What denotes a quality tobacco?

jvs68 · Apr 15, 2015

Hi guys,
Aside from taste which is personal, what characteristics make for a good quality tobacco? Will certain qualities mean it will last longer or burn better? Should it be more moist than dry? Is there a special type of cut or perhaps a blend of tobaccos to look for?
I started with one of the English non-aromatic sample packs from pipes and cigars. It has John Bull, Sail Natural and Skandanavik Regular. I really like them all but in particular the John Bull that was in it is my favorite so far. Anyway, once I've made my way through these samples what do you recommend as qualities to look for in good tobacco?
Thanks!

tarak · Apr 15, 2015

Hmmm....I'm not sure if I know the correct answer, but some of what you listed- moisture, cut, etc....is a reflection of how a blender or brand chooses to present a tobacco, not necessarily a reflection of quality.
For example, Captain Black and a G.L. Pease Blend may both come in a type of mixture cut, but clearly G.L. Pease is of superior quality.

jvs68 · Apr 15, 2015

Thanks Tarak. What year is that Tele in your profile pic?

delro · Apr 15, 2015

I guess quality can be measured by the amount of enjoyment you get out of the smoke. Maybe you love to smoke grass clippings and hate the esoterica blends. Whatever makes you enjoy your pipe more...

cosmicfolklore · Apr 15, 2015

Absolutely every tobacco company will tell you that their tobacco is "quality." At the auction for tobaccos, every last shred of leaf sells. Therefore, all tobacco must be quality. Now, does that mean that I like all of them? Hell no!! Some just sucks. Which ones? The ones that I don't like, the ones that you don't like, the ones that someone doesn't like. But, these aren't all the same ones. I know, I know, I know, for every one that I hate, someone will stand up and say they love it. Such is the way of quality. It's just too subjective.

tarak · Apr 15, 2015

Jvs68...not sure! It's a stock American I bought pretty used....early 2000s Id guess, maybe late 99s.

jvs68 · Apr 15, 2015

Thanks guys. It seems the consensus is that it's all taste. So maybe this is an easier question to answer: Are there any cheap-ish brands that stand out? I don't think my palate is experienced enough yet to try anything really pricey.
Tarak, I love Teles. I bought my first Strat back in '88, got a Tele in the early 90s. Great guitars. Pristine sound. Sorry for being off thread!
jvs

tarak · Apr 15, 2015

You know, a lot of folks enjoy Peter Stokebeye Luxury Bullseye Flake and that's pretty reasonable.
I like teles, but I really love strats. I bought an Eric Clapton Strat in 2012 and....i just love that guitar beyond anything I've ever played. Perfect sound for me, not too "stratty", but enough.

cosmicfolklore · Apr 15, 2015

I've found that when I've stated that a brand or blend is low quality, I've been smacked down. Not a good way to keep the paying advertisers happy. Maybe find one that doesn't pay to advertise here and then mention them.

aldecaker · Apr 15, 2015

Short answer: You.

judcole · Apr 16, 2015

It has John Bull, Sail Natural and Skandanavik Regular. I really like them all but in particular the John Bull that was in it is my favorite so far.

I've smoked some John Bull, and found it to be a nice medium English, especially considering the price. The leaf is not of as good quality as, say, Dunhill, but I would happily smoke a pouch of John Bull again. For something similar, try Dunhill Standard or Peterson Old Dublin or Gawith Squadron Leader.
The three mlends you mentioned are the sorts of blends that were sold in drugstores, at the higher end of the drugstore pipe tobacco range, 50 years ago. They aren't great tobaccos, but they aren't bad, either.
I always tell people, "Smoke the best quality tobacco in the best pipes you can afford." I can't tell you what sorts of blends you will enjoy; only you can do that. But I will tell you, if it comes in great big bags - say, a pound - and costs under $20 - avoid it. It's not pipe tobacco, it's cigarette tobacco relabeled to avoid taxes.

bigpond · Apr 16, 2015

This is bit of a prickly pear, isn't it? I think identifying quality of pipe tobacco is very nearly a fools errand because we have so little knowledge of the treatment a given leaf receives. Blenders are rarely forthcoming with every detail of treatment or flavoring. In some cases, labels include ingredients that aren't even in a blend and sometimes they leave them out entirely, see Kevin's article on Orlick Golden Sliced. So if quality is a matter of taste and taste includes leaf & flavoring & additives, would the quality vary if a blender uses the same leaf with different treatment in a budget bulk blend and in a Marquee blend?
I tend to weigh tobacco quality by the proportion of treatment I can detect. The more I can pick up on, the lower the blend slides on my quality scale. Probably as bad a metric as any other, and similar illustrative of bias.

brass · Apr 16, 2015

JVS68, in America, I would argue all pipe tobacco, sold at street price and no more than MSRP, is "cheapish", or at least a very good value. Tins of top flight tobacco usually cost ten dollars or less. Smoke 2 or 3 bowls daily and that tin will last a week. If you get 20 tins, it will last you almost six months. A single box of mid-range premium cigars will cost as much as 20 tins of say, Escudo, the most popular and highly valued Virginia/Vaper on the planet. (Notice, I didn't say the best)
Drugstore tobaccos are fine - I have an open pouch of Prince Albert in my car as we speak. (virtually> But for three bucks more, you can get a tin of Orlik Golden sliced, that rivals Escudo. And if you want to cut costs down a little more, you can explore bulk tobaccos sold by the ounce.
Pipe smoking is as affordable or as expensive as you want to make it.
Pax

jvs68 · Apr 16, 2015

Thank you all. Great answers!

mso489 · Apr 16, 2015

Wow, it's like asking what denotes a quality oil painting. Books have been written and careers have been built on responding to the question. Blends, or even really great single leaf tobaccos, are like musical compositions -- melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, dissonance, theme and variation. Great blenders, several of whom post here, spend years developing a sequence of uniquely proportioned and melded blends that give a one of a kind experience. They do this with tobacco leaf crops that vary widely from year to year with weather and region. It's art. Maybe it's magic. There's science to it, and a lot of discipline.

maxx · Apr 18, 2015

I can't answer the question but I agree that getting tobacco online for about $10 a tin is lgetting better tobacco than the OTC blends that can cost nearly as much. For OTC I'll accept Carter Hall, but I'm not gaining much when for a few dollars more I could have a much more enjoyable tobacco purchased online.

newbroom · Apr 18, 2015

If you smoke a pipe all day long, the otc is often the leaf of choice due to its ease of packing and simple yet pleasurable taste profile. 'basic' burley blends provide a comfortable smoke with enough Vitamin N to satisfy.

Sure, there are some fine pipe tobaccos for the same money or even less, and they should be enjoyed, but the codger blend is a staple, a 'touchstone', a yardstick, and a comfortable 'pair of shoes'.

jvs68 · Apr 21, 2015

Thanks for the recommends, Jud! The Squadron Leader stuff is outstanding!

cigrmaster · Apr 21, 2015

Any recommendation I make means it is a quality tobacco.
But seriously folks, I smoke only flake tobacco and here are a few reasons for it.
1. It burns slower and cooler than all the others.

2. The blenders use only the best tobacco to make flakes.

3. I love the flavors I get from my flakes as I have a sweet tooth and I get the sweeteness I love only from flakes.

4. Flake tobacco are in most cases more money than all other blends which leads me to beleive that along with only using the best tobacco, the care which is taken during processing is also better than the other types of cut.
Now of course this is just one guys opinion, there are those who agree with me, but there are some who don't.
Here is starter list for anyone looking to delve into the world of flakes.
Brigham Klondike Gold

Dunhill Flake

Escudo

Capstan Blue Flake

Fribourg and Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

Solani Silver Flake

Astleys 109 and 44
There is a learning curve when it comes to smoking flakes, it is not like smoking any of the other cuts. If you are interested in learing about flakes, do a search for there are tons of threads about it, but if you do not find the info, just start a new thread and plenty of guys will chime in. There are a number of different ways to smoke flakes and each person has their own preferences.

jvs68 · Apr 22, 2015

Thanks Harris. I look forward to trying some of your recommendations down the road!

What denotes a quality tobacco?

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