"Everybody Must Get Coned"

n a world of increased difficulty for smokers to find a place to enjoy their diversions, it is often time that is even more in short supply for those of us who choose to smoke. We have in past issues noted than many who find themselves in time restrained situations turn to smoking pipes. And specifically those kinds of pipes that are conducive to the smoking and inhaling of cigarette tobacco. The general geometric configuration of a pipe that is ideal for cigarette tobacco use is one of shallow bowl, wide stem and with filter capabilities. Pipes of this sort serve well for pipe tobacco as well but the shallow bowl does require more frequent lighting, which is good as most people who smoke cigarette tobacco in a pipe only want a puff or two at a time. Recently, Music City Marketing   sent us a new Dutch pipe that is perhaps the most ideal medium for smoking cigarette tobacco since the paper or tube. It is call the Tattoo. It comes in a wide range of cool colors (see the head graphic at the top of this page) has a clay bowl insert that toasts tobacco evenly and provides for an extremely mild, inhaleable smoke. If you need even more mildness, these really neat looking Euro-style pipes use a quite sophisticated filter that is made for the quality line of Big Ben pipes. The filter (shown at right) is a multi-chambered piece of engineering that lasts for quite a while and filters most effectively. After much testing (enjoyably so) of these pipes we are convinced that a large majority of smokers will find this pipe completely suitable for that quick smoke. They fit easily into a pocket and beside being a real eye-catcher, they provide an extremely enjoyable smoking experience. Suggested retail is around $17.95, but street price may be as low as $16. We sell them at our experimental store for that price. But there is a new pipe that is even better. It's called the Cigapipe and it can be seen in our current issue on the Filter Tube page by clicking here.

   The new Zig-Zag 100 mm roller ( www.zigzag.com ) is a welcome addition to the family of extra-length hand-rollers. Now at first glance one might observe that this is just another 100 mm roller with a different name printed on it. That could not be further from the truth. This little piece of eye-candy was designed from the ground up by Zig-Zag for specific purposes. The rolling bars are narrower than in any other roller of this kind and the blanket, while admittedly quite a fashion statement, is made of a slightly softer material that is quite effective in forming the roll and then grabbing the paper. But the true difference in performance of this new roller is its ability to roll very narrow (small in diameter) smokes. This allow the consumer the ability to use a wide range of really quite tasty but inherently strong tobaccos like Gauloises, Bali, Samson, and, of course, Zig-Zag's own Golden Halfzware and wind up with a delicious smoke that is not too powerful to remain vertical after smoking. At about the same price as our current favorite long rollers, the Rizla Blue & Orange and CHILLS Supercone, the new Zig-Zag 100 mm roller should find a significant market. Let me explain. Now it should have become abundantly clear by now to those who have read this magazine for awhile that we prefer injecting fairly American or Turkish style tobaccos into tubes. However each day I find myself craving one of the more heady European tobaccos like those mentioned above and to enjoy them fully, I like a thin stick. The Rizla roller does a pretty good job at rolling these thin smokes but not nearly as well as the new Zig-Zag. The thinner roller bars make this possible as does the slightly smaller blanket. All in all we were able to reproduce the above result quickly and consistently with a wide range of papers including Zig-Zag's new French Orange King-Size (see the Rolling Papers Section in this issue for more on this great new rice paper). We love the design and the colors, truly a happy little roller for a big smoke.

   we get a lot of mail about handrolling techniques and we feel it is pretty obvious how to accomplish this feat with simply tobacco, paper and two hands (in some cases one). So, we will continue to repeat the techniques, tricks and tips for true hand-rolling. As a preface, however, suffice it to say that hand rolling is mostly a matter of practice - not secrets. - RYO

Our thanks to Paul at TobaccoLovers.com ( http://www.tobaccolovers.com ) for the following graphics and text

	Step one Your thumbs and index finger on both hands, with the glue facing up and at the top. The rolling paper should have a crease about half way down, so you make another crease splitting the difference in the bottom half. Resulting in a little V shape.
Step two Pinch a heaping teaspoon out of the pouch with your fingers and plop it in the middle of the crease Step three Begin to level the tobacco off and start to roll it up
	Step four Using your thumbs and index fingers, work the tobacco until it takes cylindrical form (which isn't more than a couple of rolls, back and forth) then roll it up lick and seal. If you roll it too much it gets to tightly packed and will not smoke well. Next, pinch the shaggy scraps hanging out the sides and toss them back in your pouch to be recycled. then pick an end that looks the best and using your thumb nail or finger nail bend in the very tip of the paper inside the cigarette cylinder. This makes a rim and provides you with a more stable cigarette and prevents little scraps from getting attached to your lips.
YUPP!