Q: What's So Great About Salty Dogs?

[mingc]

It's a plug and, therefore, sates the plug fetish.

 

[dmkerr]

I thought it was pretty good but nothing to go out of one's way to find. Doesn't come close to unseating the VaPers in my current rotation, but worth a try.

 

[CrazyIvan779]

It was ok but nothing I'd go nuts over trying to find.

 

[gnossos]

Chasing tobacco is an expensive hobby, and the return on investment has been rather mediocre at best, it's sort of necessary for the first couple of years that pipes become a hobby or an obsession so that you get it out of your system and figure out what you like, after that the value disappears quickly, I smoke 4 blends probably 80+% of the time, and I have a bowl of something different a few times a week to keep things from getting stale.

For some reason pipe tobacco doesn't really bother me cost-wise most of the time. I think I have the price of a premium cigar nailed in the back of my head, so a couple extra bucks for a 50g can of something that is going to last really doesn't bother me. I think perhaps if I were a heavier smoker it might.

I will say, I've never hunted it out. I think I've only bought it when I saw it at B&Ms. Last time was at Watch City even though we get those nasty taxes, gotta support the locals!

 

[SmokeRings]

For some reason pipe tobacco doesn't really bother me cost-wise most of the time. I think I have the price of a premium cigar nailed in the back of my head, so a couple extra bucks for a 50g can of something that is going to last really doesn't bother me. I think perhaps if I were a heavier smoker it might.

I will say, I've never hunted it out. I think I've only bought it when I saw it at B&Ms. Last time was at Watch City even though we get those nasty taxes, gotta support the locals!

I think the rate of consumption figures heavily into it, guys that smoke less seem to mind a bit less than heavier smokers all other things being equal, I think that price per tin compared to your local economy is another huge factor, a $10/tin price looks very different to a guy making 30k/yr in South Carolina or Louisiana or wherever, than it does to a guy making 2-3 times that much in Boston, NYC etc, the difference isn't as big as it seems on the surface of course, it's far more expensive to live in a big city like that, but $10 feels like a lot more money to a guy in a lower cost of living area anyway.

 

[gnossos]

I think the rate of consumption figures heavily into it, guys that smoke less seem to mind a bit less than heavier smokers all other things being equal, I think that price per tin compared to your local economy is another huge factor, a $10/tin price looks very different to a guy making 30k/yr in South Carolina or Louisiana or wherever, than it does to a guy making 2-3 times that much in Boston, NYC etc, the difference isn't as big as it seems on the surface of course, it's far more expensive to live in a big city like that, but $10 feels like a lot more money to a guy in a lower cost of living area anyway.

excellent points

 

[Thepipehunter]

Chasing tobacco is an expensive hobby, and the return on investment has been rather mediocre at best, it's sort of necessary for the first couple of years that pipes become a hobby or an obsession so that you get it out of your system and figure out what you like, after that the value disappears quickly, I smoke 4 blends probably 80+% of the time, and I have a bowl of something different a few times a week to keep things from getting stale.

I couldn’t have said it better. This is exactly my experience and thoughts as well

 

[FrankHall]

IMO Salty Dogs has a depth and intensity of sweet, dark fruit flavor that few VaPers can match, and it smokes beautifully. It doesn't do much for me when sliced into flakes. I shave it thin and rub it into a very fine shag to get some flavor. It is pricey in the US (though worth it, I think), but it usually costs 6-8$ at Estervals, so I throw in a bunch of them with every order. The savings on four plugs pays for the shipping.

That's the way to respond when you like something and everyone's dis'ing it
I feel the same way about Cabbie's, realizing that a lot of people here think it's overhyped. Great, I say - don't smoke it and leave more for me.
On the other hand, I don't get Peterson Flake or Escudo.

 

[TrubkaJoe]

When you say " sweet, dark fruit flavor" in a VaPer, though, I think SJF or Marlin. SD doesn't strike me that way so far.

Yeah, I get a much different thing from those two. Smoking some 2015 SJF right now to compare, and I think the SJF is more peppery and maybe more bready-sweet (vs the fruity sweet of SD). It's also got some funk n the trunk, whereas SD is all smooth, no edges, just tart. And in conclusion, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so don't hold me to any of this, for heaven's sake.

everyone's dis'ing it

I say dis away, man. Dissing and griping - that's like 67% of the average pipe forum's content. I think we may actually be really slipping on our dissing metrics around here. Gotta get after it - that's a pipe forum's meat and potatoes, the bread and butter, and over 2/3 of the whole enchilada. Snack time?

 

[Drydock]

I picked up 4 of the plugs along the way, a couple from Estervals when getting packages from them was easier than it seems now. What drew me in was the nautical theme: Salty Dogs is a great name, and at that point the only other plug I had was Peterson's.

I am not a daily pipe smoker. Depending upon schedules, sometimes not even weekly. Because of this, when I do have time, I don't mind the extra fuss and prep. It's part of the deal: relax slow down, get tuned into the process, etc. I'm still cultivating how I interpret & understand flavors--so when I hit a so-so blend, I'm not always sure if it's me, if aging will help (er, both me & the tobacco!), or if it's just a boring mix.

 

[Pipepunk]

I love blades and blends but for what it costs I'd want it ready to consume

 

[Chico]

I don't mind the prep if the payoff is there. Having said that, I haven't fussed at all over prepping SD so I'll try it on the various ways suggested here.

@TrubkaJoe I'm convinced that pH levels affect how we experience blends. I'm often amazed at how other people describe a blend - like I've never experienced "nutty" from Burley. I find SD way more peppery and more "savory" than SJF. To me it's like a steak and kidney pie vs SJF being like a stewed fruit pie.

 

[Drydock]

@Chico same, man. I love reading thoughts on tobacco flavors from long-time pipers & folk with really developed taste, as a way to help crack a code. But the number of times I get 'generic/good' or 'generic/ bad' is pretty high.

 

[Cramptholomew]

IMO Salty Dogs has a depth and intensity of sweet, dark fruit flavor that few VaPers can match, and it smokes beautifully. It doesn't do much for me when sliced into flakes. I shave it thin and rub it into a very fine shag to get some flavor.

I do the same, and enjoy it quite a bit.

Shag cut is the best way I've found to prep it. It's very dense, and the only way I've gotten it to burn well. It also provides the best flavor, IMO.

 

[JLD 66]

Love it although it is pricey but to me worth it. I had a hard time smoking it until I started shaving it very thin and letting it dry. When I did that it was a whole new ballgame for me.

 

[gnossos]

i suppose there’s also an element of the fact that my favorite tobaccos mostly ARENT some challenging, 13 dimensional, world ending smoke

the BEST pipe tobacco, to me, can only be SO GOOD before it becomes a chore to pay attention to, in a way. i don’t want it to be like a complex cigar.

 

[headrott]

I found SD to be ok, but nowhere near St. James Flake.

Last time I smoked it was close to when it first came out. I did not cube cut it or get it to a shag though. I put it in a jar about 2 years ago and it has been there since hoping it would be better next time I smoked it. There 2 or 3 times I smoked it may have been “off days” for my taste buds, or the pipes I used weren’t the best, or the prep style I used, or a combo of all these factors. I should try it again.

At this point, I am sticking with “it’s ok, but not worth the price, or trouble to get” point-of-view.

 

[Gunsmoke]

It's a bit of alright in my opinion. Just a bit sweeter than Peterson's Perfect Plug. But as to why it became such the rage?

It's from across the pond.
It's twice as expensive as 3-P's.
Small releases make it sell fast. That gives the illusion of covetousness. Hurry, don't think, just buy it!
It's twice to three times the effort to get it even in your pipe. Tinkering with our hobby is half the fun. Gotta be worth twice the cost. Business logic.
Did I forget anything?

 

[Summer69]

Love it although it is pricey but to me worth it. I had a hard time smoking it until I started shaving it very thin and letting it dry. When I did that it was a whole new ballgame for me.

Shaving it thin, you nailed it there. I have a great knife and those razor thin slices dry so nicely. If it wasn’t in plug form, I most likely would not have scored a pound for overseas. I’m also very intrigued about how the plug will age over a few decades which is an added bonus for my purchase.

 

[gnossos]

the real answer is the hint of syrian latakia that they put in it, but none of you know what that really tastes like