Before I started smoking a pipe, I spent a great deal of time online trying to figure out how all this stuff worked. That was about two years ago, even before I first lit a cigar. The myriad conflicting answers and confusing products kept me from packing a pipe until August of this year, which makes me feel like there was quite a bit of time lost. So, in the interest of helping out any other present and future newbies, I'd like to share my suggestions for a succesful entry into the world of pipe smoking. As a noob, I won't be able to answer everything, but I do hope this makes things easier for someone!
Please keep in mind that I am not an expert and that this is all just a big suggestion. If you think something else will work for you, go ahead and try that!
Your Pipe
The most difficult thing for me to understand was which pipe I should get. "The best you can afford" was oft echoed in the corners of the internet where I searched for assistance.
Screw that. You don't know yet if you're going to like it! A cheap briar may not be worth smoking and the frustration towards that could turn you off. A nice briar doesn't have to be super expensive, but you're better off putting your money and your attention into tobacco when you first start. There's a lot to try! So, get yourself three corn cobs from Missouri Meerschaum. 1) polished Morgan, 2) natural Missouri Pride, and 3) a Mini. The first two have differently proportioned medium-small bowls that are excellent for new pipers and the different finishes will help you decide what kind of cobs you like. That Mini has a special purpose that we'll talk about later.
The corn cobs aren't flashy, uber exciting, or anything like that. They are, however, awesome and practical pipes for beginner smokers. Trust me. And everyone else here. Plus, if the unfortunate should happen and you really don't like pipe smoking, you have an authentic corn cob pipe for your snowmen.
Other Tools
You absolutely need pipe cleaners. I suggest getting two packs of B.J. Long Regular cleaners when you first order. Side note: I order at least one pack every time I buy tobacco, just so I never run out. Anyway, they're cheap and, if you don't like smoking, you can use them for craft projects. In the future you'll want tapered, bristled, extra fluffy, mortise brushes, chamber brushes, etc... But for now, none of that nonsense matters.
Jars will be required. Get a 12-pack of 4oz jelly jars.
Sharpie marker or sticky labels and a pen. (I like the latter.)
A small notebook, an excellent memory, or some other storage device for personal notes.
Matches. Butane pipelighters are nice. Zippos do the job well, but can sometimes leave behind a fuel flavor. Matches get your tobacco lit, cost little, and leave no discernable flavor if used properly.
Additionally, a pipe nail is required. These are super inexpensive and they do their job well. (They are for tamping, poking, scooping, etc.
You DO NOT need rubber pipe bits at this point. In the future you may decide that you like them, some do, but I find that they are pointless and intrusive on a cob stem. Waste of money this early in the game, too.
Tobacco
Excitement may overwhelm you, but this is important, so try to follow along: blending components are the key to learning what you like. If you HATE Latakia, you aren't likely to enjoy a Lat blend, no matter how good the description is. Same with Perique, Burley, and everything else. And, once you find one tobacco that you love, you are very likely to pigeonhole yourself at the expense of further enjoyment.
This may sound blasphemous to some folks here, but my experiences as a newbie smoker and as a teacher of other newbie smokers have led me to one conclusion: starting off with blends may be a bad idea for the unguided.
Again, components are key. Smoking them, you'll learn what you do and don't like without having interference from combined ingredients.
Buy a bulk ounce of each of the following blending tobaccos:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Cube Cut Burley
C&D Black Cavendish
C&D Dark Fired Kentucky
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co Latakia
McClelland Perique
Yeah, I know, lots of Cornell and Diehl (C&D). They've got a nice selection of blending components!
Now, even though I am contradicting myself a bit, you will also want these few simple blends to start:
McClelland 5100 - Red Cake (Nice, basic, bright Virginias.)
Dunhill Nightcap - (Shows versatility of Latakia.)
Peter Stockbye Luxury Bullseye Flake - (A good Virginia/Perique blend, shows merits of Perique as a condiment.)
And now, to further distance myself from that initial insistence, go a little crazy. Have fun! Pick out three more blends that sound good to you. Avoid, for now, aromatics. If you're not sure whether a blend is aromatic you can call the seller, ask on this forum, or check Tobaccoreviews.com. This suggestion is based on two things: the idea that aromatics can cover up tobacco flavors, and the fact that aromatics can easily ghost a pipe. (Ghosting is when flavor is left behind in your pipe after a tobacco has been smoked in it.)
I'm tempted to suggest some of my favorite blends, but this part is entirely up to you. Even though you don't know tobacco, you know yourself. Order bulks, order tins, doesn't matter. Try to stay in the 2oz or less area so that your tobacco will all fit in the jars you've ordered. (As mentioned above.) Don't get more than three. You'll have an even dozen tobaccos to fit the set of jars, and you are less likely to end up with a pile of things you don't like.
Getting Ready To Smoke
Packing and lighting my pipe have gotten easy; I know what my pipe and I want and need. However, describing these thing isn't easy so I'll leave that up to better teachers. Before you order anything, search YouTube and watch as many videos as you can on packing and lighting a pipe. After you order, watch them all again.
Then once all of your tobacco goodies have arrived, you'll do a few things:
Smell every one of your new tobaccos. Savor the aromas, see which ones excite you. Hopefully you will come to love at least a few of them. Jar each blend, being sure to mark the jars carefully so you know what is inside.
Refrain from adding water. The tobacco shouldn't be crumbling or powdery, but you don't want it to be wet either. Every piper and every tobacco have ideal moisture contents: you'll learn these in time.
Starting
Set aside the Mini Cob. Using the Morgan or Missouri Pride, you're going to start smoking with one of these:
Group 1:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Black Cavendish
Group 1 has simple, mild, typically inoffensive tobaccos. The Cavendish should be exceptionally mild in flavor, while the Izmir is slightly more flavorful and interesting. These shouldn't scare you away from the pipe! One night, try the Cavendish or the Izmir. If you enjoyed it, smoke the same thing for the next couple of nights until you feel moderately comfortable with packing the pipe.
Keep a glass of ice water on hand while you smoke. Other drinks will interfere with flavor and you're not ready for pairings yet.
Relighting while you smoke is absolutely fine.
You'll need to tamp your pipe sometimes as you smoke, it helps the tobacco keep lit.
You may need to run a pipe cleaner down the stem of your pipe during a smoke, if moisture accumulates in the stem. This is normal.
When you do pack, before lighting, don't be afraid of pulling out the tobacco and trying again. Practice makes perfect! Draw should be similar to a not-terribly-thick milkshake, I find.
Only smoke one bowl a night to start, or you'll risk irritating your mouth. Maybe take a night off in between. You're pulling smoke into a sensitive area and even cigar smokers can be affected by overzealous piping.
Always clean your pipe out after smoking.
After a few moderatly succesful runs with your first Group 1 Tobacco, you are ready for the tasting phase....
Tasting
I have been admonished in the past for moving too fast in my piping, so I expect to take some flak for the following. What I'll say is this: it worked very well for me, I have quickly begun to refine my pipe palate and readers are encouraged to tweak my suggestions to suit their timetables, personalities, experiences, and preferences.
If you're like me, you're excited. You loved your first pipeful, even if it wasn't perfect, and you can't wait to try everything under the pipe-tobacco-sun. Whoa there! Hold on just a second. Let us not forget what was said before; the blending components are key.
Group 1:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Black Cavendish
You've already tried one of the selections from Group 1. Now you'll try the other. Don't expect to learn everything about it, you're looking for one thing only: do you like it? Simple as that. Smoke that tobacco, get out your notebook and write down "I LIKED IZMIR TURKISH". Or, perhaps and unfortunately, the opposite.
As before, have a glass of water while you smoke. Sip it between draws on the pipe, keep your palate fresh.
Did you like that tobacco? If so, maybe have another bowl of it tomorrow. Either way, after you've tried both of the Group 1 Tobaccos, you're ready for Group 2
Group 2:
McClelland 5100 - Red Cake
C&D Cube Cut Burley
C&D Dark Fired Kentucky
You may be asking why Red Cake, a blend, is here with the blending components. Well, this blend is actually straight Virginia tobaccos! There are plenty of darker flavored Virginias out there, but 5100 is a great way to meet this type of tobacco.
You also may be wondering what has changed from Group 1 to Group 2. This group contains some tobaccos that are considered a little more challenging to a brand-new piper. Virginias can bite, some cigar folks just plain hate the smokiness of the Dark Fired Kentucky, and Burleys can sometimes be a little harsh. In particular, that Virginia needs to be smoked slowly and thoughtfully.
Spend a week or so trying this group of tobaccos. After you've smoked one of them, make sure to write down whether or not you liked it! When you do enjoy one, make sure to try another bowl of it.
And now...
Tasting, Part 2
Group 3:
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co Latakia
McClelland Perique
Group 4:
Dunhill Nightcap
Peter Stockbye Luxury Bullseye Flake
Here's where we must take into account your preferences, your experiences, your desires.
Perique is legendary amongst pipers for its flavor and its spice. I, for one, don't notice much spice when I smoke straight Perique. It is smooth, flavorful, enjoyable. Latakia has an unmistakable and strong flavor, sometimes cool and smokey, sometimes reminiscent of floral incense. If you have a sensitive palate, you may not be ready for straight Latakia or Perique.
If you smoke medium to full bodied cigars, enjoy strongly flavored foods, etc, it may be a good time for you to smoke the Group 3 tobaccos. I smoked straight Perique before I tried any of the other blending components and fell in love with it instantly. There are, however, many pipe smokers who think I am insane for doing so more than once. Perique is seen as a condiment, not a meal. Latakia is in a similar boat.
SMOKE THE LATAKIA IN THE MINI COB. Latakia can ghost a pipe and, though folks say the cobs don't ghost, it isn't worth risking your other pipes. There's also a chance you won't want to smoke a full bowl of Latakia in one of your other pipes, and these minis have nice little bowls.
If you are concerned that you may not be ready for Group 3, skip to Group 4. Nightcap is a great blend that features a smokey Latakia flavor at the forefront. Luxury Bullseye Flake is a delicious Virginia Perique blend that will introduce you to a different style of Virginia from the Red Cake, as well as a hint of Perique.
Looking Forward
Here I loose you upon the world, my smokey children. If you have followed my directions, you should have a small grasp on the different components that are used to build the blends enjoyed by smokers around the world. Revisit the components as you wish, smoke the blends you already have, and start trying new ones as you see fit.
Pay attention to how you pack your pipe, the moisture level of your tobacco, and the speed at which you smoke. These are all important aspects of enjoying a pipe. Getting them just right will take time, but it will be very worthwhile.
I suggest spending time carefully tasting every new blend you meet, this will help you further develop your palate. Think about writing reviews for them, even if the reviews are only for you.
More importantly, most importantly, enjoy yourself. There's no wrong way, no bad smoke, as long as you're happy.
Please keep in mind that I am not an expert and that this is all just a big suggestion. If you think something else will work for you, go ahead and try that!
Your Pipe
The most difficult thing for me to understand was which pipe I should get. "The best you can afford" was oft echoed in the corners of the internet where I searched for assistance.
Screw that. You don't know yet if you're going to like it! A cheap briar may not be worth smoking and the frustration towards that could turn you off. A nice briar doesn't have to be super expensive, but you're better off putting your money and your attention into tobacco when you first start. There's a lot to try! So, get yourself three corn cobs from Missouri Meerschaum. 1) polished Morgan, 2) natural Missouri Pride, and 3) a Mini. The first two have differently proportioned medium-small bowls that are excellent for new pipers and the different finishes will help you decide what kind of cobs you like. That Mini has a special purpose that we'll talk about later.
The corn cobs aren't flashy, uber exciting, or anything like that. They are, however, awesome and practical pipes for beginner smokers. Trust me. And everyone else here. Plus, if the unfortunate should happen and you really don't like pipe smoking, you have an authentic corn cob pipe for your snowmen.
Other Tools
You absolutely need pipe cleaners. I suggest getting two packs of B.J. Long Regular cleaners when you first order. Side note: I order at least one pack every time I buy tobacco, just so I never run out. Anyway, they're cheap and, if you don't like smoking, you can use them for craft projects. In the future you'll want tapered, bristled, extra fluffy, mortise brushes, chamber brushes, etc... But for now, none of that nonsense matters.
Jars will be required. Get a 12-pack of 4oz jelly jars.
Sharpie marker or sticky labels and a pen. (I like the latter.)
A small notebook, an excellent memory, or some other storage device for personal notes.
Matches. Butane pipelighters are nice. Zippos do the job well, but can sometimes leave behind a fuel flavor. Matches get your tobacco lit, cost little, and leave no discernable flavor if used properly.
Additionally, a pipe nail is required. These are super inexpensive and they do their job well. (They are for tamping, poking, scooping, etc.
You DO NOT need rubber pipe bits at this point. In the future you may decide that you like them, some do, but I find that they are pointless and intrusive on a cob stem. Waste of money this early in the game, too.
Tobacco
Excitement may overwhelm you, but this is important, so try to follow along: blending components are the key to learning what you like. If you HATE Latakia, you aren't likely to enjoy a Lat blend, no matter how good the description is. Same with Perique, Burley, and everything else. And, once you find one tobacco that you love, you are very likely to pigeonhole yourself at the expense of further enjoyment.
This may sound blasphemous to some folks here, but my experiences as a newbie smoker and as a teacher of other newbie smokers have led me to one conclusion: starting off with blends may be a bad idea for the unguided.
Again, components are key. Smoking them, you'll learn what you do and don't like without having interference from combined ingredients.
Buy a bulk ounce of each of the following blending tobaccos:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Cube Cut Burley
C&D Black Cavendish
C&D Dark Fired Kentucky
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co Latakia
McClelland Perique
Yeah, I know, lots of Cornell and Diehl (C&D). They've got a nice selection of blending components!
Now, even though I am contradicting myself a bit, you will also want these few simple blends to start:
McClelland 5100 - Red Cake (Nice, basic, bright Virginias.)
Dunhill Nightcap - (Shows versatility of Latakia.)
Peter Stockbye Luxury Bullseye Flake - (A good Virginia/Perique blend, shows merits of Perique as a condiment.)
And now, to further distance myself from that initial insistence, go a little crazy. Have fun! Pick out three more blends that sound good to you. Avoid, for now, aromatics. If you're not sure whether a blend is aromatic you can call the seller, ask on this forum, or check Tobaccoreviews.com. This suggestion is based on two things: the idea that aromatics can cover up tobacco flavors, and the fact that aromatics can easily ghost a pipe. (Ghosting is when flavor is left behind in your pipe after a tobacco has been smoked in it.)
I'm tempted to suggest some of my favorite blends, but this part is entirely up to you. Even though you don't know tobacco, you know yourself. Order bulks, order tins, doesn't matter. Try to stay in the 2oz or less area so that your tobacco will all fit in the jars you've ordered. (As mentioned above.) Don't get more than three. You'll have an even dozen tobaccos to fit the set of jars, and you are less likely to end up with a pile of things you don't like.
Getting Ready To Smoke
Packing and lighting my pipe have gotten easy; I know what my pipe and I want and need. However, describing these thing isn't easy so I'll leave that up to better teachers. Before you order anything, search YouTube and watch as many videos as you can on packing and lighting a pipe. After you order, watch them all again.
Then once all of your tobacco goodies have arrived, you'll do a few things:
Smell every one of your new tobaccos. Savor the aromas, see which ones excite you. Hopefully you will come to love at least a few of them. Jar each blend, being sure to mark the jars carefully so you know what is inside.
Refrain from adding water. The tobacco shouldn't be crumbling or powdery, but you don't want it to be wet either. Every piper and every tobacco have ideal moisture contents: you'll learn these in time.
Starting
Set aside the Mini Cob. Using the Morgan or Missouri Pride, you're going to start smoking with one of these:
Group 1:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Black Cavendish
Group 1 has simple, mild, typically inoffensive tobaccos. The Cavendish should be exceptionally mild in flavor, while the Izmir is slightly more flavorful and interesting. These shouldn't scare you away from the pipe! One night, try the Cavendish or the Izmir. If you enjoyed it, smoke the same thing for the next couple of nights until you feel moderately comfortable with packing the pipe.
Keep a glass of ice water on hand while you smoke. Other drinks will interfere with flavor and you're not ready for pairings yet.
Relighting while you smoke is absolutely fine.
You'll need to tamp your pipe sometimes as you smoke, it helps the tobacco keep lit.
You may need to run a pipe cleaner down the stem of your pipe during a smoke, if moisture accumulates in the stem. This is normal.
When you do pack, before lighting, don't be afraid of pulling out the tobacco and trying again. Practice makes perfect! Draw should be similar to a not-terribly-thick milkshake, I find.
Only smoke one bowl a night to start, or you'll risk irritating your mouth. Maybe take a night off in between. You're pulling smoke into a sensitive area and even cigar smokers can be affected by overzealous piping.
Always clean your pipe out after smoking.
After a few moderatly succesful runs with your first Group 1 Tobacco, you are ready for the tasting phase....
Tasting
I have been admonished in the past for moving too fast in my piping, so I expect to take some flak for the following. What I'll say is this: it worked very well for me, I have quickly begun to refine my pipe palate and readers are encouraged to tweak my suggestions to suit their timetables, personalities, experiences, and preferences.
If you're like me, you're excited. You loved your first pipeful, even if it wasn't perfect, and you can't wait to try everything under the pipe-tobacco-sun. Whoa there! Hold on just a second. Let us not forget what was said before; the blending components are key.
Group 1:
Cornell & Diehl Izmir Turkish
C&D Black Cavendish
You've already tried one of the selections from Group 1. Now you'll try the other. Don't expect to learn everything about it, you're looking for one thing only: do you like it? Simple as that. Smoke that tobacco, get out your notebook and write down "I LIKED IZMIR TURKISH". Or, perhaps and unfortunately, the opposite.
As before, have a glass of water while you smoke. Sip it between draws on the pipe, keep your palate fresh.
Did you like that tobacco? If so, maybe have another bowl of it tomorrow. Either way, after you've tried both of the Group 1 Tobaccos, you're ready for Group 2
Group 2:
McClelland 5100 - Red Cake
C&D Cube Cut Burley
C&D Dark Fired Kentucky
You may be asking why Red Cake, a blend, is here with the blending components. Well, this blend is actually straight Virginia tobaccos! There are plenty of darker flavored Virginias out there, but 5100 is a great way to meet this type of tobacco.
You also may be wondering what has changed from Group 1 to Group 2. This group contains some tobaccos that are considered a little more challenging to a brand-new piper. Virginias can bite, some cigar folks just plain hate the smokiness of the Dark Fired Kentucky, and Burleys can sometimes be a little harsh. In particular, that Virginia needs to be smoked slowly and thoughtfully.
Spend a week or so trying this group of tobaccos. After you've smoked one of them, make sure to write down whether or not you liked it! When you do enjoy one, make sure to try another bowl of it.
And now...
Tasting, Part 2
Group 3:
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co Latakia
McClelland Perique
Group 4:
Dunhill Nightcap
Peter Stockbye Luxury Bullseye Flake
Here's where we must take into account your preferences, your experiences, your desires.
Perique is legendary amongst pipers for its flavor and its spice. I, for one, don't notice much spice when I smoke straight Perique. It is smooth, flavorful, enjoyable. Latakia has an unmistakable and strong flavor, sometimes cool and smokey, sometimes reminiscent of floral incense. If you have a sensitive palate, you may not be ready for straight Latakia or Perique.
If you smoke medium to full bodied cigars, enjoy strongly flavored foods, etc, it may be a good time for you to smoke the Group 3 tobaccos. I smoked straight Perique before I tried any of the other blending components and fell in love with it instantly. There are, however, many pipe smokers who think I am insane for doing so more than once. Perique is seen as a condiment, not a meal. Latakia is in a similar boat.
SMOKE THE LATAKIA IN THE MINI COB. Latakia can ghost a pipe and, though folks say the cobs don't ghost, it isn't worth risking your other pipes. There's also a chance you won't want to smoke a full bowl of Latakia in one of your other pipes, and these minis have nice little bowls.
If you are concerned that you may not be ready for Group 3, skip to Group 4. Nightcap is a great blend that features a smokey Latakia flavor at the forefront. Luxury Bullseye Flake is a delicious Virginia Perique blend that will introduce you to a different style of Virginia from the Red Cake, as well as a hint of Perique.
Looking Forward
Here I loose you upon the world, my smokey children. If you have followed my directions, you should have a small grasp on the different components that are used to build the blends enjoyed by smokers around the world. Revisit the components as you wish, smoke the blends you already have, and start trying new ones as you see fit.
Pay attention to how you pack your pipe, the moisture level of your tobacco, and the speed at which you smoke. These are all important aspects of enjoying a pipe. Getting them just right will take time, but it will be very worthwhile.
I suggest spending time carefully tasting every new blend you meet, this will help you further develop your palate. Think about writing reviews for them, even if the reviews are only for you.
More importantly, most importantly, enjoy yourself. There's no wrong way, no bad smoke, as long as you're happy.
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