Dr. Grabow Pipes

steverino · Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 5:36 pm Post subject:

It does seem weird. The grocery stores have cut way down on anything related to pipe tobacco. Walmart only has a few pouches of Captain Black regular and Royal and some Prince Albert. Also a couple of bag-type products, Smoker's Choice or some such. The Food lion keeps one tin of Captain Black and one tin of SWR regular - and that's it. The CVS, last time I looked, had nothing. Could it be that people around here have been listening to Hugh Holliman long enough that the anti-tobacco message is beginning to take hold? I don't believe he'll go back to Raleigh again, though.

ted · "Old Timer" Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 1171 Location: NC'

PLEASE,PLEASE...do something with Holliman. I've had all of him that I can stand.......Please tell me who to contribute to.....whoever can beat him..ted

steverino · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:18 am Post subject:

Our county commissioners chairman, Fred McClure, will be running against Holliman. I believe he has a very good chance of winning.

steverino · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:37 am Post subject:

Well, since this is the SWR thread, I thought I'd put my comments about SWR and SWR aromatic here.

SWR

Two things about this tobacco caught my attention right off the bat. One was the pouch aroma - licorice - most definitely licorice. One reads all the time about licorice being used as a flavoring in tobacco products, but this is the first time I've ever been able to clearly detect its presence in a pipe tobacco. The aroma does not, however, transfer to the smoke.

The other thing I noticed was how light a smoke SWR is. It was almost difficult to assess the flavor/aroma once lit. I was actually surprised at how light it is. I've smoked Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Half and Half and Edgeworth and SWR is far and away the lightest tasting of them all to me. There is a slight bite on and off throughout the bowl, but this can be mitigated with slow, easy puffing.

The texture of the tobacco is interesting. It appears to be a cube-cut, but I would call it a "random" cube cut. There are lots of pieces in the mix that aren't exactly cubical, but not ribbon cut either. Either way, it packs fine and is easy to light.

How does one characterize the flavor? This is a bit of challenge as light as it is. Burley is burley, after all, and if you've smoked one, you've smoked them all, right? Well, maybe not. Of the "drugstore" burlies I've smoked, they fall into two distinct groups: the more or less "straight" burlies (PA* and CH) and burley/Virginia blends (H&H and Edgeworth). Though I can find no real evidence of Virginia tobacco in SWR, the taste seems to lean in that direction to me. The first 1/4 to 1/3 of the bowl reminds me more of Edgeworth than PA, and that's a good thing, as I prefer that direction myself.

Once the halfway mark is reached, the initial flavor is all but gone. What remains is what I call "plain burley". I get this same taste from pretty much any burley blend at this point in the bowl. The question is, will it turn bitter or sour? SWR did not go bitter on me, but I do get just a little sourness near the end. Not enough to dump it, mind you, but close.

SWR finishes up with a respectable salt and pepper dottle and little, if any, moisture in the pipe. I felt a very small effect from nicotine, again putting it into the category of a mild tobacco.

I would certainly recommend SWR to anyone looking for an all day, every day smoke with a burley tobacco. It should work wonderfully well in this application.

* PA is said to have some Virginia in the mix but you can't prove it by me.

SWR Aromatic

A sweeter pouch aroma greets the nose with SWR Aromatic. The smell is almost dessert-like but, alas, as with SWR, the aroma doesn't transfer to the smoke...except maybe a little bit.

The consistency of SWR-A is a little more ribbon-like, with the appearance of some bright tobacco in the mix. The sweetness of the flavor vouches for this, as some of the taste is bound to be from a bit of Virginia leaf. There is also the taste of the casing but it is not overpowering to me. In fact, I like the way the casing seems to combine with the Virginia to keep a sort of consistency throughout the bowl. The flavor is not as sweet at the end, to be sure, but it is there, and that's what I like most in any tobacco - consistency.

Many of the characteristics of SWR-A are similar to SWR. Packing is easy, lighting is easy, just a teeny little bit of bite here and there (but I think less than with SWR) and the finish is relatively dry with maybe a bit of a moist bottom in the bowl - no moisture running around in the pipe as with some blends.

One thing I noticed about SWR-A is the volume of smoke. This stuff can make you look like a steam locomotive! Probably just my imagination, but it does seem to produce a lot of smoke. It does not, however, produce much in the way of nicotine effects and this is fine with me. I've never cared for getting dizzy and weak in the knees anyway.

As with SWR, SWR-A could definitely be an all day smoke. I can easily see how this tobacco has been around for many years. I'd recommend it to any smoker looking for a good, general-purpose aromatic for every day use.

LokoMac8 · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:20 am Post subject:

BWThomas · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:28 am Post subject:

Steve, that was excellent. I have been waiting like a kid waiting for Christmas to read your review on the SWRs. You certainly have a knack for this.

Just two comments... The SWR we're smoking right now is not as cubed as I have experienced in the past. In fact, when I opened the pouch, I was surprised to see the appearance to be so different from what I have had with SWR regular. It had always been dryer and the cube was actually hard little nuggets of tobacco.

And... nictotine. I do believe that at one time, this was back when Brown & Williamson was producing this blend, was at a greater level. I recall when my brother-in-law and I would sit by the pool and get high off this stuff. But then, it may not have been the nicotine, but the coumarin that was part of the recipe back then. It was a better blend then, taste wise.

Conwood produces this now, the same company that puts out Captain Black and Smoker's Pride.

Now, I am hoping that you can relate what you have experienced with these two to some of the high priced blends you have smoked, especially the Aromatic. Is there something out there with this sweetness, but with a bit more punch...without the goop and gurgle?

Excellent review Steve, very nice!

BW
_________________
BWThomas

steverino · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:19 am Post subject:

steverino · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:31 am Post subject:

BWThomas · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:37 am Post subject:

BWThomas · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:11 pm Post subject: