A Pipe for the Pops

A quick video for my youtube friends featuring the second pipe I have made. Pipes 3 and 4 are in the works so stay tuned!

Two Down and ..... Hopefully Many More to Go.

Well I just completed my second pipe and feel that it is a great improvement over the first one, this being said there is still much room for improvement but I'm picking up new techniques each time. One side of the bowl has really nice flamed grain and the other lots of tight birds-eye. This pipe has a lucite stem where as on the first one I used vulcanite. Both stems can be worked fairly easily though the vulcanite is more forgiving. There is a slight flaw in the briar near the top edge of the bowl but I felt that its was not significant enough to deal with directly. Over all I am very pleased with this one and am ready to start the next.

Vid of First Pipe I Made

It Was Bound to Happen

So after much contemplation and dreaming it has finally happened, I have finished making my first pipe. I have long considered the idea of trying to craft my own pipe, to bring it to form with only my hands and imagination. Fortunately I am no stranger to fabricating things from wood for I have a small, well equipped shop and have for a long time built furniture but never such a noble endeavor as a pipe. Well in short I finally ordered some briar and supplies and went to it. I had envisioned a small robust little nose warmer billiard sort of pipe with a fat stubby stem and that's what I set out to do. After a few hours of work I can call my first attempt done and I find myself quite pleased with the result, a small humble billiard. Tomorrow I will begin my second pipe, this one being a bent stem of some fashion which will present a whole new set of challenges. The first inaugural smoke planed for tomorrow with a bowl of Mac Barens Plum Cake. And oh yes, more briar is on the way lol!

First Meerschaum

Yes, yes I have already blogged on this pipe but here is a quick video I did about it for my youtube friends, so enjoy it once again! By the way I am about to leave work and go home to crack open my first tin of Mac Barens Plum Cake then let you all know My opinion on it. Oh and possibly review some seasonal beer offerings. Cheers!

It's In There, Somewhere

As pipe smokers we often talk about our enjoyment of pipe smoking and how it helps us to relax, to contemplate and to shake of the worries of the day. I find that I can not "enjoy" my pipe though if I come at it from a bad place, a mood that does not give itself to the "enjoyment" of the pipe. I must first come to terms with my demeanor, recognize where I am then realign my state of mind. At that time I can finally sit back, enjoy a pipe and bask in the benefits it brings with clarity soon to follow.

Weekend Score!

Just a quick video of the new loot I scored this weekend at a great little Tobacco shop in Abilene, TX. Pipe Acquisition Disorder is defiantly going around this fall! I picked up a new Chacom pipe and three tins of tobacco; Butera's Royal Vintage dark stoved, Penzance and Bob's Chocolate Flake. Good times ahead.

An Autum, Smoke and Brew

Just sitting out enjoying a rare autumn night with a classic smoke and my first attempt at home brewing, all in all it made for a delightful evening. Cheers!

Double Minded Man

Have Your opinions of a tobacco ever changed with time? You bought it, smoked it, disliked it then stuck it away to be forgotten only to rediscover it months later with a new found appreciation. I have done this myself several times over the past couple of years finding some tobaccos to blossom with age while others tank in their evolution in a jar or tin.

Its Tough Being a Patriot

Last week while bottling some home brew, my friend and brewing partner offered me some of his ill-gotten contraband! This was straight out of left field. What was I to do? But after much inner turmoil there was only one thing I could do, being a true patriot I burned it. Laid it to ruin. It took a good hour to burn but alas the object that had brought such burden to my soul lay in ashes and now my conscience is free once more. No, I'm no hero or man of particular valor but just a man doing his part. So come, bring forth your contraband and I will once again strike the matches of justice freeing your from the chains that bind you. In the words of Zefram Cochrane, "Don't try to be a great man; just be a man, and let history make its own judgments."

A Little Theology over Moonshine

Yes, yes I know that I need to get back to talking about pipes and such but just felt that I had to share a video with all of you. While doing some "research" this week I stumbled across this video and being a man of faith myself found it priceless. Enjoy lol! Oh, and its none of your business what I was "researching" that's just between me and a copper kettle.


Video courtesy of http://www.highprooffilms.com/

Life of a Slacker

Wow, I have really been slacking here lately. It seems like it has been an eternity since I’ve updated my page. Well I will do my best to remedy that by tomorrow sometime. Life has been full lately but I can’t complain for it has also been good, good but busy. My wife and I have several large remodeling projects going on at the house that have consumed a great deal of time and resources and have left little for anything else. But alas even with all the complexities of life there is no good reason to keep you who stumble across this humble site waiting anxiously for my latest rants, raves and revelations. So with that I give my most solemn word to correct this situation and return with my latest adventures in the briar life. So hold your breath, put the check in the mail, let the microwave keeps dinging and steadfastly await my update on a new pipe, the restoration of an old pipe and many new tobaccos. But tomorrow for today is beer making night and pipe club!

Smoke Stacks and Smoke Rings

Two Fathoms or Safe Water or.....

“And it was comfort in those succeeding days to sit up and contemplate the majestic panorama of mountains and valleys spread out below us and eat ham and hard boiled eggs while our spiritual natures revelled alternately in rainbows, thunderstorms, and peerless sunsets. Nothing helps scenery like ham and eggs. Ham and eggs, and after these a pipe--an old, rank, delicious pipe--ham and eggs and scenery, a "down grade," a flying coach, a fragrant pipe and a contented heart--these make happiness. It is what all the ages have struggled for”. –Mark Twain

Without a doubt one of my favorite pipe smokers would have to be Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. I don’t’ exactly recall how old I was the day my father brought home to me my first real book, but I know that I was quite young. That book was “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Now I of course had other books before that time but I would hardly consider them to be books of substance and certainly not ones that I would forever carry their very essence with me. But this book would instill within me a never ceasing sense of my connection and disconnection to the world around me. It played man at his highest and lowest moments and left me yearning for a distant life in Hannibal Missouri along that great river. These feelings came rushing over me this summer as I stood at the banks of that mighty river for the first time in my life, behind me stood a grand plantation with ghostly oaks towering overhead and the fields around it bursting forth with sugar cane and perique. Time almost stood still or in my mind even began to reverse. It would be safe to say that I definitely have a romantic fondness for the nostalgic, to look back at the people and places long gone and to find my own place in this tapestry of time. Reading Mark Twain takes me there. Now to the endorsement I set out to bring to you. If you too have a love for the life and writings of Mark Twain then let me suggest, “PBS Mark Twain; A Film by Ken Burns”. I found it to be extraordinary. And you can stream it in all its three hours of glory on Netflix.

To the One I Love

This past weekend my wife and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary. It is astounding how fast time flies when it is spent with your best friend. As an anniversary gift my wife gave me my first meerschaum pipe. The pipe is a huge glorious CAO from the Bekler collection. Now in all honesty I must admit that I have no idea of how to care for or for that matter even smoke a meerschaum so it’s off to the web to give myself a quick crash course in proper meerschaum etiquette. My wife originally set out to find a churchwarden knowing that I have been wanting one for quite some time but when none were to be found, she decided upon a meerschaum. John, the owner of the pipe shop, suggested a nice conservative lattice work billiard but the wife’s thoughts on the matter were “If going for your first meerschaum you might as well go wild and find the most eccentric one available”. And that my friend is how I came into the proud possession of a large carved meerschaum pipe in the shape of a bearded head wearing a nightcap……. Hmm nightcap, that gives me an idea!

When Middle Earth and the "Final Frontier" colide, calamity is sure to ensue!

As the title says, “When Middle Earth and the final frontier collide, calamity is sure to ensue”. Well as with most pipe smokers I have a natural love for the wonderful works of Tolkien. Now pair that with my love of the sci-fi genre and one of sci-fi’s most prestigious figures and what do you get? I’ll tell you what you get, an atrocity of epic proportions. My brother in law shared this video with me a couple of years ago and forgiveness for him is still a long way away for doing so. I used to be able to find it in a little better quality but I guess Nimoy has succeeded in destroying those copies, so with that enjoy!

Road trip loot!

Lately I have been interested in the idea of refurbishing a couple of estate pipes and I have now found my victims. On a recent road trip to McKinney, Texas my wife and I stopped at a couple of antique stores, as we often do, and upon entering my eyes where instantly drawn to an old pipe stand near the back of the store. As I stated earlier I have been interested in attempting a restoration and had been on the lookout for my first candidate. The pipe rack was stuffed full of the usual antique store fodder of burned out Kaywoodies, Dr. Grabows and Yellow Boles but hiding near the back were two old Savinellis both in excellent condition. One was a Savinelli de luxe and the other a Savinelli silver KS 920 and each marked only five dollars. Moments later we were leaving the store with the two pipes in tow. In preparation I have read numerous articles on the subject of restoring estate pipes and have been gathering the materials to do so. Now with the proverbial caution thrown firmly into the wind…. I begin my attempt of resurrecting the former glory of an old smoker, or two I should say. Oh and not to forget the children, we ventured into a vintage candy store that we stumbled across and while reminiscing over favorite sweets of childhood, I discovered the bubble pipe, the licorice pipe and the only candy cigs for a truly manly child, Machismo candy cigarettes. I will post pic of the haul below so that you can feast your eyes on the day’s treasures. Enjoy.

First pipe video and Blue Note by Dan Tobacco

I have been wanting to make a video for a while now to break into the youtube pipe community so here is my first attempt. I actually pulled it down once already after hearing my own voice lol. Anyways check it out if you can and be kind it is a first attempt as I previously noted. Oh and do mention Blue Note by Dan Tobacco so check it out.

Pipes and Pints

Summers in west Texas are not one of my favorite things in life and this particular summer has been particularly brutal. With day time temperatures reaching well over one hundred degree I find that late nights are the only time I can enjoy a pipe in an outdoor setting and even then the temps are staying in the upper nineties. To better combat the heat I have been taking this precious couple of bearable hours each evening to delve into the world of craft beers while partaking of the pipe. For quite some time now I have been exploring the world of wine and my tastes have developed a firm sense of understanding to what is suitable to my taste, usually a big full bodied red with sharp tannins and bite. My first batch of home wine came out much better than expected and my cab vines are looking great thus far this year. I should be harvesting them around mid September and will get then next fermentation started. But with all of this I must admit that I have only the slightest knowledge of the craft beer world. The reviews by Pope Crisco (http://www.intoxico.net), Joffre (http://joffrethegiant.blogspot.com) and others have done much to fuel my curiosity and send me searching to further my knowledge and taste into the finer points of life. So I will lend to you my thoughts on the last three nights of grueling investigation. Now take note that I lack the vocabulary and skill to properly address the issue at hand so my simple thumbs up or down must suffice for the time being. The tobacco of choice these last two nights has been a local blend called Dark Knight which I have spoken of before consisting of toasted black Cavendish and burley. Dark Knight was settled upon after the first night’s pairing was all but disastrous which I will mention in a moment. Now living on the desert island of west Texas the selection is probably not the greatest so I must make do with what I can find.
Monday night featured Rogue's Dead Guy Ale and some Nightcap. First off I will say that I love Nightcap and fortunately I never had the opportunity to smoke any of the original so I don’t know what I have missed but I do find the current blend to be excellent. I have tried not to read too much in the way of reviews so as to not taint my honest opinion by what others have said and take an honest approach to the task at hand. The Dead Guy Ale I found to be superb and very well to my liking. Now remember I don’t have a lot of craft beer knowledge to base my assessments on but I do know what I do and do not like in a beer. The problem I eluded to earlier, is that both the Rogue and Nightcap are stellar choices on their own, paired together it is a different matter entirely. I could not begin to explain this phenomenon but take my world they are a mix simply not meant to be. But for the Rogue Dead Guy Ale it is two thumbs up for sure.
Having learned from the previous night’s ill conceived union I settled on my go-to tobacco, Dark Knight that seems to accompany all things quite well. This night’s beer by would be Saint Arnolds Amber Ale hailing from Houston Texas. Well there isn’t much I can say about this beer for it did little to peak my interest and seemed to even to be a tad bit on the boring side to say the least. Unfortunately this has given me little desire to try the other offerings from Saint Arnolds Brewery.
And this brings us to tonight. This night chosen brew was Agave Wheat by Breckenridge Brewery in Denver Colorado (http://www.breckbrew.com/beer/agavewheat.html). It is American wheat ale brewed with a touch of agave nectar. I found it to be a touch light and a bit sweet but over all enjoyable and it went beautifully with the smoke. For a moment I was able to forget that it was ninety six degrees at midnight and I simply became lost in the moment sitting on the front porch with the pint, the pipe and stars above.

A true viking would object

Warning! Please be aware that the following content may be offensive to some readers and most certainly to connoisseurs of fine tobacco and beer! With that said, women, children and men unsecure in their manhood please leave the room for tonight I have ventured into territory from which few return with dignity intact. It is quite possible that the unrelenting Texas heat has gone to my head, clouded my thinking and withdrawn all of my remaining sanity. On this very night I have dared a most un-natural pairing of beer and tobacco that goes against all confines of nature. All of time and space stood anxiously waiting. I present to you in this corner Dark Knight, a local favorite consisting of toasted black Cavendish and burley accompanied by a Viking classic straight billiard. And in the far corner the challenger, Shiner Bock’s summer seasonal, Ruby Redbird, A fine Texas Shiner Bock beer blended with Texas valley ruby red grapefruit and ginger. Now before you all demand the surrender of my man card let me say that I usually don’t like my beer altered in any such way, especially something so seemingly criminal as grapefruit and ginger, and let alone with even the slightest hint of sweetness. But the boys in Shiner Texas are not known to easily let you down so I gave them the benefit of the doubt based on their stellar past performances. And the verdict is... I find my self surprisingly pleased! Not only was it palatable, it was enjoyable. Never before have I been able to say as much for a beer infused with such confusion. But this, this blending of summer bliss has once again reaffirmed my faith in that small South Texas brewery. This night belongs to Shiner and the Dark Knight. Oh and on another note last night also had an epic pairing, Negro Modelo and McClelland’s Frog Morton on the Bayou. Oh a dark sultry summer night it was.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

This past weekend I purchased a new pipe that will serve as a gift next month. After spending much time at the pipe shop looking for the one that would fit the bill just right I finally settled on this beautiful Savanelli Roma series. I at least find it to be a pipe of particularly fine aesthetics and happen to know that it will be the perfect one for its recipient. Now you are probably asking yourselves, “Are you not running the risk of spoiling the surprise by this very posting?” Well rest assured that the one it is intended for is about as familiar with the inter-webz as I am with the back roads of Timbuktu so no need for the undue stress, the secret will remain so. Now to the point of my rambling, I am finding it quite difficult to leave the new pipe alone! I suddenly have reverted back to that sleepless child eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christmas morning. The mere presence of this new pipe in my home haunts me; it dances in my mind, calls to me and leaves me with a longing to be properly introduced to it, with match in hand of course. Yes I do realize that this is quite a sad if not pathetic position to say the least. The simple fact that I could be so distraught over an un-smoked pipe loitering in my house would surely call into question my sanity. But alas my dear wife has taken it from me and put it safely out of reach no longer to be ogled by my tempted eyes but safely tucked away in that secret place that lies unbeknownst to me. Or so she believes.

Old Toby anyone?

Well I must apologize; The Daily Briar has not been so daily. Life has been busy the last couple of weeks due to traveling and well, life. But never fear for I will double my efforts to keep you up to date on my adventures in briar. I will leave you this evening with a picture I took last month while driving to New Orleans. We were passing through Bossier Louisiana when I spied this out of the corner of my eye and did an instant 180 degree turn because this I could not pass up. Oh, and it reminds me that I really need a churchwarden.

As my Father before me

I just want to take a moment on this Father’s day to mention my father and those pipe smokers in my family before me. Both of my grandfathers and my father were pipe smokers. My dad these days rarely smokes his pipes and usually goes for cigars, but I have many fond memories of watching him and taking in the images and aromas of his pipe. I never had the opportunity to know my grandfather on my dad’s side but have often treasured my dad’s tales of him. His health led him to move from the steel industry in Illinois to become a wheat farmer in Oklahoma and later retire to west Texas. He was a quiet, hardworking and straightforward kind of man and was often seen with his pipe. As for my other grandfather, I did have the opportunity to know. My oldest memories of him were of two things. Number one was the pipe that was always present with him and usually always burning. And two, the little fedora hats he wore with the feathers on the side stuck in the band. But mostly I remember the pipe and my fascination with it. He was an amazingly good man. His name was Homer and he stood a towering five foot five but commanded an admiration and respect seldom seen these days. He was an engineer for the Santa Fe railroad and due to my late, and unexpected, arrival into the world he had already retired when I was merely a baby so I was the only one of my siblings who never had the chance to take a ride with him. I look back fondly at that small man donning his plaid coat, fedora hat with feathers and puffing on one of his many well worn Dr. Grabows. And this tradition carried on to my father who would fill the air with that mesmerizing aroma emanating from his pipe. I recently asked my dad about the tobaccos they all smoked. He laughed and told me that his dad was a Velvet man and that my other grandfather was a Prince Albert man and that both made fun of him for smoking London Dock (to which I can find no reference of). I have found that what I once thought to be my story alone is actually shared by vast numbers of pipe smokers, that memory of dads, granddads and times gone by. It would probably be safe to assume that it was that reaching to the past, grasping for that nostalgic linking to those gone before us, that influenced us in so many ways, to pick up the pipe. I dream of times gone by and memories lived as a child looking to these great men before me, hoping to have even the smallest measure of impact that they had on so many. And with this, dad I wish you a happy Father’s day and hope you enjoy those AVO 85th Anniversary cigars.

A Danish via Dallas

Last weekend Kayla and I traveled to Dallas for a wedding and I took the opportunity to search the local pipe shops for a new addition to my collection. We found a shop in north Dallas called Up in Smoke to begin my quest. The shop had an incredible atmosphere and a superb pipe collection. After a quick study of all that lay before me my attention was drawn to a quaint Nording poker hiding in the back of the case. But all came to an abrupt stop when I mentioned to the sales lady that this would be my first Nording. Quickly she placed the pipe back in its proper space and reached for another. Turning to me she said “If you are going for your first Nording there is only one to start with” and presented me with an Erik Nording hand-made free form signature model crafted by the man himself. There sprawled across it was the legends signature. It was totally natural, no stain, no varnish, no finish at all just the natural aged beauty of the raw briar. The rim of the bowl still contained the rough outer portion of the briar totally untouched. I was love at first sight and I was sold. The sales lady went to the back to retrieve her own to show me the beautiful patina that the natural briar was taking on with each smoke. I finished off the visit with a tin of McClelland’s Frog Morton on the Bayou and left a most satisfied man to face the grueling Dallas traffic once again.

In the words of Charlie Sheen, "Winning"!

Well it’s been a winning kind of night all around, that is except for my screaming quad muscle.  To start off my soccer team, the Shooting Blanks, gained some much needed vindication tonight after last weeks game by taking down the GeriHatricks, great team name, 5 to 3.  And what better way to follow up a great win then a winning combination of pipe and tobacco?  Tonight’s after game celebration consisted a beautiful duet staring Dunhill and Savaneli.  The pipe of choice for tonight was a fairly new acquisition from Heroes and Legacies one of the local tobacconist here.  It is a Heroes and Legacies signature model made by Savaneli and a truly beautiful pipe and smokes superbly.  It is nicely rusticated with a translucent yellow lucite stem.  The first time I saw this pipe in the store I, without giving it a second glance, quickly passed it by. But I found that it began to slowly creep into my mind over the next couple of weeks.  And strangely enough my intrigue with grew.  I soon returned to give it a closer inspection and moments later it was mine, a proud new member of the family.  Not to disparage my other pipes, this one has quickly climbed the ranks and become one of my favorite smokers.  As for the other half of this night’s equation, the renowned Dunhill Nightcap fit the bill flawlessly.  I just recently acquired my first tin of night cap and have enjoyed in a many of nights since.  With its well balanced yet distinguished mellowness it makes for a perfect conclusion to this victorious night.  And with that I bid a good night to you all.

Surly a treasure from the KIng of the Leprechauns

While out perusing the local antique shops today, as my wife and I often do, I came across this little treasure.  And I do mean little!  At first sight of it I immediately thought it to be a novelty or possibly an advertising piece but upon closer inspection I found it to be a fully functioning oddity of the briar type.  If you can’t get the size perspective from the included pic, it measures a grand 3 ½ inches in length with an outer bowl diameter of ¾ inches.  It is marked “Wally Frank, imported briar”.  When I removed the stem it contained one of those wicked looking metal filters that are often found on old pipes.  And yes, in case you have all been wondering, it had been smoked.  I was able to search and find a small bit of information on Wally Frank pipes but found no mention of this pint sized marvel.  So unless I hold conclusive proof of the existence of leprechauns, I would be glad to glean any insight you could throw my direction.  Regardless, it is now a proud addition to my collection.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Well the vacation is over and I am officially back to the daily grind.  My wife and I went to New Orleans for a week and have both fallen in love with the place (note that our sentiments could have been unduly influenced by the uncharacteristically cool weather and low humidity that we are told is not the norm for New Orleans).  But apart from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter, we most enjoyed the night we spent in one of the cottages at Oak Alley plantation just a short drive from the city.  I would highly recommend this if you ever have the opportunity.  The plantation closes at Seven o’clock I believe but when you stay at one of the four cottages on site you have run of the entire property.  Now I must admit that I am a huge history buff and found myself to be quite content sitting beneath the towering three hundred year old oaks watching lightning over the swollen Mississippi and enjoying some of Virginia’s finest tobacco.  Ahh, if only time could have stood still.  Ok ok enough of that, I have other things to get to.  As I mentioned in my last entry there are new things to discuss concerning a new Peterson and tobacco.  A few weeks ago my dear wife purchased a coupon for me through http://www.groupon.com  that was offered at one of my local tobacconist Heroes and Legacies.  It was a thirty dollars for fifteen gift card, can’t go wrong there.  So I rushed off to put it to good use and walked out with a new Peterson.  This would be my first experience with a Peterson p-lip mouth piece.  My first move once I got home was to run straight to the inter webz and get others opinion of this conundrum that had found its way to the bit of my new pipe.  I can easily say that I had defiantly given to skepticism after reading only the first few reviews ushered to me by goggle (skynet).  It seemed clear that there was little love for this daring innovation by Peterson.   At last it was time for trial by fire.  Now at this point in the story I must diverge for a moment but assure you it will all come together momentarily.  The day previous to the purchase of the Peterson, I was making my rounds and stopped by my other tobacconist, Smokers Haven, in hopes of finding something new in way of an English tobacco.  As luck would have it the guru of the pipe tobaccos was out and in his place was a young man who wielded his knowledge solely to the realm of cigars but did seem somewhat aware that they were in the business of pipes also.  So despite my craving for something of the latakia persuasion he was persistent that I should try his “pick of the day” and assured me it was a sure fire hit.  So in the spirit of comradeship I bit and went home with a tin of Villiger 1888 mid-day. 

                Now back to the p-lip.  As I earlier stated, my expectations were low due to the reviews that I had read.  The p-lip if you are not familiar with it takes a slightly different approach to the traditional mouth piece and places a small hole on the top of the mouth piece diverting the smoke to the top of your mouth other than across your tongue.  This design is supposed to help prevent tongue bite.  Pack, light and puff and we are a go.  To sum up a lot of rambling, I found the p-lip to perform as promised and had no issues with it.  Many complained that the design while preventing tongue bite would irritate the roof of the mouth, opening a whole new bag of concerns; I myself did not experience this but found it to smoke quite well and cool.  Although I found the p-lip to work quite well I must confess that I prefer a traditional mouth piece.

                So you must be asking yourselves “What about the villiger 1888 mid day” right?  Well to the best that I can explain I would liken it to craming a fruitcake basted in bourbon in to the bowl of your pipe and lighting up.  There, how’s that for ya?  Seriously I felt that I was smoking a fruitcake.  I’m not saying that I am diametrically opposed to the smoking of a fruitcake, who’s to say that to some that isn’t the ideal fix, but just wasn’t  the smoke I was looking for that day.  I will note here though that after a couple of weeks I did give it another try and found that with a bit of drying it did mellow a good deal and was much more palatable.  I did the next day acquire a tin of Ashton’s Consummate Gentleman to quench my appetite for English.

Two negatives a positive does not make.

Well its afternoon on a Friday and the view from my office is one that seems to be the norm here lately.  Spring time winds in west Texas are nothing to be trifled with for at the moment the gusts are reaching sixty miles per hour and contain a good portion of earth in them.  Ahh the subtle beauty of a dirt red sky.  There is nothing like a fresh sand blasting for your skin each and every time  you venture from the safety of the indoors. On to the point, I am leaving town for a couple days but wanted to leave you with a teaser of what’s coming up.  First off unfortunately unlike in the world of mathematics, in the world of pipe smoking two negatives do not equal a positive.  Bad advice on a bad tobacco in this instance can best be acquainted to the smoking of a fruitcake and for added measure the reviews were stellar so what does that say of me?  And what was this most unfortunate dish...?  Ahh but that, my friend, must wait until I return.  But on the better side of things I will discuss my conclusions on the Peterson p-lip paradigm.