I often like the interviews on this YT channel. This particular interview isn’t notable to me except for this snippet where neuroscientist Carl Friston pauses, mid a long clinical discussion about how we perhaps interpret reality to respond to Curt, the interviewer, asking for guidance on feelings of existential crisis.

The expert response: “have a cup of tea and a cigarette my boy, I smoke a pipe myself“

For me that was the most profound and meaningful comment of the episode.

I hope most of you are headed into a joyful holiday. But I know it’s troubled waters for some. So I wish you all peace and patience, and the comfort of your trusty teacup and tobacco.

✨

Gonna be too cold (for me) to smoke outside soon.

I’ve considered getting some type of air filter for my office to use in the winter months.

What’s your winter tobacco solution?

Cooler days settling in. Sunny afternoon with a brief tantrum of hail.

Smoking a virginia flake with couple years on it. Fragrant plum fruity nose in the jar. Lightly sweet, a touch of pepper, and hint perhaps of woodsmoke.

Happy fall weekend to you all.

Felt inspired to break out a well known maple flavored pipe tobacco in honor of autumn. I was quickly reminded that while it smells nice, it just has no ‘oomph’ - which probably equals nicotine.

Conversely a virginia and/or burley blend has subtle natural fermented sweetness but also a kind of deep presence in the experience. Feels more meditative and substantial to me. Whereas aros give me the impression I may just be wasting time.

To each their own of course. Think I’ll work on breaking in my new pipe with some Carter Hall (va/bur).

What’s in your fall pipe / cigar rotation out there?

Why? If you open your tin or pouch it’s going to begin drying out over a few days and taste and flavor will eventually suffer.

You can store pipe tobacco in most any airtight container almost indefinitely. The tobacco taste can develop over time. A blend that you find over strong or pungent when fresh may become smoother and nuanced with a year or two in the closet.

The generally recommended solution is some kind of canning jar with a good seal. Remember to label what it is and when you put it in there!

Pipe tobaccos age in usually positive ways over time. How long is useful? Depends on the tobacco type. Virginias benefit the most - mellowing and sweetening. A year or two is likely enough to see benefits. Beyond 5-10 years you may do more harm than good.

Some more comments by blender GL Pease and others here: https://pipe-club.com/tobacco_aging_faq/eng/aging.php

Your pipe tobacco should NOT live in a humidor. Just air tight, stable temperature, and dark.

Watch out for mould - fuzzy hairy bad smelling growth on the leaf. Better to pitch it if that happens.

In the attached pic you’ll see a couple different size jars. I like the little 2-oz jars for travel. I’m a very occasional smoker so it’s nice to be able to pack around a little jar for days, weeks, even months until I’m ready. Bigger jars go in my tobacco “cellar” (a box on a shelf) until summoned.

95f today. Visiting the local shop with air conditioned lounge!

Postprandial smoke with a Cappucino and some water. Guillotine cut. Easy light with two long matches.

I find it to be light to medium in strength and body. Creamy leather wood and some hay. Nice with the coffee.

Bit of pepper kick whenever the ash gets long - goes away with ashing.

Nic hit builds up gently over 30-40 min. Not harsh but makes itself gently known.

About through it at 80 mins. Same nice profile throughout.

Thanks to all the hands that crafted it, the sun, earth, and water. Best to you all.

I.e.: unscrew French press stem in order to remove it from the cap. Reassemble. Now it can press all the way to base of the French press canister for frothing.

This ranks among the best cups I’ve had, even at very good coffee shops.

Bonus details if you like

Tools

• Bialetti Venus 2-cup
• rando hybrid travel mug / French press

Ingredients

• 80g water
• 11.5g med-dark local roasted beans, burr ground medium fine - a notch below our preferred pour over grind. ~90g whole milk

Coffee

• Preheated water in Bialetti base just below boiling.
• Filled coffee funnel to near rim, tapping against counter occasionally to settle but not tamped at all from above. Grounds came to maybe 2mm below the rim
• tower on, lid up to monitor
• brewing within a minute, off heat for about 10 secs as soon as it started producing
• Bialetti back on heat just a few seconds to get it going again then let it finish brewing off heat

With the input water carefully measured, and managing outflow using time-on-heat source, it doesn’t seem to matter much whether the Bialetti sputters at the end or not - though I try to avoid it.

I had about 50g coffee output.

Milk

• heated to steaming, ~ 60c.
• Into preheated French press canister.
• I did maybe 50 pumps. Likely more than enough for my small milk volume

Doesn’t quite “get it” obviously but the elements are there.

So how could a computer understand smoking? (Or fingers…)

My first thought is you need an organic system that responds to all the stimuli. Feel of the pipe, heat, smell, taste, and the bodily response to the chemicals.

Then I thought, the computer might need to be able to suffer. To know stress, hurry, doubt, fear. Then to have an experience that elevates condition.

First a distraction of small details. Attention to moment. Chronology warps, wafts, disperses. Adrift gently in the eye of a storming world.

So you’re getting started with cigars or you’re on the move. You’d like to store a couple sticks but don’t know if you’ll get to smoke them this weekend or months from now. Also… humidors… how do I even…?

No problem. Just get an airtight food safe storage case (glass, food safe plastic, etc) from wherever you get your kitchen stuff. Grocery store may have them.

When you pick up your cigars, get a couple of humidifier packs (e.g. Boveda packs). They have a humidity number typically between 65-72%. Avoid mixing humidity levels among your packs.

• how many: they come in different sizes and are rated based on how many cigars you’re storing. 1-2 little ones (8g each) should do for a small container (up to about 25 cigars).
• Check them after maybe 6 months - more if frequently opening your container. If they’re getting hard, time to replace.
• They’re made of natural non-toxic stuff. Safe to handle. Safe to throw away.

If you’ve got a cigar shop you could ask them if they sell or give away scrap ceder strips which you can add to your container. Helps modulate humidity and is a natural insect repellent. And smells good!

Boveda bags are an even simpler and smaller solution for a couple sticks. I’ve had 2 cigars in a bag with an 8g pack for a year unopened and they’re just fine. Plus you can feel the humi-pack to see how it’s doing.

Storage: try to find a steady room temperature area to keep your container. Remember the 70/70 rule: most cigars store well at around 70 Fahrenheit and 70% humidity.

You’re all set!

DO:

• Get an inexpensive corn cob pipe ~10 USD. The trusted famous brand is Missouri Meerschaum.
• get a well loved “codger blend” like Carter Hall or Prince Albert
• watch some YouTube videos on packing and lighting; keep it simple (3 step packing)

DON’T

• buy an expensive pipe to start with
• get frustrated with learning curve - patience

Tobacco Types

• wealth of info at tobaccoreviews.com
• aromatics (broadly, smell good but no taste)
• virginia / burley: core tobacco leaf types (notes of bread, hay, leather)
• latakia: smoke cured (campfire smokey smells)

Try them all. See what you like. (But va/burley is the best!)

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/miguellopezmallach/15365251481/in/photostream