There are many ways to prepare flake style pipe tobacco (pressed and sliced) for smoking ... here are a few. First you'll need a good flake pipe. A good flake pipe has a narrow, deep bowl. Preferably 5/8" - 3/4" diameter x 1"+ deep. The most basis way prepare the slices is to put them in the palm of one hand and cover with the palm of your other hand and rub your hands together until the flakes break apart. This is called "rubbing out". Generally, the more you rub out a flake the more mellow it will be and less you rub out the flake the more intense the flavors will be.

This is the whole flake method. First note in which direction the "grain" of the tobacco is going in the flake. Cut a piece or pieces of flake *against* (at 90 degrees) the grain and equal to the depth of your flake pipe. Take the entire flake of tobacco and roll it up into a fairly tight tube or roll. If done correctly the ends you have cut will be the *long* ends of the tube. The diameter of the roll of flake tobacco should be slightly less the diameter of the tobacco chamber of the pipe you will be smoking. If not, roll another piece of flake over the first. Place the roll into your pipe and press it down with a tamper with just enough force to flatten the top. Light as you normally would and enjoy!

This is the "sandwich" method. Prepare the flakes in the same manner as you learned in the whole flake method except this time take two different types of flake and roll them together. The possibilities are endless. Try a Virginia flake and an English flake or a Virginia with an aromatic flake. You might want to tone down a strong flake that is overwhelming on it's own with a milder flake. Have Fun!

We receive many questions via email every day. One subject that usually has the most questions is "aging pipe tobacco". Aging pipe tobacco is a huge topic and could easily become the subject matter for a years worth of newsletters so we decided to compile the top 5 questions found in our Inbox.

There are as many reasons to age pipe tobacco as there are questions concerning how to. Here are just a few ....

• Simply put, well aged and properly stored pipe tobacco will be the finest you will ever smoke.
• We have all experienced the demise of one or more our favorite blends. Aging provides a hedge.
• You will save a lot of money by buying now at current prices. The price of pipe tobacco is constantly rising due to manufacturing costs, the cost of raw tobacco and production increases and new taxes. Buy now and save later.
• New laws are aimed at limiting and completely doing away with online tobacco sales that we now enjoy. Buying online is so threatened that if the current crop of laws pass we will no longer be able to make online purchases of tobacco with the next 12 - 24 months.

This is Part IV in a IV part series. If you haven't already please read Part I, Part II & III. Once your cake has built up to a point where it is thicker than a US nickel it is time to start reaming. Reaming is the process by which cake is cut down to the proper size. There are a few different tools that can be used. They can be seen here and we'll discuss them in a moment. For routine reaming you only need to cut the cake back to about the thickness of a US dime. Under normal circumstances you never want to cut the entire cake and expose the briar pipe walls. If you do remove the entire cake you will have to go through the process of breaking in the pipe all over again. There are times when you might want to remove the entire cake such as when you'd want to remove the cake because it is holding the flavors of a tobacco you no longer favor or you want to refurbish an estate pipe that you have just added to your collection. Always ream your pipe when it is at room temperature. When making the first pass with your chosen reamer adjust it so it barely touches the cake. This will round the cake to a uniform shape. Next continue to adjust the reamer to bite a little more. Each pass of the reamer should be very light taking only a little cake each time until the proper thick has been achieved. Never turn the reamer back and forth in the bowl. This can cause the cake to fracture. Turn in one direction only. Reaming is a bit of a messy process so it would be a good idea to ream over a garbage pail. The flat style reamers, such as the Brebbia model we stock, are inexpensive and do a great job of keeping cake in check in between more thorough reamings. They also are small enough to be carried in a pipe pouch. For more accurate reaming and thicker, harder cake a heavier duty reamer such as the Senior reamer is needed. This reamer makes short work of the most stubborn cake. It can be precisely adjusted and has the added benefit of a built in shank reaming tool for complete maintenance. You need to use care with the Senior reamer because it is capable of cutting cake very fast. You might be tempted to cut the cake in one pass, which this tool is totally capable of, but resist the temptation and cut the cake in several shallower passes ... your cake will thank you.

We hope you've enjoyed and learned from this four part series. We'll be during similar multi part maintenance lesson over the next few months. If you have a suggestion on a series you'd like to see feel free to email. Happy smoking, Team VegasSmokes

2. Isn't smoking a pipe that someone else smoked unsanitary?

There has been much written on the subject of long term pipe tobacco storage but not much on short term so I though I'd take the time to address the subject. For the purposes of this discussion I'll be considering the storage of 4 ounces or less. In the past it was vogue to place apple slices, orange peels and other similar items in a pouch for the purposes of keep tobacco fresh ... this is not a good idea. The fruits will start to break down with heat and light and spoil your tobacco. You'll be smoking and handling all forms of bacteria and fungus, some visible and some not. An unpleasant thought at the least. Pouch humidifiers work so much better if kept clean. Distilled water works best and will lengthen the disk's life. How about the ziploc lock bags that we sometimes receive our pipe tobacco in? They are fine for a few days if kept sealed and out of direct light. If you live in a dry climate a pouch humidifier with be just what the doctor ordered ... so to speak. Leather and vinyl pipe tobacco pouches work much better as well as being more dignified. Make sure the one you select has a supple rubber or latex liner. The cheapy kind usually has a plastic liner that will eventually crack and split. In general roll up or snap type pouches work better than the zipper variety. The zippers on those let air pass and get just plain foul after a while. Keeping your tobacco in your pocket is OK for the very short term. Remember this .... when the temperature of tobacco rises so done the humidity. When the temperature falls so does the humidity. Yes, I can give you the scientific explaination but I'll save you the boredom for the sake of brevity. That being said, assuming your tobacco was at perfect humidity when you set out in the morning, it will become to too damp when left in your pocket or anywhere else above "room temp" for any length of time and will lead to a hot, wet smoke. All is not lost ... either lay out a bowl's worth of tobacco prior to smoking if convenient or simply pack the bowl about 10 - 15 minutes before your smoke break. Now what if your tobacco got cold and is now a bit on the dry side (again a hot smoke)? Almost a no brainer ... warm it up in your hand or pocket. Happy and cool smoking, VegasSmokes

• Keeps the tobacco from burning too fast or too hot.
• Keeps the tobacco burning evenly.
• Helps promote a healthy cake inside the bowl.
• Promotes a smoldering effect that enhances the subtle tobacco flavors.
• Helps disperse your flame for even relights.
• Many other good things. (Had to add that just in case I forgot anything)

So when do you dump?

• When the ash gets so dense from tamping that it smothers the burning tobacco.
• When you are having problems keeping the pipe lit ... assuming it is properly packed.
• When it has become so thick or dense that you can no longer relight.

When you do have to dump, only dump about half of the ash then lightly tamp the ash back down and relight. Please be safe when dumping ash. Almost certainly a few hot tobacco embers will leave with the ash that could burn your favorite smoking jacket ... or worst.

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Your pipe cleaner that is. One year ago someone emailed and asked whether or not it was a good idea to leave a pipe cleaner in the stem when you're through smoking. I answered according to what I had been taught ... NO. I've always listened to the pros and cons on the subject and formulated my own conclusion. After thinking about I came a the conclusion that I shouldn't be jumping to that conclusion. I decided to perform a somewhat controlled test. Here is how I did it.

• Two identical, new Savinelli Model 114 pipes were used. Both croos grained.
• Each was smoked three times a week for 1 year (3/03)
• Each rested 2 days between smoking.
• Each was cleaned with 4 pipe cleaners after smoking was complete.
• Each was thoroughly cleaned every 4 weeks.
• The same tobacco, Five Star Deluxe, was smoked exclusively.
• One was left to rest with a pipe cleaner in the stem and shank and one was not.
• Standard size and fluff pipe cleaners were used.

Here are my observations at the conclusion of the test. The pipe in which the cleaner was left in will be referred to as Pipe A. Pipe B is the pipe without.

• The shank of Pipe A is slightly darker than Pipe B leaving a slightly two toned appearance.
• Pipe A developed a slight gap between the shank and stem.
• Pipe A's shank expanded slightly larger than the stem.
• Pipe A had more pipe cleaner residue (stray fuzz) in it when thoroughly cleaned.
• Pipe B took longer to break in. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the test.
• Pipe A took a few more cleaners for the once a month cleaning.
• After 1 year Pipe A is a little more ... well for lack of a better term, stinky.

So there you have it. Pipe B, without the cleaner, faired better than Pipe A with. I am only going to guess why but I suspect that the pipe cleaner left in does more to keep the moisture trapped than it does to wick it out. Happy Smoking.

I've heard many times in the past that sandblasted pipes smoke cooler than smooth pipes due to the greater surface area. After many years of taking this to be a somewhat statement I decided to put it to the test. Here's how I set up the test.

• Two identical, new Savinelli Model 316 pipes (one rustic/sandblast and one smooth matte) were used.
• Each was smoked ten times over a ten day period for the purpose of breaking them in.
• Gawith & Hoggarth Balkan Blend was used exclusively for break in and testing.
• Each was filled and packed to the top with an equal portion of tobacco for the test.
• Each was placed in a plastic folding pipe stand.
• Each was not moved from the pipe stand or touched during the test.
• Each was lit with 3 matches.
• Each received 1 full draw on the pipe every 30 seconds.
• Each was tamped every 10 draws.
• Test was conducted 10 minutes into the bowl.
• Bowl temperature was taken using a fine point metal probes attached to digital thermometers (identical models) that were placed on the right side of the bowl at the midway point and held tight to the bowl with the help of the plastic pipe stand.
• At 30 minutes both pipes were allowed to go out.

Here are my observations during the test.

• The rustic pipe was actually hotter during the first 10 minutes prior to "official testing".
• At the 10 minute point the rustic was 6 degrees hotter the the smooth.
• At 15 minutes the rustic was 4 degrees cooler.
• At 20 minutes the rustic was 2.5 degrees cooler.
• At 25 minutes the rustic was 3.5 degrees cooler.
• At 30 minutes the rustic was 4 degrees cooler.
• At 35 minutes (after the pipes went out) the rustic was 18 degrees cooler.

So there you have it. The rustic pipe did indeed smoke cooler but I'd have to say that the few degrees during the first 30 minutes hardly constitutes a "cooler smoking pipe". I could not tell the difference. What I did notice was how fast the rustic pipe cooled down after the tobacco went out as compared to the smooth. Hmmmmmm. Happy Smoking.

When describing the act of "blending pipe tobacco" I'd have to break up the process into two categories, Hybrid and Raw Component blends. Hybrid blends are those that are composed of mixtures or flakes of existing tobaccos. For example ....4 parts Dunhill 965 and 1 part Esoterica Pembroke. Raw component blends are those composed of raw ingredients. For example ... 3 parts Red Virginia, 2 Parts Stoved Virginia and 1 part Turkish. You'll notice how I used the term *parts*. Parts are the easiest units of measure when you are first starting out. A part could be anything from an ounce to the contents of a measuring device of your choice. In the beginning please start by using small parts such as 1/2oz or tablespoons. The reason it is best to start small is because not all of the concoctions you'll come up with will be worthy of a second bowl. You want to enjoy and experiment without exposing to much of you favorite tobacco to your whims.

Being that we will be starting from a basic standpoint we'll first cover hybrid style blends. These are the easiest to successfully mix and there is a good chance that most of you already have some tobaccos around to start with. Here are some basic guidelines for hybrid blends to get you started.

• Record everything you do in a notebook for further reference.
• Record what you liked or didn't like about your creation. This will help tremedously when it comes to fine tuning.
• Record how it smoked. Did it constantly go out? Did it burn cleanly?
• Always smoke 2 or 3 bowls of your blends. The first or two bowl will most likely taste of the last tobacco that was smoked in that pipe.
• Smoke in a clay pipe for a purer tasting smoke. Briar can sometimes influence taste.
• Blend from one manufacturer's line. McClelland with McLelland, Gawith & Hoggarth with Gawith & Hoggarth ETC. You'll find that one tobacco from a specific manufacturer will readily blend with another.
• Blend like tobaccos. Flakes blend well with other flakes and mixtures with mixtures.
• Use less of a strong tobacco. Stonger tobaccos such as English and Balkan styles easily dominate ligher tobaccos. 1 part to 4 - 6 parts is a good starting point.
• Don't be afraid to mix a Virginia or English style with an aromatic tobacco for a change of pace.
• Most blends that you'll come up with will taste better if allowed to "marry" first before smoking. Simply seal the mix in a plastic bag with all the air squeezed out for a day or so ... or at least until your curiousity gets the better or you.

I hope you're now inspired to come up with you own private micro blend. Maybe even a blend worth of sharing ... the pipe smoking community will be richer for your efforts. Stay tuned for Part II. Happy Blending!

In Part I we discussed general rules of blending and some hybrid blending basics. In Part II we'll discuss Raw Component blends. Raw component blends are those composed of raw ingredients. For example ... 3 parts Red Virginia, 2 Parts Stoved Virginia and 1 part Turkish. These types of blends are more difficult to blend. With Hybrid blends you are expounding on existing blends and reaping the rewards of someone else's work. With raw component blends the work rests squarely on your shoulders. You'll need a clear direction and a healthy dose of imagination. The first thing to do is decide what type of blend you'd like to make. Next find a tobacco that you'd like to approximate or improve upon and smoke a few bowls of it. Write down what you like about it and see if you can discribe all the various flavors that the tobacco has that you enjoyed ... and those you didn't. If you don't take the time to do this you'll have a very "hit or miss" go at blending. Also look at the tobacco and see if you can indentify the components. You're not trying to reverse engineer the tobacco but simply getting a feel for it. Note the types of cuts that are used. Are they ribbon? cube? rough cut? Here are some basic guidelines that will help you get started.

• 10% is a good starting point when using latakia. At about 40% the latakia will dominate all but the most robust Virginia tobaccos.
• 5% is a good starting point when using perique. At about 15 - 20% the perique will dominate all but the most robust Virginia tobaccos.
• Virginias are an excellent base tobacco and mix fine amongst themselves.
• As a rule of thumb you'll find that the lighter the color of a Virginia tobacco the tangier the taste. Darker VA's tend to be richer and more pronouced. You'll also find them to be strong with more of a kick both in flavor and nicotine.
• Stoved Virginias add a mellowness to a blend as well as a mild raisin type flavor. They also slow down the rate at which the blend will burn. This is an important consideration. Don't over do it. Too much and you'll end up with a bland blend.
• Unflavored cavendish tobacco adds a certain smoothness and fullness as well as a smokiness ... both in terms of flavor and actual smoke.
• Turkish type condiment tobaccos tend to add a background hint of sweetness. They also add a lot of balance to a blend. Note that they will cause a blend to burn at a faster rate.
• Burley tobacco can also be a fine base for a blend. Note that burley tobaccos tend to be a bit on the strong side. They also tend to bite if too much is used. Rough cut burley burns quick. Cubed burley burns slowly. Burley also burns cleanly ... another important consideration.
• All components should be of the same moisture content. If not the drier tobaccos will leach the moisture and flavors out of the moister tobaccos. If some cases this will cause the blend to be very mono flavored.
• Allow all blends to marry for a day or two (longer if you have the patience)
• Record all that you do so you can fine tune.
• Smoke some of each variety of raw tobacco to get a sense of it's flavor and burning characteristics so you know what it's bringing to the table.

In Part II we'll be covering various tobacco processing and blending techniques. Stay tuned and Happy Blending!

Now that you're becoming more familiar with the basic comcepts of tobacco blending it's time to turn our attention to tobacco processing proceedures. The basic categories of processing fall into the following classifications; mixing, cutting and pressing.

Mixing your new blends is a fairly straight forward process. We use two methods depending on the size of the batch. For smaller batches of 1 - 3 pounds we used a large stainless steel mixing bowl. They can be found at most restaurant supply houses. They're easy to clean with a little vodka and have the perfect shape for hand mixing. For larger batches simply dump the tobaccos into a large plastic garbage bag a give a good, hearty shake.

Cutting and prepping tobacco is ocassionally necessary. If you're mixing a flake style tobacco into your blend you'll want to "rub" it out first so it mixes well with the other tobaccos. If you don't, the blend won't have the consistency you'll desire. Simply take a handful of the flakes and rub them in the palms of your hands until they are fairly well broken up. There will be times you'll want to finely cut certain tobaccos. In some blends using tobaccos like perique and latakia you'll find that finely cutting them will enhance the blend. This is especially useful if you want these tobaccos to blend into the background rather than be pronouce. For this we like to use a small coffee mill. They can be found in most department stores. We bought ours at Bed Bath & Beyond ... $20 and it's lasted for years. Remember to clean it, after it's unplugged of course, with vodka to keep the blades and bowl clean. Don't overdo the cutting. If you grind the tobaccos to finely they will settle to the bottom.

Pressing your blend is a great way to marry and refine the flavors of the tobaccos and give the mix a head start in the aging process. We have a custom hydraulic press for our needs but you need not get that complicated for small batches. There are several ways you can press. You can use a Food Saver type vacuum sealer. They do a great job of compressing the tobacco. If you take a small flat piece of wood and press the bag down while the air is being drawn out you'll be amazed at the press you'll achieve. Let sit for at least a week ... longer if you can bear the wait. Another simple method is to forcefully hand press the tobacco into a wide mouth mason type canning jar and seal it. If you really want to pack it in take a large dowl or piece of closet pole and smash it down real good. Careful not to break the jar. Keep the jar out of sunlight while you wait for the magic to happen.

In Part IV we'll be covering casing, flavoring and infusioning. Stay tuned and Happy Blending!

In this final part in this four part series we'll be discussing casing, flavoring and infusing your tobacco blends. Why would you want to do any of the aforementioned proceedures? Simple ... added and different flavors.

Casing is the process by which tobacco is top coated with a flavoring. This process is commonly associated with aromatic tobaccos. Such flavors range from the most subtle vanillas to apples and strong spices. Not all casings need be sweet and gooey. Here are a few guidelines:

• Use your stainless steel mixing bowl and clean it with vodka when finished.
• Use a little flavoring at a time. Allow time for the casing to adhere rather than run the risk of over moistening your blend.
• Use a spray bottle for even coverage.
• Don't use any flavoring that is perishible.
• Case small amounts of tobacco first before committing.
• Always allow at least a day or so before smoking.
• Try the following; wine, cognac, beer, honey, liquers, extracts, etc. Let your imagination run wild.

Flavoring or "spicing" your tobacco is very simple. We mostly use powdery type flavoring agents. They include the following: nasal snuff, various spices, cocoa powder, dried and powdered condiment tobaccos such as perique and latakia, dehydrated and powdered fruits and more. Again, use your imagination. Please, nothing you wouldn't want in your lungs in the first place. A little goes a long way. Simply spinkle and mix so the flavoring adheres to the tobacco.

Infusing tobacco provides the richest and longest lasting flavors. The process is easy to do. First place your tobacco in your mixing bowl and weight it on your scale. Note the weight. For an example let say 16 ounces (1 lb.). Now set the tobacco aside or let it sit on the scale while it dries out. Exposed to air all tobacco will lose moisture. Do not try to accelerate the process with heat or sunlight as that will only damage the tobacco. Once the tobacco has dried to the proper weight it's time to infuse. There is no set weight I can prescribe. You'll have to experiment but as a rule of thumb 1 - 3 ounces. Spray your flavoring on the dried tobacco until it reaches it's original weight. If you let the tobacco dry by 2 ounces then you will be using 2 ounces of flavoring. You are reintroducing the moisture that was lost but this time it is flavored and will infuse the tobacco. Lightly spray the flavor a little at a time and very lightly toss. You don't want to apply any pressure or roughness to the mixing process due to the dryness of the tobacco. Once the tobacco is back up to it's original weight and well mixed let it sit for about an hour and add more flavor if there is any further evaporation. Let set a spell before smoking. You can use any of the above mentioned flavors to infuse. My personal favorite is port wine.

I hope you've enjoyed and learned from this Four Part Tobacco Blending Primer. If you come up with a keeper don't forget to share it with others. Happy Blending!

This is a question that is presented to us on a regular basis. The answer has to be based on several variables such as the following;

1. How often do you smoke?
2. What type of tobacco do you smoke?
3. Does your smoking style lend itself more towards ending up with a somewhat dry or wet pipe?
4. Do you smoke the same tobacco all day?

As a general rule you should allow at least 1 to 2 hours for your pipe to rest after you finish smoking. This allows enough time for your pipe to properly cool down and dry out ... for the most part. The time of tobacco you smoke plays a role too. Aromatic tobacco burns slightly wetter and tends to cause a pipe to retain moisture longer. Virginias tend to burn cleaner and drier and sometimes the pipe can be put back in action in as little as 30 - 45 minutes. If you are accustomed to smoking your pipe enough to conflict with these suggested times then you should be using 2 or more pipes in your daily rotation. If you are a "wet" smoker or have a few cherished pipes that matter to smoker a tad on the wet side than you should also be using 2 or more pipes in your daily rotation. As discussed in a previous newsletter, it is best to dedicate a pipe for each type of tobacco that you smoke. So, if you smoke more than one type of tobacco during the coarse of the day than you'll need to add more pipes into your daily rotation. Each pipe in your rotation should have the minimum of 2 days off after being used for the day and cleaned every 5 - 10 bowls depending on the tobacco smoked and your smoking habits.

Hmmmm ... So let's do the math ... well let's not and say we did and sum up with the following general rules of thumb; If you smoke on a daily basis and have a good pipe cleaning and care schedule established the bare minimum amount of pipes in your rotation should be no less than 3. 7 would be the ideal minimum and would ensure well rested, fresh pipes and spread out your time spent cleaning. What's right for you? Simply take these suggested minimum rotations and factor in the four questions above. Me? I'm a minimum 21 kinda guy. I smoke 3 types of tobacco each day and keep my pipes dedicated within reason. Aromatic in the morn, VA mid day and a smooth English blend in the evenings. I also like to let my pipes rest for a week and set aside one night a week for cleaning. Yup, 21 for me but I always find an excuse for more ;). Happy Smoking!

These days it seems that all tobacco use is so heavily frowned upon by "society". Is it possible that pipe smoking is actually on the rise? The answer is yes.Industry studies support this. There are several reasons for this.

• The 90s saw a huge cigar boom. Many of those that learned to enjoy cigars are now turning to pipes. Spurned by the over pricing and poor quality brought on by the boom and the intangability of the actual cigars themselves, folks have discovered a wonderful alternative in pipes.
• With the right tobacco, pipe smoke envokes the fondest memories in most people ... even those opposed to smoking. How many times have you heard how your pipe smoke reminded someone of Grandpa?
• Pipe smoking is economical. Even if you smoking the finest tobacco money can buy, a bowlful cost pennys.
• Smoking a pipe causes one to relax and reflect.
• There are currently thousands of tobaccos to choose from.
• The abilility to blend ones own pipe tobacco.
• The selection of pipes available today is mind boggling. Whether you're a collector of a specific year, shape or brand or simply looking for the most bang for your buck ... you're in luck. The possiblities are now endless.
• Even as brick and mortar pipe shops close routinely, the internet has been an excellent resource for pipe smokers world wide.
• Cigarette smokers are crossing over to our healthier form of tobacco consumption.
• Fellowship. For the most part pipe smokers are good, decent and kind people. Pipe smokers tend to develop healthy, long term bonds with one another. You can never have enough friends!

Now before we drop our guard and start feeling too warm and fuzzy there is a couple of things to think about. One major concern to pipe smokers world wide are all the proposed bans on the shipment of pipe tobacco. This would put a huge damper on those who order online. Read more HERE. Also, the recent rash of laws banning smoking in public and private places throughout the country should be a concern to us all. So what can we do? Simple. Get involved, vote, stay informed, support your local pipe shops and for pete's sake ... proudly smoke your pipe in public as much as possible. Happy Smoking!