Today I was smoking a 58-year-old billiard style pipe, probably a Dunhill second by the looks of it. The markings on it, barely legible now say "Made in England" and "Savory." I bought this pipe during my first quarter at college, and the smoking of it brought back a flood of long forgotten memories.
I was already smoking a pipe, a nondescript Dr. Grabow that, while relatively inexpensive, nonetheless provided a good smoke. At that time, I was smoking Sutliff's "Mixture 79," a very fragrant pipe tobacco that tasted like soap. (Good riddance.) I didn't really know any better. Then I met a fellow pipe smoker who introduced me to more sophisticated smoking. At the Tech Book Store, with this acquaintance, I managed to find this billiard pipe and a mixture from the Dutch firm of Dowe Egbert called "Amphora Aromatic." Now, my dad smoked a pipe with "Sir Walter Raleigh" pipe tobacco, a blend they now call a codger blend or more kindly, an over-the-counter blend. But I was too sophisticated for old codger blends! The arrogance of youth.
Back then, you could find pipe displays in every drug store and supermarket. They had brands like Dr. Grabow, Kaywoodie, Medico, and of course Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipes. They also carried pipe tobaccos in these stores; Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, Granger, Carter Hall, Revelation, Cherry Blend, and many others. These were typically burley blends, some with various casings and toppings to provide a pleasant flavor and room note. A lot of blue-collar working men smoked one of these because they were inexpensive and convenient. They did not look on pipe smoking as a hobby, but a part of life. One could smoke a 2-ounce pouch of pipe tobacco that lasted a week. Cigarettes on the other hand typically were consumed at a pack a day and each pack cost as much as a pouch of pipe tobacco. There was no internet, no on-line stores. I have even seen a motorcycle rider going down the highway smoking a pipe.
When I graduated college, Amphora was no longer available to me, so I too switched to Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. But I still smoked my billiard. Although I collected other pipes as time went on, I still have this old billiard, well-worn and well used. It brings back both fond memories and things I would rather forget when I smoke it. So now I have become an old codger, smoking codger blends and dredging up old memories.
