New to Pipe Smoking... A few ?'s

[polyhymnianmuse]

First off Hello and Greetings to you all. I just recently starting smoking a pipe, picked up a rather simple bent stem (hardwood?) missouri meerschaum and have been smoking on captain black royal as a suggesting from a friend. I want to say the smell of captain black royal is nice, reminds me of what my grandpa always smelled like. Probably what he smoked, if not something similar. I however, dont care much for the taste of it. It is good for a little bit but then quickly starts to turn 'chemically' in taste. Can someone help me out? perhaps suggest a better tobacco to start out on trying?

 

[irish]

Sam is correct, Lane 1-Q is hard to beat, you might also try Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, and Frog Morton "Out on the town" or "Across the Bayou". Not aromatic like Captain Black but very good mild tobacco.

 

[northernneil]

It was English style tobaccos, virginias with orientals and latakia, that really opened my eyes to the joys of pipe smoking. My rule of thumb, if the tobacco smells good in the tin, it will not taste good. But, if it smells like crap, it will probably taste amazing.

 

[burlpettibon]

The whole Frog Morton line is pretty damned good but I would personally recommend Frog Morton's Cellar. It has a nice sweet taste without any chemicals and its aged in Whiskey (I believe) barrels so it has that nice whiskey taste.
Also, I would recommend W.O. Larsen's 2013 Special Edition Aromatic. I'm not a big aromatic guy but this is pulled off exceptionally well. It has that whiskey taste to it as well as some citrus top notes that complement each other beautifully. You can only get it in 100g tins for about 15 bucks but, in my opinion, it is well worth the money.
Aaaaand for a final recommendation I would suggest McClelland's Yenidje Highlander which is a blend of Virginia and Oriental tobaccos that is very forgiving for a new guy to smoke. Again, somewhat sweet with some nice mellow spices in the background that truly compliment the blend.
I would hold off on a lot of the more popular full tasting blends like Dunhill's NightCap or EMP because they tend to turn fairly ugly when you puff on them heavily like a lot of new guys (myself included) tend to. This is just another new guy's opinion and what I have found through my own beginner mistakes. I dont mean to contradict anyone on here but I still wanted to share my experiences. Feel free to override me experienced guys!

 

[05venturer]

Welcome to The Club polyhymnianmuse!!
I agree with the suggestions above but would like to add that you should try to pick up a couple more pipes to get a rotation going. You can then have a clean "Rested" pipe to enjoy your smoke in.

Missouri Meerschaum has a great deal on smokeable seconds, 10 pipes for about $30. Many of us here have taken advantage of this deal and are very happy with it.
click here for more info> Grab Bag

 

[woodsroad]

10-fer

 

[jonn]

+1 for the Lane 1Q. The taste is great and very mild. Room note is OK. If you like sweet I would try "Sutliff Private Stock Molto Dolce." It's probably one of my favorites.

 

[kcpoe]

Lane 1Q is great! Id also suggest McCllelands Walnut Liqueur and McCllelands Strawberry Daquiri. All three (1q, walnut, strawberry) are very good.
I also started with captain black and can echo your concerns of chemical taste. I moved on the the others listed...I found that the mixed color (blonde, amber, orange, lemon) aromatics to contain the flavor and aroma i was looking for. The orange and lemon carolinas are sweet. The walnut and strawberry tobaccos above are the mixture of tobacco I found to have the best flavor...they come cased many different ways.
Look for the tobacco combination you like and find a flavor in it.

 

[bigbellypapy]

I would give Peterson's nutty cut a try. If you like the nutty taste.

 

[numbersix]

Welcome to the forums poly. 1Q is a good one to try. There are literally thousands out there, you may wish to look over the selections at some of the advertisers here. You can get reviews on most of these at tobaccoreviews.com - which will give you an idea of what it may taste like. Then order small amounts of several to get a feel for what you like.
Good luck and let us know what how you make out.

 

[saltedplug]

The only constant I think you might avoid is high nicotine. Don't get anything with an "X" in its name; and even that can be managed by a n00b, IMHO, if you just stay aware of any queasiness starting in your stomach. If you court it you have about 30 seconds to stop smoking, and if you push it you will end up with your head in the toilet. From what I know McClellands tries to keep all of its blends in the mild-to-moderate nicotine range, which is not to say that you necessarily can't do well with moderate nicotine. Most blends are moderate.
As regards flavor, I would recommend medium to medium-full. Some guys like delicate flavors but most prefer moderate.
If I had to recommend a blender from all the blenders who consistently makes great blends I would choose our Mr. Pease. The only two of his blends that might be too strong would be "Jacknife Plug" and "Navigator." Both contain dark-fired burley/Kentucky and are high in nicotine. His tobaccos cost a bit more but to my way of thinking it is money well-spent.

 

[henryp]

Welcome Poly! You can get an 8 oz sampler from Carole Burns at Pipeworks and Wilke for $40 shipped. She blends some of the best aromatics I've tried, and others seem to agree. You can pick four 2 oz samples and Carole will help you with recommendations if you need it.
http://vtpipes.com/contact.html
I highly recommend the #191, Rumcake and Bleeker Street. You're definitely setting out on a great quest for your favorite blends. Good luck!