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pietpyproker

Lurker
Dec 19, 2013
3
0
Hello
I just finished what I call my maiden year of pipe smoking and I ask why I did not change sooner after more than two decades of smoking cigarettes.

Over the past year, I've grown to dislike aromatics. What non-aromatics would you suggest that I try first?

I read the English-Balkan-Oriental debate, but I humbly admit that I still confused.

 

teufelhund

Lifer
Mar 5, 2013
1,497
3
St. Louis, MO
welcome to the forums! That's a dangerous question as you'll end up with as many answers and preferrences. To get the party started I'd recommend Old Dog or Man's Best friend. Good luck to you.

 

cobguy

Lifer
Oct 18, 2013
3,742
15
Grab some Carter Hall and Prince Albert to get to know Burley's.
Try some Orlick Golden Sliced for a good Virginia that's light in Perique.
Perhaps some Frog Morton on the Town as an intro to English blends.
If you end up liking the sweetness of a Virgina blend and also like the "pepper" kick of Perique

then you should definitely try some H&H Louisiana Red.
Welcome and Good Luck!

 

northernneil

Lifer
Jun 1, 2013
1,390
1
Pietpyproker, what country are you from?

Might be worth touching base with Rich at 4Noggins.com. he is the man when it comes to tobacco and international shipping. He also has some great sampler packs available on his site. They are closed for the Christmas Holiday's, so try shooting him an email or giving a call in the New Year.

Welcom to the forum and congrats on your one year in pipe smoking!

 
Apr 26, 2012
3,351
5,158
Washington State
Here are a few I enjoy that you may as well.
Escudo - Navy De Luxe

Davidoff - Flake Medallions

Orlik - Goldened Sliced

Peter Stokkebye - Luxary Twist Flake

Mac Baren - Navy Flake

Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader

Samuel Gawith - Perfection

Frog Morton - Cellar
Congrats on quitting cigarettes, and enjoy your pipe journey.

 

jgriff

Can't Leave
Feb 20, 2013
425
3
There are three major directions to head out in:
1) Virginia

2) Burley

3) Latakia (English/Balkan)
I would try a 1 oz sample or 50g tin of each style first and branch out from them. I love flakes but there is a learning curve with them, so to start, you may just want to stick to ribbons first. Of the three styles, I'd recommend:
1) Virginia - Rattray's Old Gowrie or McClelland Black Shag. I love blends with perique but I wouldn't start off with them.

2) Burley - A classic OTC like Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, or Carter Hall.

3) Latakia - It doesn't take much to assert itself. A classic like Dunhill Early Morning Pipe or 965 isn't a bad place to start. Stokkebye Balkan Supreme is a good one too. Sutliff Blend #5 isn't bad either and seems to have a large availability.

 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
Fellas:
The OP is in South Africa. OTC isn't going to mean much to him, I don't think.
BTW, this info isn't hard to find on members, but there's no direct link to it here on the site (that I've been able to find). In your browser window, just type "pipesmagazine.com/members/" and then type the user's screenname/nickname after that last slash. And, of course, don't put the quotes in.)
So in my search to see where the OP lived -- since he mentioned "my country" -- I just put this address in the browser search bar:
http://pipesmagazine.com/members/pietpyproker
Bob

 

jgriff

Can't Leave
Feb 20, 2013
425
3
Thanks for the clarification. I don't know what's available in South Africa but I imagine that Stokkebye, Dunhill, and MacBaren get a good distribution worldwide.
Pietpyproker - What brands are available at your B&M or what online vendors do you have access to? I know 4Noggins ships internationally.

 

fitzy

Lifer
Nov 13, 2012
2,937
27
NY
Ok as to the Balkan/English/Oriental debate. Think of them all having some kind of base tobacco of usually virginia but may contain others like burley, etc. This is the way I look at it:
English - Should really be called latakia blend. Basically a blend of tobacco's that contain Latakia

Balkan - Should be called Latakia/Oriental blend. Contains both Latakia and other Orientals.

Oriental - Contains non Latakia based Orientals. This would be your Basa, Samson, Yenidje stuff like that
If McClelland's are available where you are I'd say you should try their grand oriental series to get an idea of what a good oriental is like.
Also Frog Morton's would be a great introduction to a Latakia blend aka English.
Some one mentioned Frog Morton's On the Town that in addition to some Latakia also contains a bit of Orientals as well so that would be a good start for a Lat/Oriental mixture.
The other McClelland product I think is great is Yenidje Highlander which is Oriental but has a small amount of Lat in it.

 

werdna

Can't Leave
Jun 6, 2013
360
2
If you want to start with just plain tobacco, no flavorings, I'd recommend burleys and virginias, then branch out to blends containing latakia and perique. Be mindful, latakia and perique are added as condiments, and are not the main tobaccos in a blend. At least not for most of us.
Some burley blends that are simple, yet flavorful, are MacBaren Golden Extra, possibly in S. Africa it will be named just Golden, and Carter Hall. There are many more to choose from, and time will help introduce you to them.

 

pietpyproker

Lurker
Dec 19, 2013
3
0
Thanks to all for the advice. Clearly I have so much to learn, but it appears I would receive expert advice on these forums. Sorry Bob, I forgot to mention that I'm S.African. You are correct, I do not know what OTC is.

 

kashmir

Lifer
May 17, 2011
2,712
64
Northern New Jersey
Welcome to the forums. OTC is an American term meaning Over The Counter, meaning once commonly available in many stores. These include Prince Albert, Carter Hall and many others. Presumably these might be unavailable in SA. Howe er, you may have Dunhill and Mac Baren, and other European blends, perhaps,Rattray's. If you are wishing to explore, try anything from Dunhill like London Mixture, Nightcap, Royal Yacht, Early Morning Pipe or My Mixture 965. Let us know what you think.

 
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