Cigar Smoker looking for Pipe Tabacco

[Bill_S]

Hello folks, my first post here. I want to give pipe smoking a try; however, I don’t know where to start on tobacco brands, types, etc. I love full-bodied cigars and looking for a recommendation for pipe tobacco that fits into that category. To give the cigar/pipe smokers an idea of what I am looking for in pipe tobacco, I usually smoke Oliva Serie V, Punch Diablo, CAO Brazilia. I appreciate any help in my search. Based on my research in this forum, I will get a MM Cobb to start as my first pipe.

 

[mso489]

There are good pipe blends that include cigar leaf, and cigar leaf available as a condiment to mix with other pipe tobacco or to smoke neat. The many good cigar leaf blends include Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd and GLP Key Largo. C&D also sells good condiment cigar leaf. It's fair to point out that cigar leaf in a pipe is not like smoking a cigar. It's two different experiences, but both can be excellent. I think your choice of a MM cob as a pipe is wise. They are easy to smoke, and you'll want to keep them in rotation even when you go to briar, Meerschaum, etc. I recommend the MM pipes that come with an acrylic stem for durability, to save replacing stems. They run around $28, but are worth it. Some buy the less expensive MM cobs as yard work and vehicle pipes, but I consider all my cobs permanent, non-disposable, and have bought Forever acrylic stems for the ones that came with soft plastic stems.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'd recommend you try to find a blend genre you prefer then experiment some more within that genre. I'd recommend you try Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia, Old Dark Fired, Bold Kentucky and Dark Twist. The middle two may come closest to your full bodied cigar flavors. Maybe add some C&D Sunday Picnic for a Virginia Oriental blend. All of these are really available and if you hurry, Tobacco Pipes has a 15% sale on all MB products through the end of today. Maybe grab a tin of Savinelli Doblone d'Oro for a good VaPer. Add a tin of Ashton's Artisan Blend to see if you like latakia. Good luck.

 

[Bill_S]

There are good pipe blends that include cigar leaf, and cigar leaf available as a condiment to mix with other pipe tobacco or to smoke neat. The many good cigar leaf blends include Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd and GLP Key Largo. C&D also sells good condiment cigar leaf. It's fair to point out that cigar leaf in a pipe is not like smoking a cigar. It's two different experiences, but both can be excellent. I think your choice of a MM cob as a pipe is wise. They are easy to smoke, and you'll want to keep them in rotation even when you go to briar, Meerschaum, etc. I recommend the MM pipes that come with an acrylic stem for durability, to save replacing stems. They run around $28, but are worth it. Some buy the less expensive MM cobs as yard work and vehicle pipes, but I consider all my cobs permanent, non-disposable, and have bought Forever acrylic stems for the ones that came with soft plastic stems.

Thank you, I was not aware of cigar leaf for pipe tobacco. Is it allowed to request a recommendation for a respectable online vendor for pipe tobacco in this forum? If so, do you have one you prefer? I live in the U.S.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I have tried various blends with cigar leaf -- Billy Budd, Havana Daydream--but I much prefer C&D Dark Burley. This tobacco undergoes a secondary fermentation, much the way cigar tobacco does, giving it a quality that a lot of reviewers describe as "cigar like." I think it was Russ Ouellette's old blog that said this type of dark burley is what is used in those Italian dry cures, though, like Toscanos. Anyway, I can tell you, C&D Dark Burley has a very full earthy flavor, with hot-cool spice, rich smoke, and fairly strong nicotine levels.

 

[That Guy]

Hello folks, my first post here. I want to give pipe smoking a try; however, I don’t know where to start on tobacco brands, types, etc. I love full-bodied cigars and looking for a recommendation for pipe tobacco that fits into that category. To give the cigar/pipe smokers an idea of what I am looking for in pipe tobacco, I usually smoke Oliva Serie V, Punch Diablo, CAO Brazilia. I appreciate any help in my search. Based on my research in this forum, I will get a MM Cobb to start as my first pipe.

We have the same same in cigars. The darker/stronger the better! The pipe tobacco world is full of all kinds of yummy delicious blends and for the price of a box of cigars you can get alot of bang for your buck! Most warped blends have cigar flavors to start with something familiar but 1 oz bulk samples will give you a world of taste for $2-4 each. I gravitate totals strong English blends but really enjoy some of everything and now am becoming obsessed with Virginia flakes and vapors ?. Welcome aboard and happy hunting

 

[OzPiper]

A warm welcome Bill_S,

I got back to pipe smoking 3 years ago after smoking cigars exclusively for the previous 15 years.

The cigar blends that I have tried do not replicate the flavour of cigars much - could just be my palate.

I took immediately to English (latakia) and Balkan (oriental) blends. I'm assuming that it was the "flavour blast" from these blends that resonated with me.

Since then I have been enjoying the subtler flavour of Virginia and Virginia/Perique blends more and more.

 

[gamzultovah]

@Chasing Embers …

 

[bullet08]

BriarWorks Country Lawyer. Good right out of the jar, but so much better after a year.

 

[mso489]

My favorite online retailer in terms of pipes, tobaccos, and customer service is smoking pipes.com. I also use Iwan Ries, Pipes and Cigars, West Virginia Smoke Shop, and Tobacco Pipes.com. SP has the most extensive and continually updated tobacco pages that I know, as well as a vast inventory of Savinelli and Nording and up-market artisan pipes (expensive) and estate pipes with accurate descriptions of their qualities and flaws. They want you back and make it easy to deal with them. They carry Cornell & Diehl and G.L. Pease tobacco blends, and many many others.

 

[64alex]

Welcome aboard. Given you are coming from the cigar world you won't have the problem of dealing with nic hit, or maybe you might have a problem you don't find so much nicotine in tobacco pipe. If I can make a comparison to alcohol tobacco pipe would stay to fine wine tasting as cigar stay to whiskey or vodka. Tobacco pipe is all about taste rather than nic and I would say you'll discover the palette of tastes available with pipe is much wider what with cigar (IMO) which is why I prefer pipe much more than cigar.

Also I would not try to find to replicate the taste you find in a cigar, first of all because you won't find (even if few blends have cigar leaves) and second because if you want cigar taste you want to have a cigar.

As you won't be scared by nic hit I would recommend to start with some full body/full strength earth type blends with kentucky or dark fired leaves such as SG 1792 flake (or the Cob plug which is the plug form), any of the SG/GH ropes/twists, or Semois, and see how you like. Then you can move to more subtle and delicate blends mainly virginia based or to the uniquely tasting English blends where you can appreciate at full the beauty and diversity of tobacco pipe.

 

[kcghost]

Welcome from KC!! Personally I will tell you that it is much easier to find full flavored pipe tobacco than it will be to find a decent tobacco blend that has cigar leaf in it.

 

[daytonsean]

I prefer smokingpipes.com for online ordering. Check into the Warped brand, they have several tins to choose from and they’re based with cigar types.

 

[mso489]

I second makhorkas' on C&D Dark Burley, and you might also want to try Big'n'Burley, both elegant strong blends. Two others I like are C&D Bayou Night and their Stratfordshire. These are all available in bulk.

 

[jwussow]

I am also primarily a cigar smoker. My humidor is stocked with 90% Nicaraguan and about 10% Honduran. I find that I like pipe smoking much more when the weather becomes cool in the fall. Pipes really do the trick for me then. Maybe it’s because they can be used as a hand warmer!

Regarding a beginning type of pipe tobacco when coming from cigars, I recommend carefully sticking with blends that do not have casing or topping. It appears as if you only smoke cigars for their tobacco flavor and not for added flavoring. It is easy to have a blend recommended that has added flavor.

The good thing is that most of the reputable online dealers have excellent descriptions that you can use as a guide. I focus primarily on oriental and Balkan blends. They seem to be a nice transition from cigars. Virginia’s are excellent as well, however due to the higher sugar content, it can take a bit of getting used to, and slow down your smoking initially so you don’t get bad tongue bite.

Right now I am enjoying C&D’s Star of the East. I also have Sasieni Balkan and Balkan by Brebbia on hand. They are all enjoyable.

 

[Streeper541]

Gurkha makes great pipe tobacco. My favorite of their three blends being Urban Legend.

Gurkha - Pipes and Cigars - https://www.pipesandcigars.com/mobile/shop/gurkha-brand/1701262/?shop=Pipe+Tobacco

 

[anotherbob]

Hello folks, my first post here. I want to give pipe smoking a try; however, I don’t know where to start on tobacco brands, types, etc. I love full-bodied cigars and looking for a recommendation for pipe tobacco that fits into that category. To give the cigar/pipe smokers an idea of what I am looking for in pipe tobacco, I usually smoke Oliva Serie V, Punch Diablo, CAO Brazilia. I appreciate any help in my search. Based on my research in this forum, I will get a MM Cobb to start as my first pipe.

The Bankers by James Fox. here is the link

 

[solideogloria86]

Nightcap. Quiet Nights
Dry them properly before smoking.
Those are the two that brought me from Maduro/Oscuro to pipes.

 

[Chasing Embers]

@Chasing Embers …

?

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

SG Brown No 4 twist
GH Brown bogie
GH Brown pigtail ES

The first one contains cigar leaf. The other two have a cigar like flavour.
They are all big hitters in the nicotine department, especially the pigtail.
Some say use a small bowl, but I just go for a medium bowl and load it right up.
Experiment.