What Am I Smoking?

Wow, I had this whole slew of posts, one after the other, and then ... nothing. Blame work. Blame home. Blame SOMETHING other than me. I'm still smoking my pipes, don't worry about that. I haven't been up to the shop in Chambersburg since the last time, mostly due to time and money. I've ordered some pipe weed in the meantime, though. I even tried some tobacco from a non-Boswell tobacconist -- but don't call me a traitor just yet.

There's a site online called Tobacco Reviews dot com. Now, it's not a bad site, but the reviews are mostly done by individuals. Taste, as everyone knows, is subjective. Some of the guys who write reviews there aren't exactly what I'd consider my peers, either intellectually or socially. Which isn't a put-down, mind you; the idea that I don't have to agree with you (nor you with me) is one of the things that makes this country great.

And if you believe that, I've got a plot of land in the Ozarks to sell you.

LJ Peretti Company is one of the oldest tobacconists in the USA, established in 1870. They're up in Massachusetts. Lots of folks have lots of good things to say about their blends, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them out. In the process, I learned two things: one, I'm not really a huge fan of Burleys (just yet); and two, Cavendish blends seem to take up much more space per ounce that Burleys do.

I ordered two of Peretti's Burley blends (Blend B-94 and Blend D.D) and two of their Cavendish blends (Boston's Best Cavendish and Whiskey Cavendish). The Burleys are very dry, while the Cavendish blends are about as moist as I'm used to. They all smell very similar, but then again maybe my nose is broken. Both of the Cavendish blends are pleasant; the Boston's Best is supposed to be cured with honey, while the Whiskey Cavendish is cured with Kentucky Bourbon (which is what sold me).

Now I have to say that the jury is still out on these blends. I've been smoking Boswell's blends since I started up, so I've become accustomed to the way they smoke, the way they smell and taste, etc. In my experience, sometimes it takes a few smokes with one blend or another before I really begin to appreciate them. I think this is probably the case with the Peretti blends. Time will tell.

I continue to remain curious about some of their offerings, specifically their Cuban Mixture (which is a blend of seven different tobaccos that was devised at the turn of the century [meaning 1900, I gather, rather than 2000]) and Black Virginia. The Cuban Mixture seems interesting due to the fact that it's been around a long time, and it's got some favorable reviews; the Black Virginia is something that strikes me as interesting because I'm always looking for a good vanilla-flavored blend.

I only smoke once or twice a day. Sometimes I don't smoke at all (blasphemy!), such as over this past weekend. If it's a two (or even three) bowl day, it's usually a work day and it's usually because I'm busy or because I need to get things worked out in my head. Today was like that, actually.

Not sure if I'm mentioned it before, but my typical method is to fill my tobacco pouch with a specific blend on Sunday evening and then I'll smoke that blend all week long. This week, for instance, it's filled with Boswell's Sweet Dreams, a nice aromatic with sweet, fruity undertones. Last week, it was filled with Boswell's Autumn Blend, which really grew on me. I got a very mellow caramel flavor out of it, but my friends at work were asking me if it was some kind of chocolate blend. Go figure. The new pouch doesn't seem to keep the moisture in quite like the old one, so the blend did seem to get drier as the week progressed -- which, surprisingly, didn't detract from it at all.

This method works for me because it lets me fully appreciate a blend over the course of a week, especially since I do the majority of my smoking after lunch or in the afternoons when I'm at work. I suppose I'll load up my pouch with one of those Peretti blends next week and see what shakes loose.

On a completely unrelated tangent, I went out to think after lunch today with my pipe and a bowl of Sweet Dreams. A fellow I'd never spoken to before (who was having a cigarette) asked me if I'd ever smoked cigarettes before, to which I answered in the positive. He asked me what the attraction was to smoking the pipe, as opposed to cigarettes, and I had to give it some thought before I answered.

Basically, pipe smoking has less of the "instant gratification" of smoking a cigarette. When you take a drag on a cigarette, you're inhaling your nicotine. It's going straight into the bloodstream, right for the brain (and the rest of the body). It's like smacking yourself in the forehead with the palm of your hand in a way. Even then, there's a certain tolerance that comes with use. The last cigarette of the day will never pack quite the same wallop as the first. Plus, it's a stinky habit that's (IMO) worse for you than pipe smoking.

With the pipe, though, it's a full sensory experience. There's the look and feel of the pipe in your hand (which warms up as you smoke, a blessing in the 25 degree weather we've been having lately); the smell and flavor of the tobacco. It's not a "quick high," by any means, which means you have to enjoy it for its own sake, rather than enjoy it for the high you get. Merely concentrating on packing, lighting, and smoking is relaxing in and of itself. Meditative, even. That's not to say that there isn't a high involved with smoking a pipe; there is. It's just a lot more subdued, relaxing, and it seems to last longer.

So maybe folks who smoke cigarettes aren't going to see smoking a pipe as a satisfying alternative to their current habit. I think that's probably why I like it so much, actually.