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May 4, 2015
3,210
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There's likely similar discussions like this from threads gone-by, but I thought we might start a new one. If you had to pick the Top 5 tobaccos that you'd tell a new smoker are "must buys," what would they be? No rules here necessarily, but I'm going to pick Top 5 "exemplars" from each genera that I would probably recommend a new smoker add to their shopping cart to have a good little tobacco rotation. The idea, though, is that if someone were looking to be suggested 5 tobaccos with maybe $50 budget, what would you put in their shopping cart? Might be a helpful if someone came across this thread while looking for what to buy.
1. Dunhill 965 - "Scottish" style with a nice sweetness and milder latakia

2. Orlik Golden Sliced - Straight forward forgiving Virginia, a good intro to flakes

3. Haunted Bookshop - Will tell you if you like Burley and Perique at the same time

4. Lane 1Q - Nice, quality aromatic, a classic

5. Dunhill Nightcap - Latakia Bomb will tell you if you want a LOT of latakia in your life, or just a little
Which 5 would you say are the best way to have the roundest rotation and education?

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
Dunhill Flake

Carter Hall

FVF

Escudo

Penzance

 

toddryan84

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 2, 2017
134
1
I'm in here for recommendations as well.
I'm going to list what I currently have, but maybe someone can recommend me something.
Here is what I have (some are full tins, others are small 1oz samples)
CD Haunted Bookshop

H&H BlackHouse (unopened)

Dan Tobacco Old Ironsides (unopened)

McClelland Balkan Blue (unopened)

McClelland 2000

Lane Limited BL/WB

Rattrays Old Gowrie (unopened)

CD Black Frigate

GL Pease SixPence

Frog Mortons Cellar

Peterson Old Dublin

CD Autumn Evening
I also wanted to know if anyone could procure of a list of the "textbook examples" of specific blends? Also what's the difference between some of the tobaccos and what flavors/aromas do they lend in a blend?
I've always been confused by this and it seems that the world of pipe tobacco is as dizzying if not more so than the world of cigars. :puffpipe:

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
You would recommend a blend that you can't hardly buy?
I recommend Quiet Nights as a good alternative.

 
May 4, 2015
3,210
16
@toddryan84 Sort of my motivation behind starting this thread. I like the ideas of "exemplars," even if they're not necessarily considered the best by those recommending them. My list would be what I consider good examples of standard flavor profiles of each genera (more or less).

 

jmatt

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 25, 2014
770
74
If you want the prototypical list, here's what I suggest:
Aromatic: Lane 1Q. It goes by hundreds of different names in hundreds of different tobacconists, but everyone has Lane 1Q

Red Virginia: McClelland 5100. You can smoke dozens of red Virginias and never be much better than this bulk standard.

Virginia flake: Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake. One of the best, with a different flake style to learn to deal with.

VaPer: Escudo Navy Deluxe. Presented as a coin, this gets you yet another prep style and is consistently a top rated VaPer.

English: Dunhill Nightcap. MAny to choose from, but this is a highly rated standard and at least one Dunhill should be on the list.

VaBur: GL Pease JackKnife Plug. A solid nic bomb burley. Plus this adds a plug to the list. And GL Pease should be on everyone's list at least once.

 

thomasw

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 5, 2016
862
24
My list is reads like the confession of a burley/kentucky lover.... and so it is!
1. JKP

2. ABF

3. OJK

4. ODF

5. (Silver Flake or Doblone d'Oro)

 

glassjapan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 11, 2017
270
56
SG Best Brown Flake - my first instinct is to say FVF, but I think BBF is a little more forgiving.
Solani Aged Burley Flake - lots of great Burley blends out there. I prefer Stonehaven but no use sending a newcomer on a wild goose chase.
GLP Cairo - just an all around great oriental blend.
SG St. James Flake - my favorite Va-per...A&C Petersen's version of Escudo a close 2nd.
McCranie's Red Flake - straight red virginia needs it's own category and McCranie's is king!

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake

Dunhill Nightcap

Davidoff Flake Medallions

Black Frigate

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake

Solani 633

 

phantomwolf

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
266
1
Pittsburgh, PA
P.S.-Peaches and Cream as a favourite aromatic

Frog Morton on The Town -Complex, but forgiving and friendly intro to English style blends

Carter Hall As a great example of good, OTC burley

Dunhill- Flake as a Straight Virginia

C&D- Bayou Morning as a nice VaPer
I would add that one blend I recommend to interested friends who have never smoked is JustForHim.Com's- Shortcut To Mushrooms. It is a pleasant, easy-smoking aromatic with some safe Latakia training-wheels.
Also, all of your lists are great starting points.
@MotherNature And absolutely recommend the Penzance. I don't care if they like it. I would recommend that if they find it, buy it and unload it on me if it isn't their thing. haha

 

oldmojo

Might Stick Around
Jan 9, 2017
96
1
Dunhill London Mixture - mild Oriental-forward English

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake - great intro to VaPers and to flakes

G.L. Pease Blackpoint - Balkan on the slightly mild side

John Bull Royal English - best pouch tobacco I have ever smoked (very inexpensive)

H&H El Nino - defies categorization - full flavored

 

toddryan84

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 2, 2017
134
1
@jmatt
A few of those have been on my "want to buy" list. Especially Dunhill, I've pretty much wanted to buy every Dunhill but for no apparent reason ended up not buying any Dunhill stuff for my collection lol.
Lane 1Q was recommended to me a few times but I think after reading the mixed bag of reviews that it was I shyed away from it, are there any other aromatics that are "gold standards" that you recommend? I have some Dan Tobacco Aro's and I dislike all of them (they were samples) one is Three Buddies or something like that, and then I have the Dan Tobacco Green and Red....and I dislike both of them :/
I gotta get my hands on some of that Samuel Gawith, that has also been mentioned quite a lot to me in the past. As has Escudo Navy Deluxe

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
For a new smoker, someone who wasn't trying a pipe after cigarettes or cigars, I'd stick with mild and with two or three aromatics. People can always graduate to stronger tobacco, but a bad experience with full-strength too soon would be a turn-off. Maybe Prince Albert, 1Q, Carter Hall, Orlik Golden Slices, and Nate Sherman 536. People can always jump into Nightcap or Five Brothers if they have the yin, but I'd let them do that on their own, like I did.

 

toddryan84

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 2, 2017
134
1
@pipesmokingtom
Yeah definitely, I think for me, I really am not too savvy on what a textbook example Virginia should taste like, or a textbook example Burley. So for me, I'd like to try those so I can really get a feel for the flavor profiles found in those blends. That way I can begin to distinguish them in more complex blends.
Errrr also, can someone help me out with all these abbreviations? I have no idea what these are

1. JKP

2. ABF

3. OJK

4. ODF
???? :?

 

toddryan84

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 2, 2017
134
1
@mso489
I must've been an anomaly in this department. I started smoking cigars about 7 years ago. I barely smoke them now, but when I did smoke cigars I smoked 2-3x a week sometmes 2 cigars in an evening.
All the tobacconists told me to start with mild, flavored, or connecticut wrapped cigars. My first cigar ever was an Arturo Fuente Hemingway which falls towards the latter end of the medium-strong spectrum and from there I jumped right into La Aroma De Cuba and Don Pepin Blue line...lol I have never had a negative reaction to tobacco even when I've smoked two strong cigars back to back on an empty stomach. I'm not sure why....I do get a bit lightheaded though...like a "buzz" from really strong tobacco but no negative effects on my stomach or any of that.
Same with pipe tobacco, I jumped straight into english/oriental blends. My first puff was McClelland 3 Oaks, then I bought a tin of Peterson Old Dublin lol

 
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