BoB's Essential Tobaccos for the Beginner Pipe Smoker

[George Kaplan]

When I first read this post, I thought it was a great idea, but lock three BoBs in a room to reach a consensus and they'll come out with four opposing opinions and one dead guy. (We're well-armed.) To test this theory, I locked myself in my office trailer overnight by myself. Now I have two different lists and a black eye.
Seriously though, guys: good suggestions.

 

[PipeGeek]

When I first read this post, I thought it was a great idea, but lock three BoBs in a room to reach a consensus and they'll come out with four opposing opinions and one dead guy. (We're well-armed.) To test this theory, I locked myself in my office trailer overnight by myself. Now I have two different lists and a black eye.
Seriously though, guys: good suggestions.

Nice!

This is always the case with subjective topics. The goal is not so much "best", but.... representative might be a better term.

 

[dshpipes]

Pease's pipeweed is flat-out amazing, runs the gamut from aro to Balkan, simple to complex, mild to bold. 8) No question of quality on his end, you just gotta find one that's for you.

Greg's blends are wonderful. However, if you go looking for an aromatic from Pease, I'm afraid you won't find it. He actually gives an explanation on his blog... somewhere... about why he doesn't dabble in aromatic blends. I looked but couldn't find it.

Did I imagine this? Maybe if we're lucky, Greg will elaborate!

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Enough Said...

 

[christeaux]

I actually had a lot of luck going to my local tobacconist. When I first started he helped me to find what I enjoyed, and I have not had any regrets. Also buying an ounce of several different types to find your tastes is a lot cheaper than starting off with a few tins you may not enjoy at all.

 

[puros_bran]

What's Barbary Coast?

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I would say that on a list that size McClelland really should be represented in the VA category. McClelland Virginas are some of the best IMHO. My vote would be Blackwood Flake.

 

[jlong]

When I first read this post, I thought it was a great idea, but lock three BoBs in a room to reach a consensus and they'll come out with four opposing opinions and one dead guy. (We're well-armed.) To test this theory, I locked myself in my office trailer overnight by myself. Now I have two different lists and a black eye.
Seriously though, guys: good suggestions.

Yes, and the project could end up to be the size of the tobacco review forum. I agree, lots of great suggestions. Maybe narrow them down to some handfuls of hands down votes and keep it simple.

 

[puros_bran]

Dave I don't reccomend what I don't smoke myself..
Subjective opinon etc etc but I think Rattrays, Sam Gawith, GL Pease, and even lowly Peter Stokkebye make better products than McC.

I can't argue its right anymore than you can it's wrong but it is what it is, my opinion.

 

[puros_bran]

Jlong.. let me ask this, and I'm not suggesting anything about anybody here..

Does majority rule even when the majority is wrong?

I suggested aro's and 'light' blends are bad for Noobs, even though thats exactly what the majority trys to push on a noob.. apparently GL Pease agrees. I don't pretend my opinion carries much weight but surely Greg isn't wrong in this?

 

[jlong]

Jlong.. let me ask this, and I'm not suggesting anything about anybody here..

Does majority rule even when the majority is wrong?

I suggested aro's and 'light' blends are bad for Noobs, even though thats exactly what the majority trys to push on a noob.. apparently GL Pease agrees. I don't pretend my opinion carries much weight but surely Greg isn't wrong in this?

Well, no, Hillary rules whether the majority is wrong or right because she smokes the best shit. You make it a valid point though. When I first picked up the pipe, aros were strongly recomended to me and I missed out on a lot. But then there are aros I like.

If a noob comes here looking for a blend to try, he should maybe type "I just tried" into the search box. He'll get the whole menu.
:flower: :drunken:

 

[jj1015]

I think this is a great idea!

I used to guide beginners right to aromatics, but I now think that is wrong. Start with light English blends and go from there.

Here is what I recommend new guys start with:

GLP Quiet Nights

It's a light English that doesn't skimp on flavor. You won't be overwhelmed and I think that you may find this blend stays with you well into the hobby.

If you enjoy Quiet Nights, you can start exploring other tasty English blends, such as GLP Barbary Coast or McClelland's Bombay Court which has a magnificent flavor a touch more strength than Quiet Nights.

I also recommend trying a VA blend after you've gone through a few tins of the above mentioned. They're a bit more subtle in flavor (sometimes) and take a bit more care when smoking, but they will reward you with practice.

Readily available VA blends that I personally recommend are:

Orlik Golden Sliced and GLP Union Square. Both are unique in flavor and are very pleasant. OGS has a bit of a nic hit though, so be cautious when loading a bowl with it.

From there, branch out and experiment with what you like the most. If none of the above strikes your fancy, maybe you're a burley man, in which case I suggest you buy pounds of Storm Front. You might also discover that you prefer aromatics. I'm not an aromatic afficionado, so I can't provide a lot of help in that regard.

Them's my 2 cents!

Out of curiosity, why do you have Barbary Coast == an aromatic burley blend with no latakia -- listed as an "English" blend? Also, why is Quiet Night listed as "light English?" It's got a big latakia hit, and I'd be more inclined to describe Penzance as "light" than Quiet Night. Chelsea Morning, on the other hand, is probably as good an example of a light English as I can think of....

 

[deepbass9]

Yeah, I would think PS LTF, LBF, and LNF should make the list. While LTF would be the most accessible for a newcomer, the latter two would be nice steps up....imho...and actually all three would be "farther down the road" tries, if one is going for big, big flavors.

 

[jj1015]

This is an idea I came up with as I was pondering the topic of what tobaccos I should spend my limited discretionary income on. I figure I'm not alone in that I want to explore different types of tobacco, but have limited funds and even more limited experience in choosing tobacco.

I figure among the BoB community there must be a wealth of experience with pipe tobacco, and though everyone is different and has a favorite tobacco and a preferred style/cut/blend/etc., there must be a core canon of representative tobaccos that could be recommended to the beginner smoker to get them started in the right direction when departing on their journey to pipe smoking bliss.

So I come to you, the BoB community, to see if there is some consensus on the matter. Anything is fair game, but I submit the following guidelines as to choices you might recommend:

1. Affordability. Limited funds is a core issue.
2. Availability. I personally would be put off by "it's awesome, but you can't get it anymore/have to wait 6 months to get it". It should be something a new smoker can get today even if they don't know a guy who knows a guy...
3. Accessibility. Generally, I'm working on the assumption that a new smoker would need to work their way up to strong smelling, very bold full body and high nicotine tobaccos. It should be something that has a broader appeal.

Given all this, what do you think? Does this sound like a worthwhile project? Which tobaccos would you submit to the list?

Here is a list of tobaccos from this thread with links to them on tobaccoreviews.com coming after I reach 7 days. Search the thread for member comments.

Light English Blends
Quiet Nights (G. L. Pease)
Barbary Coast (G. L. Pease)
Bombay Court (McClelland)
Skiff Mixture (Samuel Gawith)
Own Mixture No. 88 (Ilsted)

Medium English Blends
Artisan's Blend (Ashton)
Balken Sasieni (Balken Sasieni)
Penzance (Esoterica Tobacciana)
Oddysey (G. L. Pease)
Dorisco Mixture (James Fox)
Father Dempsey (Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco Shop)
Cooper (Low Country Pipe & Cigar)
Scottish Cake (Robert McConnell)
Presbyterian Mixture (William P. Solomon)
Marlin Flake (Rattray)
VR Blend (SHPC)

Strong English Blends
Star of the East (Cornell & Diehl)
Maltese Falcon (G. L. Pease)
Old Ironsides (Dan Tobacco)
Sunza Bitches (pipesandcigars.com)
Deacon's Downfall (Two Friends)
Bishop's Move (Uhle's)
York Full Mixture (Compton's of Galashiels)
Blackwood Flake (McClelland)

Virginia Blends
Golden Sliced (Orlik)
Union Square (G. L. Pease)
Golden Glow / Medium Virginia (Samuel Gawith)
No. 109 (Astleys)
HH Mature Virginia (Mac Baren)
Cut Virginia Plug (Fribourg & Treyer)
Hunter Blend: Beagle (Nording)
Quail Run (McCranie's)

Burley Blends
Storm Front (John Patton)
Blend 00 (Uhle's)
Burley London Blend (Mac Maren)
656: Aged Burley Flake (Solani)
Burley Slice (Wessex)

Aromatics
1-Q (Lane Limited)
BCA (Lane Limited)

If you want to sample a bunch at a reasonable price, call Cornell and Diehl and have them put together a sampler. They make exemplary blends in each category and also manufacture GL Pease and others. Here's a suggested list:

1) GLP Chelsea Morning (a light English)
2) GLP Maltese Falcon (a medium/full English with enough sweetness to be a good beginner English)
3) GLP Filmore (one of the best Va/Perique blends around)
4) C&D Opening Night (a great VA)
5) Epiphany (a solid old-school American blend with burlies, VA, latakia and perique)
6) GLP Barbary Coast -- the only outright aromatic in GL Pease's stable. An excellent and popular tobacco.
7) C&D Old Joe Krantz -- a benchmark burley blend. This one is a little strong, but if you smoke it in a smaller pipe you'll be just fine.
8) C&D Autumn Evening --- some say this is the best aromatic out there. At the least, it's a remarkably good aromatic that gives you both a great maple flavor but also the taste of good VA.

You've got an interesting list up there, but I sense there's a bit of confusion when it comes to how to categorize things. I don't know how Barbary Coast or Sunzabitches could ever be called "english" blends, for instance, but you'll pick up the jargon as you go along. Peaceable puffing!

 

[PipeGeek]

You've got an interesting list up there, but I sense there's a bit of confusion when it comes to how to categorize things. I don't know how Barbary Coast or Sunzabitches could ever be called "english" blends, for instance, but you'll pick up the jargon as you go along. Peaceable puffing!

It's not "my" list, really, just a collection of suggestions from the list. I'm new to most of these, so I tried my best to put things where they should be based on reading reviews and such. Feel free to toss some edumacation my way!

 

[monbla256]

Have been reading all the responses to this question and find most of the answers quite interesting and informative. Giving it some thought I would come up with the following "list" for a new smoker. All these tobacco's are readily available from most e-tailers as well as B&M's in larger metropolitan cities. They are not the most expensive as well, all being within a dollar or two of each other per qnty. purchased. I've smoked ALL of them both in the past and currently and would still today.
BURLEY
Burley London Blend - MacBarens
Grandfather Blend - Tobacco Barn
ENGLISH
Standard Mixture - Dunhill
London Mixture - Dunhill
BALKAN
Oriental #14 - McClelland
Royal Blend - Peretti's
Red Rapparree - Rattray's
VIRGINIA'S
Virginia Woods - McClellands
#2010 Classic Virginia - McClellands
Oxford Flake - Peretti's
I'd advise giving each one at least a 6 month try before moving on to many more. You've got your whole life ahead of you to branch out and try more JMHO

 

[jj1015]

You've got an interesting list up there, but I sense there's a bit of confusion when it comes to how to categorize things. I don't know how Barbary Coast or Sunzabitches could ever be called "english" blends, for instance, but you'll pick up the jargon as you go along. Peaceable puffing!

It's not "my" list, really, just a collection of suggestions from the list. I'm new to most of these, so I tried my best to put things where they should be based on reading reviews and such. Feel free to toss some edumacation my way!

There are tons of articles and posts out there talking about the different categories of tobacco. Here's a rough and ready summary I just threw together that shouldn't be taken as authoritative -- think of it as a good place to start:

1. English and/or Balkan Blends -- these are blends that usually contain virginia, latakia and orientals. They may also include small amount of perique, burley, or cavendish, and some may only have VA and latakia. Basically, latakia is the common thread here. There has been some debate lately as to whether this definition is adequate, for a couple of reasons. One, only Americans call latakia blends "english" blends. Traditionally, English blends were simply blends that severely limited the types of flavoring agents that could be added. Second, there are so many permutations of the formulas that the definition can't help but get kind of vague as it's applied. Nonetheless, when you talk about an "English" blend it is usually assumed you are talking about a blend with latakia as a central component. Light english blends have small amounts of latakia while heavy Englishes have a lot of it. Balkans are basically an English blend with a very heavy focus on orientals used for seasoning (sometimes this will provide an experience akin to burning incense over a campfire). Examples are Dunhill's 865 and Nightcap; Esoterica's Penzance, Sam Gawith's Squadron Leader and GL Pease's Westminster, Chelsea Morning, etc. For beginners, I highly recommend the Frog Morton series of blends or something like Chelsea Morning.

2. American English: An American English will be based on burley tobacco with condimental amounts of latakia. A "crossover" blend will add a good helping of cavendish and/or aromatic sauce to the mix. These were extremely popular here in the states until aromatics took over the market in the 60s and 70s. Examples are Morley's Best, Epiphany, Revelation, and Shortcut to Mushrooms.

3. American, "Drugstore Blends" or "OTCs": These are the classic burley-based mixtures that became THE most popular type of smoke in America in the 20th century. Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh and Half and Half are examples. They are still commonly available in grocery stores, drug stores and tobacco retailers (unlike most everything else on this list except aromatics). They are easy to smoke, somewhat sweet and nutty, and very easy for a newcomer to learn how to smoke with.
There is some overlap in this category with American English blends, as many of them could fit into either category.

Aromatics: The most maligned genre of tobaccos. An aromatic is a blend with a pronounced amount of added flavorings/alcohol, etc. In America, these are often made of cheap, low-quality tobacco doused in an artificial flavorings meant to emulate vanilla, cherry, etc. Although these get a bad rap, there are some very good examples on the market if you look hard enough. In the UK, there is a group of tobaccos that we Americans sometimes call "Lakelands." These blends use top-notch Vas and burlies but with added flavoring that are much different from what you buy here in the U.S. The flavorings tend to be all-natural and are the types of flavors you would encounter in traditional British candies and perfumes (some of them also borrow flavors from Indian cuisine). You will find blends flavored with rose, lavender, tonquin and clove in this category. Some guys hate 'em, some love them. Examples of American aros are Captain Black and 1-Q. Examples of Lakeland blends are Ennerdale Flake, 1792 and St. Bruno.

Virginias: These blends are hugely popular. Viriginas don't have a single flavor -- where they are grown, how they are cured, etc. makes a huge difference. In some Vas you will taste everything from citrus fruit to baking bread and Christmas spices, all without any added flavorings! The well-respected manufacturer McClelland even makes a slew of Vas that some smokers compare to barbecue sauce or ketchup. They are a little tricky to smoke, however, and cause a lot of mouth irritation to some of us. Virginias, like burley, make an excellent "base" tobacco. Examples are Full Virginia Flake, Old Gowrie and McClelland's Blackwoods Flake or Christmas Cheer series.

Perique/VaPer: This is a fermented condimental tobacco that originates from Louisiana. It is usually used in small doses and imparts body as well as a fruity sweetness or pepperiness to a blend. It is most often used alongside Virginia, creating the genre called Virginia/Perique (or Va/Per for short). Some of the most famous and enduring blends are Va/Pers. In recent years, many blends have emerged using burley along with the virginia and perique, such as Old Joe Krantz and Exhausted Rooster. Perique is a very flexible tobacco, and it's characteristics tend to change according to what it's mixed with! Examples of Va/Per blends are Escudo, Filmore and St. James Flake.

Orientals: This category covers a whole slew of condimental leaves grown in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas. Latakia used to be called an oriental, but it has become so famous that it's now a category of its own. You will normally encounter these in English or Balkan blends, although they can also be mixed with Virginias to create "oriental blends." One outstanding example of this is GL Pease's Cairo, and McClellands manufactures several orientals blends.

Latakia: This is a type of oriental tobacco that is cured by smoking it over a fire built from various woods and spices. There are two types: the common Cyprian variety, which imparts a smoky, campfire-type flavor and aroma to a blend and Syrian, which is VERY rare nowadays and tastes somewhat like red wine or leather. As you can guess from the above entries, this stuff is very popular and is used in many mixtures.

 

[PipeGeek]

You know, I'd like to see this breakdown that jj1015 put here broken out as a separate sticky post. "Basic pipe tobacco types" or somesuch, maybe?

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Ah, simplicity convoluted properly in a hard-to-navigate thread. We're so bloody helpful! :cheers: 8)

 

[puros_bran]

It's only as hard as you make it.

That's why I don't 'catagorize' tobacco. Or argue the merits of doing such, or what catagory what belongs in, or even what the categories are.
Smoke, enjoy, leave it alone.