Weekly Email – July 29th, 2015

IN JUST 3 DAYS: Get ready for a day of fun, food, and fumar as ASW celebrates the official “hard” opening of our Espinosa Lounge in conjunction with our annual cookout!  Eric Espinosa will be here with some fantastic new blends, including the Murcielago and the Laranja Caixa, a box-pressed variation on Erik’s instant classic.The discounts and specials on Espinosa lines will be amazing, too: Espinosa Habano, 601, La Bomba, La Zona Connecticut, Warhead… You’ll be astonished at the savings on your favorites!

Of course we’ll also have plenty of tasty food, good company, maybe even some live music (weather permitting – the weatherman says it might rain sometime before September).  Got plans for the weekend? FUHGEDDABOUDIT! Get over here and have fun with us instead!

We’ve just received a couple of new holiday-themed blends from McClelland Tobacco, namely Christmas Cheer (“a special selection of rich, ripe, flue-cured Virginias”) and Holiday Spirit (a “gentle blend of Burley, Virginia, and Cavendish tobaccos flavored with dark rum, pecans, and cocoa”). They both sound delicious, so come pick up a tin or two while we have them.Along with these came a supply of Red & Black, a blend of matured red and stoved Virginia flakes (originally made for the 30th anniversary of the Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers) that proved so popular that McClelland added it to their regular selection.

Plus, we’ve received all five of the new UPCA* blends: Calumet (a “sweet Virginia ribbon”); Venture Forth (sweet Virginia ribbon spiced up with Latakia, Oriental, and Perique); Traveler (sweet Virginia,** Latakia, Turkish, and Black Cavendish); Panache (sweet Virginia and Vanilla Black Cavendish); and Maple Supreme (sweet Virginia and Black Cavendish with delightful maple flavoring added).

They all sound fantastic, so come on by and check them out before the nextPittsburgh Pipe Club meeting (which, incidentally, is August 8th).

* United Pipe Clubs of America.
** Isn’t that a Stones song?

I’m diving into the ASW bulk tobacco bar this week to sample some of Samuel Gawith‘s Commonwealth Blend! This is a rich, full-flavored offering from one of the world’s oldest tobacco blending houses.

According to the source, this mixture is actually quite simple: 50% heavily steamed Virginia mixed with 50% Cyprian Latakia. (They had me at Latakia.) I’m very familiar with this blend, having often dipped my pipe into the Commonwealth jar while working in the shop. It’s a meat-and-potatoes smoke if ever there was such a thing.

The generous proportion of Latakia from Cyprus delivers a genuine “char-grilled steak” flavor profile, while the steamed Virginias balance the blend nicely with body and a hint of sweetness and a profound, creamy mouth-feel. When cooler weather starts to show its face again, this will be a terrific choice for you dyed-in-the-wool Latakia fans.

Available in both tin and bulk, Commonwealth is technically a broken flake, though it’s processed in a manner that only an old English blending-house can pull off, allowing for easy packing and accepting the match well. Some dry-time is always recommended with SG blends, but your patience will be rewarded with a steady burn that’ll run out to the heel, leaving a fine white ash.

Another 5-pipe rating this week folks. Puff On!