tobacco
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G.L. Pease Penny Farthing is a very fine cut shag blend of Bright and Red Virginia, Perique, and Dark Fired Kentucky. The tin note offers aromas of figs, along with the notes and sweetness of stone fruit. Upon lighting, I pick up flavors of fig, cocoa, sweet hay, and lightly smoked nuts. The blend is…
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“Why can’t I keep my pipe lit?” That is one of the most common questions from new pipe smokers here at Twins Smoke Shop. When I watch how they do it, the problem more often than not, is that they are not packing the tobacco into the bowl hard enough. In this video, I show…
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G.L. Pease’s Charing Cross, released in 2003, is a Balkan blend featuring Virginia, Latakia, and Orientals. This particular tin, dated April 2022, has been in my collection for a while. The aroma from the tin is smoky, earthy, and musty, with hints of dark unsweetened chocolate. Upon lighting, I get flavors of smoked mesquite, dark…
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Samuel Gawith Navy Flake is a blend of Virginia and Latakia tobaccos, pressed with a hint of rum. The tin note was slightly musty and smoky with hints of raisins and spice. The initial flavors are reminiscent of mesquite, steak sauce, stewed fruit, citrus, and rye bread. After the first few minutes however, the profile…
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Firebird Flake is a new addition to Cornell & Diehl’s Small Batch series. This pressed flake is crafted from a blend of sun-cured Orientals, dark-fired Kentucky, and Virginia tobaccos, some of which are aged up to 20 years. The production is limited to 5,000 tins. The aroma from the tin is reminiscent of bread, figs,…
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Toscano’s Puccini is a flake made from Italian and North American Dark Fired Kentucky. The tin note is a delightful blend of smoky, woody, dried fruits, and spice aromas. Upon lighting, I picked up notes of smoked wood, nuts, and pepper. The retrohale was very spicy, featuring black and red peppercorn. This tobacco is definitely…
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How to Properly Prepare Twist Tobacco I have talked to a lot of people who want to smoke twist or rope tobaccos like Gawith Hoggarth’s Black or Brown Irish X but get frustrated with keeping it lit. I have been learning that the problem is often in how it is being prepared. When it comes…
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Since 2019, when Not Just Blowing Smoke began, I have shared my thoughts on the best new cigars and tobaccos of the year. On the one hand, the last thing the cigar/pipe world needs is another list of the best of 2024. But I am not just blowing smoke when I confess that some of…
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Presented in a large tin without an airtight seal, the tobacco is in a plastic bag inside. The blend consists of cube-cut Virginias, cube-cut Burleys, Cavendish, and Perique. It is deep, sweet, and creamy, with notes of stewed fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, and rye bread. There is almost no spice, but warm cedar notes are…
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One of GL Pease’s Original Mixtures, Barbary Coast is a blend of cube-cut Burley, Red Virginia, and Perique with a “kiss” of brandy. It is one of the few blends from GL Pease that you may want to give a few minutes of drying time before smoking. I find that it works best in a…
Not Just Blowing Smoke with Pastor Padron 