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SPC Plum Pudding Special Reserve

I gave it a good try... My problem is with such limited time to smoke, I much rather have a cigar,,,
Same! I just couldn’t put in the time and effort to learn the different nuances of different tobaccos, and how they perform in a pipe. Got tired of always having to tend to keep a bowl lit.
 
It does seem to be a lot of work to smoke a pipe.
 
To be honest, in my opinion, it’s only a lot of work if you make it a lot of work. I think people get into their own heads about having to pack and light perfectly. It’s tobacco, set it on fire and enjoy 😉 Practice makes perfect.
 
To be honest, in my opinion, it’s only a lot of work if you make it a lot of work. I think people get into their own heads about having to pack and light perfectly. It’s tobacco, set it on fire and enjoy 😉 Practice makes perfect.
Agree whole heartedly.
I don't even think about packing. I just shove it in and light it up.

Relights are part of the experience and not an indication of a poor pack.
 
What I meant by work was ....
  1. Set the tobacco out an hour prior to smoking to let it dry.
  2. Pick a show to watch on TV.
  3. Clear the table beside your seat for the tamper/poker, lighter, drink, ashtray, etc.
  4. Use a paper plate to catch the droppings when you pack it.
  5. Dump the droppings back into the tin or jar.
  6. Put the tobacco away.
  7. Watch the first 30 minutes of the TV show.
  8. Toast it.
  9. Light it.
  10. Tamp it.
  11. Light it again.
  12. Put the embers that fell on your chest out.
  13. Time your puffs.
  14. Relight it
  15. Tamp it.
  16. Poke it.
  17. Repeat steps 8-13.
  18. Clean up the mess in the man cave.
  19. Clean the pipe out when done......but don't take it apart.
  20. Put the tools away.
  21. Wait an hour and take the pipe apart.
  22. Clean/dry the pipe again.
  23. Put the pipe away.
  24. Throw your shirt in the trash., or save it for your next bowl. (in which case you add a new first step of changing your shirt)
  25. Start the TV show over again because you missed the entire fucking thing.
  26. Light a cigar and enjoy the show!
I'm just kidding! You don't have to watch TV if you don't want to.:cool:
 
What I meant by work was ....
  1. Set the tobacco out an hour prior to smoking to let it dry.
  2. Pick a show to watch on TV.
  3. Clear the table beside your seat for the tamper/poker, lighter, drink, ashtray, etc.
  4. Use a paper plate to catch the droppings when you pack it.
  5. Dump the droppings back into the tin or jar.
  6. Put the tobacco away.
  7. Watch the first 30 minutes of the TV show.
  8. Toast it.
  9. Light it.
  10. Tamp it.
  11. Light it again.
  12. Put the embers that fell on your chest out.
  13. Time your puffs.
  14. Relight it
  15. Tamp it.
  16. Poke it.
  17. Repeat steps 8-13.
  18. Clean up the mess in the man cave.
  19. Clean the pipe out when done......but don't take it apart.
  20. Put the tools away.
  21. Wait an hour and take the pipe apart.
  22. Clean/dry the pipe again.
  23. Put the pipe away.
  24. Throw your shirt in the trash., or save it for your next bowl. (in which case you add a new first step of changing your shirt)
  25. Start the TV show over again because you missed the entire fucking thing.
  26. Light a cigar and enjoy the show!
I'm just kidding! You don't have to watch TV if you don't want to.:cool:
Judging by that dramatic list, might I suggest a telenovela as your TV show? 😂😂😂
 
What I meant by work was ....
  1. Set the tobacco out an hour prior to smoking to let it dry.
  2. Pick a show to watch on TV.
  3. Clear the table beside your seat for the tamper/poker, lighter, drink, ashtray, etc.
  4. Use a paper plate to catch the droppings when you pack it.
  5. Dump the droppings back into the tin or jar.
  6. Put the tobacco away.
  7. Watch the first 30 minutes of the TV show.
  8. Toast it.
  9. Light it.
  10. Tamp it.
  11. Light it again.
  12. Put the embers that fell on your chest out.
  13. Time your puffs.
  14. Relight it
  15. Tamp it.
  16. Poke it.
  17. Repeat steps 8-13.
  18. Clean up the mess in the man cave.
  19. Clean the pipe out when done......but don't take it apart.
  20. Put the tools away.
  21. Wait an hour and take the pipe apart.
  22. Clean/dry the pipe again.
  23. Put the pipe away.
  24. Throw your shirt in the trash., or save it for your next bowl. (in which case you add a new first step of changing your shirt)
  25. Start the TV show over again because you missed the entire fucking thing.
  26. Light a cigar and enjoy the show!
I'm just kidding! You don't have to watch TV if you don't want to.:cool:
This is hilarious 🤣
Pipe smoking is definitely fiddly. Luckily I started smoking a pipe before I ever picked up a cigar. After a while all the little things you've gotta do just become second nature and you don't have to think about it anymore.
 
First and foremost, a massive shout out to Frank (@streetrod) for kindly sending me a tin of this PPSR to sample and review. The community and generosity in this place continues to amaze me day after day!

This review is definitely not exclusive to, but slightly geared towards people who have already smoked SPC Plum Pudding. If you haven’t tried it, you should really pick some up and give it a try! You won’t be sorry.

View attachment 35100View attachment 35101

The tin note: When compared side by side to the regular production Plum Pudding, I find that where the regular PP has a smokey barbecue type aroma, the special reserve has a much more prominent dried fruit aroma (mostly fig and raisins). Of course there is still plenty of Latakia, but it doesn’t overtake the blend like it does the regular production.

I’m not very experienced with plug type tobacco but I’ve used the same method as I do with a flake. I don’t like to rub it out completely. Leaving the tobacco in small chunks gives me a longer and more even burn.

The plug is fairly moist. I typically cut only enough for a bowl and let it sit out for at least two hours, more if possible. Today I set this out for three hours and it still left quite a bit of moisture in the bowl. It can be a little tough to get it going but once’s it’s lit, I typically only have to relight once or twice at the most.

I had about five bowls of this before the review. It’s an excellent blend and I ordered another tin less than half way through my first bowl.

Today I decided to go with my trusty Peterson. This bowl smoked for around an hour and a quarter.

This is obviously still a lat forward blend, but the big difference I noticed right away is the special reserve has a much more pronounced slightly tart, dried fruit (plum, fig and raisin) than I ever got from the regular production. It’s not overpowering in any way, but it’s different than what I’m used to with PP. There also seems to be more Perique in this blend. It has a bit more spice and I’m guessing that’s where more of the fruit flavor is coming from.

The more I smoke this stuff, the more I like and the more flavors I can pick out. In my very limited experience, I would consider this to be a fairly complex blend. The smoke is silky smooth, creamy and very sweet. Not an aromatic type sweetness, but a very pleasant natural sweetness. It burns cool and it’s easy to retrohale, but I did get a bit of tingling in my nose from the Perique.

The description says some of the orientals were subbed out for a “special small leaf tobacco”. I haven’t found any information on what type of tobacco that might be. I don’t taste anything I would consider new, in this blend. It’s certainly a lot smoother and creamier than the regular production, but to me it seems like they just adjusted the amounts of each tobacco making up the blend. Either way, this stuff is absolutely worth buying. I would recommend this to anyone who loves English blends or anyone who is looking to get a feel for them.

Another huge shout out to Frank for being so kind as to send me a tin of this incredible leaf! Your generosity is very much appreciated!!
Awesome review!

I've had the original Plum Pudding and it was too Lat. Heavy for my tastes. Sounds like the SR might be more up my alley. I recently received a sample of SPC Mississippi River Special Reserve and thought it was fantastic! Went out and picked up a couple tins.
 
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