Just a Simple Video

 I wanted to comment more about pipe smoking, but thought I had said enough until I watched a video by a young man who couldn't have been much over 20.  Pipe tobacco in a retail pipe tobacco shop will run between five and six dollars an ounce.  He had purchased a 14 ounce tin of Prince Albert pipe tobacco at his local shop for $35, which is about half the cost of regular pipe tobacco.  He thought 14 ounces was way too much, but that he'd give it a try.

He spent five minutes describing the plastic can it came in.  As I watched the video, at first I thought it might be a waste of my time, but I wanted to hear what this young pipe smoker had to say.  He may have been about my age when I first smoked a pipe.  I'm familiar with all those "old codger" blends that go way back.  He said Prince Albert has been around for a hundred years.  Some old codger blends go back far.  

It took him a few minutes of vid time to get the lid off.  But all that was needed was a gentle tug, however he used a knife.  Then once he got the lid off he smelled the aroma emitted from the can.  Prince Albert is mostly Burley tobacco with a kind of nutty aroma.  It's the first thing every pipe smoker does when opening a container of tobacco, even if he's had the same tobacco many times.  I still do this with every container I open.  

A pipe smoker wants to see how moist a tobacco is and how fresh it smells when it arrives.  I have yet to ever receive a bad batch of tobacco.  It is as rare as buying a bottle of corked wine.  It hardly ever happens.  But once in awhile a reviewer will state a tobacco arrived as dry and stale.  It just hardly ever happens.  A shop always keeps their tobacco fresh.  But mail order houses might keep tins too long.  It happens, but rarely.

The color of Prince Albert tobacco is a kind of light to medium brown color.  But I knew the aroma he was describing.  Prince Albert tobacco is just a very light Aromatic.  It simply has its own unique aroma.  He spoke briefly about who has historically owned Prince Albert tobacco as it has changed hands a number of times, but the recipe remains the same.  It used to be sold in tins.

But then came the part of the vid when he loaded his pipe and lit it for the first time.  He was amazed at how easily it lit and then took his first puff on the pipe.  He was very amazed.  No tongue bite, but a very smooth taste.  He was in my estimation overwhelmed by the simplicity of flavor.  He said one could smoke it not think about it.  This is what an old codger blend does.  You don't think about it.  Very simply put, these old blends don't need analysis.  You just know what they are.  

It's why I like Captain Black or any of the old blends.  They're not complicated.  Just good tobacco at good prices.  They won't wow the other pipe smokers in the club, but sometimes a pipe smoker wants nothing more.  English blends can be very complex.  No so with Prince Albert, et. al.  None are complex.  Theiy're not blended with various tobaccos you try to identify or figure out what you're smoking.  You just sit back and smoke your pipe.  Once lit, you tamp down the bowl to the very end with no re-lights.  

Sometimes a pipe smoker just wants to smoke a pipe without complex tobaccos.  That's the way these old codger blends are.  They don't pretend to be something they're not.  They are simple tobaccos for those who simply just want to smoke a pipe.  He made me want to buy a 14 ounce tin for myself.  I remember those old codger blends.  They're simply enjoyable with rare exceptions.  I'll never buy Mixture No. 79 again.  But those old blends have had a reason why they've been around so long.  They're simply good.  I decided on my Stanwell pipe today.  This pipe pairs well with Captain Black Original.  I was thinking I needed some Cherry tobacco.  I added a can of Captain Black Cherry to my wish list.   I thank you for your time.  Peace to each one of you.

Dave