Looking for Suggestions & Recommendations

[knightmare]

Looking for Suggestions..
Howdy everyone, I'm a relatively new pipe user, only off and on for the past couple of years but my tobacco usage has been limited to a few brands from a local store, "The Tinderbox" in Santa Monica, CA.
I've looked around but feel a little lost in the sea of blends and types! (Lost like a fish on land)
The tobacco I would always get from the tinderbox is called "Brown Flake" and I have to say, I love, love, love it and would love to find a way to purchase it online (or something similar to). I've tried Marlin Flake from Rattray, which I also liked (Though I found it a little harsh on my tongue). I've also tried 1-Q and another Aromatic and I can comfortably say I absolutely hate the stuff. I really want to stray away from artificial flavoring etc. I've heard G.L. Pease offers a ton of great tobaccos as well that aren't flavored, but still amazing all-the-same. But there are so many I don't even know where to start. And to be honest, I'm not well versed in the language of "Tobacco Reviews", everything seems to wash together as I read them.
Suggestions and Recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Erik

"Knightmare"

 

[cortezattic]

I think the most organized approach would be to go to Luxury Tobacco Reviews and check the left hand column where the various

tobacco blend categories are listed. Start sampling from each category, or genre as some say.

 

[knightmare]

Will-do

 

[adam12]

Welcome to the forum man

 

[markw4mms]

You can also order from Tinder Box online at: http://www.tinderbox.com/

 

[knightmare]

Adam12:

Thank you!
Markw4mms:

Ah interesting! I'll have to dig around their site. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[jameral]

Start sampling from each category, or genre as some say.

If you happen to pick something up that doesn't necessarily agree with you, just put it in a mason jar and revisit it later. From time to time your taste for different baccys will vary and you'll be happy that you'll have something put away that will have aged a bit.

 

[ohin3]

Welcome to the forum buddy. I'm assuming that tinderbox's "Brown Flake" is a Virginia flake. If you like it and you liked Marlin Flake aside from the tongue bite I would recommend the following Virginias:
Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Samuel Gawith Full Viginia Flake

Fribourg and Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

Dan Tobacco Hamborger Veermaster

Solani 633

Rattray Marlin flake (smoke it slowly)

Rattray Old Gowrie

Rattray Hal O The Wynd

Dunhill Flake

McClelland Matured Virginia (dark brown tins)

McClelland Dark Star

McClelland 5100

Escudo

Astleys 109

G.L. Pease Stratford

G.L. Pease Haddos Delight

G.L. Pease Telegraph Hill

Esoterica Dorchester

Esoterica Tillbury

Esoterica Dunbar

I'm sure there are more but that's all I have off the top of my head.

 

[knightmare]

jameral:

Good advice! I'll definitely keep it stored, as you said you never know!
ohin3:

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the time you spent composing all those tobaccos! Yeah I never asked if Brown Flake was Virginia or English, etc. I'm sure you're right, which is awesome because now I have a good idea of which way to go.
So many choices! I'll definitely have to try them all! Thank you again!
Edit:

Just ordered some Dunhill Flake, G.L. Pease Haddo's Delight and Solani 633! Thanks again!

 

[rigmedic1]

If you like Virginia's, Sterling Tobaccos offers Old Dominion, which is very good. GL Pease leans toward more English style blends, and I just tried his new Sextant, which I think is awesome, an English with a touch of rum and dark kentucky tobacco. I always recommed that new pipers order a few samplers from different Vendors, and there are a couple at PipesandCigars.com that would give you a range of the different styles. Welcome aboard! ::

 

[knightmare]

rigmedic1:
Thank you for the information. G.L. Pease's Sextant is actually on my list for English style blends to try, I really want to try it! That, Odyssey and I'd like to try Maltese Falcon.

 

[slowpuffer]

Nothing can make up for your own experimentation. However, I do have a couple of recommendations. If you liked a Virginia Flake, you may want to start there. A couple of Virginia blends I find to be really good are Fribourg and Treyer's Cut Virginia Plug or Blackjack. I also think that MacBaren's Virginia #1 is very good.
You may also want to check out a couple of other types of tobaccos, just to get a taste for what is out there and understand various tobacco terms. You may want to try an English blend (the critical element there is Latakia). I think a good starting place for you may be McClelland's Frog Morton series (I like On The Town the best). Also, you may want to check out a burley blend. MacBaren's London Blend Burley and Tinderbox's Burley Light are by far the best burley blends I have discovered.
I hope this gives you a manageable list and I think would introduce you to at least the different types of tobaccos out there. While this is just a small drop in the bucket, it will get you on your way. I would suggest that you don't fall into the pitfall of ordering too many blends, because you will never figure out what you like. Sample a few different genres and when you discover that you like a certain type of blend, try another that is similar.

 

[ohin3]

Be careful with Haddos Delight...it packs a bit of a nicotine punch for me, but it is the stuff that legendary smokes are made of. Dunhill flake is a bit stout but doesn't give me the hiccups, wobbly guts and a spinning head. It's a nice clean clear bright Virginia. Solani 633 is just friggin' yummy. Sweet like pralines, spicey like cinnamon and nutmeg and very easy on the tongue. Enjoy them bro.

 

[knightmare]

Thank you all very much! I'm geeked to try all these suggestions.