My Vices

 I told my wife yesterday morning that these days the news is filled with either politics or religion.  So I decided I could review various Cabernet Sauvignon wines here, I won't do that.  I told her if she asked me to choose either wine or pipe tobacco, I'd choose pipe tobacco over wine.  I'd much rather spend my disposable income on pipe tobacco.  I can over indulge in wine, but it is so rare that I do or have.  

Many pipe smokers would rather go to their graves than smoke an Aromatic tobacco.  But us old codgers have had our share of various English tobaccos.  I have probably smoked over five hundred English pipe tobaccos, which is about average for a pipe smoker of some fifty years.  And most every pipe smoker has had Aromatics early in their pipe smoking days.  I'm rediscovering those old codger over the counter blends.  There is a reason why most of those have been around a hundred years or so.  

I've decided on Old Professor as my go-to English that I am smoking as I am writing this post.  One, it's affordable, two, it's not the best, but I like it, and three, it's not too offensive to my wife's olfactories.  Tropical Export and Autumn Evening are my favorite Aromatics, but I've decided I'll try most any Aromatic tobacco.  I find that the nicotine in most any tobacco is just enough for relaxation.  

Yes, I can drink wine most anytime most anywhere, which isn't true of smoking a pipe.  I've enjoyed a pipe after an evening out at a restaurant, but those days are long gone.  We go out less, but there is that rare occassion I'll smoke my pipe after a dinner at home.  Yes, I enjoy a Cabernet with a steak or spaghetti dinner.  But I'm willing to give that up for an after dinner pipe if I had to.  I'll never drink a whole bottle of wine with a dinner.  So, sometimes wine is wasted unless my wife wants some as vinegar at some point.  

If I had to choose one vice over another, it would be the pipe.  There might come a time when she'll say I have to choose.  I would always choose my pipe.  A good Aromatic makes for a desert smoke with a nice English like Peterson's Nightcap to finish the evening.  As to whether I know tobaccos more than than I know wines would be quite the understatement.  My taste in wine is limited by budget.  But tobacco is simply more affordable.  

I'm waiting for my two pouches of tobacco to arrive before I order a large quantity of tobacco.  I'm really quite unfamiliar with both Half and Half and Mixture No. 79.  My thinking is that Half and Half is similar to Carter Hall and I'm really curious about Mixture No. 79.  Depending on how I feel about those two tobaccos will determine what my next large order will be.  It's possible I'll hate both of those.  

But then again I just might like them.  But I'm due for another tobacco order, which means I'll be buying less wine.  I'll probably have to choose one or the other.  My wife says I can just drink less wine.  Actually, that is okay with me.  We are spending more for other things and I just don't want less tobacco.  Some pipe smokers cellar a lot of tobaccos, but I pretty much smoke what I have until I need more.  Today it is my Savinelli Champagne Canadian pipe with my Old Professor.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave