Noob Results - what they liked, and didn't

[gord]

First of all, thanks to all of you who contributed suggestions. They were appreciated and followed the best I could.

Here are general findings.
1. they didn't care for perique or heavy on the virginias
2. they preferred light aromatics
3. latakia was hit and miss
4. products with cavendish process were generally popular

Here are the winners, the tobaccos the noobs preferred

1. Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco (their plain jane standard)
They all liked it. Mild, no flavour added. My guess for what it's worth, is that the new pipe smokers came out of the cigarette world. Frankly, I like this tobacco too . . . . it's mild, and a fine tobacco that doesn't deteriorate towards and including the dottle stage. Could be a great mixer for blending and improving other tobaccos.

2. Captain Black Cherry Cavendish. No surprise here. It's definitely over the top and easy to smoke. The real surprise is that I liked it, too! After the initial cough drop barage, for me, it settled down and the cherry bomb diffused, and became increasingly milder throughout the smoke. I've always thought that the Captain's tobaccos were first rate, and even at the dottle stage, the tobacco tasted fine, and there was just a hint of cherry. I managed to make the full pipe of it I smoked with them last over an hour, and my pleasure increased throughout the smoke. I'll keep a pack or two of this tobacco handy for myself, and new pipe smokers too.

3. Smokers' Pride Vanilla Cavendish. Mild, slightly sweet aromatic that, like the cherry bomb above, smokes well right to the final stages of the pipe. Available only in bulk so far as I know, and I have a 12 ounce pack, enough for quite a while. Vanilla flavour is there but certainly not overwhelming.

4. C&Ds Sunday Picnic.
Class shows. In spite of the perique which is certainly not pronounced, but there, all who tried it liked it. It's simply a great tobacco. I have a stash of a pound of this, gifted by a friend, and I'll cover this further in a post of Orientals that I'll get to when I try the rest of the recommendations by forum members.

Thank y'all for your suggestions, recommendations, and participation. Much appreciated!

 

[dunnyboy]

Interesting results. Sort of what you would expect. Virginias/VaPers seem to require a bit of time with the hobby before they come to dominate.

 

[Sig]

Back when I started piping I had no input at all from any pipers.
No family, no friends that smoked a pipe.
I was a cigar smoker for a few years, then a guy on a cigar forum turned me on to pipes.
My favorites from the start were Virginias, Va/Pers and anything Latakia.
Back then I really liked MacBaren Va#1 and C&D Star of the East.
And those are two of my favorites today.
I only recently began liking aromatics.
My initial introduction to aromatics was the very goopy American types..... Smokers Pride and such.
Once I found the Danish and English aromatics, I became a fan.
Give MacBaren Black Ambrosia a try, I believe the noobs might like it.
It comes in bulk and is relatively inexpensive.
Good luck, I hope you can hook a few for life!!

 

[gord]

Back when I started piping I had no input at all from any pipers.
No family, no friends that smoked a pipe.
I was a cigar smoker for a few years, then a guy on a cigar forum turned me on to pipes.
My favorites from the start were Virginias, Va/Pers and anything Latakia.
Back then I really liked MacBaren Va#1 and C&D Star of the East.
And those are two of my favorites today.
I only recently began liking aromatics.
My initial introduction to aromatics was the very goopy American types..... Smokers Pride and such.
Once I found the Danish and English aromatics, I became a fan.
Give MacBaren Black Ambrosia a try, I believe the noobs might like it.
It comes in bulk and is relatively inexpensive.
Good luck, I hope you can hook a few for life!!

Three have already bit the dust and are hooked!! I'll look into Black Ambrosia, made a note of it . . . right now though, I'm into Oriental land!! Having a ball. Cheers.

 

[Cracklin' Tobaccy]

Glad that all worked out for y'all.

 

[dingdong]

Three have already bit the dust and are hooked!! I'll look into Black Ambrosia, made a note of it . . . right now though, I'm into Oriental land!! Having a ball. Cheers.

Glad that you have found your best! lights up !

 

[Chasing Embers]

Mild, no flavour added

That's not exactly true.



Most of the old standbys have added flavors like Carter Hall, Prince Albert, and Velvet.

 

[gord]

That's not exactly true.

View attachment 319665

Most of the old standbys have added flavors like Carter Hall, Prince Albert, and Velvet.

That's good to know . . . . I'll jot this down in my tobacco journal. Thanks for the correction. I'd imagine then, that things like molasses and brown sugar might be unknown lurkers then, too. Another forum member told me to start smoking plain unadulterated tobaccos and that's got me in a direction that I might do that, and start mixing my own just for fun. My mom was a stellar cook who used to write columns for the Vancouver Sun back in the fifties. She passed on her culinary interests to me, and I think tobacco is related, eh?

Ive already orders some pure latakia, Turkish leaf and black cavendish, and i think I might be two pension cheques in debt buying tobaccos. Tell me when the madness stops, somebody, please?

(my brains)

 

[Chasing Embers]

Tell me when the madness stops, somebody, please?

Took thirty-five years to realize that I mostly only smoke two blends.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Tell me when the madness stops, somebody, please?

For me it took about 80 blends to really pin down what I like best, but that's just part of the fun of the hobby. The more blends you try the more experience you get and the more your palate develops, and you get a lot of good smokes and relaxation along the way. It never really ends though, since even once you know what you like best there's always going to be new blends in your favorite styles to try.

 

[irishearl]

Took thirty-five years to realize that I mostly only smoke two blends.

I've always only kept 2 blends in stock at a time which I'll smoke for a long duration But, at a certain point, I'll tire of 1 of the blends and switch to another.

 

[newbroom]

When I smoked cigarettes I inhaled tobacco smoke. When I first started smoking a pipe, I inhaled it too, not knowing any better. I had some RYO tobacco on hand and bought a MM corn cob. I became curious about the other tobaccos that had been displayed at WalGreen's. I got some Captain Black White, and some Blender's Gold offerings and found this forum. I realized I was not 'doing it correctly'. Inhaling was not necessary, and in fact, I've since discovered that inhaling destroys taste buds. They do recover once you stop.

I've always been aware of the taste of tobacco and I've found the effects of nicotine to be relaxing. The taste is something I find as motivating as the effects. I smoke throughout the day, but after 10 yrs. I've slowed some and am more easily satisfied with nicotine. Not so dependent as when I first began, but enjoying each bowl more and more.