Advice for a previous non-smoker

[mrkeys]

Hi all,
Apologies if the title is unclear - I have no idea how to word it clearly.
I just had a look at a thread started by nelsongruber, where he asks for advice on entry level tobaccos for an ex cigar smoker. However, having never smoked in any form before I picked up a pipe, this obviously didn't help me much. I have always disliked the smell of cigarettes and found the idea of smoking off-putting until I had a look into pipes, and I haven't been able to find much advice for people like me.
So my question is this: Are there any tobaccos you would particularly recommend to someone who has no non-pipe tobacco experience (and very little with a pipe)?
As of yet I have found a couple of aromatics I like (and a few dreadful ones), and am working my way through house samples from each 'type' of pipe tobacco as they are available in smaller quantities. I should also mention that I'm from the UK, so there may be some tobaccos that are unavailable. For example, Frog Mortons is often heavily recommended as an intro to Latika. However, I have only managed to find this available in quantities of 10 tins or higher in this country which is not an option.
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

 

[shaintiques]

I also was a non smoker when I picked up the pipe. I had smoked a few cigars but not enough to really know anything. Aromatics are a good place to start. And if places like pipes and cigars ship overseas try some of the Sutliff or Altadis bulks. Queen Anne's Revenge is a great one. Nice and sweet almost creamy with no bite.

 

[thomasmartin]

Dunhill Early Morning Pipe is a good point to start into english blends and it is widely available. At least around here.

 

[fmgee]

mrkeys: I was in the same place as you when I picked up a pipe a little over a year ago. I don't agree with aromatics being a great place to start, I still find toungue bite an issue with them. I think a mild english is a much better entry place or a mild burley like Carter Hall (not sure what the equivalent would be in the UK?). You are onto the right track by trying a wide variety. Whatever you like the best explore more in that area. Welcome and enjoy the journey.

 

[mephistopheles]

I was a non-smoker to begin with as well. I started with classic American drugstore blends and (luckily) a few pleasant aromatics. I needed something that smelled nice (to put my anti-smoking family at ease a bit) just as much as something that tasted good so it'd be worth my time and what little coin I had. Shaintiques is spot on with his advice. Aromatics are great! They are pretty much all I smoke with a few exceptions. Sutliff is also a great brand.
Between Sutliff Private Stock and Lane Limited brand blends I'm pretty happy.

Here is a link for Sutliff Private Stock - it gives a good description of all their various blends - you'd probably be happiest if you picked some out yourself based on your tastes: http://www.sutliff-tobacco.com/alexander-bridge.html
Also, here is a link for Sutliff's Perfect Blend Quiz - it has been very useful for me in finding exactly what my tastes are: http://www.sutliff-tobacco.com/home.html?s=y
For Lane Limited products I'd recommend 1Q, BCA, and Very Cherry. They are all great. Hope that helps.

 

[mrkeys]

Thanks for the suggestion Thomas. The Dunhill tins are also widely available here.
shaintiques - I hadn't even considered that I would be able to get a US based company to ship to me. I've had a look, and it appears that this is significantly cheaper than buying from within the UK (even if I do get hit with taxes). I don't think pipeandcigars ship internationally, but 4noggins seems to be reliable in getting to the UK. I think I'm now presented with the problem that I have too many highly recommended options available! Thanks for the help.
fmgee - I always look out for mentions of tongue bite when I search reviews for aromatics. As of yet I haven't had any issues, but I feel like I smoke very slowly. I am aiming to move onto other types too so I'll look out for what you mention. Thanks.
mephistopheles - I've heard a lot of people talk about Lane Ltd as a good, cheap starting place. I've never heard of Sutliffe before, but I like the sound of Molto Dolche so I'll add that to my ever growing list. Thanks.

 

[maxx]

Cornell and Diehl's Epiphany is an interesting blend that has a touch of fruitiness to it, though it's not advertised as an aromatic. It has Virginias, Burleys, Latakia, and Perique. I'm on my first tin and it's a pleasant smoke, although it took a few bowls to decide that.

 

[jkrug]

I too was a non smoker before taking up the pipe. I started with aros, Brigham Muskoka Blend, which is still one of my favourites to this day. From there I started exploring and paid close attention to what tobaccos were in the blends I was trying. This helped me to learn to tell the difference in tastes of each component and helped to show me which tobaccos I could expect to enjoy or not enjoy based on the ingredients. Good luck and have fun exploring. ::

 

[perlasca]

I've been smoking cigarettes for 22 years, I also pipe, chew, and do snuff.

Maybe, I would imagine an aromatic may be a good start for a (previous) non-smoker.

They are usually very mild in the taste so as not to overwhelm you. Also I just thought, a nice

straight Virginia would be nice.

A rich heavy Latakia smoke would be too much I'd imagine.
I wonder if a non-smoker coming into pipes would be more susceptible to tongue bite, dryness of mouth,

and all the other things we find unwelcome when smoking a pipe.
At any rate I hope you find something that works for you so you can enjoy the pleasure we all have come to know.

 

[weezell]

a mild burley like Carter Hall (not sure what the equivalent would be in the UK?).

I think the equivalent to a mild burley in the UK would be CONDOR... :twisted:

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I was basically in the same boat last year. Never touched tobacco in my life until then.
The two categories that I've nailed down that I absolutely love are the Virginia Perique (abbreviated "VaPer") and the English blends heavy on Latakia (and low on Kentucky or Burley).

And the super strong aromatics.
My #1 recommendation is a good VaPer like Samuel Gawith St. James Flake.

At first I tried Full Virginia Flake and some of the dark or Burley blends, but St. James Flake gave the creamy, "dried fruit" sort of flavour almost immediately. It's still very subtle at first, but if you're careful with your puffing it's there. As time goes on flavours become more evident. Whether by biological adaptation or skill with the pipe I do not know.

Escudo and Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake are also good matured Virginia Perique blends. Dunhill Delux Navy Rolls will also be very similar (but is overpriced).
My #2 recommendation is a heavy Latakia blend. Most of my favourites are produced or packed by Cornell & Diehl, but I've heard good things about Peter Stokkebye Proper English, and I know that Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme is a great English/Aromatic crossover blend. Maybe try some Samuel Gawith Skiff mixture. Millions of people like Nightcap and 965 so I guess it's worth a try, but I think other blends are better.
Aromatics need to be fresh, every sample that I've received dry was basically flavourless, and anything I let dry out loses most of the flavour.
Almost forgot to mention, Presbyterian is a very interesting blend. It almost tastes like sourdough bread. It's different but I like it.

 

[phred]

Welcome!
I was also a non-smoker before picking up a pipe. I don't know whether non-smokers are necessarily more prone to difficulties, but we're certainly not exempt. I burned my tongue regularly while figuring out how to slow down, and tried a number of aromatics, only a few of which I've bought more of (Lane's 1Q, Sutliff's Molto Dolce, Hearth & Home's Vermont Meat Candy). I actually moved over to Latakia blends pretty quickly - I bought a mixed sampler after about a month, and found that I liked the Latakia blends better than the aromatics. From there, I tried some Perique blends and loved those as well...
My own recommendation, based on my own experience in developing my palate, is not to get too hung up on particular blends right away. Try different varieties within the "families" of tobaccos - Latakia-heavy blends, Virginia/Perique blends, straight Virginias, Burley blends, etc. Then, once you've got a better sense of what appeals to your particular taste (could be the grassy notes of Virginias, the earthy/smoky notes of Latakia, the easy smoking characteristics of certain Burley blends, whatever), you can do a deeper dive and try different brands within the various families while you sort out what you like to smoke best.
Good luck!