My first few bowls.....sublime and strange

[portascat]

Okay, finally got all the gear together, yesterday.
Ended up with a Graybow "Lark", a Czech tool, and a couple pouches. Borkum Riff "light" and Middleton "Apple". Yeah, I know, I know, but still....
Started out, first bowl, with the Borkum Riff. Tried and tried to get a good bowl going, wasting a lot of tobacco, relative to the small bowl on the Lark. Watched a few videos, tried a few methods, couldn't get it to light or smoke with any consistency.
Then filled a bowl with the "apple", and smoked the hell out of it. And enjoyed it. So I smoked another bowl. And it was allright.
So, today, I smoked another bowl of apple, and it was good. So I filled a bowl of the Riff, and the stuff will just plain not smoke. I can smoke a bowl of the apple with basically no relight, past the initial charring thing. If it starts to fade, a bit of tamping and huffing light it up like a Christmas tree. The Riff, a no go. And the apple matches itself very well with a cold coca cola.
I think, for the time being, I am going to let the Riff age and dry out a bit. It isn't exactly high end tobacco that I need to age or conserve. But, it is also a low cost investment that I can't possibly ruin and feel bad about.
I discussed my pipe smoking endeavors to a friend of mine who used to be a pipe smoker, and he is going to bless me with some briars, a cob, and a meerschaum, as well as a rack. i think about 5 pipes, total. According to him, all but one need a bit of rehab, mostly stems. But, it is a nice start for sure.
I also ordered a few sample packs from Outwest. An oz., each, of their "Western" series. Sounded good to me in the descriptions. Hell, all I got to go on.
Wish me luck.

 

[fshu2]

sounds like a great plan. i go through stages where i just buy tobaccos to taste as most do and then if i dont like them i set them aside fro a while to see if with a little age they get better if not no lose i was nto a fan in the first place. also sounds like your friend has got your back with the extra pipes clean them up and you will be clear sailing. happy puffing sir.

 

[unclearthur]

Borkum Riff isn't the best stuff. It is however smokable or it wouldn't still be around. Letting it dry is probably going to help with the problem of keeping it lit. Though I have seen a few Drugstore tobaccos that were still to wet after laying open for weeks.

 

[steamtrain]

Newbies will waist a lot of tobbaco...I did this 20 years ago when I first started. Lighting and packing with the chezk pipe tool will help...I would use a Corn Cob with a deep bowl for starters from Missouir Mercham via this website so that you dont burn out a expensive Briar pipe. and yes you can cheat with a bic lighter too when no one is looking.. :roll:

 

[juni]

Borkum Riff... I got a pouch of that when I started out too. Had two bowls and then threw it away.

 

[sparroa]

Man, I tried to get some Gawith Hoggarth Top Black Cherry burning today after a decent amount of drying time. That isn't a cheap tobacco, the blend has a good rep as far as cherry blends go, and the company's got a good reputation, too. It's just the damn aromatics. Too much casing, or too much humectant. Captain Black White was my first tobacco, I enjoyed it starting out. The best time I ever had it, though, was when I left an unsealed pouch in a drawer for 7 or 8 months. It was as moist as tobacco should be by the time I smoked it. Don't get me wrong, you lose a lot of the top flavour in that time - but some of the stuff in pouches just is just barely combustible with all the added preserving agents. Try Lane RLP-6 from an etailer, 4noggins as manytrees mentioned as an example. It's the CBW without all the goop, so I've heard. Or try Lane 1Q as many others have recommended, same story. I'm only smoking a pipe for a little over a year and I'm already sick of the aros which I used to enjoy somewhat. There's a lot of selection out there, sample widely, check out the different styles including more natural tobacco flavours. Good luck!

 

[nyed001]

You could try Dan tobaccos treasures of Ireland Shannon tobacco.I gave half a tin to a friend of mine when he wanted to start puffing.It isn't too wet so you don't have to let it dry too long and the casing isn't too over powering.