Can Pipe Tobaccos compete with Cigars?

[brass]

I'm enjoying exploring pipe tobaccos. Really. But I was smoking a Padron 1964 Anniverserie double toro (or Churchill?) over the weekend, and was reminded of the boundless variety of beautiful, full, rich, creamy, complex profiles offered by decent cigars.
From my brief survey of some of the better lines, I've yet to be boweled over by a pipe tobacco. Impressed, yes. But the variety seems to me to be variations on the same basic virginians, Latakia, perique flavors. (Tried only one aro thus far)
Please note that I'm not intending to dis pipe tobacco. I'm just wondering if I'm ever going to fall in love with a pipe tobacco, like I have some Fuentes, or Padrons or Olivias, etc, etc, etc.
Having said, that I like the economy, and the ritual and variety that pipe smoking lends to my cigar habit. I've been so engrossed in my new PADs/TAD, that the Annie was the first stick I had smoked in three weeks.

 

[homeguard95]

You could always try Hearth&Homes Stogie Blend, its just one of the many pipe tobaccos blended with cigar leaf. Hope it helps.

 

[jfox520]

Speaking as someone who smokes both pipes and cigars. I noticed that it takes time to build your palette. I know that it took sometime to build my palette for both cigar tobacco and pipe tobacco.

 

[northernneil]

I find pipe tobacco to be trickier to get bold flavors from when compared to cigars. If you have not developed the proper technique with smoking a pipe, there might be a lot of flavor you are missing out on.
What kind of blends have you tried thus far?

 

[lochinvar]

Perhaps try Bankers from Fox, it has cigar leaf in it, or perhaps MacBaren ODF, I've known a few cigar guys that really took to it. Also, McConnell offers Caribe which is just cigar leaf, maybe the familiar taste would liven up some blends for you.
There is also the chance that you are not a full time pipe guy. I started out as a full time cigar guy when I was younger, and picked up the pipe as a side. Then I got a tin of Rattray Highland Targe and a tin of the original Three Nuns, was bowled over. I still smoked 4-5 cigars a day, but the pipe started working its way in more and more, till I went about three years without lighting a stick. The pipe may just be an occasional change of pace for you.

 

[mso489]

I've smoked cigars including Cubans and some primo Dominicans, among others. They are certainly more

accommodating, seldom requiring relights, and when you're done, you throw them in the ash tray and walk

(strut?) away. The cigar is engineered to give you an interesting smoke, whether it's your first cigar or your

five hundredth. Still, pipes have the majesty. It's like the difference between an airliner passenger and the

pilot to me. When you get a great smoke with a pipe, it's because you made it happen.

 

[brass]

Thank you all responses thus far. In answer to NorthernNeil, I've tried, ordered or will order the following blends. My favorite, thus far, is maybe SG Navy Flake, followed closely by Escudo,JackKnife, and GasLight. I haven't smoked all listed, only those marked by an asterisk. (Two * means especially liked)
Thanks for the headsup on the cigar blends. As you can see, they're now on my Buy list.
Aromatics

Sutliff Molto Dolce

7 Seas Black

Lane Limited - 1-Q (Have to try it for nothing other than it is a touchstone among the BOTL - whether you hate it or love it

*Davidoff Danish
Latakia/Balkans aka English

*GL Pease Sextant

GL Pease Westminster (Balkan)

GL Pease - Lagonda (Balkan)

GL Pease Picadilly (English)

*Sutliff Balkan Luxury (English)

**GL Pease Gaslight (English)

Dunhill - My Mixture 965 (English)
Orientals/Turkish

*GL Pease Embarcadero

Robert Lewis - Orcilla Mixture
VaPerique blends

**Escudo (VaPer)
Virginians/burleys

**GL Pease Jack Knife Ready Rubbed (VA/burley)

**Samuel Gawith - Navy Flake (VaLat)

Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flakes (Straight VA)

GL Pease Union Square (Straight VA)

C&D (Straight Virginian)
On order

Date Blend Reviews Avg Rating

2014-06-19 4noggins - Catamount 7 ★★★★ 3.6

2014-06-19 Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Pennsylvania Dutch Treat 40 ★★★★ 3.6

2014-06-23 Cornell & Diehl - 412A: Billy Budd 94 ★★★★ 3.3

2014-06-19 G. L. Pease - Union Square (Fog City Selection) 88 ★★★★ 3.3

2014-06-23 Hearth & Home - Stogie (Signature Series) 15 ★★★★ 3.3

2014-06-19 Lane Limited - 1-Q 214 ★★★☆ 2.6

2014-06-19 Mac Baren - 7 Seas Black Blend 7 ★★★★ 3.6

2014-06-23 Peretti - Cuban Mixture 17 ★★★★ 3.6

2014-06-20 Robert Lewis - Orcilla Mixture 21 ★★★☆ 3.1

2014-06-19 Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake 438 ★★★★ 3.5
Thanks to Locinvar. I will be adding Bankers from Fox and MacBaren ODF.
I'm not sure if my smoking technique, or lack therof, is causing my appreciation of pipe tobacco to suffer. I suspect I may smoke faster than idea. I still spend to much time sucking on the stem to keep it lit, and still have to re-light 6 to 12 times a bowel. I do consciously sip when the pipe is smoking efficiently.
But as I write this, I realize that although I may be missing subtle factors, the real issue is that although I've smoked some blends I thought were very good, I've yet to smoke that bowl that is so sublime, that it produces in me an involuntary reactive ejaculation similar to "Oh, God, this is good." (All right guys, please show some restraint when commenting on the previous sentence) But perhaps I will need to be patient and educate my palate as some of you have suggested before I cane expect to experience ecstasy in a bow.

 

[cobguy]

H&H Stogie is a decent smoke.

The Maduro leaf adds body and some creaminess to the smoke but does not taste like a Maduro cigar.

I took the remainder of my tin, mixed it 50/50 with Louisiana Red and called it "Red Stogie".

After a few weeks jarred together, I like the combo better than either one alone.
The only thing that tastes like a cigar is ... a cigar.

It includes not only the filler but a binder and outer wrapper as well.

The outer wrapper dictates much of the overall flavor and is why I keep the ring gauge under 52.
Now, if you want to try a cigar that incorporates a bit of pipe experience you should

really try an AJ Fernandez Spectre ... A good stick that has Latakia blended into it.

At first really strong, the Latakia settles down and just accentuates an already good smoke.

 

[tanless1]

Thnx cobguy, I agree with you assesment of old stogie.

McClelland s dominican glory, never lived up to its claims, not even close. I worked on a tin

for over a year. Kept coming back to it (cause im no quitter). I finally left the remainder

on top of a fuel pump for the homeless/transient. Hope it found a good home.
all ive wanted since I picked up the pipe a few years ago, was a blend that

resembles a standard padron.ive even gone as far as contacting padron

to request a plug version.
yes, I am that guy that will stick his cigar in his pipe to finish, or even just

to smoke a few inches.
do give glp's key largo a try. Its no padron, but a fine smoke for the cigar

lover.

 

[brass]

Well, tanless, IMHO, even OpusX is no Padron - certainly no better than the Annies. I will certainly give Key Largo a try - and I think I'll watch the movie by the same name, and make it an evening.

 

[mrenglish]

Yep, Key Largo would be my recommendation as well. It is pretty sublime with some age on it.

 

[cobguy]

Ahhhh ... Padron. I love the x000 series, mostly the 5000.
@Tanless: Key Largo seems to come up every time this thread does ... about once a month. LOL
I will definitely give it a try. Anyone want to trade for some "Red Stogie"?

 

[danielplainview]

I have a question. Can cigars compete with pipe tobacco? Cigars... Thanks but no thank you.

 

[derfatdutchman]

As someone who smokes both pipes and cigars, I'm glad there is a difference between the two forms of the leaf.

 

[rmbittner]

Brass:
To be honest, when all is said and done, you actually may not ever love pipe tobacco as much as you enjoy cigars. There's no law that says you have to enjoy every different form of tobacco out there. I can enjoy an occasional (like once or twice a year) cigar, but they're definitely not my passion.
Bob

 

[natibo]

I always turn my cigar friends on to GLP Haddo's delight. It is strong on Nic, showcases a slight topping, and is a VaPer. To me, it satisfies the cigar smoker, while accentuating the differences between cigar and pipe tobacco.

 

[judcole]

From my brief survey of some of the better lines,

(My emphasis.)
That's the issue: brief. Yes, you've tried some good tobaccos - but, as was pointed out,this takes time. Do you have good pipes? Are they broken in well? Have you explored any of those tobaccos in depth - that is, are there any you have smoke multiple tins of? Shoot, have you smoked a full tin of any of them?
The good thing about the current state of the pipe world is that there are lots of wonderful blends available at the click of a mouse, and lots of sources of information available the same way. The flip side is that this encourages the current desire for instant gratification. "I've got all these wonderful blends that every one else likes; why am I not blown away?"
My suggestion is that you stop trying to explore the whole tobacco world at once. Take some time. Develop your palate. Get to know a limited number of blends in depth. Make sure you have good pipes, and they are well-broken in. There's no rush. ::

 

[condorlover1]

I will smoke cigars but since Burma Cheroots are no long available I have found cigars particularly uninteresting. In my humble opinion even Cuban cigars have gone down hill in the last twenty years and I find Gloria Cubana to be a far superior cigar to any of Fidel's crap offerings from his Caribbean hell hole called Cuba. I much prefer my old reliable pipe over any fancy cigar and I really cannot fathom people who want a pipe tobacco to taste like a cigar. I may be out on my own on this one but it just strikes me as strange. It's like those meerschaum holders that look like pipes but are designed to hold a cigar in an upright position. Go figure!

 

[brass]

As I wrote to MadMonk, a friend on another board: On reflection, it has much easier to find a decent pipe tobacco than a decent cigar. The ratio of blah cigars to real winners is extraordinarily high. CI and JR have a huge business selling mediocre products to the the masses - me included, at times. Their catalog probably has 100 hoozat cigars for each recognizable; hiqh quality stick.
While I haven't found a knock-my-socks off pipe blend, those I've tried have almost all been good to very good - not a stinker in the bunch. (Well, my wife would probably disagree with the last statement)
I just haven't tried a pipe blend that sweeps me off my feet, as have some cigars. However, given enough time, I'm sure I'll smoke some creosote flavored English blend.
To clarify, I'm not trying to find a pipe blend that tastes like a good cigar. I'm looking for the pipeweed that is love at first bowl, on its on terms. But I'm speaking in terms of infatuation. It may be that cigars are the glamour girls of tobacco and pipes are the girl next door. It may just take some time to appreciate what is in front of me, as Jud so kindly points out.

 

[rmbittner]

Brass wrote:
"I'm looking for the pipeweed that is love at first bowl, on its on terms. "
If my experience is typical -- and it may not be -- this is going to be a long journey for you. As a new pipe smoker, you're kind of shooting yourself in the foot expecting this to happen right off the bat.
I've had maybe 4-6 blends that were "love at first bowl." And I smoked over 120 blends before I even hit the first one. That's not to say I didn't enjoy those 120 blends; some I really did come to love. But love at first bowl? It can be very rare. And it's especially hard because you're going to need several bowlfuls to even taste the blend you're on. (Yes, you could smoke that one bowl in a brand-new, never used pipe. . . but then it'll take even longer to know if you love it, since you'll have to break in the pipe -- and that can take 10-20 bowls.)
In short, you're expecting something that is highly unlikely.
Bob