Westminster and Westminster: Side by Side

I know that, on the surface, what I'm about to say here will seem ridiculous. I am about to compare a GL Pease blend with one from Altadis. Taken at face value, we shouldn't even bother. Greg Pease is known for quality English blends that showcase latakia, while Altadis is known for over-flavored aromatics that leave goop gunning up your pipe. I think it's safe to say that no one would ever be making this comparison if both blends weren't named Westminster.

The Never-Ending Journey

The great thing about the pipe smoking hobby is you can take it as far as you want. Most of us probably go too far but thats part of the fun. Some pipers get into the search for the "perfect pipe", others journey for a lifetime in search of the perfect tobacco, then there are the tamper collectors, and the pipe puffer who needs the perfect lighter for every occasion.

Did we do it? Looks like somebody did.

So despite our strong misgivings, our deep doubts, our unshakeable belief that the government will never listen to we few pipe smokers, we put our signatures on petitions and sent letters and called our elected officials, knowing deep in our hearts that nothing was going to change and that a 775 percent pipe tobacco tax hike was inevitable. We were right ... and wrong. Right in the action we took, right in the stand we made, right in coming together in brotherhood to fight against what we saw as unjust. We were just wrong about one thing.
We were wrong that it wouldn't work.

Time to man up

I received a pouch of tobacco in the mail today. This is one I always wondered if I'd try. Frankly, I kind of wondered if I was man enough to smoke it. Well, the time has come to find out. Let's face it: This ain't just any tobacco. This is Mixture No. 79.

What I'm Doing Wrong

(Author's note: "What I'm Doing Wrong" will be an ongoing series, as there appears no immediate danger that I will run out of things to chronicle.)

There are flavors in tobacco beyond the obvious one. Sure, there's this single overarching taste and aroma, but tobaccos (good ones, anyway) also have subtle undertones. At least, that's what I'm told.

So you've picked a pipe ...

In your hands is a pipe that feels like it belongs there, looks more beautiful than you thought you could imagine, and can't wait to hold burning leaves so you can inhale the smoke from its stem. It's a good first step. Step 2, well, here's the thing ...