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I am thoroughly enjoying this new hobby. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the input from the kind folk in this community. I have appreciated the help and the warm welcome. Contrary to some hobby communities on the internet, I have not experienced any snobbery to me being a new smoker. Also, searching the archives of these forums has been a treasure trove of information.
So confession time. I bought a MM cob. I am happy about that and will probably stick with cobs for the foreseeable future. They are cool and I don't worry about wrecking it. I could foresee this being my main or even only pipes. We will see.
I also bought some Lane BCA. I loved it the first time I smoked it. I had to relight multiple times, but it was an adventure. I think because it kept going out, I committed the common error I read on here and got a bit of a tongue bite out of it from puffing too much to keep it going. The second pipe stayed lit better because I changed my pack. The third, fourth and fifth packs were varied, but generally more rough.
I am not fussed about relighting multiple times, but I have not yet established what is 'normal' yet. The BCA I have seems too wet, but as I am inexperienced I have nothing to base this on. So I have been experimenting with various dry times, packs, lighting methods and even popped some in the microwave for 5 seconds. I also don't know how much the atmospheric humidity makes a difference. In the last week as spring marches on, the relative humidity has begun to climb and I am wondering if that is a factor.
I am beginning to think, as posted in another thread, of getting another cob and trying another tobacco to have something to compare against. I read in several places that BCA is a good beginner's tobacco and I can see why as it is wonderful when it is lit, but bigger picture I also see that maybe aromatics is not the best place to start.
So my thinking is to try something like Prince Albert. I have read it is pretty tolerable to packing and likes to stay lit. If doing this allows me to perfect my technique and also begin to understand what is 'normal', then it might help me manage my expectations and the way I smoke BCA.
Thoughts or advice? Is Prince Albert a good place to go next, or should I bang on with BCA? Again, I like BCA, but have nothing to compare to and my lighter is definitely getting a good work out!
So confession time. I bought a MM cob. I am happy about that and will probably stick with cobs for the foreseeable future. They are cool and I don't worry about wrecking it. I could foresee this being my main or even only pipes. We will see.
I also bought some Lane BCA. I loved it the first time I smoked it. I had to relight multiple times, but it was an adventure. I think because it kept going out, I committed the common error I read on here and got a bit of a tongue bite out of it from puffing too much to keep it going. The second pipe stayed lit better because I changed my pack. The third, fourth and fifth packs were varied, but generally more rough.
I am not fussed about relighting multiple times, but I have not yet established what is 'normal' yet. The BCA I have seems too wet, but as I am inexperienced I have nothing to base this on. So I have been experimenting with various dry times, packs, lighting methods and even popped some in the microwave for 5 seconds. I also don't know how much the atmospheric humidity makes a difference. In the last week as spring marches on, the relative humidity has begun to climb and I am wondering if that is a factor.
I am beginning to think, as posted in another thread, of getting another cob and trying another tobacco to have something to compare against. I read in several places that BCA is a good beginner's tobacco and I can see why as it is wonderful when it is lit, but bigger picture I also see that maybe aromatics is not the best place to start.
So my thinking is to try something like Prince Albert. I have read it is pretty tolerable to packing and likes to stay lit. If doing this allows me to perfect my technique and also begin to understand what is 'normal', then it might help me manage my expectations and the way I smoke BCA.
Thoughts or advice? Is Prince Albert a good place to go next, or should I bang on with BCA? Again, I like BCA, but have nothing to compare to and my lighter is definitely getting a good work out!
:
If you try something and don't find it particularly to you liking, save it and try it again in the future because you're tastes may change. The main thing is to keep trying new things until you're satisfied with what you have and then, sit back, and focus on enjoying. 
