Hello from Buffalo, NY

[Vagabond.Explorer]

Hi everyone,

I've been smoking seegars for a few years now and happened to stop in to a local shop that makes pipes and blends their own tobaccos. I've found pipes to be a much more enjoyable experience and pipe smokers to be much more my people than the cigar only smokers. I'm still trying different blends and unfortunately failing to find something that will really replace my cigars.

If anyone has any recommendations on blends for someone who smokes full flavored "spicy" cigars it would be greatly appreciated. Most of the blends my local shop makes are lighter bodied aromatics which taste ok but really don't tickle my palette. My palette is probably trashed and cigars under medium/full or full don't really register as having much of a taste. I haven't ventured into English blends yet as I've smoked a few Virginia Fire Cured cigars and am somewhat meh about them. Interesting but not something I could smoke every day. I'm thinking VaPer blends or other stronger non aromatics or even strong aromatics will wind up being my go to blends.

I'm hoping to learn a lot from more experienced pipers and maybe someday contribute something useful to the community!

Thanks!
-T.J.

 

[Servant King]

Welcome to the forum, from Southern California. Wife is from upstate NY, in fact (Manlius). I came to pipes myself in order to find an alternative to cigars, which became too overwhelming for me. Took me a bit to find my niche, but you will find yours eventually, I'm sure. Enjoy the journey!

 

[FurCoat]

Welcome from North Carolina. There are blends that use cigar leaf. Go on Smoking Pipes, you can filter your options to include the type of tobacco you are looking for. I would suggest grabbing a tin each of MacBarens HH series.

 

[saltedplug]

If I understand what you are saying, and I'm not sure that I do, you are saying two things:
1. You want recommends that will remind you of the strong, spicy cigars that you've smoked.
2. That the recommends be strong, otherwise your palate can't really taste them.

Dark Flake - My ultra favorite. Very strong.
Brown rope - tastes like a Virginia. Very,very strong.
Black rope - a thousand tastes. Very strong.
Rustica - very, very strong.
Irish Flake - very strong.

 

[Vagabond.Explorer]

@Servant King - I don't tend to get that way too often other than when I'm on my way to the Adirondacks but I do pass by from time to time. Nice to see someone else who is a cigar refugee!

@FurCoat The Old Dark Fired was on my radar as something to pick up, so I appreciate the confirmation on it! I'll also take a look at their other blends in the line and see if something sounds interesting.

@saltedplug 1)Sure and 2)Very much Yes. I'm not too concerned about how much it reminds me of a cigar, but I am looking for something strong and won't complain if it's "spicy". The cigars I enjoy the most fall in the medium/full or full flavor department and I find anything under medium to be rather boring. I also quite enjoy spice be it from tobacco, pepper or hot peppers. As you also seem to like strong tobacco flavors I'm pretty sure I'll take all your suggestions and try each, are these styles that are brand agnostic or brand specific? Very much appreciated! If you can think of anything else to recommend I'm interested!

 

[STP]

Welcome, TJ

 

[MattRVA]

Welcome from Virginia

 

[GothPiper]

Welcome from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

I'm also a former cigar smoker, and know just what you mean about spicy and full-flavored. Though I believe it's discontinued now, I recently picked up some Peter Stokkebye's 83 Amsterdam from a local tobacconist, and that definitely reminded me of a spicy, intense cigar. It's a blend of Virginia and fire-cured Kentucky, so if any of the more senior members here know of another similar blend, that might scratch that itch for you.

 

[kcghost]

Welcome from KC!!

 

[Leo]

Welcome from Korea!

 

[Tar Wheel]

Welcome from North Carolina!

 

[Ettrick puffer]

Welcome from Bonnie Scotland ???????
Happy smokes
Ettrick puffer

 

[mso489]

A pipe's a pipe, and a cigar's a cigar. Even pure cigar leaf in a pipe isn't like a cigar. A cigar is like going out to eat at a restaurant; it's all done for you, and you just enjoy what the wait person puts in front of you. With a pipe, you are cooking at home and have to invent the experience for yourself. It's much more participatory. So it will take a few months and some trial and error, and inquisitive mind, and some energy to make it all work, and I think you will pick up the trail and find your way to some great pipe smoking experiences.

 

[Charlie718]

Welcome from New York City. For strong smokes with good flavor that your used to I’d try (besides what was already recommended) a good VaPer like Escudo, C&D Bayou Morning, Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake, Luxury Flake, Evening Flake, they will have that spice. Also when I first started the pipe (very recently) I also came from cigars and I really liked (and still like it) the Mac Baren HH Bold Kentucky or Peterson Irish Flake for the nic strength and flavors being in my mind close to cigars on the earthy taste. Also a good Burley blend will pack the punch and have those creamy flavors that a good stick has, I like C&D Cube Cut Burley. Try a bunch and find what suits your tastes and then watch as your tastes change as you get into the pipe and develop better technique. It’s a fun process that can lead to TAD so have been warned lmao ?

 

[jpberg]

From cigars, I would head directly to Captain Earles Ten Russians or GLP Odyssey.
You can take your time and branch out from there, but those will give you enough flavor whomp to keep you going while you dial in your tastes.
Have fun and don’t get discouraged, it’s a pleasant journey.
Oh, and greetings from the top of New York.

 

[Dudditz]

Welcome from New Jersey! For spicy, take a look at a blend called Firestorm or Bayou Night by Cornell and Diehl. The both have a good amount of perique which sounds like might be what you are looking for.

 

[burleybreath]

Welcome, from another upstate guy. I was just in Buffalo yesterday, driving around for the hell of it. Sorry I can't help with the strong tobacco recommendation--it's not my thing. Virtually any flake folded and stuffed will do it for me, as far as strength goes. By the time I get to the bottom of the bowl, I'm pretty well nicotined up. But I'll make two recommendations anyhow: Stormfront, from 4 Noggins, and La Brumeuse Semois. They're both rather tasty, and I believe the former actually has cigar leaf in it, and the latter, to me, tastes like cigar. And earth. Sort of. Whether they'll float your boat is another matter. Neither is a pile driver, except in taste.

 

[saltedplug]

@Servant King - I don't tend to get that way too often other than when I'm on my way to the Adirondacks but I do pass by from time to time. Nice to see someone else who is a cigar refugee!

@FurCoat The Old Dark Fired was on my radar as something to pick up, so I appreciate the confirmation on it! I'll also take a look at their other blends in the line and see if something sounds interesting.

@saltedplug 1)Sure and 2)Very much Yes. I'm not too concerned about how much it reminds me of a cigar, but I am looking for something strong and won't complain if it's "spicy". The cigars I enjoy the most fall in the medium/full or full flavor department and I find anything under medium to be rather boring. I also quite enjoy spice be it from tobacco, pepper or hot peppers. As you also seem to like strong tobacco flavors I'm pretty sure I'll take all your suggestions and try each, are these styles that are brand agnostic or brand specific? Very much appreciated! If you can think of anything else to recommend I'm interested!

The blends I listed are just the ones that attracted me; there are many more. Rope is in a class all its own. Its recipe is over 200 years old, and its manufacture has ben maintained down through centuries of years by Samuel Gawith. Used to be that dozens of English tobacconists produced their own rope. I doubt the recipe has changed.

Gawith Hoggarth (GH) split off from SG, and as far as I know their rope is identical. I always smoked GH rope. I feel confident that rope has the strength to keep your attention. The Black is an acquired taste, but if you persevere I think you will find more nuances of flavor than Carters has pills.

Dark Flake was my very favorite tobacco. In fact if I fall off the wagon it would be smoke it. GH is the only one who makes it. I always liked a kick in the head, and DF reliably gave me one. Dark, resiny, earthy, some say cigarish.

Unfortunately none of these tobaccos are available. Get your name on notification lists at Smokingpipes, Mars, 4noggins, etc. Sorry.

 

[Vagabond.Explorer]

Thanks all for the welcomes and recommendations!

@GothPiper Thanks! I'll add it to my list in case I see it in a shop during my travels! I'm sure some more must be kicking around at various shops.

@mso489 Very true, different experiences with the possibility of similar flavors. My local shop seems to really only stock and know blends that are on the milder end of the flavor spectrum. So getting some alternative recommendations from more experienced pipe smokers seemed like a better idea than bumbling around a few websites trying to find things.

@Charlie718 Thank you for the suggestions! VaPer blends and the Bold Kentucky were both on my radar, so I'll make sure to get some. Thanks for the specific brand recommendations as well!

@Dudditz Thanks! Both of those were on my radar, so thank you for the confirmation!

@burleybreath Nice to meet someone else from the area! I'll give both a try, the nicotine level is something I don't so much care about, though strong flavor oftentimes has higher Nic content. Big flavor is what I'm after so those both sound interesting.

@saltedplug The ropes sound interesting and your description of Dark Flake sounds amazing. I'll be going to put my name on some notification lists as soon as I post this!

 

[anotherbob]

Hi everyone,

I've been smoking seegars for a few years now and happened to stop in to a local shop that makes pipes and blends their own tobaccos. I've found pipes to be a much more enjoyable experience and pipe smokers to be much more my people than the cigar only smokers. I'm still trying different blends and unfortunately failing to find something that will really replace my cigars.

If anyone has any recommendations on blends for someone who smokes full flavored "spicy" cigars it would be greatly appreciated. Most of the blends my local shop makes are lighter bodied aromatics which taste ok but really don't tickle my palette. My palette is probably trashed and cigars under medium/full or full don't really register as having much of a taste. I haven't ventured into English blends yet as I've smoked a few Virginia Fire Cured cigars and am somewhat meh about them. Interesting but not something I could smoke every day. I'm thinking VaPer blends or other stronger non aromatics or even strong aromatics will wind up being my go to blends.

I'm hoping to learn a lot from more experienced pipers and maybe someday contribute something useful to the community!

Thanks!
-T.J.

H.H. Bold Kentucky should scratch your itch. I feel like you'll really dig that one.