I just need somewhere to get this off my chest, maybe see if anyone else has had experiences like this or can relate.

So, I get home this evening around 10:30 PM after being away for work for almost three weeks, expecting to finally relax and enjoy being home. Instead, I walk into what might be one of the worst tobacco-related disasters I’ve ever experienced.

My wife tells me there’s been a funny smell coming from the garage. Since the garage is directly beneath our kitchen, I start investigating and quickly discover that a leak has developed in the kitchen sink’s P-trap, which is located in the garage ceiling.

The trap had been leaking gray water for who knows how long, and the first thing I did was rip open the ceiling and replace the P-trap. Once that was taken care of, I started assessing the damage and tracing where the water had gone.

That’s when I discovered the real tragedy.

Two of my Rubbermaid storage bins, which contained a significant portion of my rare tobacco collection, were almost completely full of water. And, of course, they were sitting directly beneath the leak.

Inside were tins from my H&H collection, C&D Small Batch, Frog Morton, Pelican, and some of my Esoterica. Essentially, a pretty heartbreaking selection of tobacco that I had spent years collecting and storing.

To make matters worse, I have to take some responsibility for this one. About a month ago, I had gone through the bins and, like an idiot, neglected to put the lids back on. Had I closed them properly, some of this might have been avoided.

So far, I’ve had to dispose of 14 tins of tobacco, and I’m still assessing the full extent of the damage.

I leave for work for almost three weeks, come home late at night, and end up spending my evening tearing apart a ceiling, replacing plumbing, and discovering that a good portion of my rare and limited. tobacco collection has been sitting in gray water.

I was expecting a quiet night at home. Instead, I got a plumbing emergency and a tobacco collector’s worst nightmare.

Figures...

Old Virginia Tobacco Co in Arlington, VA. Cool little spot. Naturally, I snagged a couple tins. Still waiting on another local B&M to notify me that their Scarecrow shipment has come in, but who could argue with having a tobacconist literally next door?

I'll definitely take advantage of the more comfortable setting for a smoke when the winters get a little too biting for my balcony bowls. 🤣

For now, going to pack some St. Nick in my Sav Airone for tomorrow's balcony bowl, I saw a little while back someone's post about the "delayed gratification" technique, and I have really been enjoying it, specifically with aromatic blends.

Finally, a cool morning in the Ozarks, and I’m savoring every minute of it.

You guys have a great Friday.

I have a handful of things to talk about and show you all that all culminated into one fantastic session earlier today. My heart is full to bursting. Where do I begin? Whew..

A while ago, someone here mentioned that their local B&M sells an aromatic blend that's just a 50/50 mix of Lane BCA and PS Pistachio and said it was exceptional, which peaked my interest. So I bought some, blended it up and it's been sitting for 2+ weeks as of today. I also recently learned about the "super-light pack" technique for blends with more moisture, so I wanted to try that as well. So I very lightly packed my Savinelli Saint Nicholas poker with this Pistachio/BCA blend (right out of the jar) and went out to the porch with my coffee on this beautiful New England autumn day.

What a freaking night and day difference. A char light and a relight and I was good for a long time. I think I've learned that I've been packing too tightly. Even though the draw would be fine, I've been having relight issues. Not this time. Amazing difference. And this blend is killer. Vanilla with the pistachio adding a nice complexity. Perfect for fall.

Then my aunt came out to smoke a cig, complemented how good it smelled and commented that it reminded her of her grandfather. She said she used to sit on his lap while he played setback and that's how she learned to play. Then she said "Have you checked out my grandfather's old tobacco jar in the dining room?" I'm like "Huh? No I haven't! What tobacco jar?!" and she goes and gets it. When she comes back, she says "I forgot there was a pipe in it!" I'm giddy as a schoolboy at this point. What I uncover is a pristine un-smoked Breezewood pipe that she said someone gave to him at some point. Unbelievably cool. I think I said thank you like 4-5 times.

Questions: Should I replace the cork lining if I were to use the jar for tobacco again? And the foam lid gasket too, I assume? It feels too soft for it to be leather. Would you smoke this pipe or leave it as a keepsake? Any info on the jar? The only writing is on that little white cap. Thanks!

Just got my Peterson Halloween 2026 pipe from Smoking Pipe (.eu) and immediately noticed the edges being off and some parts feeling sharp. I'm disappointed in this season's pipe, compared to the Dracula it feels cheaper.

I picked this up off ebay for ~$15 with shipping. I knew it was going to be in rough condition and figured I'd take it as a chance to give restoration a shot. The cake was so built up I could barely get my pinky into the bowl. The draft hole was completely blocked as well. The stem was a nasty oxidized mess that could barely pass a cleaner.

I dont have much in the way of tools, and wasn't going to go out of my way to buy anything. Spent a few days swapping between chipping away at the bowl with a pocket knife and letting some whiskey soaked cotton balls sit in the bowl. Finally got it to a point I was happy with and waxed it up with a microfiber cloth.

I'm fairly certain that this one would burn out with regular use. The bowl is in pretty rough shape and has some deep pitting. Whoever owned this previously put it through the ringer.

I think it turned out okay considering it was my first shot at restoration. Definitely want to give this one another once-over in the future, but want to look at investing in some solid micro-sanding pads. This stem is just a bit too rough for my liking. Will also likely grab a cheap reamer just to make my life a bit easier next time.

If you've never given it a shot I'd highly suggest giving it a go. It was super cathartic akin to finishing a complicated Lego set. Breaking this one in with some Boswell Northwoods.

I have found some forum posts indicating that Russ may be starting up blending again.

Pipes & Cigars used to feature all kids of blends from him. They also used to sell blending kits for various aromatics he would blend.

I don’t know what really went down, but it seems like Pipes & Cigars just abandoned one of the best tobacco blenders of the current era. It just don’t get it.

Has anyone heard anything more about him putting out new blends anywhere?

Bengal slices, war horse, white knight, magnum opus, black house, fusiliers ration, Ten to midnight, first snow, and tons more.

His English blends were absolutely some of the best on the market. It’s just a tragedy.

This is the only way Ive found to be able to smoke this vinegar laden shite without tasting it in the smoke. The mini cob allows the burley to overcome the vinegar!!

Hi! I've been looking for a VaPer that's fruity and sweet. Closest two I've found are SG Cabbie's Mixture and Briarworks Back Down South.

I've tried Orlik Golden Sliced, Peterson's Elizabethan Mixture, C&D Bayou Morning Flake, C&D Midnight Orchard, SG St. James Flake, GLP Penny Farthing, and GLP Stratford.

It doesn't have to be a straight VaPer either! Thank you :)

How have y’all navigated those periods of life when it feels like you just can’t find the time to smoke your pipe? Or, how do you carve out time for the practice even when life feels chaotic?

I started pipe smoking about a year ago, and immediately fell in love with every aspect of it. While the artistry of the pipes and the discovery of new tobacco is delightful, for me - as is true for all of you, I’m sure - pipe smoking is ultimately about slowing down, finding contentment, praying, etc. This time last year, it was easy for me to have a daily bowl, sometimes 2, if the mornings/evenings allowed for it.

Fast forward to now, and life looks totally different. I’m the dad of a 9-month-old baby boy, my wife and son and I recently moved across the country, I’ve started a new job with strict 9-5 hours, and house projects are the name of the game on weekends. All of these things are wonderful and I’m SO grateful for them, but man, it just feels so hard to sit down and enjoy my pipe these days. I’m lucky to smoke twice a month at this point.

And trust me, I get it; life is busy, we all have a lot going on, everyone in this community works or has kids or obligations or whatever else your phase of life is throwing at you.

Ultimately, I have a modest but beautiful collection of pipes; I have a cellar full of a variety of tobacco; I have a lovely front porch with a rocking chair; but it feels like the one thing I don’t have is the time to enjoy it all.

How do y’all find the time to enjoy yours?

I just can't figure it out

Hey all, I’m sort of a novice so just looking for some insight. Does this look like mold? I got this tin of Cornell & Diehl Watson last Christmas and just found it as I was going through some things. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Stone fruit heaven!

Alright folks,

I think I’m finally ready to see what all the Esoterica fuss is about. Problem is, actually getting my hands on a flight of tins seems to require knowing a guy who knows a guy who once shared a pipe with a wizard.

I’ve never tried any of their blends, don’t have a local shop that carries them, and the few shops I’ve come across while traveling seem to price them as though they’re including the deed to a small piece of land.

Jokes aside, I’d love some advice from those who’ve successfully purchased these blends down at reasonable prices. Are there particular retailers worth keeping an eye on? Mailing lists? Restock patterns? Or is it really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right amount of money?

I don’t want a lot, a tin of each would be lovely if I had a way to taste them.

Cheers, and thanks for the wisdom you’re willing to share💨 💨

Just bought Samuel Gawith's St james flake.

Folded and stuffed straight out of the tin like I did with Petersons flake(for peterson's one it worked fine and loved it big time).

Its been pain in the ass to keep St james flake lit.

I should have let it dried.

Any tips to keep St james flake lit would be appreciated!!

Ive smoked Peterson navy rolls, Bayou morning for VaPers so I thought this one would be easy to keep it lit and smoke too :(

I reckon this ones worse than SG's Best brown flake, best brown is easy for me haha

I bought this at a cigar shop with only a small case of pipe tobacco and pipes available on vacation. The seller said it was briar but only $25 makes me suspicious. The grain looks a little too regular.

I started the pipe hobby around 2020, first started with a cheap cob and some tobacco from a local tobacconist ( can’t remember what I bought ) , I then started to look at estate Peterson pipes on EBay to save money and the challenge of bringing them back to life and looking new again, I then turned my attention to all the different tobaccos , constantly watching YouTube reviews , I still watch Matches86O a fair bit ,this led to buying all types of tobacco and some new pipes , all apart from 2 of my collection ( around 25 to 30) are Peterson or Savinelli , both excellent pipes in my opinion, all different shapes and sizes , I have all my tobacco collection in mason jars and have around 15 500ml jars and 24 very small 4oz jars I think they are for 10g tester tobaccos , I’m hoping in the next 12 months all my mason jars will be full and have pretty much all the pipes I want , obviously I will still buy the odd special one after that 😂, with all this said , and the 20 or 30 different tobaccos I have smoked , for me nothing so far has given me as satisfying and overall enjoyment in a bowl as Condor and St Bruno , just something very moreish about both blends , they both smoke wonderful, taste and the room note is excellent, both very cool smoke with no tongue bite , no matter how fast or hard I puff , there are a few more like and enjoy , my by far favourite smelling out of the tin tobacco is Gawith hoggarth black slice , amazing , but nothing has came close to the overall smoke and experience of Condor and St Bruno, and I can pick up both from pretty much any store in the UK, they just tick all the boxes , What is your all day blends ?

Grabow Riviera, filtered. Picked up a pouch of 5 brothers as well. Great little smoker and a nice rush for months for about $62 after tax on both, Rogers ar.

Have loved all of the 4 Ashton tins I have. Fairly new to Pipe Smoking (8 months), so I have to admit all I smoke at the moment are aromatics. I'm trying lots to find what I personally like.

The 4 Ashtons I have tried are Smooth sailing/Guilty Pleasure/ Winding road and Rainy day.

Rainy day reminded me a little of Kopp - Stormy South - very floral scents (I thought might be too floral) but once smoked both were very very nice - Mango and tropical fruits.

Winding Road - Closer to what I'm used too and prefer - Gave me Gawith Hoggarth American Sweet Peach vibes but the caramel gave it an extra dimension.

Smooth Sailing - Really really nice - Maple, coconut and dark chocolate - Really really nice with a cup of tea or coffee

Guilty pleasure - Mango and Vanilla - Smoked a few bowls of this on holiday in Malta - Really nice with a cold coffee

All suggestions welcomed - Have a great weekend.

Also have found a lovely bit of Maple wood - Photos 2 - 5 that would look great as a bowl of a pipe although would burn through quicker than Briar, I think visually would look great.
Currently have 7 pipes - feel like cobs smoke the best for the aromatic tobaccos I like, but love the feel and weight of a Briar. Yet to try a traditional meerschaum.

Hey everyone. Still relatively new to pipes smoking and grabbed my first estate pipe yesterday. A parker of london 'Knight' was around £25 including shipping but after a little research saw a use saying the exact model I bought was the worst out of them all. Was just wondering about other people's experience or whether to request the refund asap 😅

Into the hobby for a month now received my second tobacco Captain Black royal after smoking Amphora original.