Golden Grain Pipe Refurb

Posted on December 18, 2017 by thecashkeepers

This was another pipe that came to me in a lot of estate pipes. It’s a beautiful little Golden Grain. The grain in the bowl was gorgeous, so I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on the stem to make the whole pipe stand out again. Here are the before pictures:

Stem
The stem had some fairly heavy oxidation, so I wet-sanded it with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. The tooth marks were shallow enough that they came out with the oxidation removal. The stem was finished up with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax.

Bowl
I reamed the char/layers out of the bowl and sanitized it with vodka. The vodka helped to clean out the extra carbon and dust. The shank received the same vodka cleaning with q-tips as well. The top of the bowl had some buildup, so I topped it by dry-sanding with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. Then I re-stained the top to match the rest of the bowl. The bowl was also buffed with red tripoli and carnauba wax.

Here are the after pics!

Thanks for looking!

Wellington Churchwarden Refurb

Posted on December 11, 2017 by thecashkeepers

This was a nifty pipe that came to me in a lot that I purchased from an estate sale. It looked like it had been smoked once or twice but it still had a sale price sticker on the bottom of the stem near the button. I thought it was odd that it wasn’t removed when it was smoked. I’m not sure if it was the original sale price sticker or a second hand sale price sticker but it’s cool either way!

Here are the before pictures!

Stem
This pipe had quite a bit of oxidation. It looks like it had some water/liquid spots on it from long ago. Luckily I didn’t have to fight with tooth marks! A quick wet-sanding with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. It was finished with a quick buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax. I did remove the sticker to gain uniformity in the vulcanite.

Bowl
Since the bowl only seemed to be smoked once or twice, there wasn’t a lot to clean out. I did a very light reaming and cleaned/sanitized it with q-tips and vodka. There were a couple spots on the outside that needed a quick buff, so they were also buffed with red tripoli and carnauba wax.

Here is the finished product!

The pipe turned out perfect! It’s hard to tell from the lights and reflections but the button end on each side of the stem turned out awesome! I can’t wait for this pipe to find a new home!

Thanks for taking a look!

Alec Bradley Coyol Robusto Review

Posted on November 29, 2017 by thecashkeepers

When I first started smoking cigars, the Alec Bradley Tempus and Prensado were making big waves in the cigar industry. They were both getting high ratings, reviews, and accolades constantly. I could not get enough of the Tempus and I then fell in love with the Black Market as well. I really enjoyed the whole Alec Bradley line at that time. The last 2-3 years I haven’t been as impressed with their new blends and releases. Hopefully the Coyol will bring me back into the fold!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Honduran Trojes
Binder: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Country of Origin: Honduras

Appearance & Smell
This cigar has a very gritty and unpolished appearance. It did not look very smooth at all. Having two labels helped to dress it up a bit though. The smell has a very strong hay and earthiness to it.

Smoke Preparation
I found myself away from home with only an inexpensive plastic double cutter, so that’s what I used to get a flat cut on the end of the Coyol. I also used a no-name quad torch to get the Coyol lit and burning.

Burn & Draw
In this first picture after being lit, you can see that it started to burn a little bit crooked. This was a trend that continued throughout the entire cigar. The draw was nice and the smoke was thick and tasty. Having to repeatedly touch up the cigar was pretty frustrating though.

Strength & Body
This cigar stayed at a consistent medium and towards the end of the cigar it because a little more medium to full. It did keep a consistent body, not too much flavor variation as the smoke went on. The cigar started with a bit of spiciness and did incorporate the hay/earthiness that I smelled prior to lighting. After a bit the spiciness wears off but the hay and earthiness continued until the end of the cigar.

Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, I don;t think this cigar is the one to bring me back into the Alec Bradley fold again. It wasn’t a terrible stick but it is one that I probably wouldn’t pick up again for myself. Having to fight to keep the burn even was bothersome, the lack of variation in taste, and the overall lack of depth pushes me away from the stick. I did enjoy that Alec Bradley is experimenting with newer tobaccos and really going outside of the box to push the uniqueness of the Coyol, this blend just wasn’t my cup of tea though.

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Information: Alec Bradley

Celius Root Pipe Refurb

Posted on November 20, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I must admit that I had never heard of the Celius Root pipes before I found this one in a large group of pipes I had purchased. When I first held it, I could tell that it was a nice pipe and it felt good in the hand. After doing some research, it turns out that I was right, it is a nice pipe line. This one says “Celius Root Denmark Pawn 19”. The stem was the main part that needed love but the bowl was already pretty good. Here are the before pics:

Stem
To get rid of the oxidation and the tooth marks, I wet-sanded the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. I then cleaned the inside of the stem with pipe cleaners and high proof vodka. The stem is finished up with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax.

Bowl
The bowl really didn’t have a lot of cake build up so I just did a light reaming. The reaming revealed a couple of crags inside the bowl and those drive me crazy. To get rid of the crags, I used a professional grade bowl coating on the inside to make it all even. Then I used some q-tips and brushes with vodka on the inside of the shank to clean it up. The crags on the rim all seamed pretty good without any burns or cake so I left it the way that it was. The bowl received a very light buffing of carnauba wax on the bottom side of the shank where it was smooth.

Here is the finished product:

Thank you for looking and feel free to let me know what you think of the finished product!

Gispert Intenso Cigar Review

Posted on November 19, 2017 by thecashkeepers

Some of my best friends have been bragging about the Intenso cigar since the cigar dropped this spring/summer. I haven’t had time to get to it but it had been on my list. Well, I was at a cigar event and I decided that it was time! Here is the rundown of the Intenso!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Vitola: Belicoso 6.13×52
Blended by: AJ Fernandez

Appearance & Smell
Ooooooo weeeeeeee! This has a nice toothy wrapper! It also has a little bit of a veiny appearance. The texture feels nice in the hand though. It feels well-rolled, not too soft and not too firm. The smell is rich and earthy with a hint of clay. The picture above shows the belicoso with a flat cut already.

Smoke Preparation
With the belicoso I opted for a flat cut with Xi1 from Xikar and lit it with a generic no-name triple torch that I had on hand. Pre-light cold draw was giving me notes of earthy pepper.

Burn & Draw
This cigar lit evenly and the draw was perfect. There were many times I got caught up in conversation, it stayed lit the whole time. I didn’t have to touch it up once or re-light at all. When I encounter a cigar that is this well-rolled, it really does make it so much more enjoyable. The ash held on well, there were no problems with flakiness.

Strength & Body
This is definitely a full bodied smoke! Most of the Gispert line is all milder, so they went a little bit in a different direction with AJ Fernandez’s influence. The pepper stays consistent throughout. This cigar stayed smooth throughout the whole smoke. Sometimes peppery cigars can get bitter towards the end but this one never did that.

Final Thoughts
I have heard a few of my friends compare this cigar to the Padron 1964. I will admit that it had a lot of the same tastes and smoke. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly the same as a 1964 BUT I will say that if you like the 1964, you will like the Intenso. In most shops it is a $7 cigar, so it helps with the budget too! I loved the full-bodied, creamy smoke and I think it is safe to say that I would definitely purchase this cigar again. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Information: Altadis USA

Weber Meerschaum-Lined Refurb

Posted on November 14, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I have had this pipe hanging around for at least a couple of years. I keep seeing it but get distracted by other pipes/jobs. I had a friend contact me yesterday about finding a groomsman gift and he specifically asked about meerschaum or meerschaum-lined pipes. Awesome! The perfect opportunity to finally get this pipe cleaned up!

Here are the before pictures:

Stem
I wet-sanded the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. This process helps remove grime and oxidation off the stem. I didn’t get a picture of it, but this stem did have an extra metal part on the tenon. I used steel wool on the metal part. Scrubbed the inside of the stem with pipe cleaners and vodka. The stem gets finished with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing or carnauba wax.

Bowl
I lightly reamed the cake build-up off the inside. I was very careful to not hurt or damage the meerschaum-lining. Some of the lacquer/stain was coming off of the bowl already, so I decided to remove the stain completely. I sanded the outside of the bowl with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. I then lightly sanded the top of the meerschaum-lining to bring back some of it’s original white color and smooth it out. The bowl gets finished with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax.

Here is the finished product!

Thanks for looking!

Savinelli Ed’s 506 Italy Pipe Refurb

Posted on October 30, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I found this “Ed’s” pipe in one of the lots that I purchased recently. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out who “Ed” was or why he had his own pipe line. But I noticed that it also had “506 Italy” next to the “Ed’s”. The more I looked at it, the more I thought that print looked like the Savinelli print. Sure enough, upon VERY close inspection, I found one of the Savinelli logos on the stem. It’s the logo that they used on some of their seconds lines that included a line and a star.

After thorough research on Pipedia and PipePhil, I was unable to turn up an definitive information. So in the end, I am not sure if this pipe was made for a specific shop or if it was made as a seconds line. In either case, it’s a pretty cool Savinelli. Check out the transformation below!

Before Pics:

The Stem
I used my usual method of wet sanding the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. This part of the pipe takes me the most time so I do that first. I was very careful to leave what was left of the line/star logo on the side of the stem. I finished by buffing with red tripoli and then carnauba wax.

The Bowl
The first thing I went to on the bowl was getting out the nasty buildup by reaming the bowl. After that, I sanded the top of the bowl. I started with a low grit of about 200 because the buildup was bad. I then went to 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit to top it off. It looked as if the previous owner had took out a couple chunk of the inside of the rim when reaming long ago. To help even those out a bit, I took some 500 grit sandpaper and used my finger to help round it out a bit. I didn’t completely smooth it out because I hate leaving a chamber more oval than round. That’s all personal preference of course! I finished up by re-staining the top of the bowl. The bowl also got a quick buff of red tripoli and carnauba wax.

Here is the finished product:

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked the way the pipe turned out or if you have any information regarding “Ed’s” pipes from Italy!

Nat Sherman Havana Ovals (Brown)

Posted on October 25, 2017 by thecashkeepers

During my time in a retail cigar shop, there were quite a few people that came in and asked about Nat Sherman cigars. An even smaller portion would ask about the Nat Sherman cigarettes. I had heard of them, seen them advertised online or in a magazine, but I have never tried them until now!

While on a mini vacation to Gatlinburg this past weekend, I stopped into my favorite local shop, the Gatlin-Burlier. I have been in there quite a few times and make a point to pop in when I am passing through. I had never noticed that they carried the Nat Sherman cigarettes until this trip. For some reason they just caught my eye this time and I decided to take the plunge.

I left it up to my other half to pick which pack to go with. Thus, I ended up with the Havana Ovals (Brown). These are non-filtered and do actually have an oval shape to them. As the “brown” in the description suggests, these have a nice dark-brown color to them.

The aroma is pleasant, almost a “tea” type smell to them. The draw is smooth, definitely not too hard or too easy. The oval shape fits nicely between the lips for a relaxed fit while smoking. I really enjoyed the smoke from these. A hint of sweetness but also a steady richness throughout the whole smoke. I didn’t mind that they were non-filtered but I did end up with some small bits of tobacco in my mouth.

Final Thoughts
I liked them! I would consider buying them again in the future. They would only be for special occasions or if my circumstances dictate that I need short, quick smokes. These are a bit more expensive than regular cigarettes but you most certainly can tell the difference in the taste and the quality! If you like to change it up every now and then or find yourself curious about premium cigarettes, give them a try and let me know your thoughts!

H. Upmann Banker Ingot Rose (Limited)

Posted on October 4, 2017 by thecashkeepers

Back at it with a new cigar! This cigar was just released this summer and it is a limited release. It’s the H. Upmann Ingot Rose! The original Banker line has been out for about 3 years now. Last summer they released a limited edition version of the Banker called the “Ingot LE”. This year the limited edition is called the “Ingot Rose”.

I love the original Banker blend but I missed out on the limited Ingot LE last year. I was excited to get into this Ingot Rose this year and see what all the fuss is about! So here we go!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Dominican Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Churchill, 6.75×48

Appearance & Smell
I can tell a difference in the smell between the original Ecuadorian Habano and this new limited edition Dominican Habano. The Habano smells more earthy than the original. The cigar appears to not have as much oil on/in the wrapper as the original. It also appears to be slightly lighter in color tone. The logo and paper all have a rose-gold type color to them and it definitely catches the eye.

Smoke Preparation
For this cigar I chose to use a flat cut with a Xikar Xi1 cutter. The pre-light cold draw was surprisingly mellow and there were not any prominent flavors that stood out. I lit the cigar with a Xikar Enigma double torch lighter.

Burn & Draw
This cigar lit up with ease and immediately started giving off a decadent aroma and smoke. The draw was perfect for my preference, not too hard and not too easy. The airflow to the draw was good and helped to keep an even burn throughout the entire cigar. The smoke was rich and plentiful! The ash also held well throughout the smoke, I was able to do 1 inch ashes and could have gone longer.

Strength & Body
This cigar was a solid medium in the strength department. There was not a lot of deviation throughout the cigar when it came to the strength. Some cigars really pick up strength but this stayed very consistent. The body wasn’t overly complicated by any means. There weren’t a bunch of flavor changes or complexity. With the straight forward flavor profile, it is what I would call an “easy” smoke. Anyone could smoke it. It had some nuttiness, little bit of sweetness, and definitely cream. This would be a delicious after-dinner smoke with an evening drink!

Final Thoughts
As a fan of the original Banker line I definitely came into this smoke with high expectations! With that being said, I did expect a little bit more from the Ingot Rose. It was a good smoke. Solid construction. Solid burn. I think I just expected more in terms of flavor complexity. Maybe a little more nuttiness or spice would have built it up a little more. I plan on buying at least two more to possibly age and I might buy another couple to re-review due my bias coming into this first smoke.

Have you smoked one yet? What did you think? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks!

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Info: Altadis- H. Upmann

Dr. Grabow Belvedere Refurb

Posted on September 29, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I received this pipe in a large lot that I purchased online. It turned out really beautiful and I hope that it finds a loving home. Check out the before pictures!

So here is what I did to make it all pretty again!

Stem
I wet-sanded the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. This process removes any grime and the oxidation off of the stem. Use an LED light and/or a magnifying glass to make sure you get rid of all of the brown (which is oxidation) on the stem. I then used steel wool to clean the metal tenon. The inside of the stem is cleaned with pipe cleaners and a high proof vodka.

Bowl
Oh man! This bowl had some major cake. I started cleaning the cake off by scraping it with a specially designed knife I have. After that I used a pipe reamer to remove the rest of the cake and carbon build up. The bowl was then sanitized with q-tips and vodka. The shank was cleaned with q-tips and vodka. The metal fitting in the shank was cleaned with steel wool.

Here is the finished product!