Needed Some Pipe Mud

[da'rum]

I have a pipe that I restored and it has a bowl that after many years of abuse has a depth deeper than the draw hole. This is not a major problem but in a perfectionists eye the draw hole should be even with the bottom of the bowl.

To fix this a remedy is pipe mud. Pipe mud is ash mixed with water and as a paste/putty put into the bottom of the bowl and left to dry so it goes hard. It doesn't impart flavour and doesn't leave any toxic residue that wood putty would.

The best ash is Cigar ash so.......... today I had a few hours reprieve from duty and managed to get to a local tobacconists which has a decent walk in humidor and ok cigar selection. I didn't want to blow too much cash but wanted a decent smoke nonetheless.

I've been long convinced that Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars are often better than Cubans so went for a AVO Heritage Short Robusto.

My favourite Cigar of all time is Don Pepin My Fathers Petit Robusto but I must say this AVO Robusto today was an absolute treat.

http://www.cigarworld.de/zigarren/domin ... 9947_22055

Mild pepper at light up a slight crooked start but with a bit of care got it on the straight and narrow again. After the first 5 mm this cigar came to life! Spicy on nasal exhale with deep sweet cocao, nut and coffee notes. These notes stayed true and intensified for most of the cigar before I had to give it up at about 2-3 cm from nub.

I WILL be going back for another one of these.

My best cigar moment was smoking an average Cuban cigar on a roof top in Barcelona in summer heat with a nice rum (which I still can't remember what it was) but today on a mild Northern European day with the sun shining and a cold black Störtebeker (sorry bearmark I like my beer cold no matter what the beer nerds say) I think that Barcelonean day has been equalled in enjoyment.

Cheers




PS I've cut the nub up into pipe ready tobacco and will be trying that in a pipe after I give it a bit of air time.

Pss; Tried it. Yuck. Harsh and bitey. No real flavour and not enjoyable.

[da'rum]

The man himself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAiR_IlzA9c

[Capn Jimbo]

Several nice posts, thanks. An interesting man...


I hope his next cigar is not the "Morendo" or the "Double Bar". Nor yours or mine...

[Capn Jimbo]

BTW...


...interesting about your trial as a pipe tobacco. It doesn't quite make sense, does it? You'd think if it were enjoyable as a cigar, that'd be true in a pipe - after all one would think smoke is smoke. But for some reason, not so.

Any theories?


Avo Uvezian

Avo Uvezian is a lovely older man. Unlike the spokeman for Dos Equis and the Count, Avo is the real deal. He reminds me of Grandfather Rodriguez of Rodriguez Cigar Factory in Key West.

This tiny little shop was run for perhaps 40 years by this wonderful man, his wife, sons and daughters and now grandchildren. You'd step up to the counter in full view of just a few rolling stations. Mr. Rodriguez was a gentle and humble man, but he'd answer any question in as much detail as his broken English could muster. I have a great picture of us side by side. Sadly, this gentleman died last year.

These are the artists of the tobacco world, who love what they do and who take great care and pride. A dram to them both!

Oh - did you even try the Classic of which he spoke?

[da'rum]

I hope he is around for a while yet as well.

I remember a long while back I tried an avo that was very mild and didn't excite me, that cigar may have been the classic. I'm not sure though.

I have several theories about the unpleasant result of my 'cigar rest in a pipe trial'. Packing, cut, moisture but I think the major failure was that it was the cigar nub that had gone stale after I let it go out and then cut it up and air. I think the tobacco gad just built up too much acidity or alkalinity. It would be interesting to try with a fresh cigar but I am not going to do that. There's pipe tobacco and cigars let's keep their worlds separate. however because I am such a tight arse I may try smoke the cigar to oblivion by sticking the lit nub in my cob pipe next time.

Cheers