My first pipe experience

[WaydeG]

After finally getting all my needed items together, I sat out on the back porch and lit my first bowl of Balkan Sasieni. I'm a/was a regular cigar smoker and can only make some misaligned comparisons.

I watched a few You Tube (JRF and Co) videos to get an idea on how to pack, light, relight etc. Thank God for You Tube otherwise I probably would have become frustrated and not enjoyed my experience as much. Here are some observations:
- A pipe is a much more relaxing experience than a cigar. My small Comoy lasted about 35-40 minutes. As recommended, I sipped rather than taking long hard pulls (like on my favorite cigar) Thoroughly enjoyed my pipe, book and the experience.
- The Balkan started off a little spicy and then mellowed out about halfway through the bowl. Nice flavor, not too heavy - can't say I tasted anything specifically, just a nice smooth flavor.
- The other tobacco(s) I purchased are Escudo Navy Delux and the Villager Mid Day (after reading a few reviews) A very nice shop owner in Abilene, Tx (thanks Bill) offered up a sample of something called Bob's Chocolate Flake. Looks like little ropes in the bag. How the heck do you load that??

My Savinelli Trevi Rusticated (606 KS) should be here via UPS tomorrow. Can't wait to try it.

Going on a camping trip this weekend and plan to do some comparisons. A big thanks to Bill, owner of The Leaf in Abilene, Tx who spent a lot of time with me. Wish I had some vacation time to spend 3-4 days in Chicago.

 

[Anonymous]

Onward & Upward !

It will probably take a while for you to start really appreciating it if/since your mouth is used to cigars (way more intense than almost anything you can smoke in a pipe). Pipes are a bit more subtle.

:face:

 

[SouthernPiper]

How is that viliger mid day? the guy at my local shop tried to sell me some.. it smelled good, and he said it was one of their top sellers... but it just didn't sing to me in the tin.. but i was looking for heavy latakia...

may have to buy the villiger trio sometime (early morning, mid day, late night, or somethiung like that)

 

[WaydeG]

How is that viliger mid day? the guy at my local shop tried to sell me some.. it smelled good, and he said it was one of their top sellers... but it just didn't sing to me in the tin.. but i was looking for heavy latakia...

may have to buy the villiger trio sometime (early morning, mid day, late night, or somethiung like that)

I liked the mid day although a little mild for my taste. I had the same thought as it smelled nice in the tin but was't as robust as it smelled. I broke into a tin of Escudo Navy Delux (the circular presentation caught me off guard) and was very pleased with the results. So far, I rank the Esudo at the top followed by the Balkan Sasieni then the Villager Mid Day. I have a sample of Bob's Chocolate Flake I'm going to try this weekend.

So my question to some of the vets out there is, what should us new guys be purchasing to cellar over the next few years? What will be the next "classic"?

 

[mark]

what should us new guys be purchasing to cellar over the next few years? What will be the next "classic"?

Oh if it were only that easy,,,,it's all a crap shoot,,,what you find exquisite and cellar now may not appeal to your tastebuds down the road,,,but a few years after that you may come back around and crave it,,,find your niche and put some away,,you can always trade it down the road,,,

The next classic?,,,whatever YOU like

 

[Muddler]

I wouldn't be starting to cellar until you've figured out what you really like. Changing tastes are the only downfall of cellaring.

With regard to classics, you need to try some of Greg Pease's blends - they are pretty definitively classics.

 

[MisterE]

Balkan Sasieni is pretty good way to get started! I love that blend as it always reminds me of fishing in Colorado.

If you´re looking for ideas of things to try, look for some of the "Top 10" or "Top 5 Tobaccos" threads around the boards. You´ll see several blends that get repeated mention. Those might be a good place to start. Once you get a feel for the different genres of tobaccos, you can broaden your horizons from there.

Have fun, and don´t stress too much over cellaring yet. Once you know what you like you can build up those reserves.

 

[WaydeG]

Thanks for the feedback. Just ordered a tin of the GL Pease Triple Play and Dunhill Mixture 965. Any suggestions on how to prep a chunk of plug to be ready for the bowl?

 

[MisterE]

Thanks for the feedback. Just ordered a tin of the GL Pease Triple Play and Dunhill Mixture 965. Any suggestions on how to prep a chunk of plug to be ready for the bowl?

Here ya go.....

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2emL6sLKdmY" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen></iframe>