New Acquisition for 06/28/2007 Part 2

Wow! Two new pipes in one day! This one is an exquisite piece handmade by Italian master Luigi Viprati. This pipe has a natural finish with some beautiful grain, a horn shank band, silver shank extention, a virgin bowl and an elegant white stem. What a truly immaculate piece of art to be added to the collection!

New Acquisition for 06/28/2007

Another Boswell is added to the family with this gorgeous custom freehand! Handmade acrylic stem, natural plateaux rim and some nice grain are featured on this big beauty!

New Acquisition for 06/17/2007

I saw this Wessex bent billiard in the display case at the local JR Cigar and had to have it. I have two other Wessex Cumberland pipes and they are great smokers. I love the shape on this one.

Of Mixture and Bliss

When I was younger and living in a big city I used to love sitting in a living room window, sipping fresh imported coffee, smoking some Mac Baren Mixture, listening to jazz and looking out at a gorgeous sunny day. It was my utopia...my definition of pure bliss. My favorite Mixture pipe has always been a medium-sized Winslow Crown 300 freehand. It has always provided a perfect smoke and could bring out the best flavors that Mixture has to offer. It felt perfect in my hand and was pleasing to my eye.

Many things have happened since those days. I no longer live in the city, I have a family now, I have survived September 11, 2001, a few medical emergencies, a battle with cancer and I have matured. My tastes in pipe tobaccos have matured greatly since then and Mixture is no longer a staple in my tobacco inventory. I have since moved on to blends that have more strength, variety and subtle nuances of flavors.

I have often thought of my days with my Winslow and Mixture. The times were simpler then and life was an exciting adventure. Those many "window smokes" brought great comfort and enhanced the beuty of those gorgeous sunny days in the city.

This afternoon as I sit by the window of my home in the "burbs", I am sipping some fresh imported coffee, listening to the same cds I did back then and smoking some Mac Baren Mixture in my Winslow Crown 300. The day is a dry 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.