Hey guys, I was wondering if there was some sampler or something that could be recommended to me as I’m just starting out and still trying to figure out what I like and what I don’t like. I am coming over from smoking cigars so I do like a bit of bolder flavor but am open to anything, especially as I learn. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated!
Beginner Sampler
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One option would be going to smokingpipes.com and getting various 1 oz. samples. I cannot recommend ordering from them enough. They have a topnotch website and excellent customer service. On their site, they have a helpful list of their best selling bulk options. Parouse these options and see what piques your interest. If you want to learn more about any given blend and what others think about it, you can look it up at tobaccoreviews.com. I am sure a bunch of guys will jump in below and offer some great suggestions. Have fun!
Tha am for the reply and info. Creating my own “sampler” does sound like a good idea. Gives me more freedom in what I get. Now to figure out what to sample first, it’s a big wide world out there haha.
I think the Amphora's Sampler wound be a good one for beginners! You get a VA, a Burley, a Virginia-Kentucky, an English and an Aromatic for $30. It's a good deal and the blends I've tried that are featured in it are quite solid.
I have stacks of little jars with 0.75ozs in them all over my desk lol. When I stand up if I bump my desk with my knee i get a noisy avalanche.
Ordering 1 oz baggies from SP is definitely the best way to go, and their customer service is great in my experience. The Amphora sampler looks awesome too.
Ordering 1 oz baggies from SP is definitely the best way to go, and their customer service is great in my experience. The Amphora sampler looks awesome too.
I like both the suggestions on getting one ounce bags of bulk tobacco and the Amphora sampler. In general, I don't like packaged samplers because they tend not to give a good range of tobaccos, but I think the Amphora sampler is unusual because it does. In any case, you want small quantities and a variety of genres. Don't buy a lot of anything for a year or two, because your tastes will change, and save/jar any you don't like an try them in a year or so. My standard pitch, but I'll stick with it.
Thank you very much. Sounds like the 1oz bulk to try everything out and will look to see if I can squeeze in the Amphora to my budget. Appreciate the advice here.
Ill add it to the cart! Interesting how cheap pipe tobacco is (per smoke at least) compared to cigars.
A tin of tobacco is around 10 bucks. If you have 100 dollars or so to invest get a couple of tins in each broad category - english, aromatic, vaPer, burley blend and straight va. Look at reviews and so some reading here for recommendations. Buy a set of 12 mid sized mason jars, open the tins and store them and you will have yourself a nice sampler. If u stick with popular quality blends i doubt you will find any that you absolutely hate.
My two cents on this--go for the sampler packet, for sure, but I would start with medium strength English blend like GL Pease's Westminster so that you "get" the flavor even if your technique isn't there yet (mine isn't!). I also loved Skiff because the flavors from the oriental leaf really came through.
I wouldn't start with a straight Virginia or even a Vaper yet because in my beginner stage, those tobaccos take a bit more doing to tease out the flavors. I'm enjoying the challenge of tasting something like Orlik Golden Sliced precisely for that reason.
Other folks can talk to aromatics, but from what I've heard, it's much easier to get tongue bite because heavily cased aromatics give off a lot of heat.
I wouldn't start with a straight Virginia or even a Vaper yet because in my beginner stage, those tobaccos take a bit more doing to tease out the flavors. I'm enjoying the challenge of tasting something like Orlik Golden Sliced precisely for that reason.
Other folks can talk to aromatics, but from what I've heard, it's much easier to get tongue bite because heavily cased aromatics give off a lot of heat.
Both the 1 ounce assorment and the Amphora sampler are solid places to start.
Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to the forum!
Also, if you enjoy smoky things (e.g., BBQ, rauchbier, lapsang souchong tea) or just want to experience what smoky Latakia tobacco is like, also grab an oz of F&K Lancer Slices.
For something dark, rich, flavorful, and a bit stronger, grab an oz of Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired (ODF) Ready Rubbed. I typically stay at medium strength tobacco or below, but ODG is my one exception.
Thanks for the advice! I already added an oz of ODG to my cart so it will be interesting to see if I like that or not.
Sorry, forgot to say "welcome to the hobby!" I am fairly new myself as I started in Fall 2019. Also forgot to mention that not only is the Arango Balkan Supreme one of the best of it's kind, but I love it. It's very complex and put me on the path of Oriental tobacco types.
The only other bulk that I wanted to mention but didn't because it is out of stock was Gawith Hoggarth & Co Bob's Chocolate Flake. If you like chocolate, add that to a future order when it's back in stock.
Dont worry, I added Balkan Supreme also. Thanks, cant wait to learn and explore everything. There are so many aspects it is a bit intimidating but learning is all part of the fun.
