Tobacco Talk

Classic OTC Blends: Five Brothers First Impressions

September 16, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

12 Comments

When someone decides to take up pipe smoking, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which blends to try first and find what mixtures or tobacco varietals are the most palate pleasing. There are several blends many experienced pipe smokers swear by and those mixtures have endured for decades, primarily ones ... Read More

A Closer Look At Latakia Tobacco

September 4, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

35 Comments

Latakia, like Cavendish, is the result of a process; there is no tobacco plant that grows Latakia leaves. And Latakia production, like that of Perique, is a tiny industry; its annual yield of about 60,000 pounds is vanishingly insignificant when compared to overall global tobacco manufacturing, which is focused on cigarettes. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. Two

September 3, 2020 by Shane Ireland

1 Comment

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes, a video review series all about discovering (or rediscovering) some of the best pipe tobacco blends on the market. Continuing my journey through Chacom's tobacco portfolio, today I'm taking a closer look at one the brand's more recent additions ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: August 2020

August 27, 2020 by Andrew Wike

2 Comments

Welcome back to the Mystery Tobacco Review, the wackiest pipe-smoking reality game show on the interwebs! For this month's episode, Truett Smith served as our Inquisitor, selecting one blend for the us to blind review. Unfortunately, we were at a slight disadvantage this time around (even more so than usual) ... Read More

Cellaring Tobacco and Factors that Influence the Aging Process

August 21, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

25 Comments

Acquiring tobacco and letting it age for years is one of the most rewarding aspects of pipe smoking, granting us the opportunity to appreciate how the flavor profile of our favorite blends can change or improve with time. Often referred to as "cellaring," purchasing tobacco with the intent to let it age is a somewhat newer ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream

August 13, 2020 by Shane Ireland

7 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. For this installment, I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone and revisiting Aromatic blends, starting with Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream. I've long overlooked Aromatic mixtures in favor of Virginia/Perique or pure Virginia tobaccos, but I've recently realized ... Read More

A Closer Look At Aromatic Pipe Tobacco

August 7, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

36 Comments

Until recently, I had little interest in aromatic tobaccos. I considered aromatics to be a category of tobacco best left to newcomers, remembering how I had insisted on smoking them exclusively when I first started pipe smoking. I had wanted the most impressive-smelling tobacco possible and had terrible experiences with aromatics in those days. ... Read More

The Air Pocket Packing Method

August 5, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

16 Comments

Packing a bowl is not only a necessary part of pipe smoking; it affords us the opportunity to experiment with alternative methods based on our pipe's dimensions, the style or cut of blend we plan on enjoying, and the environment in which we will be smoking the mixture. ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: July 2020

July 29, 2020 by Andrew Wike

3 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of the Mystery Tobacco Review, the friendly game of "Guess Who" that leaves even our most experienced pipe smokers questioning their skills (and life choices). This month, we decided to shake things up and have our Cigar Specialist Tim Vanderpool select one pipe tobacco for us to blind review. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. One

July 2, 2020 by Shane Ireland