Newbie question - Which order to smoke tobacco

[crusher47]

Hello Everyone,
My name is Al and very new to the pipe smoking community. I have been smoking cigars for about 20 years, but just getting started with pipes. I bought a briar and MM corn cob and smoked some Captain Black through each. It was OK but I'm looking for more flavor. Watched a ton of Youtube videos and read plenty of reviews, so this past weekend, I placed an order for the following from pipesandcigars.com and it should arrive in a couple of days....
Mississippi River

GL Pease Gaslight

Frog Morton Cellar

Drew Estate Meat Pie
What would you recommend as far as the order to smoke these? Are these too strong for noobs?

Thanks in advance!

 

[papipeguy]

Welcome to the forum, Al. Jumping right into the latakia blends, eh? Fine choices. The Frog Morton might be considered a cross-over blend in that there is some sweetness to it, so it's probably a good place to start. Next up could be either Meat Pie or Mississippi River. Gaslight is a plug so it needs to be treated differently from the rest. It is easy to rub out once you slice a bit off of the brownie. gaslight should be packed on the loose side otherwise you'll be smoking it forever. maybe a little bit of drying time as well. It's the headiest of the bunch and very nice.

Good luck with your selections and have fun. Happy smoke rings.

 

[warren]

Try not to make the pipe difficult. Take a whiff of all of them and then load up with the one that that strikes your fancy. Pipe smoking can be an enjoyable journey of discovery, why look for shortcuts? You have seen and heard a buch of other people's opinions, it's time to start forming or own.
Enjoy! Take it slow and enjoy the journey. Until you make a few discoveries on your own you are just going to be confused and conflicted what with all of the videos and other advice. Just load up a pipe with one of them and see what's what. No preconceived ideas, just go for it!

 

[crusher47]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

 

[leacha]

Go with FM, MR, MP & then GL. And after moving on to the next blend go back to the previous blend and try to notice the differences. If you find out you hate all of them, jar 'em up and go on to something else. A year or two later revisit them and see how they stand.

 

[warren]

A thousand pardons! Welcome to the group. It's an opinionated and sometimes contrary menage of reprobates, experts, neer-do-wells, has beens and never weres, wanna-bes, conservatives and liberals, middle of the roaders and side of the roaders. I myself am middle of the lane judging from the tire marks on my back.
All of us will offer advice and observations on subjects of which we know nothing or little about. We often offer these when none has been solicited. Further, we will defend these opinions with little regard for the truth or facts . We care not the relevance of our responses and some of use have very dry wit. Our humor may be gentle or childish. More than one of use has outlived the filters which our parents nurtured in the hopes that we would make a substantial contribution for the betterment of society. My parents were very disappointed, I cannot speak for the others.
Again, welcome to forums.

 

[tobyducote]

Welcome to the group...+1,with papipeguy...but that's just our opinion...so like warren said, take a whiff and light it up...

 

[smeigs]

Hmmm.. I personally started with the lighter blends.. Meaning, less latakia and harsh virginias/burleys/periques. So, I guess that leaves mainly cavendish. I started with your typical "sweeter" blends. The ones with the nice names... "cherry whatever or vanilla this or cinnamon that". It was a good intro into the pipe world mainly because the blends were somewhat cheap and easily accessible. I learned the basics with these blends.. The proper packing methods, lighting, smoking, etc... After about 2 months I was done with those blends and wanted the english and virginia style blends. They were harsher but had wayyy more depth and flavor. Good luck and happy smoking.

 

[crusher47]

Thanks again!

 

[toadshade]

I just restarted pipe smoking and was recommended 2 of the blends, Mississippi River and Frog Morton Celler. I like both of them a lot and compliment them with some Dunhill Flake and Orlik Golden Sliced. I let the Tobacco decide when I smoke it, I love Cellar after meals and OGS when I want to savor a contemplative hour or so before bed. I like the suggestion of trying what smells good and strikes your fancy.
Toadshade

 

[mso489]

Just a footnote, when you get to Gaslight (or any plug) don't peel off the layers, but cut down through them;

that will give you the full cross section of the different tobaccos in the blend. Obvious? Well, I was a latecomer

to plugs, so needed that good advice. My plug was Triple Play, and when cut properly, it was a whole new day.

I agree with the notion of going with your nose. Sniff them all and make an adventure of it. It depends on your

personality. If you are innately cautious, go with the Frog, but if you are adventurous by nature, follow your nose.

Welcome to the Big Conversation (for pipe smokers anyway).

 

[natenice1]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[checotah]

Welcome the piping world.
Jumping right into the wonderful darkness of latakia is a bold move, not one that i would recommend for a "noob". However, if you already have them, then I would start with Mississippi River. If not to your liking at first, certainly try the others: Froggy next, then Meat Pie, reserving Gaslight for last. If any one of them suits you, stick with it for a while, adjusting to the complexities, then move to the others as the mood suits you.
If, on the other hand, none of these turn you on, come back and we can recommend other choices. Don't hesitate to set any of these aside for a while if that happens. Often, a return to a blend that first turned you off can become a delayed joy.

 

[judcole]

Welcome to the group. I can't advise you on those particular blends, but I will second what a couple of the fellas said. Try 'em all,and if one really hits you right off the bat,smoke that tin first. Get to know it, and your pipes. Take your time - there's no hurry for anything. And smoke the best tobacco, in the best pipes, you can afford. ::

 

[jsponge]

I'm fairly new to pipe-smoking but I have quickly discovered that it's hard to "plan" what to smoke. What I personally have fallen into is just grabbing what strikes me as being a good smoke at the moment. Hasn't steered me wrong thus far.

 

[andystewart]

Welcome Al! Great choice in blends - 3/4 are in my regular rotation (never had the Meat Pie). +1 papipeguy and checotah: I would start with the FM and MR, both of which smell and taste great, and leave the Gaslight until last. Not because GL is in anyway inferior - many view it as a game-changing, seminal blend that is hugely popular - but because the run-up should give you a better appreciation of the GL once you get there. TBH if I were following my nose, I would still go in that order. However you do it, enjoy!
Andy

 

[gamxiaoyuan]

I suggest Frog Morton Cellar first, cause it's a crossover between aromatic and Latakia.

Try Meat Pie in the end.

 

[brudnod]

Welcome to the best forum on the web! I like Andrew's suggestion of rotating from mildest to strongest then back again. Don't throw anything out! A bit of age (cellaring) can significantly change to nature of a tobacco; much of that you will pick up on this forum. Some of us explore different pipe tobaccos to nearly extremes (having tried hundreds of blends) and some of us (myself included) have just a few that we settle on. As suggested: Find your own temperament and enjoy!

 

[crusher47]

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it! I must say it is a lot of fun to read about everyone's experiences and with the pipe smokers community being friendly and helpful is a huge bonus! I have smoked a few more bowls of Captain Black regular the last couple of days and I don't hate it as much as some of the reviews I've read. It's actually fairly decent to smoke, but I guess I'm getting to the level that I want something more...flavor? complexity? It's missing something, I just don't know what.
I'm going to try the Frog Morton Cellar when I get home from work later and will report back... can't wait

 

[crusher47]

OK just had my first bowl of Frog Morton Cellar...taste was pretty good, similar to Captain Black for me, but not as sweet...did have a little more complex flavor and I'm guessing the Latakia is that smokey, almost "flowery" taste? It's hard to describe and I'm sure my palate isn't as refined as most other members here, but it was different...in a good way
Also, I need to work on my packing skills or something, I had to relight the bowl a LOT...I lost count after 10 relights. I will stick with it though.
Thanks again for the advice!