Newbie. Tried Carter Hall, Didn't Like It. Suggestions?

[jpmcwjr]

If you can't learn to enjoy Carter Hall, you may not be destined to continue.

Surprising statement!

Not necessarily. Some just do not like the taste, or have issues with burley. One could say the same about 1Q or Nightcap...and be equally wrong.

Or Regal Boat, or whatever.
Well said, lazar.

 

[chiefwannapuff]

I'm new to this and do like the Carter Hall and consider it a frequent or first smoke. I find that smoking it allows me to really savor the heavy stuff as the last bowl of the day, (and not making the mistake of starting with the heavy and then it's too bland).
I'm learning.

 

[jorchamp]

A tobacconist recommend to me as starting tobacco Dunhill Early Morning Pipe. Easy smoking and a great flavor. A nonaromatic. A good tobacco

 

[gecko13]

I think I would try CH a few times before giving up on it. My first couple bowls were not that enjoyable, but after a few, magic happened and I became fond of it and appreciated the subtle sweetness and nuttiness. I started my pipe career the summer of 1980 with Lane 1Q, then Lane BCA, then an English cross over, and VAPERs, and then on it goes......
Here I am today, more years than I wish to count, totally confused with what blend is my favorite, dozens upon dozens of pounds of different tobacco blends (bulk and tins) I may never smoke, but I keep rediscovering them after they get some age on them.
Its a journey I have enjoyed. Welcome aboard.

 

[wasnsfisher]

You'll find your niche by an by. But CH an a Cob :worship:

 

[mso489]

Don't fret about what you don't like. We all have brands beloved by others that we don't enjoy. Sample around and find what's good to you. No problem.

 

[jorchamp]

Start with the good stuff: a good taste experience and easy on the palette. Start with Early Morning Pipe. And get a decent pipe: not cheap, but not expensive. No compromises on trying something good. Then decide if it is for you.

 

[seagullplayer]

I like CH, it is my favorite and most often smoked blend.
BUT, I do not like it in my Meer. I don't like the taste of it.

I am rather dumb founded by this.

Several other blends that I had set back after the first sample found new life in my meer.
CH is still my favorite in every other pipe I own. Maybe there are other pipes out there that don't like it?

 

[cigrmaster]

I say go big or go home. Go for a couple of blends that many in the pipe world love. Escudo for a Virginia Perique blend and Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake for a Virgina blend. I love a good sweet Virginian and the Wessex is in my top 5 of all blends. It has a real nice sweetness with hints of molasses. The Escudo is a sweet and spicy blend that is as good as it gets for a Vaper.
I hate Carter Hall as to my tastes it is like smoking air. Don't think that your taste buds are off because you don't enjoy it.

 

[5star]

Like a lot of fellows, CH in a MM cob was the first pipe combination I smoked. It took a couple bowls to get the hang of it. But, I really liked it. - - Now, I find it ‘just o.k.’ and mainly smoke it to build cake in a new pipe. What changed is that as I smoked various tobaccos, I had more to compare the CH to. There are others that I prefer over it now.
The advice to go slow and only buy a little bit of a particular tobacco at a time till you get a better idea of what you like, is wise.

 

[deathmetal]

We see a fair number of new pipers come in here beset by fears. Burnout, cake, and smoking cadence.
My advice to new pipers is to get a few cobs and some type of unflavored or minimally-flavored leaf.
Carter Hall is a good place to start because it is inexpensive, mild flavor, low Nicotine, easily available, and because of its high Burley content, reveals by smell whether you are smoking it too fast or not. If the room suddenly smells like a cigarette, you got distracted and huffed and puffed away.
Early Morning Pipe is another great suggestion. Some of the Russ Ouelette blends, and C&D blends, that have minimal topping are excellent too because they are low cost.
But if I were going to do it again, I would get one blend and a few cobs, and focus on getting the smoking technique down first before worrying about PAD, TAD, or any of the other complexities of the hobby.

 

[voorhees]

Honestly, when I first started smoking pipe tobacco I didn't like any of the blends I found. I kept working my way through different ones until I found one I liked. That was probably 1.5 years into it. My palette developed and I began going back and rediscovering blends I had not liked. It takes time.

BTW, I only tried CH in the last year. But smoking a pipe since 2012.

 

[deathmetal]

My palette developed and I began going back and rediscovering blends I had not liked.

Same here. I spent the first five years or so smoking basic Cavendishy OTCs, then discovered the wider world of unflavored tobacco, and then went back and found many things I had missed, overlooked or misjudged.
Interestingly, some things I dislike remained consistent. Interestingly, things that I loathed for a specific reason, such as "tastes too sweet like breakfast cereal," have remained disliked.