Jazz & Pipes.

Autumn Leaves by Cannon Adderley, is a rhythmic Jazz song that demands a billiard. Filled with a tobacco that  is heavy and smokey but light on nicotine and a nice glass of Scotch on the rocks.

Now you may be asking why? Well, here's why:

1. The  rhythm of the piece, with its cornets and tenor saxophone. Brings out a unique and perfect blend of the two instruments accompanied by bass and piano. Which demands a earthy tobacco to smoke, which leads me to point #2.
2. While you could smoke an aromatic but really. Aromatics are more for a spring afternoon after an April shower. In other words, you smoke aromatics when you enjoying the presence of nature and the natural beauty around you. Or that you don't have any other type of tobacco with you and don't want something that overpowers you. When you are listening to jazz you want the tobacco to mirror the music. Down to earth and smooth, but not to smooth, with periodic sharp notes in it, that calms you down in a calming wave but won't entirely wash you away in the nicotine.  
3. As to the scotch on the rocks. Well Scotch in my opinion is such a relaxing thing to drink that it was made for Jazz. As Jazz, not that smooth Jazz crap, is such relaxing music when its good. Everything from the rhythm and melody, to the instruments and the arrangements of the players.    

Finally before I leave you today. I want you to go to pandora.com I know it sounds like I'm marketing for them, trust me I'm not. Type in Cool Jazz, light up a bowl, pour a glass of you favorite whiskey, or any other liquor as long its not rum or ouzo and just listen.

With that I'll puff you later.

The Summer's Menu

This Year has been abjectly slow due to my lack of inspiration not a lack of desire. I wanted to write about how my Tobacco plants. But I doubt any of you actually care about my attempts of growing tobacco. So I am here telling I will be canceling that series due to it being just plain stupid.

However I'll be moving to Memphis, TN for a job. With that Job, will come a paycheck and with that paycheck is something for me write about. Hopefully the wonders of a Churchwarden.

But most of all that I am exciting is the fact with temporary financial independence that this summer will bring me one step closer to two things that I wanted to do. One is traveling and seeing the world and bringing you stories that will inspire to travel and to smoke. If the world hasn't taken the fun out of smoking.

Another thing on the menu is the renewed hope that I can find one celebrity, just one, who smokes and will sit down and do a interview on this blog, which will be interesting to say the least. But don't hold your breath.

The Final thing I wanted to bring up is my thanks to my extremely loyal if not human audience.


With that I'll puff you later.

The abject failure of E-tobacco products

A while back a commenter once asked me this question. Why don't you write about E-tobacco?

Well for several reasons. Most of which I'll won't talk about. But chief among them is this. They are artificial and have none of the romanticism of smoking.

You see when you smell the cake of a pipe you smell the flavor of tobacco and that in turn can steer up memories of when you are smoking that are both good and relaxing. Now no one is arguing about dangers of tobacco, or the taste of tobacco. Honest to God you only bear the tobaccos' taste out of experiencing new tobacco and new strengths of how rough it can be.

But again that is part of the romanticism of pipe smoking. Now I haven't tried a E pipe, primarily because I didn't know that they existed and have only heard and seen E cigs. And trust me they come in one flavor and that is water. What an Electronic Cigarette is basically a vaporizer for liquid nicotine mixed in with water in order to dilute the nicotine. Because nicotine is a neurotoxicant that can be fatal in its pure form. They dilute and vaporize to lessen the toxicity so that you won't die. Give it a blue light to indicate its working and give you more than a mouth full so you can exhale the vapor that your lungs didn't absorbed.

Compared to Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Nicotine, Sugar (depending on the curing process), Water Vapor, and Ammonia. When you smoke a more traditional pipe and that's just the natural stuff. Imagine what the Big Tobacco puts in their shit. Now you might say "Oh so E-cigs are defiantly much safer."

Not necessary you see, when a tobacco leaf is cured and fermented, it is a process to dilute most of the nicotine and the ammonia. It also allows for the sugars to add natural flavors, so you can get a wide variety of flavors from a single batch of tobacco depending on the curing method. Also depending on the bread of Tobacco as well.

For example both Fire and Air cured tobacco are usually low in sugars but have high amounts of nicotine that often used in pipe and cigar tobacco. Where as both Flue and Sun cured tobacco are both high sugar content and are usually used in cigarette. With Flue cured has a tendency to be in the medium high ratio for nicotine. Where as Sun Cured tobacco is usually in the low ratio for nicotine.

Now depending on your own personal taste the flavors can be exquisite. With Sweetness of a high sugary tobacco with a good nicotine that doesn't make you head swim in a nicotine haze.

You can't get that with an E-Cig or an E-Pipe. All you get with those are nicotine hazes, and that my good reader is why I don't write about them. I'm a pipe connoisseur who is here to guide those who are trying to enjoy their deadly habit with new experiences.

With that I'll puff you later.

Tobacco Supermarket.

Recently I was in Bloomington in the hopes of getting a job. Unfortunately they weren't hiring, but that is beside the point.

The point being the Briar and The Burly, is no your usual tobacconist store. Where the place is usually smell of tobacco, cigars, and with classy decor. But that is not the case, the case being when you walk into the Briar and the Burley. You are greeted by a section of suitcases and briefcases. Then once you pass two thirds of the shop you are presented with an amazing selection of meerschaum pipes ranging from the blan and sinful un-carved to the most exquisitely carved pieces of art.

Then when you pass the meerschaum pipes to your left. You'll again be greeted by a case of cigars, and  the more traditional briar pipes and a few metal/plastic pipes, in which I am not a fan. At the end you'll see a 1980s ferrari. Then afterwards an adequately sized smoking lounge, then you'll be back in the section of the suitcase but the case area will be greeted with old fashioned shaving supplies, such as strops, straight razors, brushes, shaving mugs, and safety razors.

While the pipe collection is okay, the cigar and the tobacco selection is good. I wouldn't call this a great tobacconist due to the fact that two thirds of entire store sells suitcases and briefcases. But it's still a store worth visiting.

With that I'll puff you later.

The 3rd Tobacco Endeavor: part 4 a quick update

Well goodbye you unholy summer and hello fall. With that I need to start really thinking about buying LEDs, for the fast approaching weather were about to recieve is cooler than the Ice Queen herself, but I digress. I also want apologize if I haven't been updating as religiously as I should be. But let me catch up first of.

I still have eight plants (trumpet sounds). But I expect to lose two to three plants. The reason is two of them is have been smothered to death. and the other one is too damaged, I think to fully recover. But by some miracle, which I am hopeful for all eight will survive to harvest time. But even if one does survives I'll take it as a success.


Well until next time I'll puff you later.

the 3rd Tobacco Endeavor: part 3

Well a lot of time has passed since my last update. For instance I'm down from nine to eight, but I am still good. But and that is a big BUT, I am worried if I don't transplant soon and if not later today. Then my crop will be stunted and I won't be able to get a good harvest. Also my leaves are being eaten by some unknown pest, which now has claimed two leaves. Now I am all for survival of the fittest but come on!

As I don't want to be down by seven plants so latter today I am going to buy a couple of LED light bulbs so that I'll have 24 hour light coverage, while at the same time saving money on energy and the help with the environment. Also eight individual clay pots, with that I can devote more time to finding out who is responsible for eating my tobacco leaves.


So with that, this is the Pipesmoking Piper and I'll puff you later.

The 3rd Tobacco endeavor, part 2.

Well since my last update I have informed anyone who is reading this blog. That I have attempted a third try to grow my own baccy.

Since then I found out that I am growing nine plants and to prevent them from killing each other by competing for their roots. I transplanted them to their own individual pots so they grow into the tall plants that they're supposed to be.

Now I am not out the woods yet. The plants may just die and I'd be screwed all together. However the time to worry about that shouldn't over take me right now. Right now I need to worry as how the hell I am going to cure and ferment the harvest. Because time will fly.


So with that I'll puff you later.