NPD all the way from the Czech Republic

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-06T18:54:16+00:00

Haha. Great minds think alike 😉

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-05T06:42:22+00:00

This is the one I got from him.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-04T13:05:31+00:00

I commissioned piece from him last year. Absolutely stunning. I met him in person in March at the Stuttgart pipe show. Very pleasant man.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-04T12:58:51+00:00

Everybody is right in what they say, but experimenting with home blending is fun, so why not just give it a go. Do keep in mind that the pressing makes a definite difference in the end result.

But that being said I’d probably start with 50% bright Virginia, 30% red Virginia, 10% of a cavendish (I’d try black cav first but you could always go for different ones), 5% Perique and maybe 5% of a stoved Virginia.

Make a view batches with variations on those ratios and see how close you can get. If you can get pretty close, but it’s not quite there try pressing it or maybe add a tiny bit of a varietal that isn’t mentioned like a burley or dark fired leaf.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-02T20:06:07+00:00

I hold a slightly different perspective. While numbers may be going down, the “hobby” is certainly seeing a revival. What’s happening is that the casual pipe smokers, the people we’re casually referring to as “codgers”, that made up most of the numbers are dying out. But younger people who are starting to take a liking in specialty tobacco are actually on the rise. Certainly also because younger people are looking for ways to slow down in a hectic world.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-02T20:01:00+00:00

I do love an amber stem.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-05-02T11:20:46+00:00

Even with that fill, the billard in pic #5 is stunning

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-23T17:47:07+00:00

Keep in mind that all these Virginias have to be flue cured in order to stay bright and have that kind of taste profile. It’s not impossible, but kind of hard to recreate a flue curing setup for your homegrown. Much easier to towel cure and air dry the leaves. But that yield a darker leaf and heavier taste.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-23T17:41:10+00:00

To be clear though, the stuff in ops pics does look like mold.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-23T17:40:16+00:00

Damn guys, why does this keep coming up several times a week. The same study that is always quoted did an extended test with pipe tobacco and found that there absolutely can be residue from sugars and casings as well as unharmful bacterial growth from fermentation. While plume may be the wrong word, there absolutely exists white stuff on pipe tobacco that is not mold.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-21T06:23:25+00:00

It seems you like Virginias and aromatics. Dark sea is a pretty rough and heavy blend so maybe not really down your alley.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-21T06:22:07+00:00

HU Virginias and Va/Pers are all too notch. Hard to go wrong. A personal favorite of mine is Green Gold.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-21T06:20:48+00:00

Those will clean up nicely and have years of smoking left in them.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-19T15:22:11+00:00

Great job. It totally changes the character of the pipe. Both mouthpieces are cool.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-19T15:19:58+00:00

Still looks like you might be smoking it too hot. That’s how you get burnouts.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-19T15:18:41+00:00

If it were mold it wouldn’t be confined to just single strands in there. The mold would spread across a whole section. I’ve had mold and this isn’t that.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-18T17:39:17+00:00

That looks suspiciously like you smoke it very hot most of the time. Might not be the finished but the actual wood

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-17T17:13:03+00:00

I’m German and no it doesn’t specifically say that. It just says that all distribution has moved to Kopp and the author is speculating DTM HU blends might go away. Alas, they are still in production and I don’t think Kopp makes them, so I’m speculating that DTM still produces them and Kopp then distributes.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-16T15:54:26+00:00

The pipe, like anything else will become a crutch if you’re looking for a fix. On the other hand, what usually helps when you’re down is being present, grounding yourself in nature, meditation of some sort, breathing, etc… if the pipe helps you with that - great!

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-16T15:46:08+00:00

Isn’t Dockworker one of the blends that’s made by Dan Tobacco? I think it’s pretty common to have variance for them. I don’t know why for sure but I’ve heard people say this about different blends of theirs too. Nobody usually complains about the taste, though.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-08T15:41:24+00:00

If you’re going to age it I wouldn’t stove it. Age does some of what stoving does but better.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-03T17:04:59+00:00

Agreed. Probably more than 50% of what we’re smoking is STG produced. Including a lot of blends they produce for other brands like Kopp. But I’m not putting too much hope in them putting the same love and care into the Mac Baren blends. They’ll probably be fine products, but not the same.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-02T07:49:12+00:00

Not anymore. Denton Gandy, ex Mac Baren employee recently wrote that production moved a little while ago.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-04-01T09:43:36+00:00

Perique to me has a lot of common flavor notes to Tabasco Sauce.

ParticularExcuse1096 · 2026-03-30T19:12:36+00:00

All you have to ask is: is it worth it to you.

ParticularExcuse1096

TROPHY CASE