Do former cigeratte smokers favour VA over anything else?

[tamer291]

I guess I'm the odd ball. I use to smoke cigs (15 years ago). I only smoked them for a few years. But now I mostly enjoy aromatics. But I do enjoy a VA/Per (mild on the Per) on occasion.

 

[lasttango]

yeah... but perique is also a treat...

 

[weezell]

I hate smoking cigarettes. I still do it all the time.

Yes, I agree, I to am weak...

 

[derfargin]

Nope not the case here.

 

[rcstan]

Yes, because they remind me of some European cigarettes from my teenage years. As a matter of fact, one of the blends I discovered in the last year, and has since become a staple, Hamborger Verrmaster, is extremely reminiscent of the HB cigarettes from the 90s .....

 

[patrick]

I smoked cigarettes for a couple of decades before finally quitting. I'm a newer pipe smoker and I really enjoy burley tobacco or burley/virginia blends.
I wouldn't say they taste exactly like a cigarette, much better actually. They do satisfy my desire for nicotine.

 

[newbroom]

I feel 'sorry' for you guys who know about pipe tobacco, enjoy it and still feel the need to reach for a nail.

To answer the OP's question with my opinion, I'd say get a tub of one of the major codger blends and stay with it for awhile...the one I used was Sir Walter Raleigh. I still enjoy that and Carter Hall and Prince Albert...although, I will say that I recently opened a fresh tub of CH and that first bowl seemed to dry out my mucosa...Virginia tobaccos in flake form can be tricky for those uninitiated and who tend to draw too deeply, but they offer a nice flavor. You can use them cubed or rubbed out along with a codger for a more zesty bowl.

Ultimately, a flake will be most flavorful when kept rather intact. imo.

 

[cossackjack]

Former cigarette smoker, in recovery for 35 years. I find most burley's, especially DFK's, to be sweeter, stronger & more satisfying than straight VA's, though VA/Bur's & VA/Per's are very close seconds.

 

[bdhact1]

I quit cigs 8 years ago. In my later smoking years I would only smoke American Spirit and roll my own with Drum Halfzware Shag. Missing that Drum flavor is what lead me to cigars, then eventually pipes. I prefer English blends which are reminiscent of that Dutch Drum flavor.

 

[zekest]

VA's are mild enough to inhale. It would be logical for ciggy smokers to gravitate to VA's to get a good nic fix with a big lung hit.

 

[settersbrace]

I didn't understand pipes or cigars until I quit smoking cigarettes.

Profound statement there.
Had I not completely kicked the cig habit/addiction I doubt that I would've got into either pipes or cigars. I tried more than once to get into cigars while still smoking cigs but just didn't get it, at all. My hopes and prayers are with anyone that truly wants to quit cigs. I also understand very well what's it's like to be a cig smoker and hating myself for it all the while, it's terrible. Keep the faith folks, you can kick them.

 

[easterntraveler]

I never smoked cigarette but I prefer VA. Blends. Don'the get me wrong I have over 10 lbs of Latikia blends but I prefe VA blends.

 

[aristokles]

This former cigarette smoke (who quit 15 months ago once he tasted Old Joe Krantz) does not favor Virginia blends over anything else except aromatics. However I have smoked English blends consistently since 1965-66.
Old Joe cut the cigarettes in ONE day for me and I have not yet been tempted to smoke another cigarette. I still have plenty of RYO tobacco around and am slowly using it in self-made blends.