I started smoking a pipe on a recommendation from a tobacconist because I was an avid cigar smoker and was spending so much money. Well I bought myself a pretty expensive briar pipe and a corn cob to get started however all pipe smoking tastes like to me is ash. I was reading up on "beginner" tobaccos but they taste awful. Sir walter raleigh, carter hal, captain black and some house blends from another tobacco shop and they all taste awful. I generally smoked maduros and Cameroon cigars from various brands. If I can't find a tobacco that actually tastes like tobacco and not burning cardboard I'll probably throw these pipes out and I really want to enjoy this the way I've enjoyed cigars in the past. I also need suggestions on a good vanilla aromatic as well. I've had an urge for that. Thanks!
Good tobaccos for cigar smoker
- Thread starter gentlemanjack
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It sounds like you are waiting for a cigar experience from a pipe, and it won't happen. But if you try small samples
of many blends, you will probably find your way into pipes. You seem to like full strength cigars, so try some
full strength pipe tobacco. Dunhills Nightcap, available in a small quantity in bulk, might be a good try. Some of
the C&D burley blends like Billy Budd or Big 'n Burley might appeal to you, if you like burley, though some don't
taste it or don't like what they taste. Go for full strength blends. For vanilla, you have a wide selection on all the
online sites; again, look for full strength blends.
of many blends, you will probably find your way into pipes. You seem to like full strength cigars, so try some
full strength pipe tobacco. Dunhills Nightcap, available in a small quantity in bulk, might be a good try. Some of
the C&D burley blends like Billy Budd or Big 'n Burley might appeal to you, if you like burley, though some don't
taste it or don't like what they taste. Go for full strength blends. For vanilla, you have a wide selection on all the
online sites; again, look for full strength blends.
their are blends with cigar leaf tobacco in them. Try McClelland Dominican Glory Maduro, Hearth & Home Stogie, Cornell & Diehl's Billy Budd, C&D's Purple Cow, Greg Pease's Key Largo........ the list goes on and on.
gentlemanjack, welcome from one long time cigar smoker and I got into pipes for basically the same reason. I have been piping for almost 3 months and what I can say it is different, and I mean in a good way. I was spending a fortune on cigars and they were all starting to taste the same, so I spent more for better quality cigars (price does not mean quality) and was becoming frustrated, I needed a change and not just from the dollars spent, hence pipes.
Smoking pipes is different in that the smoking experience is slower, more methodical (prep, packing, etc.) and it takes time to get the hang of it; no patience, then you might want to give it up now and save yourself the agravation. Sorry for being harsh but it is what it is, this is NOT stuff a bowl, light a match and puff away, do that and nothing but bad can happen. I have accepted the difference and I am putting in the time to learn correctly and give piping a fair chance. So far I can say it is getting much better and I enjoy it more and more each day. My first experience's were complete failures, bad taste, tongue bite, etc..
As far as tobacco's go, skip all the "beginner" stuff and go for at least medium strength to start. Don't worry about nicotine content, I smoke cigars and can handle nicotine. I am a maduro fan with a leaning of medium with pepper. If pepper is your game, go with blends that have Perique in them, but remember that spice taste is not the same that you get in cigars so be aware. I have fallen in love with Latakia laced blends, smokey and intense. Try the Gaslight or Pirate Kake. For a change of pace try Peter Stokkebye No. 3 Cherry, not overly sweet but nice flavour that you can tell. The Early morning is another good choice and Ole Shenandoah Barrel No. from P&C is another one I like, mild-medium in strength, good taste and makes you want more.
I hope this helps a little, and I wish you the best in this journey. I still smoke cigars but the blends and tastes in pipe tobacco are great and I felt the same as you orginally but with time and patience this is a great road to walk.
Smoking pipes is different in that the smoking experience is slower, more methodical (prep, packing, etc.) and it takes time to get the hang of it; no patience, then you might want to give it up now and save yourself the agravation. Sorry for being harsh but it is what it is, this is NOT stuff a bowl, light a match and puff away, do that and nothing but bad can happen. I have accepted the difference and I am putting in the time to learn correctly and give piping a fair chance. So far I can say it is getting much better and I enjoy it more and more each day. My first experience's were complete failures, bad taste, tongue bite, etc..
As far as tobacco's go, skip all the "beginner" stuff and go for at least medium strength to start. Don't worry about nicotine content, I smoke cigars and can handle nicotine. I am a maduro fan with a leaning of medium with pepper. If pepper is your game, go with blends that have Perique in them, but remember that spice taste is not the same that you get in cigars so be aware. I have fallen in love with Latakia laced blends, smokey and intense. Try the Gaslight or Pirate Kake. For a change of pace try Peter Stokkebye No. 3 Cherry, not overly sweet but nice flavour that you can tell. The Early morning is another good choice and Ole Shenandoah Barrel No. from P&C is another one I like, mild-medium in strength, good taste and makes you want more.
I hope this helps a little, and I wish you the best in this journey. I still smoke cigars but the blends and tastes in pipe tobacco are great and I felt the same as you orginally but with time and patience this is a great road to walk.
If you want to try a good blend for a cigar smoker, Macbaren's Old Dark Fired. I was smoking it last night and it's one of the few tobacco's I can't inhale past the halfway mark. I find it gets kind of a salty taste with lots of creamy smoke, much like a cigar. Dominican Maduro Glory isn't cigar like at all in my opinion, it's just a very good Virginia blend. But I would totally recommend Old dark fired for what you're looking for. Also Cornell & Dehil Habana daydream is a good cigar blend, like a lighter cigar.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm putting an order in for some of these now. In regards to the method in pipe smoking, I've come to enjoy packing, charring and lighting just as I came to like cutting and toasting the cigars. Hopefully these tobaccos are more enjoyable than the cheap OTC blends I started with
gent'jack, you might also try some Cavendish blends, not especially strong but producing good thick
smoke that might be a little cigar-like. Altadis' Dark Obsession is black Cavendish with walnut that is
both pleasant on its own and a good mixer with burley or Virginia, or other blends. It might give you
some of the body in a smoke that you're missing -- or if not that Cavendish, maybe another.
smoke that might be a little cigar-like. Altadis' Dark Obsession is black Cavendish with walnut that is
both pleasant on its own and a good mixer with burley or Virginia, or other blends. It might give you
some of the body in a smoke that you're missing -- or if not that Cavendish, maybe another.
Mso488, yeah i do notice a difference in the amount of smoke I get with my pipe as well. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll second some of the fuller blends listed ... Old Dark Fired, University Flake, etc.
A couple others to throw on the list:
GL Pease JackKnife Plug
GL Pease Triple Play Plug
Newminster Superior Round Slices (#403)
Three Nuns
Solani Silver Flake Blend 660
Best of luck and happy smoking! :
:
A couple others to throw on the list:
GL Pease JackKnife Plug
GL Pease Triple Play Plug
Newminster Superior Round Slices (#403)
Three Nuns
Solani Silver Flake Blend 660
Best of luck and happy smoking! :
:
+1 for Old dark fired. Cigars and pipes are different beasts, enjoy what they each have to offer. Welcome aboard.
I smoked a pipe (and cigs and cigars) years ago. Then, for a long while, I didn't smoke a pipe, but continued to smoke cigars. A couple of years ago, I came back to the pipe. Initially, compared to a cigar, the pipe did not satisfy. I found that blends with latakia (often referred to as "English" blends) were the best. Latakia does not taste like a cigar, but seemed to scratch the same itch. It is smoky, earthy, leathery . . . There are many excellent ones to choose from. Dunhill London Mixture, Dunhill Nightcap, Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, GL Pease Westminster . . . Others may disagree, but I'd not try to find a blend that tastes like a cigar. Also, stay with it for a couple of weeks. It takes a bit of time to get far enough up on the learning curve to really enjoy the pipe and you may find, as I did, that your preferences may change. When first switching back from cigars to pipe, I would finish a bowl and think about firing up a cigar. After a short while, I found that when I was having a cigar, I would think that I'd rather be smoking my pipe. Now, at home, I always reach for a pipe first.
Could you possibly be smoking too fast and hot to get flavor? As far as recommending a vanilla pipe tobacco to a cigar smoker, I would suggest Mac Barren Vanilla Cream Flake.
http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/mac-baren/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=15577
Never personally tried James J. Fox "Bankers" but described as "superfine Havana seed leaf which has been skillfully added to give the flavor of a fine Cuban cigar" so might be worth checking out.
http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/james-j-fox/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=1229
Good luck!
http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/mac-baren/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=15577
Never personally tried James J. Fox "Bankers" but described as "superfine Havana seed leaf which has been skillfully added to give the flavor of a fine Cuban cigar" so might be worth checking out.
http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/james-j-fox/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=1229
Good luck!
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