New Pipe Smoker: Tobacco Choices

[Sobrbiker]

…. I've read it's not normally a tobacco that cigarette smokers take to. Any suggestions?

Don’t make the mistake I did last year when I started and limit my experience by letting “what I think I’d like”, or what I “read about this blend” overly influence my choices.

Try a bunch of different blends, many, many good ones are available. Try a few of each major genre, and enjoy the ride. Don’t be surprised if you think a blend is awesome after a couple bowls/days and then a week later it’s “meh”. Save blends you don’t like and revisit later.

That said, to answer the direct question: try C&D Habana Daydream.

 

[Indygrap]

I smoked cigarettes for 30+ years & have managed to stay off them for the last 2, thanks to my pipes. I switched to them because I wasn’t enjoying cigarettes & my throat would feel like hot slag was poured down it in the morning. Pipe tobacco tastes better, I enjoy the time I spend smoking & my throat rarely bothers me. (Sometimes I get a little hammered & inhale too often) The best thing about pipe smoking is, there is no 1 correct way to do it. What you smoke, how you smoke, what you smoke it in, are all what works for you. Period. Other smokers may suggest things, & admittedly, you should listen to what a lot of these people say, but find what works for you. If you like cavendish, smoke it. If you like mint aromatics, smoke it. If you like straight perique, you’re probably possessed, but smoke it. I’ve been getting into English blends & I do like perique, so I’m probably not much help with choosing a tobacco. The first one I found that I really enjoyed was John Marr from Cornell & Diehl. It’s light on the perique & has black cav in the mix. Their Burley #1 is good too. Maybe try some blends with cigar leaf. Hope this helps & you find what works for you. Enjoy & welcome

 

[RookieGuy80]

If you like black cavendish, there's your answer. From there, I'd branch out to blends that are cavendish and. Cavendish and burley, cavendish and dark fired, cavendish and English, etc.

 

[obc83]

I recently got my grandfather's pipes out and decided to try it. I have been a cigarette smoker for 30 years. What is a good tobacco for someone switching from cigarettes? I have tried several types and I thought I would like a straight burley but it didn't do much for me. Latakia and perique both don't taste great to me after trying them. I seem to like black Cavendish a lot but I've read it's not normally a tobacco that cigarette smokers take to. Any suggestions?

I'm in the middle of this maneuver as well. I definitely think you should grab a pouch of Captain Black. It's pretty cheap and if you are drawn to Cavendish then you're likely to enjoy it. I do.
Also, if you're interested, I tend to start quitting by sucking on cheap cigars, usually Al Capones. I mainly just cheek 'em. Works great if you can't smoke in the shop and seems to help gradually transition down and away from the harsh and high nic levels of cig smoke in general. Best of luck.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Coming from cigarettes, more accustomed to the milder smoke of a cigarette, and if you want to transition easier over, you are better off smoking straight Virginia blends, or with some Turkish in the blends, along with Cavendish as you mentioned.

Smokingpipes.com aka SPC around here, when you look at the tobacco, look at the ‘Family’ listing on the website, like this Orlik is a Virgina.

Golden Sliced 100g - Orlik Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Comprising Virginia with a touch of Perique, Orlik's Golden Sliced pipe tobacco is naturally sweet and smooth, and immensely popular worldwide.

www.smokingpipes.com

I’d be really be surprised as a cigarette smoker if you didn’t like Orlik Golden Sliced, it’s really nice.

Virginia’s PH balance also makes them more susceptible to bite, so rub out flakes, and let them dry, time will depend on your relative humidity. Basically starting out, you pinch a clump between your fingers, it should start feeling a bit crispy, but not turning to dust. If it feels moist and springy to the touch, it might be to moist. Slightly drier starting out with VAs is always the safer route to take.

Then don’t pack to hard, and sip and puff slowly, you’re not smoking cigarettes and cigars, pipes are to be sipped and savored, and the slower and more sipping, the more flavors you will notice.

And don’t worry about keeping a pipe lit, it’s not a big deal, and depending on the complexity of a blend, to much fire and heat destroy flavors. I personally only light, take a few sips, let the pipe go out cool down and repeat when I’m ready.

These are also good blends...

Telegraph Hill - It has Perique but this is a mild blend, really nice.

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/g-l-pease/telegraph-hill-2oz/product_id/13779

Union Square

G. L. Pease Union Square 2oz — At Smokingpipes.com

A blended, sliced cake of high-grade VA leaf, from sweet brights to deep, earthy reds, without the added sugars and flavorings common to many Virginia flakes.

www.smokingpipes.com

Precisely why I recommended the blends I did.

Orlik Golden was the first (after trying many) pipe blend I smoked where that light bulb went off. I had smoked cigarettes for years at that point. It didn't take long for me to forget them.

 

[Old Millwright]

Are you inhaling? If so, Half and Half in a filtered pipe has done it for a couple friends of mine. You also may not want to try to suck down some of the suggestions above, such as HH Old Dark Fired, almost like inhaling a cigar. If not, all above are good suggestions, I'll add Briar Fox (which you probably can inhale if you want as well).

Just received some Briar Fox. I mixed it with a little black Cavendish and it's great!!

 

[LeafErikson]

Briar Fox, Three Sails, Pegasus. Three sails is probably the most similar to smoking a really high quality cigarette, especially in terms of cut.

 

[Warlee]

Looks like you have had a lot of good suggestions already.

Looking back I wish I had focused first on finding blends that are easier to manage and don’t wear the palate out so fast. Some people call them an “all day smoke”. I had some frustration at first with those two things.

Two that I really like that practically smoke themselves are Orlik Golden Slice and Inns of Court.

 

[Old Millwright]

Looks like you have had a lot of good suggestions already.

Looking back I wish I had focused first on finding blends that are easier to manage and don’t wear the palate out so fast. Some people call them an “all day smoke”. I had some frustration at first with those two things.

Two that I really like that practically smoke themselves are Orlik Golden Slice and Inns of Court.

After several suggestions for it, I ordered some of the Orlik

 

[HRPufnstuf]

I recently got my grandfather's pipes out and decided to try it. I have been a cigarette smoker for 30 years. What is a good tobacco for someone switching from cigarettes? I have tried several types and I thought I would like a straight burley but it didn't do much for me. Latakia and perique both don't taste great to me after trying them. I seem to like black Cavendish a lot but I've read it's not normally a tobacco that cigarette smokers take to. Any suggestions?

Virginias, most cigarettes are made from Virginias. You might find a familiar flavour with new highlights using a pipe. I encourage you to try whatever peaks your interest, though.

 

[Old Millwright]

I took the advice that was given and recently received several different tobaccos to try. I enjoyed the Orlik Golden Slices. Surprisingly I really like Half & Half too. I picked up a couple from Boswell's and enjoyed them. I'm really liking changing things up too rather than just smoking the same blend repeatedly. Thank you all for the help! I'm down to just a couple cigarettes a day and hope to be done with them soon!

 

[krizzose]

I seem to like black Cavendish a lot but I've read it's not normally a tobacco that cigarette smokers take to.

Sounds like YOU took to black cavendish, and that’s all that matters. There are no rules at all about what your subjective tobacco preferences will or should be. Try the various genres, and find out what you like in general terms. Then you can explore the various blends in those genres. Smoke what you like

 

[Distant Roads]

As a new pipe smoker (three months into the world of pipes) with no previous smoking experience, I can only advise from my fresh experience.
At least for me the situation is this: Aromatics are dangerous because they give the inexperienced smoker a tongue bite too easily. Virginias - too subtle to fully enjoy the flavor (requires more experience). Medium-strong tobaccos give a sharp, chilly-like sensation in the back of the palate (though not tongue bite), which takes attention away from the flavor nuances and the smoke is less pleasant.

What really worked for me was Early Morning Pipe's clone – McConnell Boutique Blend (I guess EMP would work too, it is not available in my country). It's a mild oriental forward English blend. VERY forgiving to an inexperienced smoker. No tongue bite whatsoever. Plenty of flavor nuances, never boring. Mild nicotine level. So far, this is the only tobacco that allows me to enjoy a completely smooth smoking experience. Burns amazingly smooth. Has various herbal tastes, usual sweetness while retrohaling (even with some vanilla taste). I would dry this tobacco for about half an hour before filling the pipe.

Another blend that I enjoy without an unnecessary effort - Amphora Burley. It's sweet, tasty and not too demanding.
Good luck.

 

[bpinkstaff]

I recently got my grandfather's pipes out and decided to try it. I have been a cigarette smoker for 30 years. What is a good tobacco for someone switching from cigarettes? I have tried several types and I thought I would like a straight burley but it didn't do much for me. Latakia and perique both don't taste great to me after trying them. I seem to like black Cavendish a lot but I've read it's not normally a tobacco that cigarette smokers take to. Any suggestions?

Cult blood red is amazing!

 

[The Novice Piper]

If you like a Cavendish why not smoke it and not worry about whether or not it supposedly is a "cigarette smokers take to" blend?

From there you can start trying various Cavendish heavy blends and branch out.

This would be my suggestion, too. Instead of looking for a substitute for cigarettes, look for a tobacco blend that you enjoy so much that you don't want or think about cigarettes.

30 year cig smoker here, and these blends do that for me:

Capstan Blue
Briar Fox
Tabac Manil La Volute
Balkan Sasieni
Orlik Golden Sliced
Cobblestone Hiking

Lots of others, too. Just experiment.

 

[BingBong]

Saw a clip of British PM Harold Wilson at a pipe fair way back when, advising a young woman that she should smoke a cigarette, then a pipe, then another cigarette, and pretty soon she would wean herself off cigarettes.

 

[newbroom]

I have to work on not puffing like a mad man too!!

One of the most important 'skills' you can acquire for success as a pipe smoker is proper cadence. The consensus is that you get a more flavorful smoke, the slower you burn the bowl's contents, minimizing heat and steam and allowing the natural 'terpenes' to be enjoyed.
You might find the very inexpensive, but RYO quality Virginia tobacco offered by Daughters and Ryan, called 3 Sails, to be a good transitional tobacco. It's got lots of flavor, burns very easily, and it's inexpensive. Get it by the pound. Any tobacco (IMHO) from having smoked it over time. Taste buds awaken to the flavors with repetition.