Monday and the Smoking lamp is lighted

I have Balkan Sobranie in a full bent Pete billard of the Sherlock Holmes persuasion. I also have the beginnings of tick bite fever - not too big a deal in Africa, thank goodness. The previous weekend's venture into the bush was not parasite free. An antibiotic helps - I'll get one tomorrow. In the interim, I'll wade through the jello of lassitude while firing up a few painkillers. I'll also just smoke the bugs out. Bloody cheek.

After I dropped the daughter off at the airport for an early morning flight, I had a nice Vintage Virginia smoke in my no-name apple pipe.

Dadof8

Starting the day off with Captain Bob's Blend with a drop of flavor added, a strong cup of coffee and a couple pipes in the briefcase for the day ahead.

Muddler, I hope you get started on that antibiotic today. I hear that ticks are allergic to heavy aromatics... ok, now you know what you must do!

we have Pegasus in a Butz-Choquin Brumaire. Alternate tobaccos today are Old Joe,RG, and Edgeworth RR.
Summer is back in Connecticut after a cool day yesterday.

I have gotten three sample bags containing ropes from Sam Gawith. Needless to say, this is what I will smoke today.

Starting with Brown Pigtail. Lovely stuff

I will review them later on, in a separate thread.

I am on a McB kick this A.M. Started out with Virginia #1 and some strong French roast. My second bowl on the way in, was Scotish Mix in a B.C prince. I think I'll bring some plum Cake to work today. Really enjoying McB as of late. I do have to be in the mood for it.
Regards,
Dave

Now see what you get for messing around with all those spoors! That'll teach ya. Ha! (hope you feel better soon)

Henrik, have you seen all the reviews on tobaccoreviews.com ... every one metions strong to overwhelming nic content ... what the heck are you trying to do to me pal! I'm a freekin' nic whimp. I know, its a plot ... you and ckr are in cahoots to knock me off so you can divvy up my pipes and baccy. Its a plot I tells ya!

Next pipe up in the rotation is a Full Bent Mastro de Paja Egg. Magnificent smoker boys. This is the only Mastro I've ever owned - can anyone comment on how the brand is on whole? If they're all like this one its one heck of a line.

Anyway ... I'm going to fill it with Sam Gawith's Full VA Flake and go work on the model. Nice relaxing night - just what the Dr. ordered.

Dinner at chinese restaurant.
Afterdinner at a pub with 2 double whisky and 3 bowls of Schurch Torina in 4103 shell.
This is my personal tribute to olympic games.
Wood medal, no, black sandblast briar medal.
:)

At the pub across the street. However, it is raining outside and there is no smoking inside. I guess the beer will have to do until I get home to a pipe. There are a lot worse ways to suffer without a smoke.

Yes I saw the reviews, and I was very much suprised on how they differed from my sample.

not the first time I wonder what is going on at that site... feels a bit like it is so highly hyped when it comes to the nicotine content that no one begs to differ.

from the ropes I have tested, 5 of them, the brown pigtail is the weakest when it comes to nicotine. I would not recommend the strongest to you man.

and what would I do with a Dunnie ?

do you have any stanwells ? :)

with Old Joe Krantz. This is a neat relic which smokes great but has a bad habit of giving me a mouthful of "juice" near bowls end. Oh well, it's all part of the experience!

In my opinion Mastro pipes are better than many small Italian artisans (good tradition), but, the real good Mastro pipes are those produced in the eighties (1980-1995).
Today you must spend a lot of money to get a good Mastro pipe, perhaps too much money.
In "3A" pipes (not so expensive, medium quality) normally you can find fills and young briar. Economically, Mastro sales are not going well, you can observe that Mastro now produces humidor and anything wood stuff to continue brand.
In Italy there are many people (old pipesmokers) who love the Mastro-taste: I see they love first Mastro pipes (very beautiful sandblast fot example) and not the standard current production. Second line (cheap) of Mastro is named: Montini (like admin surname).
In Italy you pay 80 euro for a Montini pipe.... mmmmmmmm........ maybe, with 80 euro, a basic Savinelli Punto Oro is better..

this year Mastro started a "promotional festival" in Pesaro:
http://www.festivalp...
http://www.madeinita...

Received one each copious sample tobaccos today from a friend in the City of Brotherly Love. Am currently burning cavendish cut burley. Most of the days earlier smokes were HB but I did throw in a couple some ERRd for good measure.

when enjoying some tobacco, earlier it was Three Friars in a not so newly blasted old basket billiard and now I am loading up a bowl of 2015 in a twin-bore billiard. Holy Shades of Henrik, both perique laden blends. Please don't this minor lapse of judgment tarnish my hard earned reputation. I did it without any thought, OMG that is worse. I better quit while the quitting is good.

whatever I did this time... it must have been good

and I celebrated it by smoking a bowl of Epiphany in an AND meer. Hope everyone had a great start to the week.

Smokey

Golden sliced in a Stanwell 2008 POY. Homebrew on the side.

Chris.

While not as authoritative as Mr Ramon, I have a good few of these pipes (9 or 10 plus 2 on the way). I rate them highly. Every one has smoked well. The finish & fit has been very good. Which I guess is why I've been accumulating them. Clearly they are not Radices or Castellos, but they are well made, upper-middle class Italian pipes with the design flair so unique to Pesaro. The top grades are really good pipes. Not quite Ser Jacopo's perhaps, depending on the grade. My 2c.