Bad Tobacco ?

[woodsroad]

I'm sorry, you are getting talked over. The one thing we love more than talking about what we like is talking about what we hate, haha.

@woodsroad may have some insight on those you mentioned. He recently did a taste test with his pipe club, of which I am anxious to see the results.

The results posted here on 3-28 and were generally negative on RYO.

 

[buggy63]

There are plenty of blends that I dislike, far far more than I do like.

Taste is subjective and shifts over time.

About the only tobacco I would avoid, unless it was the only tobacco available as a final smoke before execution, and maybe not even then, would be Borkum Riff. I not convinced that it’s even tobacco, more like dyed grass clippings scented with hobo scrapings.

As for Codger blends, they’re popular because they provide an easy pleasurable smoke. I’ll take Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic over Balkan Sobranie hands down and I’ll tell you why. SWRA is a pleasant, well made, well balanced smoke with no pretense attached. The current BS is indeed bs. I smoked Balkan Sobranie and 759 when it was made by Sobranie Ltd, the real stuff, not this crap that smells and tastes like gasoline infused puppy farts. I smoked Dunhill blends made by Dunhill, not Sven, Ogden’s St Bruno, real St Bruno made by Brits, not Sven. I’ve smoked REAL Three Nuns, Real Capstan Blue, Garfield, Elephant & Castle, Craven Mixture, Escudo etc, the best of the best when it really was the best of the best, instead of what it is today, a name glued to a tin of “Whatsis”.
At least SWRA makes no such pretense, it’s just easy to smoke and tastes good.
I would also recommend checking out the Sutliff bulk offerings, good value, good quality. Nothing that’s going to be nirvana, but not much in current production is likely to offer that anyway. Also check out Sam Gawith and Gawith Hoggarth & Co for more interesting traditional British blends.

This is time to try out a wide variety to discover what you like.

I still have nightmares about original St Bruno

 

[Sigmund]

You can buy 2oz of bulk for about 4 bucks. That’s practically free. Id pick half a dozen from different categories and try one or two every day.

 

[Medy]

I have hundreds of open tins and plenty of baggies. What you need is a handful of forum members to send you a "welcome to pipes" sampler selection.

That would be awesome…lol

 

[woodsroad]

Every major brand has something worthwhile to offer. RYO is cheap and generally of lesser quality, although I enjoyed some of it more than pricier blends. Really, as has already been said, it comes down to personal preferences. Sample bulks widely. Try each one a few times in different pipes, as there are many variables that effect taste perception, such as what you just ate and drank, having a cold, etc.

I’ll put in a plug here for Sutliff TS19. Rich, flavorful, easy on the mouth and low nicotine. Makes a good base for home blending.

 

[WVOldFart]

Most on-line tobacco sites, such as smokingpipes will sell bulk amounts of 1oz. or more. Buy a lot of 1 oz. samples and find out what you like.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Steer clear from aromatics for a while until you get some experience under your belt as others have noted. A lot of them smell damn good, but a lot of them are just hot air and disappointment. As others have said get a sampler of a variety of blends. I like to suggest the Amphora sampler pack, not because it offers the best tobacco, indeed it’s not that amazing, but it offers enough variety to allow you to see what appeals to you and then you can go on from there. You’ll save a lot of money up front by getting a good sample pack to begin with.

Also, if something doesn’t sit with you well off the bat, don’t throw it away, jar it up and shelve it. You may want to come back to it at some point in the future as your tastes change.

 

[AJL67]

Good place to start. They are a major sponsor here and they have hundreds of bulk tobaccos a lot of which you can grab a single ounce at a time and usually for under $3. I would suggest registering there and you build up points and levels and get discounts eventually based on those levels, they also have free shipping at certain amounts spent.

No shame in buying bulk i would say everyone here has many many many pounds of bulk tobacco cellared away, once you find a bulk you like you just wait for the sales, sometimes up to 20% off and then it's time to buy a pound or two or ten whatever you can swing!

Sutliff alone has over 100 blends there.

https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/bulk/

 

[FLDRD]

Is there any place to get samples other than buying a whole tin of something?

Quite a while back, someone (oldnewby ...?) had made up some sample packages for fairly cheap and were listed on the tobacco for sale section.. Made, I think, from his delve into the same beginners exploration process, and he had plenty to share and move along for the next persons exploration.

 

[PipeIT]

Borkum Riff and Scandinavian

Didn’t you mean to steer clear of Borkum Riff and PaulTheScandinavian blends? LOL

P.S. I thought it funny the Scandinavian is saying to steer clear of the Scandinavian…

 

[Servant King]

About the only tobacco I would avoid, unless it was the only tobacco available as a final smoke before execution, and maybe not even then, would be Borkum Riff.

The final smoke IS the execution.

 

[woodsroad]

Didn’t you mean to steer clear of Borkum Riff and PaulTheScandinavian blends? LOL

P.S. I thought it funny the Scandinavian is saying to steer clear of the Scandinavian…

The man knows his predilections. I admire that.

 

[PipeIT]

Borkum Riff and Scandinavian

Didn’t you mean to steer clear of Borkum Riff and PaulTheScandinavian blends? LOL

The man knows his predilections. I admire that.

I’m just being silly…

 

[WVOldFart]

About the only tobacco I would avoid, unless it was the only tobacco available as a final smoke before execution, and maybe not even then, would be Borkum Riff. I not convinced that it’s even tobacco, more like dyed grass clippings scented with hobo scrapings.

The only tobacco I have ever thrown away in almost 45 years of pipe smoking was Borkum Riff. A few years ago I thought that maybe I had been too young at the time to truly appreciate it, so I bought a pouch to see if my taste buds had changed or it had gotten better. I have not thrown away the new pouch, but it is in the farthest, deep, unwanted corner of the cellar. I still can't hack it.

 

[BingBong]

In the UK, newbies might be advised to steer clear of Clan. Aromatically wonderful until you set fire to it, it alone set my pipe interest back 5 years as a young man. A few people swear by it, most swear at it.

 

[K.E. Powell]

You are asking what brands to avoid generally, but that is a harder question to answer than you may think. Right now, there are only a handful of companies that supply most of the tobacco used in pipe blends. Also, the number of blends available from both bulk and boutique producers are staggering; practically every brand has at least one decent blend to try.

For example, I see people all the time complaining about Sutliff making nothing but goopy aromatics or Cornell and Diehl being nothing but dried out grass clippings. Then they talk about how great a Mac Baren or G.L. Pease blend is, not knowing they are imported and/or made by the aforementioned companies.

Pipe tobacco, like most businesses these days, is a highly porous and globalized affair, which makes blanket recommendations difficult.

Except Borkum Riff. Fuck Borkum Riff.

 

[sablebrush52]

You are asking what brands to avoid generally, but that is a harder question to answer than you may think. Right now, there are only a handful of companies that supply most of the tobacco used in pipe blends. Also, the number of blends available from both bulk and boutique producers are staggering; practically every brand has at least one decent blend to try.

For example, I see people all the time complaining about Sutliff making nothing but goopy aromatics or Cornell and Diehl being nothing but dried out grass clippings. Then they talk about how great a Mac Baren or G.L. Pease blend is, not knowing they are imported and/or made by the aforementioned companies.

Pipe tobacco, like most businesses these days, is a highly porous and globalized affair, which makes blanket recommendations difficult.

Except Borkum Riff. Fuck Borkum Riff.

Borkum Riff isn’t even good for that.

As for rest, nothing new under the sun.

 

[captpat]

I second the recommendation to avoid aromatics -- tricky to master the basics of pipe smoking with these sorts of blends. Try a variety (English, VA, VA/PER, and Burley) of tried and true tobaccos to see where your palate leads you.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

The world seems wide open to ya… so I’d not sway you to or from any blend as my tastes are my own. Yours are likely different & I’d likely push you away from something & you could miss an opportunity. Best of luck exploring & finding your taste. ️

 

[Medy]

lol so the consensus of everyone is to try everything cause you just never know what you would like.

Guess I’m gonna have a lot of tobacco then…lol