Aromatic Tobacco
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Half & half or prince albert are easy to smoke aromatics. Lots of people will say not to start with aromatics but those two smoke like a dream.
MacBaren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut is a good one.
Tobacco Reviews | Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Loose Cut
Tobacco Reviews | Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Loose Cut
Peterson Connoisseur's Choice, Erinmore
Full blown aromatics will give you a nasty tongue bite as a beginner. I know they smell nice. But they won't taste like they smell. As matter of fact, as a beginner, you won't detect much of the flavor you are looking for. Best idea is to learn how to handle your pipe and tobacco first. To that end, OTC blends will serve you well. Prince Albert is already mentioned. Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic are all easy smoking blends. If you have to have some definite flavor, go with mild English or Balkan blends. They have Latakia that you won't be able to ignore.
Sutliff Matches are a great place to start. Matches, not aromatics! Any Match will do. Find one or two that look interesting and get a couple ounces. They're pretty cheap. Some an ounce of something and then say I like this, didn't like that. Then grab an umbrella because suggestions will pour in.
If you simply must have an aromatic, I'd point you to the Peter Stokkebye line and be sure you dry it out. Optimum is my choice, but no matter what you choose it'll be a quality tobacco at a good price. And I think Internet Law requires me to answer Lane 1Q.
If you simply must have an aromatic, I'd point you to the Peter Stokkebye line and be sure you dry it out. Optimum is my choice, but no matter what you choose it'll be a quality tobacco at a good price. And I think Internet Law requires me to answer Lane 1Q.
Aromatics take a lot of technique and pat
They've got aromatic matches too.
@bullet08 and @RookieGuy give good advice in my opinion. Leave aromatics for after you’ve gotten technique nailed down. Your tongue and your expectations will suffer less.
True. I was thinking of the codger matches. I should have better defined that.
I appreciate your advice. I was thinking of aromatics dimply because they must smell pleasant. Wasn't sure of its taste though. What is OTC blend?
I'd avoid Lane's offerings because they're goopy as hell and won't dry no matter what. This might cause the dreaded issues with condensation which lead to deplorable tongue bite and the even more deplorable steering of the new pipe smoker into the dissolution of smoking English blends.
Vanilla Cream is a good one to begin with (the rubbed version, not the flake**), and Sillem's Black (now John Aylesbury Black) are top tasting and smelling aromatics that will dry and pack and smoke properly. Avoid OTCs; if you want economy, buy a tin of MB's 7 Seas Royal.
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**I'd avoid flakes until you're more seasoned: flakes require better packing and lighting technique and can be frustrating and bitey for the beginner.
Vanilla Cream is a good one to begin with (the rubbed version, not the flake**), and Sillem's Black (now John Aylesbury Black) are top tasting and smelling aromatics that will dry and pack and smoke properly. Avoid OTCs; if you want economy, buy a tin of MB's 7 Seas Royal.
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**I'd avoid flakes until you're more seasoned: flakes require better packing and lighting technique and can be frustrating and bitey for the beginner.
Short for "over the counter". The stuff that used to be readily available at gas stations and corner stores. Cheap but heavily laden with propylene glycol and bitey as hell. Don't waste your time there.
I tend to think that you would have the most luck with a starting aromatic IF you can go to a B&M tobacco shop.... by talking to the folks there and asking for a house blend aromatic that is primarily burley based. Ask them which of their blends is is a more popular seller, and buy an ounce or two of that to try it out. I would recommend though, letting the aromatic they sell you air dry for a day or perhaps two before trying it.
As many here have alluded to..... a lot of “brand name” aromatics are hard for a beginner..... and sometimes not such a wise choice for many folks.
I tend to think the above approach will help you out as a newbie. And, then once you are a bit more comfortable, you can venture off and explore other store blends, the “brand name” aromatics, and begin to venture into the whole realm of non-aromatic varieties of all sorts. You will eventually find things you probably do not like.... but will always have the B&M house blend to rely upon as backup as you explore.
As many here have alluded to..... a lot of “brand name” aromatics are hard for a beginner..... and sometimes not such a wise choice for many folks.
I tend to think the above approach will help you out as a newbie. And, then once you are a bit more comfortable, you can venture off and explore other store blends, the “brand name” aromatics, and begin to venture into the whole realm of non-aromatic varieties of all sorts. You will eventually find things you probably do not like.... but will always have the B&M house blend to rely upon as backup as you explore.
OTC is over the counter. Not all of them are soaking wet. The four mentioned won't bite even when smoked straight out of pouch without drying. Problem with wet tobacco is, when heat is applied it will generate hot steam. On top of that, if the pipe is smoked fast and hard, the steam will heat up rather fast and end up giving you a tongue bite. Ideally, you want to go really slow when smoking pipe. Don't think about a big cloud. Just slow sip to see if you can taste the flavor and prevent tongue bite.
I'll echo the sentiments of Vanilla Cream Loose cut. A non-aromatic has the potential to give the same poor results if you do it wrong, I say learn on what you think you'll like. If that's an aromatic, go aromatic and learn.
You can have issues with anything and you likely will. Learn on what you want.
You can have issues with anything and you likely will. Learn on what you want.
There's too much information for me here, and it is becoming increasingly clear to me that I shouldn't start with aromatics. But I learned a lot and I appreciate everyone for their responses.
Perhaps the question I should have asked would be what is the best tobacco to start with for an absolute beginner pipe smoker like me. But I got the answers and very valuable advice.
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100 people will have 100 different answers. General questions I'd ask are what flavors do you like?
You can over pack, under pack or over draw anything to make a bad experience which is why I would recommend thinking about what type of general flavors you like and trying it out.
I started on aromatics. It's not a big deal.
You can over pack, under pack or over draw anything to make a bad experience which is why I would recommend thinking about what type of general flavors you like and trying it out.
I started on aromatics. It's not a big deal.
Indeed. I've scorched the hell out of my tongue with all kinds of blends. I never found Englishes to "burn cooler" until I had become experienced enough in drawing from the pipe: that's when most of them—aromatics, VAs, English, et al—stopped biting me.
Another important thing for a beginner is to really try out all genres and learn one's individual idiosyncrasies and mouth chemistry. What bites one guy will be perfectly tolerated by the next one, and viceversa.
Take the fabled OTCs: basically all of them are burley-based and burley is one of the most bitey varieties of tobacco. **I** have a very low tolerance for it, whereas others can smoke it all day without issues.
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