First question to the experts!

[nachocreech]

Hello all,
I understand that there are MANY newbie/beginner questions out there but I hope you guys will forgive me and help me out.

Although I am not a smoker, this includes, cigarettes, weed, cigars, etc, but I always wanted to give pipe smoking a shot.
As I was looking for my first ever pipe + equipment I stumbled upon this kit.

http://www.pipesandcigars.com/samplers/89519/the-art-of-flavour-pipe-kit/#p-172939
and wanted to get your comments and feed backs and or if you have any suggestions that will be greatly appreciated.
As a beginner smoker I am looking for something light, more flavors, and nice smelling ones. (I think the correct term is Aromatics).
I dont really feel ready to spend ALOT of money, but I thought the kit for its price will be a nice trial run.
I appreciate your feed backs before hand.
-T

 

[scrooge]

Welcome! My 1st recommendation to you would be don't start. With that said, That starter kit is a good way to go. Sounds like your gonna be a aro guy. So I can't help you with those. Enjoy it if you can. Don't get me wrong , I enjoy pipe smoking very much, But thinking about it. An could do it all over again I wouldn't do it. Go slow puff slow an enjoy the life style if it turns out to work for you.

 

[stvalentine]

Aromatics are a sure fire way to hate pipe smokinf from the start. They taste in no way like the nice smell from the tin and the roomnote (ask me how I know). I would only recommend them to the more experienced smokers. Try an English mixture. They may smell intimidating in the tin but are in no way as harsh on the tongue as aromatic.

Apart from that the set looks quite nice.
Would I start again with pipe smoking with all I know today? I would start even earlier!!! :lol:

 

[shawnofthedead]

Welcome. First of all, don't associate nice smelling, light, and more flavour with aromatics; most aromatics I smoked smell nice in the tin but smokes awful, light maybe, and do have lots of flavours (not good flavours), and they give you hell of a lot of tongue bite. For something light, smells nice and has rich flavours I would always recommend Frog Mortons - a light English blend.

 

[jvnshr]

Welcome to the forum. I am also a newbie, and most common mistake newbies make are starting with aromatic tobaccos (which I did). If you are really into pipe smoking, and don't want to spend too much money in the beginning (like me), buy 2 or 3 corn cob pipes, pack of cleaners, Czech tool and a tin of tobacco (going to be less than the amount in the link). I would suggest not buying complex blends but blends with minimum tobacco types. And step by step you will be understanding tastes of tobaccos and you are going to distinguish them. Pipe smoking is not about becoming an expert or pro, it is all about enjoyment. Enjoy your pipe.

 

[deathmetal]

A couple of good options:
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/samplers/92113/virginia-staff-pick-sampler/
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/samplers/89521/back-by-popular-demand-sampler/
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/samplers/89523/burley-at-its-best-pipe-kit/

 

[aldecaker]

#1: Welcome aboard!
#2: I would agree with the above advice to avoid heavy aromatics as a beginner. Go with plainer types of tobacco if you can.

 

[prairiedruid]

Welcome! I started my pipe journey with a sampler of Dunhill consisting of London Mixture, Early Morning Pipe, and MM965 which was a great way to start as these aren't too strong and the ribbon cut packs easily and burns well for a beginner. Not all aromatics are bad. You can buy an ounce or 2 of Lane bulk like 1-Q or some of the Peter Stokkebye bulk (I like Nougat plus he has some great non-aros as well). This allows you to try several types without having to spend much money. I mainly smoke cobs because they were cheaper than briars and they provide a very nice smoke. I would keep a couple of cobs for aros and a couple for non aros to avoid ghosting/flavor crossing.

 

[pruss]

Welcome aboard!
If I were going back to the beginning of my pipe smoking journey I'd spend the majority of my research time reviewing the different ways to load and pack a bowl, and also how to light and sip a pipe.
Granted, to do both of these things you need a good tobacco or two to get started. I agree with some of the comments above that many aromatic tobaccos are evil bastards to learn how to smoke properly. This stems from the fact that if loaded improperly and smoked fast they can and will burn the shit out of your mouth. Truth be told, most tobacco will burn you badly if you load it and smoke it improperly. But lower quality aromatic tobaccos are notorious for this; as is smoking tobacco which is too wet.
So... How do you find your first tobacco(s)? If you're like me, reading reviews online isn't enough. I needed to get into a tobacconist's shop to look at and smell the different blends and iterations of tobaccos. I used online reviews and forums to help narrow down my choices, but actually smelling the tobacco really helped. If this isn't an option for you, then I think you're on the right path in buying tobacco samplers online.
In addition to Pipes & Cigars, here are a couple other online vendors who sell tobacco samplers:

4 Noggins offers Aromatic, English and Virginia samplers - http://www.4noggins.com/4-noggins-bulk-tobacco.aspx

Cornell & Diehl offers Aromatic, English, Burley and Virginia samplers via Smokingpipes.com - https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/cornell-diehl/

Boswell Pipes offers three samplers of their top sellers, or seasonal tobaccos - http://www.boswellpipes.com/tobaccoblends.html
If you are determined to try aromatic tobaccos I cannot recommend Pipeworks & Wilke enough. Simply call them, and have a nice chat, and buy whatever gets recommended. http://www.vtpipes.com/tobacco.html
Good luck with your journey.
-- Pat

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I'm always amazed how many people bash aromatics yet they're always the best sellers.
If you want to start out with aromatics go ahead. I did and I love them still to this day. I get good top dressing flavor as well as natural tobacco flavor out of them. As for tongue bite I personally think in the beginning it doesn't matter what you're smoking you'll get tongue bite. You'll be puffing too frequently in order to keep it lit regardless of if it's an aromatic, English, Balkan, VaPer, straight Virginia etc..

 

[deathmetal]

I started my pipe journey with a sampler of Dunhill consisting of London Mixture, Early Morning Pipe, and MM965 which was a great way to start as these aren't too strong and the ribbon cut packs easily and burns well for a beginner.

Also really good advice.

I'm always amazed how many people bash aromatics yet they're always the best sellers.

Compare to McDonald's, Budweiser and Coca-Cola: immensely popular, yet disliked in niche communities.
Why, I wonder? Jonathan Haidt believes the root of morality is disgust. I wonder if this is a disguised moral issue, i.e. scene policing for quality.

 

[warren]

Tobacco snobs exist it's true. Try the aros and if you find a couple to your liking, enjoy.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Most of us moved to non-aromatics, because of some contempt we developed from trying to smoke aromatics. Yes, the vast, vast majority of pipe smokers smoke aromatics. Non-aros are actually the minority niche (or the exclusive elite, as I like to think of us) :wink:

I wouldn't take our aromatic quips as anything more than jests. Without aromatics, there would be no pipe industry.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Tobacco snobs exist it's true.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a snob. And, we all are to some degree. If we weren't snobbish to some degree, we'd all be smoking codger blends in corn cobs. :wink:

 

[newbroom]

Most people who are not in love with Lady N are attracted to pipes because of their smell. Room note is their first impression and that's the direction they take if they step into the hobby.

Most newbies, on their own, make similar mistakes.

What is it that makes most newbies think pipe smoking sucks? Tongue burn.

How do you help a newbie avoid tongue burn, whilst helping him/her to enjoy tobacco?

A simple, easy burning and non stinky tobacco in a pipe of known value with proper packing and smoking technique. (slow and easy) no....slower.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've also noticed that it's circular. People start with aros, then move on to non-aros, and then after so many years, some move back to aromatics. I've been running into more and more smokers older than me, (so that makes them very old, ha) that say they just decided one day to return to aromatics.

Also at the NOLA pipe show, I was surprised at how many guys smoked aromatics, experienced smokers. And, guys who buy high end artisan pipes and then pack them full of 1Q baffled me much.

I think it's fine. People should just enjoy what they enjoy. But, to add to my snobbishness, when someone is smoking an aromatic really close to me, I cannot taste my own tobaccos. The aromatic sort of overwhelms me.

 

[hakchuma]

Finished a bowl of aromatic Drew Estate Centro Park Stroll this morning. Best smoke I've had all week. OP states he's looking for nice smelling aromatics and the snobs come out of the wood work planting this flag and yelling 'here, here'. So at least I got a laugh.

 

[JimInks]

The very last thing I would recommend to a beginner is an English blend. Latakia is an acquired taste for the newbie and many are turned off by it until they've been smoking for some time. Bad idea. There's a reason aromatics are 90% of the market. They are easy to take. It's best to try something user friendly for the first time, and as this fellow isn't wanting to spend a lot as he tests the waters, recommending expensive tobaccos is not the best advice.
I recommend going to Pipes&Cigars: http://www.pipesandcigars.com/

A corn cob, a pipe tool, and pipe cleaners are a good idea. Try a small assortment of blends that are mellow and sweet, like Sir Walter Raleigh, Lane's 1-Q, Lane HGL, Sutliff Rum & Maple, Sutliff Chocolate Supreme. You can get a two ounce bag of Hearth & Home Mid-Town Chatham Manor or Mid-Town Prince William for two bucks each.
Tobacco Reviews can be helpful is you're willing to try different opinions of particular blends. http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/

 

[deathmetal]

Room note is their first impression and that's the direction they take if they step into the hobby.

I think this explains the popularity of aromatics. They hit the holy triad: easy to light, cool burning and mellow room note. That makes them (more) socially acceptable and pipe smokers like this feedback from society, even if society is crazy.
I wish I'd started with English blends. The intensity of a natural English blend -- although I'd recommend Standard Mixture over London Mixture for the reason of too much Latakia -- shows what pipe smoking can be. It also makes it clear that some people will want to head directly to the aros.
I seem to recall coming up with a suggestion for a beginner's pipe kit awhile back containing all of the items listed here and varied tobaccos, generally one of each major type. An aro, an English, a Va/Per, a Burley blend. With an ounce of each a smoker can learn a lot with minimal investment.

 

[basil]

The starter kit you posted is a bargain. 3 tins of good tobacco and (hopefully!) a well drilled pipe with the basic starter stuff for $40 is a good deal. Also what JimInks recommended is sound advice.

If your interested in trying a starter kit of Over The Counter (OTC) tobaccos, drop me a PM and I'll make you up a starter kit.