Tobacco too mellow.

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NewPipe

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Hello to all my BBs,

I have been smoking Dr Pats a pipe tobacco we get here in Australia and NZ and it's the best I've tried thus far from my local tobacconist. That's not saying much as the range is limited, Amphora, Borkum Riff, Captain Black, MacBarans and good old Dr Pats. I must stress that we only get a handful of the different blends of each of these brands and from what I can see not the 4 star stuff for example only 2 MacBarans pouch baccy Plumcake and Mixture.
So after much internet research I went for the Amphora Original Blend, it had some good reviews as a "supermarket" pipe baccy. Unfortunately after getting it home and having a smoke I found it to be not just mellow but very, very mild so much so I didn't feel satisfied at all after the experience and had to race out and buy another tin of Dr Pats to satisfy my nicotine hit. I'm not saying the Amphora was bad just a little light for me.

My question is to you my Briar Brethren can I in some way spice up this blend to give it that hit I need? If so what would just suggest I mix with it to give it some punch? Got no Perique on hand either.

I have yet to purchased some Imported Blends and Blending tobaccos but again my options are limited. At the moment these are my options. McClelland, Peter Stokkebye, Samuel Gawith, not the full range of these but say 10 different types of each. Peterson's I can get a pretty good range of these, a half a dozen types of Davidoff, a half a dozen types of Dunhill, 2 types of Erinmore, Tobac Sherman 4 varieties, Torben Danske 3 varieties and well that's about all I can find in Australia thus far.

I have searched US and UK sites and wow you guys have so much to try. We have really strict laws over here when it comes to importing tobacco/booze which make it almost impossible unless I'm heading OS and then can get up to 250g duty free on the way back so I'll have to make do with the handful of pipe tobacco importers here. Price here for Nat Sherman Red 307 56g $128.00 AUDollars most others around the $50 for a 50g tin. Oh and they banned chewing tobacco and snuff last Century some time.

So as you can see my Amphora Original was $39.00 AUDollars and I'd like not to have to chuck the stuff. Also any stronger taste, nicotine hit, tobaccos people can advise me on.

I'm still very new to this as you can no doubt see, the pipe smoking not the smoking been doing that for ever.
I await your pearls of wisdom.

Sean.

 
You will find the Samuel Gawith blends to be stronger in nicotine strength than those you mentioned. They all have blends that will taste full strength. Just depends on what you like. Most of the aromatics seem to be blends of rather mild tobaccos for me.
 
Thank you Carlos.

I am going to order a few tins but would like to find the stronger, nicotine, baccy so that is a great help.

Was thinking of buying some Pure Latakia and Pure Perique (McClelland) to blend in with some others as I've heard they are quite strong?

We get the oblong tins of Samuel Gawith. Here are a few of the varieties we get, Firedance Flake, 1792 Flake, Bracken Flake, Navy Flake, Perfection Mixture, St James Flake, Balkan Flake, Westmorland Mixture, Commonwealth, Brown Rope #4 - Rum 9 (very exy), Squadron Leader, Full Virginia Flake, Black Cherry Mixture, Scotch Cut Mixture and found an Oz site with a few more. These I will have to order from Melbourne or Sydney.

Something to look forward to.
 
Yup, you got it with the SG stuff, manly blends of big N.

I recco Bracken Flake, Full Virginia Flake & Brown Rope #4

Those blends are some pure tobacco & if you can get 'em at reasonable prices, then that'd be the big ticket fersure.

I'm quite new to all this pipesmoking stuff as well & navigating thru the vast universe of different blends can indeed be very daunting, not to mention costly, but once you find a reliable workhorse it's all gravy after that, then you may begin to experiment & tweak or find which flavor profiles suit your individual needs.

Me being an Ex-cig smoker found it difficult to get the strngth level I desired & finally got good with some hearty blends...I still inhale every other draw & this has led to some unexpected results --- when devouring lungfulls of fresh-cut G.L. Pease JackKnife Plug I suddenly found myself dizzy likme first tobacco experience...it hit me HARD! I actually had to go lay down in bed to recover!

Perique is indeed very strong, but it's a spice leaf with a peppery body, usually used to enhance or "kick up" a plain blend, you may find it to your liking or you may not, it's all simply a matter of personal chemistry, pipe-loading technique & taste tolerance...that said, you're the only one who knows what you like!

However, I do think that we, as private citizens regardless of nationalistic flag, have the absolute right to exchange via post-mail any damn'd thing we please & if ever you have a fancy for some unobtainable blend then the contact of fellow brothers via these boards may enable exchanges & etc, as "gifts" or whatever...I dunno, all these agents in play are getting pretty strict, but it's always worth a try if ya wanna go heave ho or whatnot...

...in the meantime, if you can obtain a cigarette tobacco like Bali Shag, drum or Samson - a trickle of that will enhance the N content of whatever blend you're smoking, all the measurements can be suited to taste.

I've smoked some blends which taste absolutely doggy danglies, but the body ain't there & smokin' hot thin air sure ain't no fun...regardless, I think all your problems will be solved by the BigMan Sammy G!!!

Cheers!
 
Peterson's Irish Flake is a high N choice. Of course, you would have to rub it out before blending it with the Amphora.
 
Got the Peterson in the mail today nice way to round out the week. Come all the way for Leeds Uk to Australia in 7 days so I was well pleased with that.

I was able to buy some Erinmore Flake at a local tobacconist yesterday so I had a 1/2 bowl of that to get the new pipe going, very nice. Had advice on the first half a dozen smokes only have a half bowl.

Have order some of the SG from an interstate specialist so hope to give that a go next week. Yeah I really do have to work that had to get good baccy it's a bloody sin. The Erinmore and Dr Pats aren't bad baccys just like to try some of the Latikia and Perique, all in good time.

Thank you for the word of wisdom on mixing and blending to suit I had an idea I could do that but wasn't sure and being a smoker of cigs some baccy can be like sipping on air.

Really enjoyed the Aran will give it another go tomorrow as I don't want to wear it out.

Now about dottle. I should have a little left in the bottom? Don't want to damage it so I didn't smoke it all the way down left a little bit is that ok to do or shouldn't I worry?

Thank you for the wisdom.


 
Depending on how the airway enters the bottom of the bowl, you may have dottle whether you want it or not. On a perfectly drilled pipe, it is possible to smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl, which is necessary to build cake in the bottom of the bowl.

It is, however, personal preference whether you want to smoke all the way to the bottom. Do what is comfortable to you.
 
EC Outlaw":vhaelhrq said:
Depending on how the airway enters the bottom of the bowl, you may have dottle whether you want it or not. On a perfectly drilled pipe, it is possible to smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl, which is necessary to build cake in the bottom of the bowl.

It is, however, personal preference whether you want to smoke all the way to the bottom. Do what is comfortable to you.
Click to expand...
I tend towards the "not smoking to the bottom" trend. Messing with three relights to get that "last little bit" seems silly.

If you hate throwing away good tobacco (lipipe) you can always dry out your dottle on the mantlepiece for tomorrow morning....

 
Ok so I'm missing some thing here.

What's the "three light rule"?

I think I can guess but can anyone tell me for sure?

Talked to my brother this morning he's not a cig smoker and is the reason I'm here.

You see the last time I was down in the big smoke he says look what I bought and shows me his pipe. Then he said he didn't know if he liked it but I found out why. He was smoking some heavy baccy White Ox in it. So next time we were out found some Dr Pats and he's not looked back.

This got me to thinking I needs me a pipe. And have not looked back.
 
There is NO "three lights" rule! That's just a Bob's personal choice concerning his smoking habits. Smoke as you find comfortable and gives you enjoyment and don't get tied up in the proper "way"! There really is NONE :p If you want to smoke to the bottom and your style and tobacco allow you, DO IT!! I've smoked to the bottom since I started smoking back in 1969 and still do. Works for me :p
 
Yeah you can get lost in the legend.

Just had my morning mix, a 60% Erinmore flake and 40% Dr Pats, with a nice strong cup of real coffee. Good way to get the day going.

Still doing the 1/2 full thing with the new Aran but smokes nice that's my 3rd smoke and it's settling in nice.

Thanks again for the help it's all good as I'm still new to this.

I'm enjoying it which I guess is the main thing huh.
 
Good Lord, I didn't know Australia is so damn picayune about a harmless pleasure. Well, a sign of what's ahead, unless we can convert some newcomers.

You might try putting "tobacco blending" into your browser. There are sites that provide formulas for mixing different drugstore blends and others to suit different tastes.

You know that Perique is recommended as a flavor enhancer, not something to be puffed uncut, right?

If you're going to smoke much Erinmore, you might want to dedicate a pipe to it. It leaves a footprint that resists removal and doesn't blend well with other tobacco smoked in the same pipe. I prefer Erinmore flake to the ready rubbed.

I used to know which tobacco was highest in vitamin N -- Virginia, Burley, Latakia -- but at this moment I ain't sure. A bit more work with the browser would provide an answer, and then you could order some straight stuff to add to your preferred mixture.

Good luck.
 
Yes like many places tobacco smoking is frowned upon here, I don't think they'll ever ban it because they make millions on the ridiculous tax we pay on it. They say the tax is to of set the public health system I say they're hypocrites.

I have been smoking the Erin flake in this new pipe I did try a little of the Dr Pats and Amphora last night in it but will be going back to the flake today as I did enjoy it. So this will be my Erin/Aran Pipe :) Find that the flake burns slower giving me a longer smoke than the Amphora.

I know there was a classy pipe shop in Brisbane but can't find much about it on the net/web so I have my brother (lives in Bris) doing a few reckies to tobacconists to see if we can't find a good steady supplier of good import baccy.

I can get Latakia and Perique (have to send away to Melbourne not cheap either) and it does state that it is for blending. I read that Perique is very strong and should be used to spice up a blend. So yeah I had an idea that just smoking Perique probably not a good idea.

Tell you what after smoking what I have and enjoying it so much I can hardly wait to try some of the nicer imports.

Does anyone do the cue tip dipped in Rum/Whiskey or Bourbon and coat the inside of the bowl? Another thing I picked up from YouTube to "sweeten" the smoke. I haven't tried it and just wanted to run it by people who'd know. Probably best for me to keep going with the breaking in at this stage.

Cheers again my BoB for all the advice to this novice. Had about 10 smokes so far on to the 1/2 bowls now breaking in and working up to a full bowl. Getting a good cake been smoking all the way down.

Need to get another pipe been looking at Mario Grandi and Stanwell just as a change from the Peterson. Mind you I'm very happy with the Peterson and will buy from them again. I can't afford some of the higher end stuff. Any preferences to a second pipe? Dunhill is out of reach for me at the moment. Are they really that good EBay prices $1000+?







 
Here's a bit of unvarnished advice that would have been a worthwhile shortcut for me back in the day when I was a pipester newbie. Everybody seems to start with a drugstore aromatic (Amphora was my first) and (assuming they persevere after the not-so-great start) tries some good sample of tobacco and has an epiphany: ""Ah, so that's what tobacco tastes like!!" So my advice is this: Buy a good Virginia blend, a Latakia blend and a Burley. (All non-aromatics.) After you've puffed a few bowls of each, you'll know from your own experience what you're dealing with and what such descriptors as "a smoky English mixture" mean. It's a shortcut from the usual passage through aromatics. Follow ur own path, I'm jus' sayin' . . .
 
KevinM":ueh1bl10 said:
Here's a bit of unvarnished advice that would have been a worthwhile shortcut for me back in the day when I was a pipester newbie. Everybody seems to start with a drugstore aromatic (Amphora was my first) and (assuming they persevere after the not-so-great start) tries some good sample of tobacco and has an epiphany: ""Ah, so that's what tobacco tastes like!!" So my advice is this: Buy a good Virginia blend, a Latakia blend and a Burley. (All non-aromatics.) After you've puffed a few bowls of each, you'll know from your own experience what you're dealing with and what such descriptors as "a smoky English mixture" mean. It's a shortcut from the usual passage through aromatics. Follow ur own path, I'm jus' sayin' . . .
Click to expand...
Excelent, excelent advice. :p
 
Noted and noted.

This is now a week of smoking the Peterson.

Tonight's full pipe was magic, slow, cool, smooth, sweet even.

Most enjoyable yet.

Can't wait to try some Latakia.

 
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