A Better Pipe Smoking Community

Today I tried the first of my three holiday gift blends from the MPC contest... "Fillmore", by G.L. Pease.

I have never smoked a sliced tobacco before, and so had a little fun with trying to figure out the best way to load the bowl. I was using my Kaywoodie, as it seemed ready for the task. In the end, I just crumbled it up and packed it on in there, and it seemed to work out just fine.

The smoke itself was a relaxing one - having spent most of the last two days shoveling snow and this afternoon doing last minute holiday stuff, I was ready for a nice quiet pipe with a little Humphrey Bogart on the side.

I was surprised to find that there was no tongue bite, no bitterness to this "big boy tobacco"... I suppose one reason I'd been sticking to the aro's was a fear of harsh flavor or bitterness on the tongue. This blend has a rummy richness to it, and yet didn't leave me with a tongue-parka after it was over.

I enjoyed this tobacco very much, and I think because the sliced tobacco is a bit thicker and chunkier, it makes a better seal around the edges of the bowl, doesn't make the draw so easy and thus cuts down on gurgle factor.

Just my opinion.

Am looking forward to the next foray, "Union Square"!