Peterson Tankard Pipe Refurbish

Posted on February 2, 2018 by thecashkeepers

A friend sent me a Peterson Tankard that he had picked up. He asked me to make it shine like new again. So here are the before and after pics of the process! It’s hard to tell in the before pictures but there was a decent amount of oxidization that had occurred to the stem. I usually get better pictures than this so I’m sorry for the poor lighting/pictures. Trust me though, it really was an awesome refurb!

Stem
Even with the flash on my camera, it’s hard to tell that there was quite a bit of oxidation that needed to be removed. I wet sanded the stem using 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. The stem was then sanitized and cleaned on the inside. The stem is finished with a buffing of red tripoli and carnauba wax.

Bowl
This bad boy was pretty clean on the inside. There wasn’t a lot of carbonation that had to be removed. BUT the bowl had some serious ghosting, whatever tobacco that was smoked in this pipe before was very strong. So I reamed the bowl down and added a professional grade bowl coating after sanitation to help dispel any remaining ghosting (per request of my friend). The shank was then cleaned and sanitized as well. The metal ring was shined up with some fine steel wool. The bowl was finished with a quick buffing of red tripoli and carnauba wax.

I’m sorry that the lighting isn’t that great in these pictures. The transformation really was awesome! My friend will receive his pipe back soon and I can’t wait for him to light it up. Thank you for reading about this refurb and let me know your thoughts! Thanks!

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!

Gurkha Assassin Robusto

Posted on September 13, 2017 by thecashkeepers

Gurkha is a well-known name in the cigar world. The company has carried MANY different lines over the years. This little beauty was in my humidor since 2-28-2014. I have never smoked this one before, so I was looking forward to lighting it up!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Peruvian/Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Robusto, 4.7″x50

Appearance & Smell
The wrapper was nice and toothy, good feel and look to it. The cigar felt well constructed and the seams weren’t noticeable. The wrapper did not display or feel like it had a lot of oil on/in it. The pre-light smell was earthy, rich, and it had definitive cocoa notes.

Smoke Preparation
I used a Xikar Xi1 cutter to put a flat cut on the cap of the cigar. Pre-light cold draw brought up some pepper notes and that cocoa was very present as well.

Burn & Draw
The first few draws did not disappoint! The pepper was there but not overwhelming. I thought the cocoa would be much stronger since it was so strong on the smell and the pre-light but it was mellow once lit. I like the way the pepper and cocoa mingled. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of this stick. The cigar burned evenly throughout the entire smoke. The ash held together very well without much flaking as it burned.

Strength & Body
This cigar was definitely a medium to full in terms of strength. I feel as though the strength actually stayed consistent throughout the smoke rather than building like other cigars. It starts medium plus and stays medium plus. The pepper and cocoa stay throughout the whole cigar, they don’t really diminish. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a complex smoke but I will say it was a tasty one!

Final Thoughts
The truth is that I’m not a big Gurkha fan, I never really have been but this cigar exceeded my expectations! I usually grab the toro size for my smokes but the robust was a really good size for this blend with the strength and body it possesses. It is important to note again that this cigar was aged for 3 and a half years which can significantly make a difference on the smoke. I smoked it until it started burning my fingers. The truth is I loved it and I would gladly purchase it again!

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Information: Gurkha Cigars

Camacho American Barrel-Aged Toro

Posted on September 11, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I must admit that I have smoked this cigar before and I enjoyed it the first time! This one has been in my humidor since 6-27-2015. I decided it was time that this one met a cutter and lighter. I was kicked back watching the football games yesterday with a Warsteiner beer. Let’s get into the cigar!

Blend Profile
The Honduran Corojo wrapper is aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels.
Wrapper: American Broadleaf
Binder: American Broadleaf
Filler: American Broadleaf, Pennsylvania Maduro, Honduran Corojo
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Toro, 6×50

Appearance & Smell
The wrapper has a few visible veins. Overall it felt well rolled and the seams were small. The pre-light smell had a touch of dark soil and definitely sweetness from the bourbon barrel-aging. It did not give an overt bourbon smell.

Smoke Preparation
I used a Xikar Xi1 to get a flat cut on the cap. Pre-light cold draw tasted a bit sweet and a tiny bit of black pepper taste. I lit the cigar with my Xikar Enigma double torch.

Burn & Draw
This cigar was definitely well constructed! It was a perfect draw, not too tight and not too loose. The ash held very well without flaking and dropping. I was able to ash about every inch. The burn was very even and didn’t go crooked, I never had to straight it up or touch it up.

Strength & Body
I found this cigar to be a medium to full (medium plus, as I call it). Not too full but definitely built in strength as I smoked it. I would say it started as a medium and when I hit the last third is had progressed more towards the fuller range. The flavor range was fantastic in the body. Some really nice sweetness and pepper throughout.

Final Thoughts
I have immensely enjoyed the rebranding of the Camacho line and the blends they have established. They definitely did a fantastic job with the American Barrel-Aged! The two years of age have seemed to make it a little bit smoother than I remember it being the first time. This was a very delicious smoke and I think that this blend is surely worth purchasing a box!

Source: Purchased locally
Brand Information: Camacho Cigars

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