Smoking the Blockade Runner
I’ve been on a Blockade Runner tear. A few weeks ago I wrote about this blend and said it was a love it or hate it blend. I love it. Got in an 8 oz tin last month and it’s almost gone. It may have been upgraded from my B-team to a starting position in the weekly rotation. For me (not everyone) I get a pretty big Nic. hit from it. So I have to pace myself, otherwise it might even be a daily smoke for me.
Just some thoughts, not a review. But even for someone like me that shies away from Cavendish, I’m glad I tried it. The red and golden Virginias give it a great flavor and the rum rounds it out perfectly. Going to have to take the cellar deep with this next time it goes on sale.
Don’t take my opinion as an endorsement, but I recommend checking out Tobacco Reviews . Sure it makes me a little weak in the knees but so does watching Grace Kelly movies.
Can’t figure out how to link to a filtered page on Turbo Tin so I’ll just give you the link. You can search for it yourself to find the best price.
Despite being a crumble cake, it’s a bit dry. It can get hot when I smoke it too fast, which is a problem I have with this blend.
Survey
On the front page of our magazine we were putting up blend surveys to coincide with the blends Flat Cap Piper was featuring on his Popping The Tin series. But since that’s on hold, I’ll put one up for Blockade Runner. If you’ve tried this blend, hop over and fill out the survey, it only takes a minute. I’d love to hear what our readers think.
Lapsang Souchong
While I’m in sort of a reviewing state of mind, ever hear of Lapsang Souchong tea? I first heard about it on a George Bruno live show. Being a tea drinker it sounded like something I might want to try. Holy Cow, it’s smokey! I’ve never had tea like this before. The best way to describe it is that it’s like putting Boswell’s Northwoods in your teapot and steeping that.
Wine aficionados have a knack of matching wine with food, and we try to match drinks with tobacco blends. The thing with wine is you need to find one that compliments the dish which make the food taste better. Drinking something that tastes so smokey while smoking just makes everything taste like a fire pit. Too much, for sure.
It’s a good tea, but it packs a punch and cranks everything up too much. It just needs a hint of smoke to go well with a pipe. I’m thinking if you just add a pinch of it to another milder tea, like an Earl Gray, it might be perfect. The thing to do is experiment and get back to you.
More often than not Seltzer water is my accompaniment of choice. When it’s cold and it’s after 4 am, I like tea.
Most people like alcoholic drinks, but that is out of the question for me. Sorry to report. Although I don’t miss it at all.
White Elephant
Average Jon had a video about White Elephant filters he got at The Pipe Nook. Videos like this are great because it inspires people to try out new things. So often there are products that we don’t use or know about until someone sparks an interest. Then you find out they work great for you and you wonder why you never used them before. It makes us all smarter.