Newbie Saying "Hi!"

[jaxon]

Hi all! I've only just begun smoking a pipe about 3 months ago. Started with a Missouri Cob and recently purchased a Peterson Standard System #313. Which I'm enjoying tremendously. (any special tips on cleaning the internal chamber are appreciated) Rumor has it, I may also have a Peterson D6 Churchwarden sitting under the Christmas tree. (I hope, I hope!)
I've been lurking here for a while and picked up lots of great info so I decided to join and hope to make some friends as well as learn more about pipes and tobaccos. So far I've only tried 3 tobaccos Peterson's Sunset Breeze, Irish Oak, and Captain Black, Cherry. I like both the Peterson tobaccos but did not like the Captain Black, Cherry. Too strong of a medicine like cherry flavor. I was hoping for more of a slight hint of cherry. I'm going to try Captain Black Royal soon, I remember my grandfather smoking that when I was a kid. BTW, Suggestions on tobaccos are always welcome.
Thanks in advance for any reads and replys to my post.

 

[mrenglish]

Hey, welcome to the forums.
To clean out the chamber, I use either q-tips or folded over pipe cleaners dipped in denatured alcohol. Swab the inside out until they come out clean and let dry.
For a good cherry blend, I have heard the new Drew Estate blend is really good. Even folks that don't like aromatics say its a good one. I do not remember which blend it is though.

 

[flmason]

Welcome to the forum. You will meet many nice people and make some friends along your journey.

 

[numbersix]

Welcome, it sounds like you're well on your way!

 

[cobguy]

Welcome Jaxon! For suggestions on tobaccos check out this thread just getting started:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/the-blends-to-try-by-genre
There's another if you use the search function called "top 5 blends" or something to that nature and would be a good place to start.
I will throw this out there ... for price and quality the H&H bulk blends are great.

 

[Perique]

Welcome, Jaxon. Irish Oak is one of my two favorite Peterson blends (along with University Flake). If you like Irish Oak, I would suggest trying Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake. It's got that same Virginia/Perique/Cavendish taste minus the burley and torqued up a notch in terms of flavor. It's also a great intro to flakes as it's a coin/medallion rather than a true flake. This makes it very easy to rub out and smoke. Enjoy the journey.

 

[teufelhund]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[stbruno70]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[pruss]

Welcome! Great avatar by the way. Refresh my memory on the name of that character, my brain says "Astro Man" but then I've been on cold meds for a couple days, in combination with scotch. So my memory can't be relied on at the moment. As others have said, it sounds like you're in good shape as far as starting pipes and tobaccos. Be careful though, these forums can unleash the evil PAD Demon in a big way.
Glad you're here and look forward to your posts.
-- Pat

 

[phred]

Welcome! You'll learn an amazing amount in a short time hanging around this place - enjoy the ride!

 

[jaxon]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and info!
Newbie question. (There may be a lot of these.)

Out of curiosity, Do most of you prefer strait or bent pipes, or do you use both in your rotation?

 

[jaxon]

Pruss, It's Ultraman! A childhood hero. :D

 

[pruss]

Right! Ultraman! I remember his shows were aired when I was a kid. Great stuff .... Right up there with Godzilla v. Mothra and the early Macross/Robotech stuff.
-- Pat

 

[jaxon]

Pruss, We must have watched the same shows as kids!

 

[cortezattic]

Welcome to the forums! :clap:
As to your question, 44.4% of us prefer bent pipes, and the remainder are evenly split between straight and "no preference".

(I think most folks have some of each type.) If you do a lot of hands-free smoking you'll find that bent pipes offer more jaw

leverage for comfortable clenching: the deeper the bend, the easier to clench with the teeth.
Pretty precise answer, eh? :lol:

 

[buster]

Straight or 1/4 bent for me. No more than a 1/4 bent. Or a MM cob, they are light enough to clench what ever shape.

 

[05venturer]

Welcome to The Club jaxon!!!!!

 

[judcole]

Welcome to the forum and pipe smoking.
My advice is to skip the Captain Black entirely and focus on better quality tobaccos, like those Peterson blends you are already enjoying. Smoke the good stuff. Life is too short to smoke bad tobacco. ::

 

[petes03]

Welcome to the forum! I have a Peterson "313" as well, and it's a wonderful pipe! I also have 13 other Petersons, including 2 other System pipes, all of them are great smokers! I've also tried all 3 of the tobaccos that you have, and I can say with no reservations, that Captain Black Cherry is one of the worst tobaccos I've ever had! I also don't care for the Sunset Breeze either, and the Irish Oak is OK in my opinion. I love Peterson pipes, but I've not had much luck with their tobacco, though I've found University Flake to be a decent smoke. If you're looking for good aromatics, I'd suggest Lane 1Q, Sutliff Molto Dolce, Mac Baren Honey & Chocolate, and CAO Eileen's Dream. As for cherry flavored baccy, I'd suggest Lane Verry Cherry.
These days I mostly smoke blends with Latakia in them, with the majority of those being McClelland or Hearth & Home blends. My suggestion to you would be to sample as many different blends, from the various types/styles of blends, as you can. Only then will you find the type of tobacco that you really like! You'll find that your tastes will change as well. Myself, I like a variety of styles ( except for Va/Pers, I really don't care much for them).
Hope this helps!

 

[jaxon]

Thanks to everyone for all the info on other tobaccos to try. I plan on trying as many as possible. I also found some great suggestions in the "Tobacco Reviews" on the forum.