recreate the infamous  #759. There would be two judging’s. One by official judges who had a 21 year old tin to compare them to (blenders had samples of the same tin to help them when blending their own). And a second judging by the general populace of attendees who of course did not have access to the original tobacco so the “People’s Choice” was decided by a simple majority on which one they liked best.
The master blender from McClelland  won the People’s Choice which is the Blue Mountain I am smoking as I write this. The official winner was Blackhouse by Hearth & Home. I have yet to try it nor have I had the opportunity to try #759. So I can’t say yes or no to either (Blue Mountain-Blackhouse) when it comes to comparing it to the original #759.

So on to review Blue Mountain.
The two dominate tobaccos are Virginia and latakia with a nod to the latakia being the majority. So if you dislike that smoky, campfire type of scent or taste, this is certainly NOT for you. It also has a bit of a nicotine hit so take caution when puffing and take your time. I would suggest this tobacco after a good meal. There are nuances of other flavors in there, namely basma and venidje orientals but those are definitely secondary. It is a touch tiresome when lighting it due to it’s moisture and once lit, care is needed to keep it lit for at least the first half of the bowl. There is not a lot of smoke produced with this tobacco. I personally, as many of you, like a tobacco that produces quite a bit of smoke as it lends to the ‘aura’ and the atmosphere and well, the overall experience of puffing on a pipe. But don’t let the moisture and the lack of smoke put you off for this tobacco. There is a reason it won the “People’s Choice”.

I know it doesn’t read like I like this tobacco but on the contrary, I love it. If I had to use one word to describe it, I would use, ‘comforting’. I can’t help but immediately feel relaxed and at ease when I puff. Its hearty, savory and flavorful without being overwhelming. Its a touch sweet without being shocking. What smoke there is, encircles my head as I puff and the aroma is sublime. It is calming. It makes me want to stop, rest, think and reflect on my day. The star of this tobacco is Cyprian latakia followed closely by the Virginia and as mention above, basma and the yenidje orientals rounding out the flavors with possible black Cavendish?? Not sure though on that one. All this is masterfully blended to make a comforting, mature tasting tobacco that really comes into it’s own for the last half of the bowl.

I can tell that I am sure to enjoy for years to come. It is a great tobacco to enjoy in the evening with a Red Breast single pot whiskey, my personal favorite or any mellow whiskey of your choosing.

As stated above, I do not know if it tastes like #759 but at this point I really don’t care if it does.  I like it and many tins will find their way into my cupboard.

Dunhill’s Early Morning Pipe Pipe Tobacco: A Review

Took this one out for a puff the other night at the club. I wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy or savory, i.e., an English blend but I wanted to smoke a pipe. As I have mentioned before, I am what you would call a seasonal smoker, meaning that I only smoke in the cooler/colder months of the year, generally October through April. But, every so often I get a “hankerin’” to puff a small bowl of something throughout the other months and so it was a few nights ago, my first bowl since April.

I have been wanting to try this blend for a while now but have never pulled the trigger for some reason. In short, I should have pulled the trigger long ago on this one but before I go on to the review, allow me to give a bit of background on the Dunhill name or brand if you will.

The name Dunhill is synonymous with the ‘finer’ things in life. It is a name that carries with it a prestige if you will among the cigar and pipe world as well as other offerings such as men’s clothing, leather goods, pens and well, all accessories for men in general.  Alfred Dunhill took over his father’s saddlery business in 1897 and quickly started making changes. Most of it which centered around making accessories for the new invention of the time, the automobile. In fact the slogan for the company was “Everything But The Motor” which included all manner of leather goods like overcoats, goggles, gloves as well as horns, lamps and even picnic baskets and obviously, my favorite, the pipe! Needless to say, from the beginning Dunhill has always equaled luxury.

To narrow this blog down and get it pointed in the direction of pipe tobacco. In 1904 he created the “Windshield Pipe” which made it easier to smoke a pipe when in the automobile or when cycling. Also in 1904, he opened his first pipe, pipe tobacco and cigar shop on Duke Street in London but it wasn’t until 1910 that he decided to make pipes in a shop down the street. The retail store on Duke Street catered to the customer and allowed the customer to come in and write down in the “My Mixture” ledger the tobacco blend they liked and wanted. The shop would then make these custom blends for their customers to purchase and enjoy. Although Dunhill no longer produces pipe tobacco, the line of tobacco has been bought and sold to various tobacco companies to which the latest to produce the line is the Orlik Tobacco Company which is owned by the Scandinavian Tobacco Company, based out of Denmark but is still sold under the Dunhill name. To this day, the Dunhill tobacco has a line of “My Mixture”: (name/number of tobacco) that is still available albeit, not as many offerings as in the past. What I mean by this is that they took the customers blends and over the years have found some to be quite favorable amongst the pipe smoking public and have mass produced it. As best as I could research, there was at one time upwards of 24 “My Mixture” blends available but a quick look on the interwebs tells me that there are only a handful of different My Mixture blends available with My Mixture: 965 being the most popular. Also, as far as I can tell, this particular blend I am writing about, Early Morning Pipe, has been around since 1912 and I don’t think it started out as a My Mixture but as with anything that’s been around for over 100 years, there’s bound to be a reason for it and the reason is that it is fantastic!

One cannot sensationalize this tobacco. Meaning, if you are looking for some deep, meaningful, ponderingly moment of zen while puffing this blend, well, you’re gonna be disappointed. Although there are times when that is what you want, you will not get it with this blend. Does that mean it’s a bad blend? Not is the slightest! I enjoyed every puff of this blend and enjoyed it in my French made no-name pipe I got in Jackson-Hole, Wyoming.

This blend is a pressed, slightly stoved mixture of Bright and Red Virginias along with some rather sweet Orientals. It is by no means a full on aromatic which is to say that to me, it rather ‘felt’ like it had a wee-bit of latakia in it. Possibly….maybe …. I think so but don’t know for sure. There is nothing out there that says what exactly is in it. It very well could be a ‘ghost’ in my own pipe but I doubt that since I am rather studious about cleaning my pipes. Either way, if you are not a fan of the latakia, don’t worry, you should be able to handle this with ease.

The name of this blend is perfect as it would be (and is) a great start to your pipe smoking day. But don’t let that lull you into thinking it’s ’only’ for the morning. The cut is what you would expect from Dunhill, perfect ribbons! The aroma from the tin is not, by any stretch of the imagination, overwhelming. Pleasant but not in your face. Packing and lighting was perfect as well. Not too moist or dry from the tin. It burns very nicely and all the way down into a fine white ash, probably due to the fine, consistent cut of the leaf. The flavour is very mild and satisfying, slightly nutty maybe? It is a fine puff for any time of the the day. This is a good blend to thoughtlessly go about your day while puffing. Again, not a standout puff but a very well thought out blend. You will not be hintering around for the nuances of flavours with this tobacco nor will your palette be inundated with a cosmic expanse of flavours either. It’s not a complex blend my friend.

It has a slight ‘creamy’ texture to it and once lit, copious amounts of white smoke is produced. I will say this about the blend though, if you are weak in the head when it comes to nicotine, you might want to take it easy with this one as it seems to be just all fine and dandy for the top 2/3 of the bowl but then it hits you and you should be seated when it does. Of course, this is probably my fault more-so than the tobacco as I was not really taking my time with it and rushing through. I had Jimmy Johns delivering a sandwich soon and wanted to be done before it got there. My bad.

I know it doesn’t sound like I like the blend but I really do. I liked it so much in fact that I had a second bowl about 20 minutes after eating only this time at a much slower pace…and it was again, perfect and better than the first, probably due to me having a full stomach. Something to consider I guess. It would go great with a cup of coffee or hot tea. A strong adult beverage would be nice as well. Not sure about the lighter side of beverages but a really good zin would work great, like Ed Meades or any other ‘old vine’ wine.

The room-note was hardly there at all. Some said it smelled ‘nutty’ others said it smelled more like a cigarette but very, very light smell. I know this may be weird but one of the things I do is smell my shirt the day after puffing a new tobacco. I did this with Early Morning Pipe (or EMP as it is known by as well) and it did not smell like a cigarette. It hardly had any tobacco smell on it at all. Which is nice because I HATE the smell of cigarettes, as does my wife so this little ‘test’ I do does have a bearing on whether I will buy a certain tobacco or not. Luckily, it passed!

I will probably pick up another tin or four of this but I don’t think it will be my ‘go to’ blend as that has distinction belongs to Blue Mountain! To be reviewed soon.

Men: The Two Types

 

There are many different “types” of men out there that can be classified in all manner of categories. What I am proposing in this post is a very broad generalization and break down of men and the two types we all fall into.

To get right to it…

Type 1.

Is a man that desires to build his life, his world, his kingdom first, before finding his ‘Queen’

He wants to have everything in place before settling down with a woman. His career, his finances, housing, etc…in other words, he’s ‘found’ himself and has grown out of the youthful  and immature play. These type of men are, obviously, usually older as in this day and age, it takes years to build your kingdom or ‘empire’ (depending on your perspective). This isn’t to say that they don’t date or even have a steady girlfriend in the midst of ‘building’ but you can rest assured that she does not and will not have a say in the construction of and or direction he wants to take his kingdom. He will reserve that (influence) for his Queen. These types of men usually are a bit more aggressive in nature.

Type 2.

Is the man that wants his Queen by his side as he (they) build their Kingdom together. Pretty much the antithesis to the type 1 man. This man relishes the input of his Queen, relies on her skills and talents where his are lacking. These types of men are usually a little more laid back.

Both are ok and good. Neither is really the ‘right’ way or the ‘wrong’ way to go about or be a man. The only way it can be ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ is when there is a significant other involved. I say this because women can and do fall into these categories as well.

There are women out there that don’t want to mess with building anything, they just want to be taken care of, they want to step into a life or situation that is already ‘done’. They want a man that takes care of everything, has everything handled, and have no desire to be involved in the ‘business’ side of life. There is nothing wrong with these type of women. These women need to find the type of man who want to build first then find a queen. If these women find and marry a man that is a type 2, more than likely he will (in her mind) be unmotivated and lacking in ‘manly skills’. She (and he) will more than likely not enjoy a long lasting and fruitful relationship.

Then there are the women who want to be apart of something. They don’t mind being there with someone and living through the trial and errors of building a life together. These women (and men) need that bonding experience, in their eyes, it only strengthens their relationship. These women need to find a man that matches their needs, ie, a companion that wants to build together. If she marries a man that is a type 1, she more than likely will feel that he is domineering, controlling and well, just might feel de-valued as he probably will not include her in the decision making process.

This is not to say that the two different types will never work as we all know, there are plenty of stories of women out there that have poked and prodded, cajoled, pushed and pulled their man to be the success they are. It’s sad, but it’s a rare, too rare in my opinion that you don’t hear the same about a man pushing his wife to her full potential. At least one that doesn’t include an apron and a spatula.

So, in my completely worthless and unsolicited opinion: If you are single, figure out which type you are and stick with your same type. If you’re already married or in a committed relationship, this might explain a few things.

Ashton’s Winding Road Pipe Tobacco: A Review

There are very few tobaccos that can pull off the “gap” blend. Meaning it bridges the gap between an aromatic and an English blend. For those that don’t know, here’s an epicurean example.

An aromatic is like a fine dessert with all its sweet, fruity flavors that are light and refreshing on the palette. English blends on the other hand, would be a steak or a hearty, bold stew that fills the mouth with all its savory, smoky tenderness that warms the soul. So a tobacco that bridges this gap, would be like putting vanilla pudding on a bacon wrapped fillets. Gross, right? Pretty much but believe it or not, there are tobaccos that can pull this off.

Unfortunately this is not one of them. As taken from the tin: “A mellow mixture designed to bridge the gap between aromatic and English style blends. Comprised of golden and dark brown Virginia with a sprinkling of Black Cavendish, this excellent blend bears a natural fragrance accompanied by subtle notes of caramel and apricot.” Hmmmm. Yea, I’m gonna have to say nope! Not in the slightest.

If you expect to cross the bridge with this tobacco, be prepared to fall headlong into the deep, murky, stagnant un-smoked dottles at the bottom of your bowl. The other side you shall never see.

Speaking of the other side, this one almost sent me there. It had me begging for mercy and on one knee within the first few puffs. I hoped the apricot flavor would make an appearance and help the situation but just like Tony Romo’s ability to lead the Cowboys to a win post-season, it never happened. By the way, the EMS guys were nice as I was told they had to rock me back and forth to get my lips unstuck from the floor.

The tobacco is pretty to look at and the name is somewhat cool too but that’s about where it stops being ‘cool’ because once lit, it burns hotter than hell. Seriously, after taking a puff on the pipe then a sip of Redbreast Irish Whiskey, I exhaled and lit a guy’s cigar from across the table.

It was horrendous, (at least from what I can remember) HOT and well, it was a horrible waste of tobacco. Nothing else can be said about this other than when I gave my dog a few puffs, he began licking his butt…probably trying to get the taste out of his mouth and in all honesty, I was somewhat envious that he would succeed.

Peterson’s Luxury Blend Pipe Tobacco: A Review

What can I say about this blend?
It’s an aromatic tobacco that consists of a variety of Virginias, sweet black Cavendish and burley that is topped with orange, vanilla and honey flavorings.

Enjoyed this one in my Peterson Killarney Rhodesian (#999)

The first thing one notices is the aroma from the tin. It is wonderfully delightful. It packed well and lit easy. The second thing is the room note (the way it smells to others in the room…). According to the gentlemen sitting next to me smoking cigars, it is very pleasant. It is not offensive at all. As for the taste, the sweetness of the Cavendish is present but not overpowering. It is however not for beginners. The tongue bite on this one is strong if one is not too careful. It requires a slow draw and infrequent puffs, making you take your time and enjoy it. I can taste a hint of the orange and the vanilla of course and the honey as well, which is the flavor one is left with at the end of the puff.
It is slightly creamy (vanilla, I presume) and with the citrus flavor, it lends itself to being more of a summer smoke I would think.

In fact, when I sit back and enjoy it, I can see myself sitting on a breezy, sunny, palm-laden, white sandy beach with a chilled Tom Collins within reach. It is a beautiful, light and airy smoke that would also be good when paired with a light coffee for the mornings or mid afternoons.

Aftershaves & Colognes: <$25 Halston Z-14

Yes, you are reading that right.  Halston Z-14.  A blast from the past.

It was introduced in 1976 but I didn’t become aware of it until the early 80’s. This is not to be confused with Halston 1-12 men’s cologne. That one was introduced the same year and is the more popular of the two. In fact, it won the FiFi Award for best men’s fragrance in the Luxe category in 1977 but we’re not here to talk about that one.

I am wearing Z-14 right now and I have to say it is quite different. Straight from the bottle, it smells very sweet with a hint of spice but once on (after about an hour) the sweetness fades but doesn’t disappear. It transforms more to a ‘Fall’ scent and by ‘Fall’ I mean it tends to smell like well, Fall, as in the season. It smells cinnamon-ly(?), warm and woodsy with that touch of sweetness and possibly  some vanilla lingering in there somewhere. I’m guessing it’s the amber that smells ‘Fall-ish’ to me. It is a good mature (meaning it would be out of place for a teenager to where this one), casual cologne that retains it’s scent quite well. It’s good for the office or school and for the evening but if I had to choose, I would say this was more an an evening cologne. It is not an overpowering scent but do be careful when applying. It does have a decent amount of sillage (French for ‘wake’ like how a boat leaves a wake in the water), meaning that the scent tends to leave a wake in the air when you walk. If too much is applied, it can be sickening so again, be careful when applying. I have received several comments from people here in the office and out in public. There have only been two other colognes on me that have garnered more (positive) comments but those do not fall into the under $25 range we are trying to stay within. Speaking of cost, I bought this one online for $23 and change (that number includes the shipping) and so it falls close to our limit but well worth it.  This is a nice cologne that has been around for a long time. There was a time when it was not available in stores and in fact, still may not be but it is certainly available over the web. I would encourage you strongly to try this one. Yes, it is old but like I have said before, these old ones that are still around are still around for a reason. They’re good, this one is good.

Aftershave & Colognes: <$25 Jovan Black Musk for Men

So the first aftershave/cologne up for review under $25 is Jovan Black Musk for Men. This is a very nice masculine scent that was released in 2009. I have worn this one several times and have had the same results every time. It is a great woodsy scent and has a good solid base of musk with floral hints and a touch of citrus on top. Unfortunately, this is where the review turns south. I put this on around 6:00 am and in all honesty, it’s essentially gone within four hours. In order for anyone to smell it, they would have to practically bury their nose into my neck.

I met my wife for a date after work one day when I wore this and she could not smell it at all except for, as I said above, when she buried her nose into my neck and then could smell it. The ‘good’ news was that it still smelled woodsy. I say this because their original Musk for Men lost it’s masculinity and ended up  smelling very clean and not masculine at all. So this one at least keeps its masculine scent albeit, you can’t smell it.

So, if you want to try this one be sure to use A LOT.  I ended up filling my hand up with a huge puddle of it and slapped it on all over and still…..nothing after four hours.  It’s sad really because the scent is really, really nice.  Cost runs about $18 for 4oz. bottle so its not bad but personally, I think there are others out there that are a better sniff for your scratch.

Aftershaves & Colognes: < $25 A Review

Ok, I’m a tight-wad when it comes to spending but I love aftershaves and colognes (A/C). If you have been following this blog you will know that I have been hitting this subject hard recently. So to be short and to the point, here’s my take on aftershaves and colognes. For every day wear, wear a good smelling A/C that is inexpensive and save the really good stuff for those special occasions and the special someone in your life.  Not to sound rude but why waste a $75 bottle of cologne on offices-mates or classmates? Especially when there are perfectly good A/Cs on the market for a fraction of the cost?

“But what’s out there in that price range?”, you ask. “Which one is good and which one do I need to stay away from?” might also cross your mind. Well that’s where this blog will come in handy.

Over the next few weeks I will be reviewing aftershaves and colognes that are no more than $25 and can be bought at your local drug store or grocery store….and of course on line. The idea for this started with this post in which I covered quite a few already but there will be some that I will review again with a separate post. I will (hopefully) be able to give a bit of history of the A/C, the price I paid for it, my impression and or the impression of those who comment about it. My hope is that you may find something that peaks your interest and give it a go which will hopefully save you some money in the long run.  If you have a particular one you want me to review, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Eric

Mont Blanc Legend Edt: A Review

Mont Blanc does perfumes and colognes? Apparently, yes they do. And do it quite well I might add. I had no idea. I know of their pens since I am really into fountain pens but I had no idea about their fragrances….or watches, jewelry, eyewear or leather. I need to come out from under my rock more often I guess.

I am wearing this fragrance today for the first time, Mont Blanc Legend. My beautiful bride bought me a gift set last October and held on to it until Valentine’s Day this year and presented it to me as a gift. I have not heard of this cologne until she gave it to me but in doing some research, it looks like it is more popular up north than in the south or west. It was introduced in 2011 so it’s fairly new on the scene. Retail for a 3.4 oz. bottle is $72 but you can find it in the mid $50s if you look for it. I normally don’t wear such expensive cologne (Edt) for the office (click here for my thoughts on this) but I wanted to wear this to get a handle on how it was perceived by others

The gift set she gave me contains the shower gel, aftershave balm and the eau de toilette. It is packaged in a large classy black box as you can see. It measures slightly smaller than a square foot and is about four inches in depth. Pretty impressive really. The shower gel lathered up really well and had a smooth texture/feel to it. Rinses well too. The scent was of course, the same as the Edtbut very light. It would be something to use by itself for a casual night in with your lady. The aftershave balm has little to no alcohol in it at all, at least that I could tell. It did not burn/sting in the least when I applied it this morning. It went on smooth and did not feel greasy as a lot of balms do. Six hours later and my face does not feel oily at all which usually happens when I use balms or gels. It, of course, has the same scent as the shower gel and Edt and falls in between the two as far as strength goes. So using the shower gel and the aftershave together works well and should be enough if you are around people who are sensitive to aromas. The Edt is much stronger but not overpowering as one would guess with all the nice masculine packaging it comes in. One packaging item to note is the weight of the cap. It is quite heavy for a cap and just adds to the effect of being more masculine than most other colognes. I sprayed a little here and there in my normal places trying to be careful not to over do it. I hate it when men (women) wear too much cologne. Makes you look like you’re trying too hard and besides, no one likes being around that person. It just stinks.

In describing the notes, I would say the top notes are fresh and bright with a hint of apple and cedar, maybe? A clean scent really but not soapy in the slightest. As the heart notes emerge, they become more flowery on me but quickly turned woodsy and much more masculine. Which makes sense considering this cologne is classified as predominantly fougère  or ‘fern-like’. It has a basic accord (works well with) lavender (which is probably what I interpreted as ‘flowery’) in the top note and oakmoss and coumarin in the base notes and has a small hint of spice as well. The base notes are dry and “leathery” as one person in my office put it, or “smells like a man” as another said. It is definitely a very masculine scent. Some have compared it to Abercrombie & Fitch’s Fierce but calling it more ‘mature’. Although it is recommended for casual wear, I think (opinion alert) that it is a little too ‘sexy’ for the office or classroom. My opinion of course as I am a happily married man and I don’t wear cologne to attract anyone, just smell good. But so far the response have been positive. Although, the responses have not let me know if I put on too much, just enough or too little as the results to that question are split equally. Something I am sure to work out over the next few times I wear it (with my wife). But I think I like it, like it a lot. Yea, this one I believe will become a staple in my rotation.