New Smoker

novicepipesmoker · Apr 1, 2013

Hello everyone,
this is my first post on this forum. As you can imagine, I recently got interested in pipe smoking and joined this forum to get some advice from the more experienced members.
Just to give you some background, I started out by ordering a beginner's pipe set from a store in Munich. I chose a John Aylesbury set. These seem to be very common in Germany. Anyway, it had a Big Ben pipe, some filters, a tamper and a cleaners. I also ordered some aromatic tobacco: Brigg's Cherry tobacco. Subsequently I got a Brog churchwarden pipe and last week I got my first "expensive" pipe; a Chacom during a visit to France. I must point out that I don't have a big budget for my pipes. The Chacom cost me EUR 70. That is about as much I would pay for a pipe.
Let me describe my experience with these three pipes and the one brand of tobacco. All three are classic looking pipes. Of the three, the Chacom seems to smoke the best. But I have no way of knowing whether I'm smoking them correctly. The bowl of the Chacom never gets hot and the smoke is always cool. I had a tongue burn with the Big Ben. The Brog churchwarden also smokes well, but I don't like the plastic stem very much. I have been smoking for a month now and initially had to look at some youtube posts to see how to correctly fill a pipe. I believe I got his right now, although it took me quite a while.
I don't really enjoy the tobacco I got (Brigg's Cherry). I've also been reading about breaking in new pipes. What I want to know are:
1. What tobacco would you recommend a beginner?
2. I purchased three pipes in the last month: How often can you smoke a pipe without damaging them? Do pipes really need to be broken in?
And finally thanks for reading this (long and rambling) post.

snewton · Apr 1, 2013

Hey there,

I am Stuart from over in England.

I am actually trying to teach myself German!

For your first question, you will get such a lot of different recommendations, it will only be good as guidelines.

For every 100 pipe smokers, there are 101 opinions! Personally I would recommend something not too fancy to get going.

Aromatics burn hot and wet, most people would agree, so I would say an "english" blend as they are called.

Dunhills EMP (Early Morning Pipe) is something a lot of people like. Don't expect too many amazing flavours until you are a little more experienced, it takes time.

Pipes get better as they become broken in as the cake that forms absorbs moisture easier and helps keep it cool.

The general rule that people work around and adapt for themselves is smoke one then rest it. In one day you can smoke a pipe several times just fine, then just rest it for a day or two as you smoke another one. Doing that you can start to figure out what works for you.

It is a learning experience but when you get there you will know, and it will be bliss.

Enjoy!

novicepipesmoker · Apr 1, 2013

Hi Stuart,
Thanks for the reply! I should point out that I'm actually from India and I work at a university here.
I was concerned with smoking the same pipe several times a day because I read somewhere (it might be on this very forum) that you should let a pipe rest for a day after smoking it because this helps to dry out the pipe or whatever. I'll be visiting a local tobacconist shortly and I wanted to get some idea before walking into the store so as not to sound like a complete fool.
I'll also be visiting Poland next week and I'd like to buy some Polish pipes. I believe that the Brog pipes are produced in Poland. Hope to find some stores in Warsaw. :D
Best,
Somnath.

snewton · Apr 1, 2013

Like I say everyone has different opinions. Yes some people do say that, but hopefully when some more people are online and reply to this post plenty will say you can have more than one.

A common idea is that for every bowl in a day, rest it that many days. for example if you smoke three bowls in a day, rest that pipe for three days. Personally I find that to be a little too careful and unnecessary. But hey, what do I know!

Yeah Brogs are Polish. Never had one but my understanding is they are fair pipes for the price so you shouldn't go wrong.

withnail · Apr 1, 2013

Welcome to the forum!

Opinions differ on how often you should smoke/rest a pipe, but I think most will agree that it is fine to smoke the same pipe several times in a day as long as you then rest them for 1 of 2 days. The main thing is that you allow the pipe to cool completely between smokes. Also, don't try and remove the stem of the pipe whilst it is still warm, as this may loosen it.
Tobacco choice is a very individual thing, so it's a case of trying a few and seeing what you like most.
One way to add more pipes to your collection without too much cost is to look at Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes. They smoke very well and are cheap to buy.
Enjoy! : puffy

:

judcole · Apr 1, 2013

Welcome to the forum. You've gotten some good advice.

I agree, stay away from cheap aromatics. Hard to tell what to suggest, since I don't know what is available for you, but I'll throw out some thoughts.

I would not recommend latakia blends (English) for a new smoker. They frequently require a more experienced palate than a new smoker has.

If you are going to be in Europe,look for some of the simple European or British blends that are commonly available. Try Sail, or Troost, or Amphora, or Skandinavik. These are not "big flavor" blends, and they are not great blends, but they are decent enough and should be easy to find.

Someone suggested MacBaren's Mixture for new folks,in another thread, because it rewards proper smoking techniques and punishes bad ones. If you pack too tight,or smoke to fast, with Mixture, you will be unhappy! But pack properly, and smoke slowly, and it can be a pleasant smoke.

thesmokindragon · Apr 1, 2013

Briars, Meers, Cobs and Clays Oh My! I say acquire them all, each

one has its own smoking qualities and you don't really need to

rest the cobs, Meers or clays ;-) that will give enough time for

your briars to rest.
As for tobacco, IMHO; get a full spectrum of English, Vs, VaPers,

VaBurs and some other type mixtures and enjoy the ride my friend

as pipe smoking is a wonderful journey I hope NEVER ends
Now what a lot of us do is dedicate certain pipes to a type of blend;

some for English, some for Vs, Aros, etc. that way a heavy Lat blend

doesn't get in the way of say a pure Vs flavors...and in the case of

Cobs, Meers and Clays , they don't seem to ghost IMO and I smoke

all blend types in those materials
On breaking in Briars, again IMO , they only smoke better once

broken in and protect the pipe with the thin carbon layer (keep it

trimmed to about a Dime's thickness and you will be good to go)
Hope all this info helped out brother

novicepipesmoker · Apr 1, 2013

I just discovered a tobacco store in my city where they sell pipes of all ranges. I saw John Aylesbury pipes at 30-40 Euro price range. The shop was closed today but I plan to have a closer look tomorrow. Will report on findings.

snewton · Apr 1, 2013

That is great news, in Europe it can be much harder to find a quality dedicated tobacco shop.

mso489 · Apr 1, 2013

A couple of the gentler but still flavorful tobaccos you might try, depending on availability where you are

and where you travel, are Lanes 1Q and Peterson's Irish Whiskey. Some of the over-the-counter tobaccos

seem to be liked and disliked in equal parts, but no harm in trying a single pouch to see how they taste

to you. Carter Hall seems to get good reviews. Prince Albert too. Borkum Riff and Captain Black seem to

be more polarizing. Family brought me Borkum Riff from Holland and it was pretty good, maybe better than

what is sold in the U.S.
Definitely let pipes rest a day or two between smokes. Corncob pipes will increase your rack of pipes at

minimal expense. Take your time getting to know your pipes and tobacco. No hurry. Expand your collection

of pipes and samples of tobacco as the spirit moves you, but don't rush it. Pipes can accumulate, and you want

that to be a good thing and not clutter. Same thing with tobacco blends.
Finally, you might want to try one of the machine-made U.S. pipes for good quality and low price, Dr. Grabow,

Kaywoodie, Yellow Bole, or Medico. But study to see what they offer. Some have filters, stingers (the little metal

scoops and filters at the end of the stems). Many of these sell for around 30 USD. They are not high style but

they are distinctive and unique in their way. I would go for the ones that have briar bowls, not the composit

Brylon material, although maybe Brylon has its fans.

teufelhund · Apr 1, 2013

+1 for try a little of everything... I have at least 1 clay, meer, etc to just figure out what I like and you don't need to rest clays or cobs so that lets you try a lot of tobacco. Just make sure you clean them so you don't end up with any weird tasting smokes. Welcome and happy smoking!

lordofthepiperings · Apr 1, 2013

Welcome to the forums.
1. I'd suggest sampler packs or giving bulk blends a go. They're a cheaper way to give a variety of blend styles a try without breaking the bank.
2. You'll get a million different responses to this one. I think the most common would be to at least have a four to six pipe rotation. That way you can give each pipe at least a day or two in between smokes. A good way to build a quick rotation on a budget is investing in a good cob or two or three lol and hitting up estate pipes through eBay or briarbid.com .

novicepipesmoker · Apr 2, 2013

Firstly, thanks everyone for your responses and making me feel so welcome. As promised in my earlier post, I'll give a brief account of my trip to the local tobacconist. I live in Aachen and this pipe store (Pfeifen Schneidewind http://www.schneiderwind.de/) seems to be the oldest one in the city and they have been in business since 1846 (!).
The lady at the store was very friendly and showed me some Sir John pipes (all of which were moderately priced at around EUR 30). I selected a half-bent model. She also showed me a couple of tobaccos: I ended up buying a 50 gm pack of the house blend which was just tobacco with a hint of honey. I'm smoking the pipe now and the smoke is very different from the earlier aromatic I had purchased. Overall I'm very happy with the purchase and I will certainly get some more of the Sir John pipes in the coming months.

judcole · Apr 2, 2013

Looks like you got a good shop there, Novice. I would guess you are in good hands with them as you begin your explorations.

mrbrog · Apr 11, 2013

Hey novicepipesmoker

Are you coming to Poland?

You mentioned you will be in Warsaw, which is about 300km North of our place.

If you come to the South, please let me know, and I'll try to arrange for you a visit to our studio ;-)

Sincerely

Mr. Brog

cigrmaster · Apr 12, 2013

novicepipesmoker, welcome to the forum. Since you do have what sounds like a very good tobacconist you can shop at, I would recommend trying to get a tin of Dunhill Flake and a tin of Escudo or Solani 633. These are what is referred to as flake tobaccos. Now most people feel that flakes are better suited to the more experienced smoker as they do take time to learn how to prepare and smoke them, but I say go for the gusto right off the bat. I recommend you cube cut your flakes( there are video's and threads about this) and take the time to learn how to smoke them. I feel you will enjoy the flavors of this type of tobacco and it will open you up to a myriad of great blends. I would also dedicate one of your pipes to these types of tobaccos. If you decide to delve into the world of flakes, let us know how you make out.

novicepipesmoker · Apr 13, 2013

Hi Mr. Brog,
Many thanks for the invitation! I was in Warsaw last week but I couldn't get away from work and so couldn't travel from Warsaw. But I did manage to get to one of the local pipe stores in the city and ended up buying a Worobiec No. 70 pipe. I have one of your churchwardens which I like and hope to increase my collection.
And cigrmaster, thanks for the tips! Next time I go to the tobacconist, I'll get some Dunhill flake. I'll certainly keep everyone up to date as how I'm progressing.
As for now, here's a photo of my modest pipe collection. From left to right: Mr. Brog churchwarden No. 14, Big Ben, Chacom, Sir John and Worobiec No. 70.

bigboi · Apr 14, 2013

novice, welcome tot he forums. I too am on a journey to acquire new tobaccos and pipes. I love pipe smoking, it has brought a whole new sense of calm and relaxation to my life. It has forced me to slow down and really take time to think.

spud · Apr 14, 2013

A lot of folks are recommending cob pipes. And they are telling you the truth. You say you are on a budget,you can get a bag of 10 cobs, seconds, from Missouri meershaum , for about 20 Euros. The quality of a smoke from a cob is first rate.

novicepipesmoker · Apr 14, 2013

Hi spud,
I'd very much like to try out corncob pipes but, at least in Germany, they are not that cheap. On German ebay, a single corncob pipe costs around 10 euros. That's why I've been hesitant to get these. Spending another 20 euros would fetch me a briar pipe.
On the bright side, I might be visiting the USA this year, so I'm hopeful! :D

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