The London Lounge

Do we have any pipe smoker in the club? I admit to being a pretty passionate collector and smoker of English and Italian pipes. We are stuck with these two countries for artisanale products are we not?

The tobacco I enjoy smoking comes from 200 year old english firms who make natural, hand made, no chemical additives allowed tobaccos. Have you heard of Gawith & Hoggarth or Samuel Gawith? These are two English lake country tobacco blenders who offer some superb products.

Let me hear from the pipe smokers here?

I haven't smoked a pipe in years - doesn't agree with the ladies of the house - but I have a meerschaum pipe from Turkey. I bought it at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul a few years ago. Apparentlly Turkey is the only place in the world where meerschaum is mined, giving them a leg up on obtaining the material for carving. At least that is what I have heard.

Someday when the kids are a little older, I'll set up my Men's Lair in the basement, for pursuing activities such as pipe smoking.

/Andrew

I am an avid occasional pipe smoker. I enjoy English and Italian pipes, currently rotating between a sturdy Comoy and a sleek Savinelli. Does anyone know of quality sources for organic pipe tobacco on the interweb? I normally buy from a blendatorium in Toronto, but am open to new sources.

Sherman,

Nice to see you made it to the club. Welcome.

Synjeco, in Switzerland , has an informative resume on the pipe tobaccos we like to smoke. You can click on Gawith & Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith to get reviews of their products. Both use 200 year old formulas and techniques in the making of their tobaccos. Especially good are the Virginia flakes.

http://www.pipesandtobaccos.com/pipesan ... ccoall.htm

You can also go to their websites:

http://www.gawithhoggarth.co.uk/
www.samuelgawith.co.uk

These tobaccos are available in the US and Canada from a variety of sources:

http://knoxcigar.com/pipetobacco-gawith---hoggarth.html
http://www.tobaccodirect.com/
http://www.iwanries.com/
http://www.marscigars.com/
http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=pipes

Cheers

Mr. Alden and Distinguished Members;
Very pleased to see the new forums added to the site. A nice touch! I would suggest a whiskey forum as well as there are always new opinions about a single malt to share!

I was lucky enough to "inherit" my father-in-laws pipe collection. There are some distiunguished pipes among them, although few "fit" my face -- he has a larger head and wonderful white goatee and moustache.

Still, I enjoy a pipeful of Old Virginia Flake on occaision. In Richmond, VA it is easy to find quality tobaccos. I buy mine from the jar in the local Tobacco Barn. Even sent a pound over to my brother-in-law during the recent action in the Middle East. The tobacco was much appreciated and sought after by those in the know in his platoon. He favours a "bulldog" model pipe, perfect for a Marine.

My preferred model of pipe is a straight rhodesian, apple or pot. But with my hornrim glasses and dark hair, I tend to look like Dennis the Menace's father when smoking.

Regards,
CCox

I've settled into rotating between Dunhill's chief Latakia blends: 965, Oriental Mixture and Nightcap, all of which are very pleasant of their type and readily available.

Max

If you like English blends like 965, take a look at those made by Hans Schurch from Switzerland:

http://www.pipesandtobaccos.com/pipesan ... ccoall.htm

The Onyx, Mogano and Torina are excellent.

Cheers

If you ask for Whisky forum, then I will ask for an Armagnac forum!

I have inherited a small collection of pipes from my grandfather. Never used them, but I have to decide to make the big leap one day!

I was a pipe smoker in the days of my youth and resumed about 15 years ago, needing to sooth my soul after a terrifying second marriage that endured for about 8 1/2 months. I have somewhere between 40 and 50 pipes, most of the acquired within a couple of years after I resumed smoking. I had the good fortune to be counseled by pipe maven Rick Hacker, who is an old friend.

Except for some ornately carved meerschaums--gifts of my dear friend Greg Kramer, whose name may be familiar to some on this forum--none of my pipes are too fancy, no Dunhill firsts or anything like that. I have briar pipes from quite a few makers, mostly English and Italian: Wilmer, Tilshead, Ben Wade, Comoy, GBD, Charatan, Ascorti, Cesare, Nording, just to name some I can recall offhand.

I am a very occasional smoker. I use a "cherry" blend from the nearest tobacconist, a Coptic Christian from Egypt who made his way to my haunts in Long Beach.

Yes, I too smoke a pipe, and started in college; I'm now in my late 50s.

I smoke only flakes, and usually the lakeland tobaccos. My two current favorites are Sam Gawith's "Sam's Flake" a delicious Virginia and Oriental (sans Latakia) flake; and G&H's Rum Flake, a dark, stoved virginia with a rum/maple topping.

I'm pleased to mee all of you!

An occassional pipe smoker here, but with the change in seasons coming about, there is just something right about getting reacquainted with an old friend and lighting up a pipe in the crisp Fall. Pipe smoking is indeed soothing and I too reach for a pipe when I am need of cousel, solace or simply relaxation; things just seem better after a smoke.

Today smoking a sea foam Castello and Dunhill 965.

Uppercase,

English blends like 965 are wonderful. You should try a few of the flakes, curly cuts and plugs available from the Lake country traditional pipe tobacco makers referenced above: Gawith & Hoggarth, and Samuel Gawith. Sonam has listed a few that are excellent. Flake smoking requires a bit of skill preparing the tobacco and the ability to smoke dry and slow. The reward is a wonderful palette of tastes to choose from.

Sound advice, I am sure.

Alas, will have to wait until I get to the tobacconists in London for a proper selection!

Do avoid buying these tobaccos in the UK with its massive taxes. Instead buy via the internet through Synjeco

http://www.pipesandtobaccos.com/pipesan ... ccoall.htm

Ask for Daniel Schneider who will be able to give you advice and expedite your choice of tobacco via the post.

Thanks for that excellent reference site!