From: ??????????????? (Jon Baker)
Subject: 2c

Traffic was a bit light last week, so I figured I'd throw in
2c worth.  On the recommendations from the list, I tried some
Arturo Fuente 8-5-8's.  I found them quite pleasant.  Good
flavor, well built, good structural integrity, and fairly
consistent to the end.  The taste is somewhat on the light
side for the first 1/2" - 1" or so, but then it picks up and
is quite nice for the remainder.  The price is modest, and
the box is nice, too!  It's not 100% airtight, but I throw
a humidifier in the box and they're good for the 3 to 4
weeks it takes me to smoke them, obviating the need for a
humidor.

Bang for the buck, I'll stick to 8-5-8's from now on, over
my previous regulars - Romeo&Julieta Cetros.

As for pipe smoking, I've tried it, and have stuck with 
cigars.  Perhaps I was doing something wrong, perhaps the
tobacco wasn't best, perhaps it was the pipe, but there
were a few things I didn't like with the pipe.  Don't take
this as pipe-bashing in any way!  Perhaps someone can 
suggest what I was doing wrong and offer corrective advice ...

  - awkward to hold in the mouth.  When I want to turn the 
    page of a magazine or paper, I need both hands free, 
    and a cigar hangs much more comfortably than a pipe.
  - doesn't stay lit.  Probably my greatest irritation.
    A good cigar needs a draw periodically to stay lit, but
    the pipe seemed to need much more, more frequently.  The
    darned thing would go out in 30 seconds.
  - burned hotter.  Because I had to puff harder and more
    often, it burned hotter, ruining the taste.  Not pleasant.
  - more fumbling.  If I let the thing sit for too long (not
    long at all), it went out, and had to be relit.  This
    could require remixing, retamping, relighting, etc.
    Perhaps it is inherent in pipes that more fumbling is
    necessary, and indeed some people seem to derive great
    pleasure from it (all the power to them).  But perhaps
    if the root cause - going out too readily - was solved,
    that would eliminate this problem for me.

Would a better quality pipe help prevent some of these problems?
Better quality tobacco?  Fresher?  If anyone out there has had
similar problems, and found a solution, please share it!

-- 
Jon Baker
???????????????

[ You might have it packed too tight, or too moist. Pack it so it's a
little springy, and perhaps let it dry out some. The object is to just
barely keep the bowl lit. Persistence pays -- eventually, you'll get
the hang of it. -S. ]


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