I decided to go to The Hill Cigars last night and pick up a couple of ounces of some bulk aromatic. I'm more sold out to the English side right now, but once in a while, you want something lighter (and maybe to distract my son away from my good stuff, lol.)
So I ended up getting two ounces of Engine 99 (I know, that's not an aromatic, but whatever...) and while the lady was measuring it out, one of the other staff chatted me up about their Pipe Club. Since I don't live in the area, it would be hard to make a membership worthwhile so I politely declined. Then he asked me to come upstairs with him; kind of like a dungeon, only on top. Turns out they keep all their Pipe Club 'stash' there, and he let me pick out a tobacco to stuff my pipe with and have a smoke - only condition was that I do a Google review (which I did). I picked a jar labelled "McClelland 2000".
I had never had anything McClelland, as when I got into pipes the online forums already had a few years' worth of mourning over the loss of that company, so it was all legend to me. I do not know what blend it was. It resembled tiny chopped up sticks carved off the side of a railroad tie, if that helps. I tried to rub it out a bit standing at the counter, but had a hard time of it standing there with no bowl to catch the crumbs. Managed to fill my Pete, paid for the Engine 99 and went outside to the chairs to smoke the McClelland.
It was a bit hard to light, which surprised me, being tobacco that was 24 years old, but I guess the mason jar did its work. I ended up staying way longer than I wanted to, as the thing wouldn't quit. I was sure I had kept it going for close to an hour - the longest smoke of my career. I'm sure you are wondering what variety this was, as do I, but my palate is still very untrained. I'm still kind of at the "dis good / dis ungood" stage. All I can tell you is that it was not an aromatic. It was also very mild; I don't think I could have coaxed a tongue bite out of it if I tried. Even after the hour-long smoke, when I cleaned out the bowl there was still unsmoked tobacco at the bottom, and the little reservoir thingy in the system pipe had no moisture to soak up, which was odd.
The smoke itself was just a very mild English experience, but it was the trip back to the hotel that was interesting. I found myself licking my lips all the way back. VERY yummy taste, even better than the smoke itself. I sure wish I knew what that stuff was. I guess if I could look at an old catalog with pictures maybe I could pick it out. Unless it's something that was broken up before storing.
So I ended up getting two ounces of Engine 99 (I know, that's not an aromatic, but whatever...) and while the lady was measuring it out, one of the other staff chatted me up about their Pipe Club. Since I don't live in the area, it would be hard to make a membership worthwhile so I politely declined. Then he asked me to come upstairs with him; kind of like a dungeon, only on top. Turns out they keep all their Pipe Club 'stash' there, and he let me pick out a tobacco to stuff my pipe with and have a smoke - only condition was that I do a Google review (which I did). I picked a jar labelled "McClelland 2000".
I had never had anything McClelland, as when I got into pipes the online forums already had a few years' worth of mourning over the loss of that company, so it was all legend to me. I do not know what blend it was. It resembled tiny chopped up sticks carved off the side of a railroad tie, if that helps. I tried to rub it out a bit standing at the counter, but had a hard time of it standing there with no bowl to catch the crumbs. Managed to fill my Pete, paid for the Engine 99 and went outside to the chairs to smoke the McClelland.
It was a bit hard to light, which surprised me, being tobacco that was 24 years old, but I guess the mason jar did its work. I ended up staying way longer than I wanted to, as the thing wouldn't quit. I was sure I had kept it going for close to an hour - the longest smoke of my career. I'm sure you are wondering what variety this was, as do I, but my palate is still very untrained. I'm still kind of at the "dis good / dis ungood" stage. All I can tell you is that it was not an aromatic. It was also very mild; I don't think I could have coaxed a tongue bite out of it if I tried. Even after the hour-long smoke, when I cleaned out the bowl there was still unsmoked tobacco at the bottom, and the little reservoir thingy in the system pipe had no moisture to soak up, which was odd.
The smoke itself was just a very mild English experience, but it was the trip back to the hotel that was interesting. I found myself licking my lips all the way back. VERY yummy taste, even better than the smoke itself. I sure wish I knew what that stuff was. I guess if I could look at an old catalog with pictures maybe I could pick it out. Unless it's something that was broken up before storing.
