Beginner Questions

[ace6891]

Hi,
Im new to pipe smoking and the only tobacco that i have used were two house blends from my local pipe shop. I will likely run out around the end of the month and am not quite sure where to go from here. There are a few questions that I was hoping i could get help on before making my next purchase:

I'm sure that that it is a matter of personal preference, but are there brands that are generally better than others? or ones I should stay away from?
Could anyone recommend a few different brands that would be good for a beginner?
Should I finish one type of tobacco before moving on to a different one or can I go back and forth?
:scratch:

 

[Tock the Always]

Heya,

Surely there are more qualified members to answer your questions, but I'll throw in my two cents. I've only been smoking for about 4 years now, but over that time I've smoked a ton of different varieties. I started with aromatic house blends. Then eventually I found that the flavoring in the aros would give me headaches. So I moved onto natural house blends. And then over to tinned blends. Mostly McClelland VA's. It all depends how much you smoke. I've been a daily smoker for pretty much all 4 years, so the progression was pretty quick.

And as far as types I avoid... and I know some people are probably gonna hate me for this... buuut I tend to stay away from anything you can find behind the counter of a drug store. I tried some Captain Black when I was desperate and got the worst headache of my life.

Oh, and as far as going back and forth, that's part of the fun for me. I've got four tins opened. Three naturals and an aromatic. The only thing about going back and forth is that the pipe will hold onto a bit of the flavor from the last blend you smoked.

 

[TallSmoke]

One of the fun parts of the hobby for me is the amazing number of blends I still haven't gotten around to trying after smoking a pipe for 14-years. I look forward to sampling them all!

I found one blend I liked in 1996 and stuck with it for years. But then the Internet came and I discovered a world of pipe tobaccos out there. Over the last 5-6 years especially have I been able to discover some awesome blends. I've also found a good number of blends that were not for me!

I recommend you invest in a few $5-7 corn cob pipes and use them to sample different blends one blend for each pipe. For the most part this will keep the taste of the blends true and not mix them up. Go out and sample a couple of VA's, a couple of English blends, a couple of burleys, try a couple of aromatics. You'll soon begin to discover where your taste buds and olfactory nerves are leading you.

Read, read, read! There are tons of reviews at www.tobaccoreviews.com and lots of wisdom right here on this board.

Cornell & Diehl has a ton of blends on their site. GL Pease is a master blender. Pipeworks & Wilke up in Vermont have lots of great blends. Many of the pipe stores online have huge varieties to choose from from other blenders.

Don't be discouraged if you find a couple of blends that aren't to your liking. You'll find the blends you like the most, and enjoy the hobby's research, analysis, and practice all along the way. Enjoy!

 

[old_salt]

For the absolute beginner, I would start you off with one tin of each of the following.

Rattray's Marlin Flake: a bit pricey but worth it. A smooth mild smoke.

GLP's Union Square, a superb straight virginia & easier to come by than
Samuel Gawith's full Virginia flake.

GLP's Fillmore; another great blend, with a mere hint of latakia. { I'm sitting on close to 6 lbs. of this one alone }

Finally try some Escudo, it comes on a bit spicey. But is considered by many to be the
Benchmark all other VaPers are compared to.

 

[St Fiacre]

The first blends that I tried were house aromatic blends and they both tasted like nothing but I did not know that at the time I thought that I just needed to be more patient and keep trying. But then I stepped up to tinned blends and I was amazed at the fullness of flavor that I had without trying. But by far my favorite blends have been from JM Boswell, they make fantastic aromatics that have great flavor without having to think about the blend. I would really recommend the Boswell blends as they are good tobaccos with good flavor and a steal at only $2.50 an ounce.

 

[ftrplt]

If you like Boswell's aro blends, buy a few ounces of his Mangnum, Mild English, and Northwoods blends. Will give you a chance to experience something on the non-aromatic side of pipe tobacco. FTRPLT

 

[mw306]

ace when I joined BoB a couple of months ago I had just started smoking a pipe. I posted a topic recommended tobaccos and got my start on purchases after everyone gave me their preferences. Helped me a lot and saved money also.

 

[Anonymous]

ace when I joined BoB a couple of months ago I had just started smoking a pipe. I posted a topic recommended tobaccos and got my start on purchases after everyone gave me their preferences. Helped me a lot and saved money also.

Ace
I suggest you go have a look at the thread Mw posted a while back.
I agree with tall one here. Take your time find what you like. there are thousands of blends out there. Joining a pipe club may help as you get to try samples of stuff instead of having to buy a tin just to find out you don't like it.
Good luck, it's loads of fun!

 

[utahpipeman]

I tend to stay away from anything you can find behind the counter of a drug store. I tried some Captain Black when I was desperate and got the worst headache of my life.

I second that. There may be some (drug store blends) that are enjoyable, but I would read some reviews/forum posts and pick a few highly regarded Englishes, Balkans, Virginias and aromatics. I enjoy all categories from time to time, but prefer English blends. You'll know your initial preference pretty quick. Time can change things. Some I recommend are:

English/Balkans: Penzance (if you can find it), Westminster, Chelsea Morning, Balkan Sasieni.

Virginias: Reiner Long Golden Flake, McClelland Christmas Cheer, Blackwoods Flake.

Aromatics: Boswell's Blackberry Cobbler, Blue Note, or Capt Cool.

Three others I like that are hard to categorize are Fillmore (kind of like a full virginia with a bit of Latakia), Key Largo (kind of like an English but with a bit of cigar leaf), and Haddo's Delight (my nose says aromatic, but my tongue says tobacco).

Anyway, you can get a million opinions, but stick with quality tobaccos and have fun learning what you like.

Oh yeah, as far as switching back and forth goes, it depends. If you only have one pipe and you switch around alot, it will be hard to get the true flavor of a given tobacco, because there will be some residual flavor from the previous tobacco. As a minimum, I would recommend having at least one pipe for each category. Switching Virginia tobaccos in a dedicated Virginia pipe (for instance) isn't as big of a deal as switching from say, and English to a Virginia in one pipe, although there may still be some ramifications. Corn Cob pipes are a good way to experiment cheaply, but I personally don't like the small bowls that they tend to have.