Beginner Questions, Second Week of Pipe Smoking

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tim89

Lurker
Jan 25, 2016
2
0
Hello
I am new to both the forum and pipe smoking. Just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few ?s. This is my second week, though I do not smoke every day (maybe one or two times a week). As a beginner I didn't know what I would like so I bought an oz of Captain Black Dark to start me off (i know iknow, it's a cheapo, but i didn't want to spend a lot on a nice tobacco and find out i don't even like it). so I'm looking for suggestions on good tobacco samplers out there, i don't have much to spend so i don't want to get too fancy but something that smells great and tastes great. I actually checked to make sure the Captain Black Dark was pretty mild because i thought i would like it to be mild but i was surprised to find how mild it actually was--it was almost like nothing. So what else is good out there, and for my reference, the only tobacco i can get locally is Prince Albert--how does Prince albert compare to captain black? (I do like the captain black, just surprised how weak it seems).
Also, to give you an idea of my small pipe collection, i have a Big Ben Pipo that I plan on using for backpacking trips since it's small, one of those Ukrainian pearwood pipes because it was cheap (and actually i smoked it today and it was not bad at all), a MM General cob, because it is big and cool looking, and then when i ordered the general i saw the MM hardwoods and grabbed one of those, because, it's 3 bucks so why not? then I have one other pipe i found in an antique store that is honestly kind of gross looking and then a Royal Ascot Deluxe that a friend gave to me before i moved away (haven't smoked it yet, anyone know anything about these pipes? It's straight stem, has a noticeable crack on the shank but the stem seems to stay in place alright).
The MM hardwood is actually the first pipe i smoked out of these, since it actually feels the most comfortable in my mouth out of all of them. THe first bowl was tough to stay lit but then i read that with aromatics, especially captain black you often have to leave your tobacco exposed for an hour or two to get rid of excess moisture. i did this and now i seem to be doing okay, though once in awhile i will have to light a few times to get it going or a couple times in the middle--i attribute this mostly to my inexperience.
I usually get all my stuff from Pipes & Cigars, so anything you guys can recommend, if i can get it through that website i am more likely to get it, unless you guys know of a website with better prices. so far everything looks about the same though anyways and it seems like P&C are reasonable.
What other reasonably priced pipes should i be on the lookout for? I really love the look of the Big Ben Nautic pipes, but i'm open to any good suggestions, especially ones that are cheaper but still cool looking. A big part of my love for pipes is aesthetic appearance as much as how well a pipe smokes
another question i know i'm going to get a lot of opinions and probably laughs for is about filters. My MM pipes i believe take 6mm paper filters, like the medico ones, right? I'm concerned if i smoke without a filter i might get bits of tobacco in my mouth. Should i keep getting these? Also, i hear the filters help keep out nicotine, which while it seems counterintuitive to try to not get nicotine but start pipe smoking, i am very conscious about addiction and i don't ever want to be dependent on anything, even if it's something as lovely as smoking a pipe. In that case, and i know this is probably anathema to many of you, but can you put a pipe filter in a pipe that doesn't automatically come with one, or does that just not work since certain pipes are designed to draw correctly without a filter? I don't think that ukrainian one i used today has a filter but it seemed to smoke fine, and i'm wondering if it wouldn't work well should i put a filter in.
anyways i'm sure i'll be back with more questions but i appreciate your help! Peace
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perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,581
Every briar I have is a basket briar. I have yet to take the plunge for a pipe with a big important name engraved on it. . To be honest if I'm going to spend $300+ on a briar, I'll get Joe Case to make one for me. Anyway. Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cobs are forgiving and cheap. You can try many different types of tobaccos in many different style cobs. Aristicob.com is a great online vendor to shop cobs.
As far as tobaccos, stay away from aromatics for the time being. A nice English Tobacco like Cornell and Diehl's Star of the East, Dunhill's NightCap, or even Frog Morton would be a good start. Next try Virginia/Perique blends. Escudo and Orlik Golden Sliced are two good Virginia/Perique blends. A great Virginia blend is Royal Yacht. These are the tobaccos that really turned me on to pipe smoking.
As far as burley blends, it's Carter Hall and a cob. Of course you could go hardcore like I did and go with Cornell and Diehls Old Joe Krantz, hands down one of the finest burley blends out there.
At some point you're going to want to try the Master Pipe Smoker's blend. Rum Soaked Perique aka Rumper. After a couple of tins of Old Joe Krantz you will be ready.
Good luck! You will find tons of help on this forum. A lot of great people willing to throw out their two cents. Hidden gems around every corner.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,581
Great questions, And about those filters? Smoke with them or without them. I never use a filter and it may stop a little tobacco from getting in your mouth from time to time, but it's designed to catch moisture. It can change the flavor of your blend and also sometimes alleviate tongue bite, so I'm told. I smoke a pipe to get big bold flavor and taste the complexities in the tobacco. It's like wine tasting or whisky tasting. Imagine sipping some Pappy Van Winkle through a filter attached to your mouth. But use the filter if you want, it's your pipe and you should smoke it your way.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
46
Prince Albert is good; if you can't get ahold of Carter Hall, try some PA. For the price, you're not out much. Both of those are much more lightly aromatic than Captain Black; they taste more like tobacco and burn much drier.

 

shutterbugg

Lifer
Nov 18, 2013
1,451
22
By sheer luck back when I started smoking a pipe in college there was a tobacconist shop on the way in to campus, so my first exposure was with high-quality blends. Having given numerous OTC blends a try later in the interest of economy, I can say without reservation that had I started with those, I would've quit the pipe quickly. Not all tinned blends are great, but I have yet to smoke an OTC that didn't taste like the equivalent of cheap gallon-jug wine.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,248
57,310
67
Sarasota Florida
Captain Black equals Ripple wine, real crap. I would grab a tin of Astleys 109, it is a great mild flake that has some real nice sweetness to it. You can do searches on how to smoke a flake and I believe you will really enjoy it. Alot of people won't advise you to start with flakes this early in your pipe smoking career, but I say go big or go home. You will eventually gravitate towards flakes so do it now instead of waiting. Real men smoke flakes.

 

sevenseas

Lurker
Dec 8, 2015
14
1
Also, i hear the filters help keep out nicotine, which while it seems counter-intuitive to try to not get nicotine but start pipe smoking, i am very conscious about addiction and i don't ever want to be dependent on anything, even if it's something as lovely as smoking a pipe.
Welcome to the wonderful past-time and lifestyle of pipe smoking (I hate when people call pipe smoking a 'hobby'). Try not to think or over-analyze too much. And don't worry about addiction. Pipe tobacco is not the same as cigs, and it certainly isn't as addictive because it's more natural. Enjoy your pipes. Enjoy the nicotine. :puffy:
Also, I personally don't recommend aromatics for beginners. They are usually wetter and harder to smoke (can't keep lit and will burn your mouth from too much puffing), and usually have less flavor. Try a good English blend such as Old Dublin or MM965, or an old codger blend such as Prince Albert. You can always come back to aros later once you gain more experience.

 

sevenseas

Lurker
Dec 8, 2015
14
1
One more thing.. As you are a new pipe smoker, you will not be accustomed to nicotine. In case you do overload, try taking one teaspoon of honey. It will calm your stomach. Also, only smoke on a full stomach in the beginning. The good news is that you will build up a tolerance for nicotine over time.

 

tim89

Lurker
Jan 25, 2016
2
0
Cool, thanks for the advice about the honey, will keep it in mind. What I got now must have hardly any nicotine at all in it, since I don't feel a bit different t when I smoke it. A cup of coffee has more affect on me.

 
Mar 1, 2014
3,661
4,967
I started almost two years ago with pretty much the same goals, except I bought three of the strongest blends you can get on my first round (Peterson Irish Flake, Five Brothers and Gawith Hoggarth Brown Bogie). I'm a fairly large man and I know Caffeine does practically nothing for me unless it's three or four hours past bedtime, so I wanted to be sure I understood exactly what Nicotine is supposed to feel like.

One and a half bowls if Irish Flake will just about put me down, and by that I mean "make me feel so distraught that I can barely walk", that's where the sugar and meal beforehand can help. It's hard to feel anything leading up to that point so if I'm smoking something strong I have to remember to get up and walk every few minutes, your sense of balance seems to be one of the first things to be affected. Aromatics aren't an issue until I try a second or third bowl in a row.

I wouldn't worry about addiction unless you start smoking every day, and if you wait three days your body will have thoroughly cleared everything out of your system.
My biggest problem is I have dry mouth, even if I haven't touched a pipe in weeks I wake up with a sore tongue just from my mouth drying out overnight, chances are I'll never do more than one or two bowls a week, and even then I need to be very cautious to avoid puffing too much, which can be a real struggle sometimes since tobacco often doesn't want to keep burning without assistance.

Also make sure to have a drink with you as you're smoking if you find your mouth is getting sore.
On the subject of filters, most people don't bother, but I do like them to keep bits of tobacco out of my mouth. Rather than buying filters (way too expensive for what you get), the best solutions I've heard of are: A. Buy balsa wood dowling at the hobby store. B. Cut up a pipe cleaner to make little fuzzy filters. C. Fill the bowl with something that absorbs moisture (I've heard some people use rice, which seems to impart a bit of flavour, or my own solution was bulk carbon pellets).
I have a bunch of cobs and other than one that burned out they all work great. My Hardwood Diplomat is actually the only pipe I've ever owned that needs some break in (still haven't put a lot of tobacco through it).

If you're looking at Briar, my first recommendation is the Briarworks Classic line (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/Briarworks-Classic/). Briarworks is the only "factory" production company I've seen hits nearly every detail of pipe making just about perfectly.

At the same time, I should say that there's practically nothing wrong with the dozens of other brands out there, mostly a little restriction on the draw and some unpolished corners inside the pipe. They all do the job, some are just a little less refined than others.

 

music4cash

Might Stick Around
Jan 5, 2016
92
0
Tim the main thing is that you enjoy smoking your pipe...While you are getting started try as many things as you can, but try things because you want to not only because of advice you get on the forums. For example a lot of people here highly recommend cobs, and if you like them that is great, but I won't smoke a cob, cause I feel like General McArthur, or Popeye, so I don't like them...I do recommend that you smoke some higher quality tobaccos, unless you are smoking purely to satisfy an addiction you might find it is worthwhile to smoke less but smoke better. Focus your research on different packing methods, and different types of tobacco. Keep what works well for you, and ignore everything else. Have fun!

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,494
39,612
Detroit
I'm just going to give you my standard advice for newcomers. Smoke the best tobacco you can afford, in the best pipe you can afford. It will increase your enjoyment of the hobby.

You might want to check with one of the e-tailers listed, like Pipes and Cigars, about a sampler. Call them up and talk with them.

Welcome to the world of pipe-smoking. :puffy:

 
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