25 martie 2007

Degustari: Samuel Gawith Brown Irish si Black XX Twist

TRIAL BY FIRE

by Tad Gage and Joe Harb

Samuel Gawith Twist Tobaccos

Reviewed this issue are eight rope tobaccos from Samuel Gawith, a company with a long, historic tobacco tradition. The comments for this issue are in narrative form rather than our typical format of considering each tobacco separately, so that our reviewers can each provide an overview of the tobacco type and focus on their individual experiences with the group.

Tad Gage

To sample Samuel Gawith twist tobaccos is to take a journey back in time. Back to an era when you can almost imagine yourself on the deck of a three-masted ship, thinking about your last port of call and looking forward to the next, listening to the wind making the taut ropes all around you sing while the tips of the canvas sails create a rhythmic thrumming as your ship knifes through slightly choppy ocean waters.

You reach into one pocket of your trousers and extract a black, tightly bound roll of tobacco. In the other pocket, you know your trusty knife stands at the ready to turn this fat twist of tobacco into one of the simplest yet highest pleasures you can experience in your rather spartan, waterlogged existence.

OK, before I start shouting �Ahoy mateys!� or doing a really bad pirate imitation, let me return to the business of reviewing tobaccos. This session, �Trial By Fire� goes really retro with Samuel Gawith twist tobacco, a form of tobacco that is as old as the 215-year-old company that manufactures it.

Twist, also called rope, was the perfect form of tobacco for portability and flexibility. Sweet Virginia tobaccos, heated, steamed, pressed and twisted into ropes, served as their own humidified tobacco pouch. Easily transported in pocket or valise, these tightly rolled leaves stayed moist and flexible. They resisted the elements, or the sweat or seawater that sometimes soaked your pockets. Disks could be sliced off, crumbled and smoked, or the moist tobacco could be chewed. Left to dry, it could be crushed to powder and snuffed. It was easy enough to slice off a chunk to share with a friend, or to barter with for a particularly ripe mango. Did you know that ropes of tobacco were used as currency in colonial America and other places?

It�s amazing to me that a form of tobacco so fundamentally archaic has been preserved into the 21st century. Yet Gawith keeps spinning out this unique product, giving us a real blast from the past.

The final product is dense and intense. The heating, curing and pressing process leaves this form of tobacco high in sugars, without tongue burn, and very high in nicotine. Most of the Gawith ropes are very spicy due to the intensity of nicotine. To inhale this tobacco requires an iron lung. It should be sipped and savored and is best after a meal. Smoking something this heavy on an empty stomach is a bit risky.

Gawith produces its rope with a wide variety of natural flavoring options, but the basic product is Brown Irish Twist. All of these tobaccos, rolled in cylinders, are extremely moist. The moisture content makes them ready to chew but they must be dried out to smoke. They will not stay lit unless they are sliced and dried.

Before I discuss the characteristics of twist tobacco and offer a few suggestions for preparing the tobacco for smoking, I�ll share a taster�s secret. One way that the really savvy tobacco blenders and manufacturers analyze tobaccos, and one that I picked up to enhance my ability to review and analyze pipe tobaccos, is to nibble on bits of tobacco. Pipe tobacco isn�t tasty, but this form of testing does enable me to pinpoint specific flavor components.

Gawith rope was and is, however, manufactured to be chewed as well as smoked. In the spirit of experiencing this tobacco as it was made to be consumed, I sampled lumps of Gawith twist as a chewing tobacco. Chewing isn�t a way I enjoy tobacco, but I will say that if I did chew tobacco, these ropes would be a favorite. They�re sweet, spicy and flavorful.

What I call chewing doesn�t involve breaking off a lump of chaw and chomping as if it was food. It�s more the pinch between cheek or lip and gum philosophy. Chomping tobacco like food has certainly been done by many, many tobacco users, but the process really makes the saliva flow, hence all the spitting. Letting the tobacco rest in the mouth causes virtually no excess saliva production. Anyway, just pointing that out for posterity�s sake.

As a chewed tobacco, these ropes are naturally sugary and full of tobacco flavor. The Gawith line comes in a variety of flavors�coconut, apple, rum, whiskey, black cherry and maple. These are all natural infusions, as far as I can tell. I could really taste the various flavors, which stood out from the flavor of the tobacco itself. One reason I felt compelled to chew the tobaccos was to determine how noticeable the flavorings were when the tobacco is chewed.

I was looking forward to experiencing these interesting flavors when I smoked the various blends, and I was quite disappointed that the flavorings were almost undetectable. More on that in a moment.

In any case, this is primarily a pipe smoking publication and I�m not encouraging you to take up chewing tobacco so you can fully enjoy these blends! But I thought I owed it to you to describe the experience for you in the name of science and adventure. And really, this is certainly one of the ways�if not the primary way�this type of twist tobacco has been used for the past two centuries.

Samuel Gawith Brown Irish and Black XX Twist

Now, on to smoking. This is a fine, aged tobacco�perhaps among the best and most extensively processed tobaccos you�re likely to ever encounter. It�s obvious that great care is taken to create this blend. Let�s start with Irish Brown, which is essentially the base of all the Gawith twists.

The Virginia tobaccos in this black, juicy blend are heated, pressed and rolled. Is there any Burley in these twists? The company says virtually nothing about the tobaccos in its twists. There could be Burley, but if so, it surely plays second fiddle to the sweet, aged Virginias.

The pressing and heating process used produces a rich, intense tobacco similar to naturally processed steamed Cavendish, or the Perique process, or dark-stoved Burley. There is a dark, prunelike quality about the tobacco�something akin to dried fruit in both flavor and density. This comes through in chewing or smoking.

There is also a strong, pure black pepper resonance. This peppery spice is notable when chewed but even more obvious when smoked. This is not the pepper of tongue bite but the pepper of fine Perique or a heavy-bodied cigar. It�s definitely the nicotine talking, but it is most pleasant when savored softly and slowly.

I found it extremely interesting that although no cigar leaf is used in these ropes, there is a decidedly cigarlike flavor element. I speculate that the intensive fermenting, heating and pressing process mimics the process used to cure cigar leaf�fermentation and curing by piling the leaf in sweats, which generates both heat and pressure. The leaves used are decidedly different, so I deduce the flavor similarity must result from the process.

Black Irish XX is, I suppose, exactly what it sounds like! Skull and crossbones would also be an appropriate name. More extensively processed than Brown Irish, it is a nearly pitch-black rope of tobacco. It has the same sweet prune taste as Brown Irish, with a higher nicotine content and more pepper. Still, there�s no bite you�d associate with many Virginia tobaccos. It is absolutely smooth and without tongue bite.

Both Brown Irish and Black Irish XX are very fine, mellow tobaccos that must be smoked with great care. The nicotine content can make you quite ill, quite unexpectedly. I couldn�t even imagine inhaling this stuff. All I can say is sometimes it works well, and sometimes it doesn�t, depending on what and when you�ve eaten and how you feel on a particular occasion. If you start to have an uncomfortably squeamish feeling in the pit of your stomach, my best advice is to dump the bowl and try again some other day.

Brown Irish and Black Irish XX are very rich and work well in small bowls, as a quick �smoke break� from work. They�re a bit like little �powerhouse� cigars that deliver a lot of flavor in a short span of time. P&T

Evenimente in USA in anul 2007

Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show
The Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show will be held May 5-6, 2007, at the Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 East Main Street, St. Charles, IL 60174. Reservation telephone numbers are 800.999.3319 or 630.584.6300. Mention the show and receive a special room rate. For more information, contact Frank Burla at 630.271.1317; e-mail: fpburla@aol.com; or visit the show�s Web site at www.chicagopipeshow.com.

CORPS Pipe Show
The 23rd Annual Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers Pipe Smokers� Exposition & Celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, at the Holiday Inn Select-Koger South Conference Center, 10800 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, Va. There will be a banquet at the hotel on Friday, Sept. 28. Make room reservations by contacting the hotel at 804.379.3800. Mention CORPS or pipe smokers for special room rates. For more information, or to reserve a table, contact CORPS at P.O. Box 34023, Richmond, VA 23234; phone: 804.342.0761; e-mail: conclave@corpipesmokers.org; Web site: www.corpipesmokers.org.

Milwaukee Area Pipe Society Show
The Milwaukee Area Pipe Society will host its 7th Annual Pipe Show/Swap on Saturday, July 28, 2007, at Pistol Pete�s Neighborhood Grill, 16755 Lisbon Road, Brookfield, WI 53005. For complete information, contact the Milwaukee Area Pipe Society, P.O. Box 174, Elm Grove, WI 53122-0174, or www.milwaukeeareapipesociety.com.

New York Pipe Convention
The 15th Annual New York Pipe Convention will be held on March 10, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel, Newark International Airport, New Jersey, 800.223.8285 or 973.824.4000. For additional information, contact Rich Esserman, 238 Aycrigg Ave., Unit D, Passaic, NJ 07055, REsserman@unicefusa.org.

North American Society of Pipe Collectors Pipe Show
The 2007 North American Society of Pipe Collectors Pipe Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007, at the Midwest Hotel & Conference Center, 4900 Sinclair Road, Columbus, OH 43229. Call the hotel at 877.609.6086 and mention the show for a special room rate. For show information, contact Bill Unger, P.O. Box 9642, Columbus, OH 43209; 614.252.2904; bill@naspc.org.

Smoke Style
The Smoke Style International Pipe & Cigar Show will be held in Bologna, Italy, Sept. 28-30, 2007, at the Hotel Boscolo Tower, Vl.Lenin, 43 � 40138 Bologna. For additional information, visit www.smokestyle.it or e-mail paolo.tirini@smokestyle.it.

Triangle Area Pipe Smokers
The 10th annual Pipe Expo of the Triangle Area Pipe Smokers will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2007, in the Holshouser Building at the State Fairgrounds, Hillsborough Street and Ridge Road, in Raleigh, N.C., from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For additional information, visit the club�s Web site at www.ncneighbors.com/1416, or contact Stan Sokolove, pipechief@nc.rr.com, or Jim Carrino, 919.848.0685.

Tri State Pipe and Tobacco Club Show
The 7th Annual pipe show of the Tri State Pipe and Tobacco Club will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at the Quality Hotel, 3330 W. Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, Ind. For more information, contact Andy Spencer at 260.447.5726 or sandre746@aol.com.

Albany Show
The Capitol district Pipe Club is sponsoring a pipe show on Saturday, April 21, 2007, at the Clarion Hotel in Albany, N.Y. For additional information, telephone 518.690.2222.

Cum sa "construiesti" turta pipei

Cooking up a good cake

Effectively building a healthy carbon lining inside a pipe�s chamber
takes place before, during and after the smoke.

By Dale Harrison

Dust, ash, spittle, rings of fire and distilled spirits conjure images of sorcery. Actually, each is an element used in breaking in a tobacco pipe and building a hearty carbon cake. It�s a process that, for many smokers, might as well be relegated to the realm of the mystical.

Whatever the formula used, there seems to be an elusive dose of magic involved in building that precious carbon lining in a pipe�s chamber. A healthy buildup of carbon along the pipe�s walls insulates and protects the chamber, absorbs moisture and provides a cooler smoke.

Building a good cake is a bottom-up process, starting with the very first smoke. Most break-in procedures call for smoking only half-bowls for the first several smokes. Others recommend smoking several quarter-bowls, then half-bowls, and finally, three-quarter-bowls before filling the pipe to the top.

Once a good cake takes hold, maintaining it properly will enhance the pipe�s performance. With its maximum chamber volume and even distribution of cake throughout the bowl, a refurbished cake puts a pipe in optimum smoking condition.

Before the first smoke

Some pipes are available with precoatings in the chamber that serve as the first layer of cake and hasten the break-in process. Some pipe artisans have put considerable time and effort into developing unique precoatings, such as J.T. Cooke. Cooke�s recipe is a closely guarded secret, but he is willing to describe the two-step process in applying the precoating and the general properties of the recipe. The first coat is a single ingredient, and the second is a mixture of four.

�The first coat is applied directly to the raw wood and is a fireproofer,� explained Cooke. �That coat has to really bond tight to the wood. The second coat is the cake-building element. It�s dry to the touch but gets tacky when exposed to heat.�

When Cooke set out to develop his formula with pipe retailer Barry Levin, several goals had to be met. It needed to be tacky and heat resistant but also safe and indiscernible to the palate.

�It had to be nontoxic. We had to be able to stick our fingers in it and taste it. It might not taste really good, but it wasn�t going to hurt us,� says Cooke. �It had to have no obvious taste or odor during smoking.�

All but one of the elements he uses are available off the shelf, and Cooke reveals that two are charcoal and water.

Most pipecarvers opt for no precoating, and some pipe smokers insist that chambers of new pipes remain bare so they can clearly see the grain before purchasing a pipe. With pristine chambers, an effective precoating that smokers can apply themselves will come in handy for those who prefer a coating.

While achieving the sophistication of Cooke�s coating is probably not feasible for most, there are many household ingredients that are widely used. Precoatings range from the simplest, such as whiskey, to more conspicuous coatings of honey or jelly and tobacco dust. Whatever the catalyst, the goal is to promote both combustion and tackiness along the walls of the chamber.

Pipecarver Tim West relies on the extremely high sugar content of grape jelly to act as a catalyst in a precoating he uses. After placing a pipe cleaner in the stem to avoid clogging the draft hole, West rubs a very thin coat of jelly over the entire surface of the chamber�the coating must be paper thin or thinner. He then coats the jelly with tobacco dust that is prepared by toasting a favorite blend in the oven or on the stove. When crispy, the tobacco is turned to dust in a coffee grinder, with mortar and pestle, or by rubbing vigorously between the hands. Tobacco dust is placed in the chamber, which is covered with the thumb. Gently shaking the pipe distributes dust evenly over the jelly, and the excess is tapped out. Then comes the hard part, says West. �The trick to working with grape jelly is to have a lot of patience. Once the coating is on, you have to wait days to allow the coating to dry out. If you smoke the pipe while it�s still wet, the coating will slough off.�

West recommends waiting five days to a week. After about 72 hours, the jelly coating will become dry and firm to the touch, unlike other substances. Honey and syrup are also used as cake catalysts but remain wet even after 72 hours. They also tend to pool, leaving the bottom of the bowl far too wet for the needed combustion to take place. When these substances become hot, they become even wetter, seeping into the briar and leaving little behind. With West�s jelly technique, what�s left behind is mostly hardened gelatin and sugar, which makes for a stable, tacky and fairly neutral substance.

Smokers who want more subtle cake catalysts opt for a distilled spirit of choice, such as whiskey, and even saliva, but the cake-building process is considerably slower.

During the smoke

Lighting technique is crucial during the cake-building process. Cake builds most quickly where combustion directly meets the walls of the chamber, forming carbon deposits. West says pipe smokers should break out the butane to break in a pipe�light it frequently throughout a smoke. Tamping technique also affects accumulation of cake during break-in, and West says many smokers undermine the process by moving unburned tobacco away from the walls to the center of the pipe. To the contrary, ash should be tamped toward the middle of the bowl, leaving fresh tobacco to be burned along the walls. When the flame is directed toward the unburned tobacco along the edges, a ring of fire emerges. That ring indicates where cake will build. Thus, a brightly burning center and ashy outer edges indicate that little cake is forming in the chamber. Strive for a ring of fire all the way down the bowl, says West, and cake will form relatively effortlessly.

One of the pleasures of pipe smoking is enjoying all the rituals involved in the experience, and �ashing� is one that promotes cake-building. This procedure distributes dry ash evenly throughout the bowl to induce drying out the cake. Because ash becomes part of the carbon lining with this procedure, some say it results in a softer cake. Most �ashers� start midway through the smoke and stir the surface ash to loosen it and reduce it to dust. With a thumb over the bowl, they lightly shake the ash to distribute it. Ash adheres to surface moisture on the cake. After gently tapping out excess ash, they relight the pipe and repeat the process when the bowl is done.

After the smoke

The widespread adage that cake should be no thinner than a dime is a good rule of thumb. Cake should be cut when it reaches the thickness of a nickel, adds Cooke. There are three basic methods for cutting cake, with some variations on each. Generally, the basic methods include sanding by hand, using an electric rotary tool, or using reaming tools designed for the purpose.

Reaming tools and kits range in complexity and price, from a relatively inexpensive single, one-size-fits-all tool to complete kits with different sizes and shapes to fit a variety of bowls. When working with tools that self-adjust during reaming, it is important to note that they follow the contour of the cake, as opposed to the contour of the chamber. Care must be taken to increase pressure where cake is particularly built up or stubborn. At the same time, the tool needs to remain properly aligned against the walls of the chamber. A slightly misaligned reaming tool is prone to chipping the cake. Reaming tools seek perfect symmetry, so they have limited utility on shapes with unique lines.

Cooke prefers sanding by hand, a method that ensures maximum control of the process. By using sandpaper mounted on a dowel, cake is slowly sanded away following the contour of the pipe.

The first step is to fashion pieces of dowel so that each has a tapered, conical tip that resembles the shape of a bullet. Use dowels of different sizes to match different bowls and a 6- or 8-inch stick-on sanding disc, which is pliable and will adhere to the dowel and itself. Cut a wedge-shaped section of sandpaper from the disc, which will resemble a healthy piece of pie. This shape will allow the sandpaper paper to follow the coned contour of the dowel�s tip. Mount the sandpaper by placing the tapered tip of the dowel at the narrow tip of the wedge, laying the rest of the dowel along one side of the wedge. Carefully roll the sandpaper on, securing it tightly to the dowel and itself as you go, following the contour of the dowel tip.

With the dowel ready, sand carefully in and out of the chamber while turning the bowl. Periodically tap out the black cake dust that results from sanding. Save it�this will come in handy for cake repairs.

This cake-cutting process is slow and deliberate, which means low-grit sandpaper will speed up the process. Cooke recommends 100-grit sandpaper. The lower grit also keeps the cake rough at its surface, which will promote forming new cake over the old.

For a speedier sanding procedure, small handheld rotary tools are ideal. Use a speed setting between 8,000 rpm and 12,000 rpm. The goal is to slowly whisk away cake using the speed of the tool with very little pressure against the surface. A speed setting that is too slow will cause the tool to grate across the surface, catching against uneven surfaces and breaking the cake. Too fast will create too much force, and the slightest misalignment of the tool will likely chip the cake.

Work the tool slowly in, out and around the inner circumference of the chamber. With this method, move only the tool while cutting cake. Remove the tool completely before turning the bowl to avoid unintended contact with the rim. Stop periodically and inspect the cake throughout the process and tap out the black cake dust.

Regardless of how carefully a cake is cut, it�s hard to avoid digging up a few divots along the way. West uses an equal amount of cake dust and grape jelly to make a repair paste that is pressed into the divots and leveled off with existing cake. Again, allow five to seven days for the paste to dry completely.

With each technique, the goal is to shape cake consistently throughout the chamber. After each cutting, be sure the draft hole is free of carbon deposits, which can hang over the hole inside

the chamber and impede airflow. Use a long poker on a pipe tool and run it through the shank and into the draft hole. Slide the poker along the wall of the draft hole toward the bowl, feeling for obstructions. Check the entire circumference. The poker will jam on deposits that are protruding over the hole. These need to be gently chipped away from the draft hole with the tip of the poker.

There is certainly nothing �easy as cake� about inducing, building and maintaining a healthy carbon lining inside a pipe. It�s a process that involves patience and vigilance, but one that pays big dividends in pipe-smoking pleasure.

Imbatraneirea tutunurilor II, Pipe packing, Pipe ad., fumatorul anului in DE, pipemaking in Iraq

P&T Readers Respond

More on aging tobaccos

Amongst all the tasty delights during the holiday season, I devoured (nay, drooled over) the Winter 2007 issue of P&T magazine. Wow, this has to be one of the most enjoyable issues in toto that I have seen (and, yes, I do have every single issue)! Every article in this issue struck a resonant chord with me. The historical piece by Ben Rapaport is the most singularly concise and informative treatment on �origins� that I have seen. The article on briar-cutting is fantastic�as regards both the narrative and the visuals. As we all know, the briar �background� is ever so fundamental to good puffing! The item on Oak Ridge �atomic carvers� really touched me personally. While a student at the University of Tennessee in the 1970s, I lived in Oak Ridge and worked part-time at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at the Y-12 Plant. This was the time in my life when I started smoking pipes, and I actually bought a pipe from a Y-12 machinist who made natural-finish briars as a hobby. This was the first �custom-designed� pipe (a Canadian stem piece, of sorts) in my collection � I don�t remember the machinist-carver�s name, alas.

On another note, it is great to see Tad Gage�s expanding involvement in the annals of P&T magazine. As you well know, he brings to the fore a veritable wealth and diversity of knowledge on pipes and tobaccos. I have been a fan of his since I came across The Compleat Smoker back in the early 1990s, and I have savored many of his writings on topics galore over the years. Of late, I have enjoyed Tad�s contribution to the �Trial by Fire� column in P&T magazine. Recently, I made the careful decision to acquire an early (�pre-transition�) Barling pipe. Guess what was the primary research source I used, in helping me with my Barling selection? Yep, it was Tad�s wonderful article on Barlings in the Spring 2000 issue of P&T!
In the latest issue of P&T, Tad gave us his take on the fascinating and multifaceted topic of tobacco aging. As one who is firmly committed to aging my tobacco, I was keenly anxious to read Tad�s communication thereon. I found his article very informative regarding the practical and logistical aspects of the tobacco-aging enterprise. I wholeheartedly agree with his professed take-home message, that one must age tobacco a minimum of three years for proper benefit! Notwithstanding, Tad�s attempt to address the subtitled question of �what really happens when you age your tobaccos� is fraught with scientific inaccuracies. As a pipe smoker with a Ph.D. in biochemistry (pardon my pedantry), I feel compelled to clarify, respectfully, some misconceptions in Tad�s engaging article.

It is readily apparent, from whatever source one peruses, that the �science� of tobacco aging is an exceedingly complex and largely ill-understood field of study. However, there are some general biochemical principles that can help us, at least, to organize the discussion in a meaningful way. The elements that define the sensory character of our embering pipe-weed originate predominantly from three generic chemical constituents of the tobacco plant: carbohydrates, proteins and secondary metabolites. The term �secondary metabolites� is an umbrella expression for a host of organic substances (some of which are oily in nature) that are generated peripherally to the core metabolism of the plant organism. There are thousands upon thousands of these naturally occurring chemicals in the plant world. While we know the biological role of some of them (as anti-microbial agents, deterrents to destructive insects, attractants to pollinating insects, etc.), the function of most of the �secondary metabolites� is unknown. Be that as it may, these mysterious components (or their �aged� breakdown products) most certainly contribute to the gustation and olfaction of our favorite tobaccos. Terpenoid compounds called duvatrienediols, mentioned in Tad�s article (as well as Chuck Stanion�s piece in the Winter 1999 P&T issue), are just one example of such �secondary metabolites� that add to a good smoke. Many more substances in this category are (or likely will be discovered to be) important to pipe tobacco.

Aside from water (much of which is removed during the curing process), the most abundant matter in tobacco leaf, by far, is found in the protein and carbohydrate constituents. Proteins play a wide variety of structural and functional roles, and they are located throughout all plant tissues. Chemically speaking, proteins are long polymeric molecules consisting of linkages of nitrogenous building blocks called amino acids (of which there are about 20 kinds). The carbohydrates in plants are of two types, which textbooks dub �simple� and �complex.� (I will restrict my discussion just to those carbohydrates thought to be of interest to tobacco aging.) Simple carbohydrates are what we commonly call �sugars��the most abundant ones in plants being fructose, galactose, glucose, maltose and sucrose (plus several others present in lower levels). Complex carbohydrates are large, long-chain polymeric molecules formed by linkages of the simple sugars. The two most plentiful complex carbohydrates in plants are cellulose and starch, both of which consist of long chains of glucose units. In his P&T article on tobacco aging, Tad confuses cellulose and starch and gives the impression that they are interchangeable terms. They are not. And the distinction is significant in our understanding of tobacco aging and smoking properties. Cellulose serves as the basic structural component of the cell walls in all plants; not surprisingly, it exists in a rather stable, solidlike state in the outer region of the plant cell. Comparing different tobaccos on a weight-for-weight basis, the amount of nascent cellulose per leaf will not vary all that much. Starch, on the other hand, is a transitory storage form of carbohydrate, serving as a mobilizable reserve of carbon and energy for plants; it exists within the interior of plant cells in the form of large granules. Some tobacco varieties (for example, Virginia types) have much higher amounts of the starch granules than others, as well as higher localized levels of the simple sugars; and there is much focus, appropriately, on this �sweetening� feature in the aging and smoking character of our tobacco blends � To avoid confusion, in reading Tad�s P&T article, one should simply replace the word �cellulose� with the word �starch� in virtually every instance � Though, interestingly, cellulose may contribute to the long-term aging of tobaccos�but in a way that is not obvious from Tad�s article.

Tad concentrates heavily on the fate of carbohydrates in tobacco aging. Pondering the chemical changes that occur when tobacco leaf is curing and aging, one must be cognizant of the fermentative breakdown, not only of the carbohydrate components, but also the protein ingredients�and, also, the interplay between them. The array of chemical end products that ensue, over time, is staggering. The natural decomposition of complex carbohydrates (such as starch) involves the cleavage of the bonds linking the glucose units, followed by the breakdown of the glucose into a series of carbonaceous fragments�proceeding all the way to carbon dioxide (a gas) under some conditions. The decay of protein entails, initially, the breakage of the bonds connecting the amino acid elements. Next comes the liberation of the nitrogen from the amino acids, producing ammonia (a gas). The remaining carbon skeletons from the amino acids (remember there are about 20 different ones) are then degraded to various carbon pieces�also proceeding all the way to carbon dioxide under some conditions. The multitudinous chemical reactions involved in carbohydrate and protein degradation can occur spontaneously over time, albeit very slowly. Living organisms (both plants and microbes that feed on plant products) contain enzymes that accelerate these processes. However, some of the chemical reactions important in tobacco aging are non-enzymatic. An example is the famous Maillard reaction (cited in the P&T articles by Tad and by Chuck), which occurs between amino acids or ammonia and many of the carbon intermediates generated during the breakdown of both carbohydrate and protein�leading to copious flavorful substances. The basic laws of chemistry teach us that environmental factors will enhance the rate of chemical reactions�in particular, heat (arising, for example, from the initial leaf-curing methods, from stoving during manufacture of tobacco blends, or from high storage temperatures in our home �cellars�) and concentration (which is enhanced in pressed flake and block tobaccos, as compared to loose tobacco blends). There is also pressure, which has a similar effect on chemical reactions as increasing the concentration of the interacting substances. Perhaps the most striking effect of pressure is seen in the time-honored method of Perique tobacco preparation.

At the moment the tobacco leaf is cut from the plant, there is a finite amount of carbohydrate and protein material contained therein. Tissue necrosis results in the release of plant digestive enzymes that begin to break down these components. Even after the plant cells are technically �dead,� the enzymes continue to act. This auto-digestion is arrested, to a large degree, by the initial curing methods (involving drying and, in some cases, controlled heating). Among the many purposes of the curing process is the destruction of such bitter-tasting elements as chlorophyll and other plant pigments. (This change is evident visually, as the chlorophyll green color changes to yellow and eventually to brown.) In addition, heat-curing will boost the Maillard reactions at this early stage. Importantly, heat-curing leads to the conversion of stored starch to simple sugars. Particularly for Virginia-type tobaccos, heat-curing (or flue-curing) has a dramatic effect on the starch-to-sugar alteration�and, hence, the �sweetening� of the tobacco. Specific information on this conversion process is readily available from a number of tobacco-related Web sites on the Internet.

Now, what about the role of microbial organisms (yeast, fungi, etc.)? As perhaps evident from Tad�s article, this is one of the most unpredictable and hard-to-define factors in tobacco aging. One thing is certain: microbes are present everywhere, for better or worse! When manufactured tobacco blends are tinned, microbial contaminants are most certainly enclosed. And the microbes flourish on plant products. These tiny organisms release digestive enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates and proteins in the tobacco; and they absorb the simple sugars, amino acids, etc., and degrade them in similar ways that a living plant cell would do. Also, the microbes can actually break down the cellulose in the rigid plant cell walls, producing simple sugars in the process. Tad gives the impression, at a number of points in his P&T article, that microbes must have oxygen to grow and to produce carbon dioxide. This is untrue. Many microbial organisms thrive under anaerobic circumstances. A good example is common baker�s yeast. The large bubbles appearing inside �rising� bread dough are carbon dioxide gas pockets that are formed by the embedded yeast cells growing anaerobically on the flour starch. Carbon dioxide is not the only gaseous substance produced during the aging of tobacco. Microbial anaerobic fermentation of carbohydrate and protein material generates methane, ammonia and hydrogen gases as well as carbon dioxide�all of which can contribute to �tin-puffing� in our tobacco cellars. Provided tobacco tins are sealed reasonably air-tightly by the manufacturer, any oxygen that is initially present will not last long; it will be consumed right away, either by microbial respiration or by spontaneous reaction with various materials in the tobacco. Chemically speaking, oxygen is a very reactive and potentially destructive substance. Some kinds of �secondary metabolites� are especially sensitive to oxygen-related changes, in some cases for the good and in other cases for the detriment of the tobacco flavor character.

Broadly speaking, microbes can be viewed simply as catalytic agents that speed up the very kinds of beneficial chemical reactions that we have discussed throughout this missive. Unpredictability�in the initial levels of carbohydrate and protein in various blends (or vintages) of tobacco leaf, as well as in the extent of the microbial �contamination� during tobacco processing and tinning�makes it difficult to assess the exact role of microbes in the aging of our tobaccos. Indeed, I would say that the most important take-home message from Tad�s absorbing P&T article is that variability�in all things large and small�defines the mystery of tobacco aging. Such is the lore and the lure of the craft!

Thanks, P&T, as well as to Tad Gage, for bringing to us this and so many other captivating topics. Here�s to a great year for Pipes and tobaccos in 2007!

Rick Welch
Baltimore, Maryland

On pipe packing

A few months ago, I would have laughed if anyone had told me I could learn a thing or three about packing a pipe. C�mon, basic stuff, right? But recently there have been some enlightening discussions about various ways to pack a pipe. I realize that there are, indeed, methods of pipe packing that are for the slightly more �advanced� pipe smoker because you need a feel for the tobacco you�re working with and the size of the bowl. I�ve tried some of these methods, but none really captured my fancy until I tried Fred Hanna�s method, as described in the last issue.

I�ve become a great fan of this method. It didn�t take me any time at all to catch on to getting the right size hunk of tobacco. If the clump ends up being too large, I just pick off the bits from the top of the bowl. The key is to insert that clump of tobacco so there�s space at the bowl bottom with no tobacco. It�s amazing how tightly you can cram the tobacco in, and how easily it draws, as long as there is that air pocket!

I like lighting only the middle of this clump�the lighting process is much faster and the flame never gets near the rim, so you lower the risk of charring your bowl rim. As you puff, the heat does indeed work its way to the edges of the bowl with almost no assistance. The tobacco burns cooler and it stays lit without puffing for longer periods. I�ve never been very skilled at keeping a pipe lit, so this method of packing reduces the number of re-lights I need.

However, this is a messy process. I can�t do it without a piece of paper under the pipe because inevitably tobacco spills out. So I resort to the old standby method when out and about. I can�t make the method work with a really large, wide bowl because I can�t hold a large-enough wad in my hand. But it has to be a pretty darned big bowl. And it�s definitely trickier with partially broken flake or slices than a finer ribbon mixture. But with practice it works. It obviously doesn�t work with dry tobacco because of the cramming process.

I�ve found this method works well with any standard shape pipe, but it�s an absolute godsend with Dublins, bulldogs and horns�any pipe shape where the bowl walls tend to get thinner at the bottom of the bowl due to the design. Since the tobacco doesn�t collapse into the bowl bottom until your smoke is nearly done, the bowl bottom stays very cool and you can still smoke your pipe to the end without worrying about burnout or getting a hot acrid blast during those last few minutes of smoking.

Finally, it is much easier and neater to swab out any moisture that precipitates at the bottom of the bowl or in the stem. You can run a pipe cleaner all the way down the air hole and into the bowl without immersing it into the tobacco itself. Thus, the pipe cleaner is more effective, swabbing up the moisture but not getting laden with other gunk. I never knew of this method until I read Pipes & tobaccos. How much fun to learn something new about something so simple and basic. Thanks for running the article.

Tad Gage
Evanston, Illinois

Big pipe ad

This billboard just went up just down the street from my office. It is intended to advertise the Magritte exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)�which is located on the next block.

Joe Pica
Los Angeles, California

Pipe Smoker of the Year 2006 in Germany�Joachim Poss

On Dec. 13, 2006, Joachim Poss, vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the German Parliament was honoured as Pipe Smoker of the Year 2006. The honorific speech was done by Dr. Peter Struck, chairman of the SPD in the German Parliament. The award document was presented by Marc von Eicken, chairman of the Tabak Forum.

The Pipe Smoker of the Year award began in 1969 with one of the most famous politicians at that time, Herbert Wehner (SPD), and was continued with authors such as Nobel Prize winner for literature G�nter Grass, politicians like Helmut Kohl (ex-chancellor), entertainer Thomas Gottschalk, director Claude Chabrol and actors like Tobias Moretti.

The Tabak Forum represents the German manufacturers and distributors for pipe tobacco, pipes and accessories. Its goal is to transmit the positive image of pipe smoking in public and to provide broad information of the world of pipe smoking.

A. Manderfeld
Germany

Pipemaking in Iraq

Thought I'd send you some pictures of the pipes that I made over here in Iraq the last six months�it helps keep my mind off all the unpleasant things, the stress I have to deal with. I'm the battalion surgeon in a remote base. I purchased the supplies from PIMO and gained inspiration from P&T magazine. If you notice, the brass pieces I used are the butt end of a .50 caliber round. The bone for the one tamper is carved from a lamb bone that I found on a mission. It has the battalion mascot, a wolfhound, carved on it. I've also used part of a wool Army blanket for the pipe and tamper gloves. Each pipe is kind of a memorial to soldiers we have lost. I've carved eight and unfortunately I have many more to do.

CPT David Palmieri
Unit 70093, Iraq

Editorial P&T magazine spring 2007


Spring

Spring is coming. It�s coming in fits and starts, but it�s on the way, and that means one horribly depressing inevitable thing: lawn mowing season.

It�s still pretty cold here in North Carolina, but we�ve had enough weird warm spurts that the grass has been fooled into growing. I ignore it. The height of grass means nothing to me until the neighbors start throwing polite reminders tied to rocks through my windows. But my wife notices. She�s from a Southern family with a long, sacrosanct tradition of women never mowing lawns. That�s what husbands are for: mowing grass, taking out the trash, fixing broken stuff, as well as helping with the laundry, the dishes, the vacuuming and every other dang job regardless of traditional gender roles until I could just run amok and start breaking furniture and doing a tribal man-dance around a bonfire in the living room while�well, that�s another story, best told after I find a good psychiatrist or lawyer.

Anyway, last Saturday afternoon I was going through my usual routine, smoking in my big chair, reading, watching Monty Python and occasionally moving to the couch for a short nap before returning to my chair for another pipe. It�s a tough regimen, but I�ve built my skills over many years of perseverance. My wife came into the living room and looked out the front window. �The grass is getting pretty high,� she said. �It�s this screwy weather,� I said. �The next hailstorm will beat it back down.� She walked out. Then she walked back in. �You know, that yard is looking kind of ragged. There�re probably snakes out there.� �Yeah,� I said. She walked out.

She walked back in. �All of our neighbors have already mowed,� she said. �It�s February,� I said. �Mowing before May is bad for the soil substrata. It depletes the nitrogenized root system loam undercoating.� �That�s what you said last year,� she said with that Bobby-Fisher-about-to-say-�checkmate� look I hate. �The guys at Home Depot say that�s a bunch of hogwash.� Uh-oh. Time to parry the attack. �You�re hanging out with Home Depot guys now?� I asked. �Is that where you go Wednesday nights when you say you�re at church?� �I�ve been thinking,� she said, �that it would be best if you didn�t smoke in the house any more. The drapes are starting to smell bad.� Gambit declined. �I think,� I said, �that I�ll mow the lawn.�

Two hours later she materialized behind me as I stood at the pipe cabinet. �The grass is still the same height,� she said. �I�ll mow, but I need the right pipe.� �What about this one?� �For yard work? I�d cry if I dropped that.� �Well, what about this?� �That�s got a taper bit; I need a saddle bit for outdoor work.� �OK, how about this one?� I didn�t realize she knew the difference between a taper and a saddle. She�s a crafty one. �The humidity is too high for that pipe. I need a real dry smoker.� �Well, you better hurry. It�ll be dark soon.�

An hour later she was back. �Still deciding on a pipe?� she asked. �No, choosing a tobacco now. I have to find the right blend to harmoniously complement the current pollen conditions.� I looked out the window. �Oh, drat,� I said. �It�s dark already. Mowing will have to wait.�

She pulled a sandblasted Lovat from the cabinet, one of my favorite pipes. She has unerring instincts. �Is this a good pipe?� �That old thing?� I said. �Naw, it�s trash. I only keep it around to scratch between my shoulder blades.� She nodded knowingly and tucked the pipe into her pocket. �Mow the lawn and you can have it back.� �But woman,� I said, �it�s pitch black outside.� She shook her head. �The lawn gets mowed or the pipe goes down the disposal.�

And that, my pipe-smoking friends, is how an otherwise sane man ends up duct-taping a Coleman lantern to his push mower and mowing the lawn at 9 p.m. PT

Revista Pipes& Tobaccos Magazine (primavara 2007)


Gerald Ford
In the wake of Watergate and a disgraced presidency, Ford became the healer of the nation.

For the Love of the Briar
With the sensibilities of a true artist, Andrew Marks crafts his pipes in the Vermont wilderness.

A Whirlwind Day in Poland
A quick stop in Poland proves that the pipemaking craft is vibrant and still important.

Master of the Boneyard
Where does old tobacco machinery go? Ask Mac Carr.


24 martie 2007

Joi 29 martie si joi 5 aprilie

Joi 29 martie, degustam Presbyterian Mixture si se va discuta pe tema marelui premiu de la sfarsitul anului; locul I se va obtine ca si cumul de puncte (ca in formul 1 sau al timpului total- clasamentul adevarului)


joi 5 aprilie concurs, etapa a IV-a, la Davia Brau, locul nostru d eintalnire, incepand cu ora 20:00 aprindem pipele. Va astept in numar cat mai mare.

Prebyterian mixture, blend al William P. Solomon, cotat cu 3 stele pe www.tobaccoreviews.com
iata descrierea acestui tutun:



Manufactured to the Original Blend with mellow US Virginias and high-quality Macedonian grades to make an xclusive aristocratic pipe mixture.


This fine tobacco originally had no name. It was blended before the first World War especially for the Very Rev. Dr. John White, sometime minister of the Barony Kirk in Glasgow and Moderator of the General Assembly in Scotland in 1929. He introduced it to Stanley Baldwin, later Earl Baldwin, Prime Ministerin 1923, 1924 and 1935. He liked it so much that regular supplies were sent down to him and it was he who suggested that it be called "Presbyterian Mixture".

17 martie 2007

Retete de mititei si frigarui ca pe vremea lui Pastorel

Mititei românesti

Micii se fac din carne de vaca, de la piept si prapore, tocate pâna asuda cel ce da. Se tine sa se fragezeasca maiaua o zi si chiar doua, si abia apoi se sareaza, se pune cimbru si samânta de ardei rosu uscat, ramas din toamna pâna-n primavara, si se framânta tocatura cu mujdei de usturoi si zeama de carne. Odata sfârsite acestea, se asaza pe gratarul uns cu o aripa de pene de gâsca muiate-n seu de oaie, iar dedesubt trebuie sa arda fara flacara carbunii de lemn.

Frigarui

Friptura tocata la frigare: se iau bucatile de muschi si carne moale de la coada, se curata de piei si se hacuiesc pe un fund de lemn si tocatura se îndestuleaza cu ceapa, cu piper si cu cimbru, cu patrunjel si – dupa obraz – cu putina lamâie, aleasa din cele bubuoase, rasa. Apoi se leaga cu oua proaspete pe dinauntru, iar pe dinafara cu suvite de slanina alba frecata bine cu usturoi, în asa fel încât sa nu se desprinda de pe frigarea tapana de alun, dupa care se da deasupra unui jaratec de spaima ca sa se rumeneasca dintr-o data, sa prinda coaja si sa ramâna asa pâna când este gata si se scoate de pe bat pe tipsie, asezând-o pe asternut de orez fiert înabusit, cu o capatâna-doua de ceapa nedesfacuta în el si cu zeama lamâilor vaduvite de coaja, stoarsa deasupra.

Oleg si Pastorel Teodoreanu

Oleg ne-a povestit la o intalnire a clubului despre epigramele lui Pastorel Teodoreanu, un gurmand si un chefliu al anilor 50, ani carora le-a fost specifica epigrama.

Majoritatea acestor catrene "subversive" ii erau atribuite scriitorului Al.O. Teodoreanu, cunoscut de public sub numele de Pastorel. Epigramele sale, ca si acelea care ii erau atribuite, se aflau in varful cronicii orale din perioada respectiva. Multe din ele s-au pierdut, iar acelea ajunse pana la noi nu pot fi intelese in afara contextului. Asa, de pilda, in 1946, in prezenta Regelui Mihai I, a fost dezvelit, in Piata Victoriei, "Monumentul ostasului sovietic eliberator", lucrare semnata de sculptorul Constantin Baraschi. Monumentul era amplasat in portiunea de parc pe care se afla Institutul geologic, intre palatul Victoria si Muzeul "Grigore Antipa". La inceputul anilor '70 a fost mutat intr-un loc mai discret de pe Soseaua Kiseleff din apropiere, iar apoi, odata cu prabusirea fostului regim, a disparut.

Iata cum suna catrenul lui Pastorel Teodoreanu dedicat acelui monument:

"Marite erou rus

Nu te-am inaltat asa de sus

Fiindca ai eliberat popoarele

Ci pentru ca-ti put picioarele."


Multumin Oleg.

Povestea Cozonacilor de Pastorel Teodoreanu

Mais ou sont les neiges d'antan ?

Astazi se mai fac doar prin cofetãrii. Capitala s-a modernizat. Locuitorii vietzuiesc în cutii simetrice suprapuse, câte opt si câte nouã una peste alta si câte douãzeci si mai bine giur-împregiur. Ca sã ajungã la cutiile de sus, ei se-nchid într-un dulap care huie si umblã singur. Se pogoarã si se suie ca o gãleatã de fântânã fermecatã. Cozonacii s-au foarte speriat si toti au fugit. Care-ncotro nimerea. Si, iaca, nu-s !
Cozonacul, când e bine crescut e drept credincios, conservator si traditionalist. Cei care au trecut la inamic, pactizând cu cofetarii, sunt niste rãi si niste ticãlosi. Toti sunt anemici, plini de stafide si piperniciti .

Voi sunteti din neamul nostru ?
Prãjitura de cârpaci !
I-e rusine gospodinei sã vã zicã cozonaci !

Adevãratii cozonaci, ca-n vremile de restriste când poporul nostru se retrãgea în munti, cu domn si cu boieri si chiar cu fratii Buzesti, din fata cumplitelor urgii turcesti, au plecat în bejenie cãutând adãpost prin chiliile mânãstiresti si prin târgurile moldave si basarabene.
Nu ti-ar sta cozonacul în garsonierã sau la " Athènée Palace ", Doamne fereste ! Lui îi trebuie casã cum se cuvine, cu ziduri si sobe acãtãrii, cu ogradã mare si grajduri, si acareturi, si grãdinã cu copaci si scrânciob, si cu fete rumene cu sort si boneta albã , sã-i poarte în brate. Lui îi place iarba verde, veselia si larma, cu Uricani, Nicoresti , si Cotnar roznovenesc si lãutarasi la sfârcul urechii. Cãnd e petrecerea în toi, cozonacul cel bãtrân sta printre ceilalti ca un staret si ca un voievod. El stie multe si-si aduce bine aminte de mãria-sa, de boieri bãrbosi cu ciubuc si giubea si de domnite plãpânde ca florile. Si Mãria-sa îl punea la loc de cinste, tot în mijlocul mesei , si când se cutremura masa de râsul boierilor, care se minunau de drãcãriile mãscãricilor si pehlivanilor din Tarigrad, cozonacul se cutremura si el cu cusma pe-o ureche si mai-mai c-ar fi inceput sã joace dacã nu i-ar fi fost lene. Cand soarele il dogoreste prea tare, în timp ce mielul la frigare si salata verde de lãptuci trece din mânã in mânã, cozonacul motãie ca o closcã printre ouale rosii, viseaza si, prin vis surâde unei amintiri.
I se pare cã e pe vremea veselului Dabija - Vodã, cãnd un boier mai tânãr , sugubãt vestit , fiindu-i ciudã pe Înalt Prea Sfântul Mitropolit, au scornit cã
Sfintia -Sa, de zgârcenie, pune de coace cozonacii în potcapurile monahilor repauzatzi întru Domnul; si cã el de scârbã cozonac de la Prea-Sfintitul nu mãnâncã.
Dar boierii n-au crezut si însusi Mãria -Sa Voievodul poftea cozonac de la Sfânta Mitropolie si-l uda cu vin ros din viile mãriei sale, numai în ceascã de lut, zicând ca e cel mai dulce asa , cum arata si dumnealui Ioan Neculce vornicul în hronic.
Cozonacul stie cã cel mai mult il iubesc copiii.De dragul lor el face pui mici si le potriveste la fiecare câte o aschie de migdala strâmbã, ca un nas de fildes. Ba pentru pãpusile Lizicãi, în întelegere cu baba Catinca, a scos un puisor cât un degetar si i l-a trimis plocon de cu seara.
Câti vor fi astãzi copiii care sã freamãte la gândul misterului sãvârsit în cuptor ?
Câti vor mai fi pândind pe la geamurile dosnice frãmântarea aluatului de aur topit, din bucãtãria la care s-au încuiat usile ? Câti vor fi mai asteptând cu nerãbdare ceasul dejunului din ziua intâi si doi bunici care sã-mpartã din capul mesei bacsisul, cozonacul si ouale rosii, fiecãrei slugi, îmbrãcate-n haine de sãrbãtoare ?
Patriarhalele obiceiuri s-au dus cu cei bãtrâni. Si-mi inchipui vremea când copiii de azi vor fi si ei bunici. Mi-i inchipui înconjurati de nepoti si nepoate, îngrãmãditi in fata unui haut-parleur cât un ceasornic si aud parcã :
--Bric a brac, din X.O., planeta Marte
--Postul de emisiune a transmis un concert de Buiacbuc executat de foci si cimpanzei. Urmeazã planeta Pamântul.
Si-mi mai închipui o conferintã sustinutã de un profesor doctor la Tubingen, specializat în istoria românilor din epoca de fatzã.
A pronuntat cuvantul cozonac. Toti se mirã, inchid aparatul si fac cerc împrejurul bunicii .
O Lizica intreabã ciripind :
-- Bunicutza , ci-i acela codonac ?
Si bunicutza , stergãndu-si o lacrimã ivitã în coltul genei , va incepe asa cum incepeau povestile noastre : A fost odatã...

"Predoslovie" de Pastorel Teodoreanu

Cerca-ma-voi în cronica pe care
M-am învoit s-o scriu saptamânal
Pe lânga sfatul profesional
Sa pun ceva piper şi-un pic de sare.

Nu este cronicar, ci papagal
Cel ce repeta cu neruşinare
Prozaice reţete culinare
Aşa cum le-a gasit în manual.

Şi de înfaţişez ca predoslov
Spre-a obârşi sonetul de istov
În endecasilab natura moarta,

Nu-i loc pentru estet sa fie trist,
Caci şi bucataria e o arta
Atunci când bucatarul e artist.

"Rulada cu chichirez" de Constantin Bacalbasa

„Rulada cu chichirez“

Fiind casatorit cu maestra culinara favorita a Principesei Ileana si a Reginei Maria, Constantin Bacalbasa si-a permis luxul de a deveni un mare gurmand, fiindca a beneficiat întreaga viata de servicii culinare foarte rafinate, chiar la el acasa. Unul dintre felurile preferate de mâncare, despre care a marturisit - într-un interviu acordat lui I. Valerian, cu doar câteva luni înainte de sfârsitul vietii – ca nu l-a inclus în „Dictatura Gastronomica“, din motive de „gelozie culinara“, fusese inventat de însasi Ecaterina Bacalbasa si era poreclit de sotul acesteia „Rulada cu chichirez“. Pe scurt, se lua o bucata mare de pulpa de porc fara os, se cresta cu cutitul, „pentru a se desface carnea ca o foaie de placinta“ si se adunau acolo toate deliciile, dupa placerea fiecaruia: „rinichi fript, taiat marunt, bucati de ficatei, felii subtiri de slanina afumata, babic sau ghiudem, muschi filé si sunca de Praga, totul amestecat cu ciuperci si felii de masline verzi; apoi se adaugau mirodeniile, se rula carnea si se lega cu ata de pescar, ca sa nu arda, dupa care se baga «butoiul» astfel garnisit în cuptor si se uda mereu cu vin rosu.“ Desi nu pare „un secret foarte original“, fericitul sot al bucataresei sustinea ca aceasta este „singura mâncare care te si satura, dar te si ameteste usor, daca sosul este bogat si tare, asa ca nu-ti mai trebuie nimic dupa aceea...“

16 martie 2007

Punctaj partial

Costin 24
Oleg 22
Catalin 19
Daniel 18
Dan 15
Stefan 14
Cristi 6
Adi 6
Ilie 3
Sebi 3
Dani 2
Nucu 1

Etapa 3

Nume timp loc puncte
Costin 66:30 1 9
Oleg 63:22 2 8
Catalin 49:34 3 7
Stefan 36:00 4 6
Daniel 35:30 5 5
Adi 21:11 6 4
Sebi 10:00 7 3
Dani 3:53 8 2