Finally! Found a Pipe For Capstan Blue

[futureman]

My first three smoking sessions with Capstan Blue were nice, but they did not quite live up to my expectations. Then I fired up some Capstan in a Savinelli bent dublin a little while ago, and it has been pretty blissful: sweet, biteless, with a bit of a nic hit. This pipe will be set aside for CB as long as I have it on hand.
It's interesting how pipe selection can really make a difference.

 

[cigrmaster]

Glad to hear you found a great combo. The first time I smoked the Blue was in one of my Rad Dublins and it was fantastic. I have smoked it on other pipes and found my Rhodesians work great also. You can never tell when a certain blend needs a certain pipe, it is weird how it works.

 

[numbersix]

Interesting. To what do you fellows attribute it to? Shape or the briar?
I ask because I haven't really noticed any shape being better for a particular tobacco - though I am not that versatile in my tobaccos, so that may be it. I do however have a Pete Aran that smokes noticeably less sweet than my other pipes.
Really odd, but the briar has a certain "blandness" to it, but I find it does well with a VA flake, but not nearly as good with a quality aromatic.

 

[futureman]

Number6,
I'm the wrong person to ask, and I admit that-in my case-the recent smoking experience may have had nothing to do with the shape of the briar or stem. Maybe my pipes need a good cleaning! In any case, I've read about others changing pipes to get a more enjoyable smoke, and I simply did the same.

 

[cigrmaster]

future, having a really clean pipe is essential if you want to be able to taste everything that a blend has to offer. I do deep cleanings with Everclear fairly often.
six, I really don't know why some blends taste better in different pipes. I have a Rad Billiard that did not smoke Capstan very good at all, but smokes the hell out of Astleys 109 and Wessex Campaign Brigade. All my Dublins smoke the Blue great as do my Rhodesians. It could be the shape of the bowl, the height, thickness of the walls, a ton of different variables but I do know that it happens. When I get a new pipe I will experiment with different blends to see what really sings in it and then stick with that combo.

 

[numbersix]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have a Rad Billiard that did not smoke Capstan very good at all, but smokes the hell out of Astleys 109 and Wessex Campaign Brigade.

It is funny how the briar itself can affect the flavor.

 

[rigmedic1]

I have often found that one or another tobacco tastes better in a particular pipe, with no idea why is should be so. It is the adventure of our hobby, finding the perfect match.

 

[allan]

I've found that larger bowl pipes do well for me with Latakia and oriental blends

 

[salewis]

I regularly smoke Hamborger Veermaster in my Virginia pipes. Recently, I bought a few tins of Capstan Blue Flake which is a good tobacco which I like, but Capstan Flake does not have the body and taste of my regular smoke. I have about half of my pipe dedicated to Virginias and half to latakia based tobaccos. I have never subscribed to the premise that shape dictates the type of tobacco smoked.

 

[cortezattic]

Blue works best for me in a wide bowl bulldog. I'm pretty sure it's the chamber diameter that is making the difference.

How much tobacco is burning at any given time can really change the flavor profile, I guess. But this wide bowl thing

has me miffed, because it flies in the face of conventional wisdom concerning Virginia flake pipes.