'Thick Black' Pipe Tobacco?
Alison Mitchell
relations smoked pipes. One of the most popular brands of tobacco
amongst the older ones was something referred to as 'Thick Black'.
My questions are:
Was/is there a particular 'brand' of pipe tobacco called 'Thick
Black'? Can you still buy it today?
Or was this just a generic name for a collection of tobaccos at the
stronger end of the scale? I say this because those gentlemen who
smoked 'Thick Black' were quite old (retired mostly) and I got the
impression that they'd developed a taste for it over many years.
Incidentally - my father's favourite was Condor Sliced - which I
believe was quite strong too - but not as strong as this 'Thick Black'
stuff. Also - Dad always claimed that 'light' tobaccos burned the
inside of your mouth. Can anyone confirm this?
I shall be very grateful for any information. Many thanks in advance.
Glenallan
"Alison Mitchell" <aliso...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:61jfg19gh6952rdnn...@4ax.com...
Walnut Sliced.
Michilín
When I was a kid Scotland during and after the war, everyone smoked a
thick, black tobacco called Mitchells XXX Bogie. It had to be sliced
with a sheepknife and ground in the palm of one hand with the heel of
the other before being tamped into the pipe. All shepherds seemed to
smoke it and it kept midges away too.
Murchadh
John
but it make me want to dig up some "Thick Black" wherever I might find it.
Personally, my first memories of pipe smoke were from an uncle and a cousin.
My uncle must never have cleaned his pipes and they were definitely Thick
Black. I remember play-smoking his pipes as a 3 year old; rolling down the
slant of my grandfather's settling house while my uncle's Dalmatian,
Sinders, chases me. I still love that old man and his dog, 55 or so years
later.
My cousin also smoked a pipe. I loved the Smokey flavor and believe it or
not I found it once again in Walgreen's "Burley & Black" but I would not
smoke it today. Well, Maybe I would after all
John
"Alison Mitchell" <aliso...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:61jfg19gh6952rdnn...@4ax.com...
James D. Beard
> When I was a little girl in the late 1950s/early 1960s lots of my male
> relations smoked pipes. One of the most popular brands of tobacco
> amongst the older ones was something referred to as 'Thick Black'.
>
> My questions are:
> Was/is there a particular 'brand' of pipe tobacco called 'Thick
> Black'? Can you still buy it today?
>
> Or was this just a generic name for a collection of tobaccos at the
> stronger end of the scale? I say this because those gentlemen who
> smoked 'Thick Black' were quite old (retired mostly) and I got the
> impression that they'd developed a taste for it over many years.
From your description, I suspect the tobacco was Black Irish
Twist, available from Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. as well as Samuel
Gawith & Co. in several sizes: pigtail, bogie, XXX, etc. Check
with your nearby Independent Tobacco Specialist, who will likely
have it in a jar on the shelf.
Did the tobacco you remember have to be sliced up and rubbed out
before loading it in a pipe? If so, definitely Black Irish
Twist. There is a pre-sliced version of twist, so it might
still be the BIT even if already sliced.
> Incidentally - my father's favourite was Condor Sliced - which I
> believe was quite strong too - but not as strong as this 'Thick Black'
> stuff. Also - Dad always claimed that 'light' tobaccos burned the
> inside of your mouth. Can anyone confirm this?
Those who prefer a tobacco strong in nicotine and tars often
will smoke a "Light" tobacco very hard, trying to get a
satisfactory amount of active ingredients. That can indeed
cause a high combustion temperature, which in turn can cause
tongue-bite and other chemical attacks on the mucous membranes
of the mouth.
Cheers!
jim beard
--
Unix is not user-unfriendly; it merely
expects users to be computer-friendly.
da...@dundeedirect.co.uk
Glenallan
"Alison Mitchell" <aliso...@hotmail.com> wrote
> I shall be very grateful for any information. Many thanks in advance.
For some years I smoked a pipe.
I found St Bruno to be a middle of the road tobacco that most
people could live with. However, the thick black types of tobacco
give off an extremely acrid and eye stinging pungency.
Eventually, the penny dropped and I gave up smpoking
entirely in favour of life when I discovered how lethal it was.
I have never regretted this.
On balance, I think, Dutch tobaccos have the nicest aroma,
American fine, and British, for the main part are pretty grim.
Condor smoking, giving off a lavatorial aroma, is probably
the most anti-social act I can think of
Glenallan
----------
da...@dundeedirect.co.uk
entirely in favour of life when I discovered how lethal it was.
I have never regretted this.
Many many people live happy productive lives (much like my own) until
death.
Smoking is as dangerous as cars. Whe a fat vegitarian said to me that
smoking should be banned I replied that private cars and air tourist
travel should be banned she went balistic.
Enjoy Life - Smoke like a lum.