[Tristan]

What can I say? This is my favorite pipe tobacco. I remember stopping at my favorite coffee shop, picking up a nice cup of coffee and going next door to the Stogie Stop and lighting up a bowl of this. Just heaven!

I can say I'm enjoying this bowl of 965 from a tin I opened two days ago, just as much as then. A great cup of freshly roasted Costa Rica La Manita Tarrazu and some lovely tobacco. This is a match made in heaven!

IMHO, I feel like 965 is a good baseline from which other english blends are judged. I know a lot of folks may scoff at this, but I've always had a place in my heart for this blend! It's like that first english love, there is no love like the first.

I am thinking about ordering some Pensance in the near future. Bill recommended I get some Star of the East too. I think that's a good idea!

This is bowl number 2. I set this on a clean paper towel for about 45 minutes. I rubbed it out a little bit and packed the pipe with M'Moo's suggested 1-2-3 method (thanks Dan). I find this method works great!

I've had to relight a few times. It's nothing out of the ordinary. I'm still getting my pipe chops back! About half way down the bowl I ran a pipe cleaner through. There was minimum gurgle.

I have one pipe I use exclusively for latakia blends. This is the only pipe I use for these blends except for my churchwarden. I need to get me another pipe sometime this winter. I've been looking at some Stanwells and Petersons. I'm looking for a bent apple with a medium finish. Also, I've always wanted to buy a Nording freehand with a natural finish. I haven't made up my mind which of these I'll buy first.

Anyway, enough blathering on and time for a serious question,.....

Has the 965 blend changed recently? I remember hearing that it is being blended in a new factory and has changed slightly. My taste memory isn't too refined, but it seems like this is darned close to what I remember.