Balkan Sobranie Virginia No. 10

Updated on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 11:20AM by Neill Archer Roan

In pipe-smoking terms, yesterday was an atypical day for me. I opened and smoked a bowl from the pictured tin of Balkan Sobranie Virginia No. 10. For some years, I have strictly adhered to my own rule to open and smoke these rare tins only with friends and at pipe club meetings or shows.

Because the storied tobaccos are so rare and expensive, most pipe smokers can’t or won’t acquire them. So, the only chance many of us have to experience these tobaccos results from the generosity of our fellow pipe smokers. For example, if Fred Hanna hadn’t shared some of his remarkable Marcovitch, I would never have had the experience of smoking one of the most remarkable tobaccos that has ever tickled my palate.

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A Victorian-era GBD

There is truly something magical about old pipes. This late 19th Century GBD is now 112 years old. I cannot help but wonder what stories it might tell were it able to speak.

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Smokingpipes.com Under Attack

Earlier today, in a phone call with Smokingpipes General Manager, Brian Levine, I learned that the Smokingpipes.com site is currently under attack. A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack that occurred yesterday was renewed today. This attack is a concerted effort to prevent Smokingpipes.com from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely.

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What’s in a Name?

Image © G.L. Peae, All Rights Reserved, Used with permission

When I imagine a blend that is emblematic of a rich, dark English tobacco, G.L. Pease’s Westminster springs to mind. Westminster is to English blends what a porterhouse is to steaks - brawny with big-shoulders yet still erudite and complex. It is also a beautiful blend in the tin. I love its colors and I always look forward to cracking a tin and bathing my olfactory senses in its aromas.

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The Nautical Pipe

The association between the nautical life and pipe-smoking passed the 500 year mark nearly over a decade ago. Indeed, the connection between life on the seas and tobacco is so strong and storied that images of pipe smoking sea captains, fishermen, and sailors are culturally iconic.

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