So i have two corn cob pipes that i have ordered and wondered if i shouldn’t touch the “country gentlemen” with my aromatic captain black and only use my regular one with it till i get better tobacco or do i just rotate every week or every day???
Pipe Beginner Rotation/Aroma Separation
- Thread starter ZaysPiping
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I wouldn't think of tobacco in terms of better or worse. Capt black is just fine. I would just get three cobs. One for aromatics. One for Latakia blends. One for everything else. Ultimately you'll end up with more. You might then want another for Straight Virginia. And a other for Burley blends. And still another for Virginia Perique. And maybe one more for Virginia Burley. You get the idea.
You could also just buy one pipe and smoke everything in it to see how that goes too. This hobby is limitless.
After cobs you have limitless selection of briar and meerschaum as well. You'll end up with dozens of pipes and even more tobacco types.
Welcome!!!
You could also just buy one pipe and smoke everything in it to see how that goes too. This hobby is limitless.
After cobs you have limitless selection of briar and meerschaum as well. You'll end up with dozens of pipes and even more tobacco types.
Welcome!!!
I had the same concerns as you starting out but I’d suggest focusing on getting your “smoking hours” up. The more you smoke, the more you’ll understand the pronounced differences and subtle nuances (I’ve just learned the former recently and am very much working on the latter).
My first two pipes were "everything" pipes, and I still enjoy smoking a wide variety in them. 
Do u have any tobacco recommendations? i try looking at YouTube but it’s many different recommendations…i want to try Virginia blends if u have any favorites. Also thanks for the quick response!
Everyone is going to have a different opinion about this. Some people will smoke any blend in any pipe and don't worry at all about ghosting. Others go so far as to dedicate a pipe, or even an entire rotation of pipes, to each blend they smoke.
I dedicate a pipe to a blend category, completely arbitrarily based on how I personally categorize blend types in my own mind. I would start with one pipe for anything with latakia, one for aromatics, and one for non-aromatics (non latakia). That should give you good separation so that you don't have any weird crossover flavors. From there you can sort of figure out your needs as your experience grows and you get your preferences figured out. Like you might want to add a pipe just for aromatic-English blends, or perique heavy blends, et cetera.
Ghosting isn't as big a deal as it's made out to be, but sometimes it can make things a little... weird. For example, smoking a full English in a pipe previously used with Captain Black Cherry would be likely to yield odd-tasting results.
Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake is a good place to start if you're interested in Virginias. Don't be put off by the flake format - it's easy to break apart and prepare, and is pleasantly soft and lightly sweet, not bitey at all. Also check out Cornell & Diehl Yorktown.
I dedicate a pipe to a blend category, completely arbitrarily based on how I personally categorize blend types in my own mind. I would start with one pipe for anything with latakia, one for aromatics, and one for non-aromatics (non latakia). That should give you good separation so that you don't have any weird crossover flavors. From there you can sort of figure out your needs as your experience grows and you get your preferences figured out. Like you might want to add a pipe just for aromatic-English blends, or perique heavy blends, et cetera.
Ghosting isn't as big a deal as it's made out to be, but sometimes it can make things a little... weird. For example, smoking a full English in a pipe previously used with Captain Black Cherry would be likely to yield odd-tasting results.
Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake is a good place to start if you're interested in Virginias. Don't be put off by the flake format - it's easy to break apart and prepare, and is pleasantly soft and lightly sweet, not bitey at all. Also check out Cornell & Diehl Yorktown.
What have you tried and liked so far? There are so many blends out there it's mind-boggling.
I would make an order for some single ounces of bulk tobacco blends. You could get an ounce each of an English, a straight Virginia, a "codger" burley blend, some aromatics, etc to see what you like or don't like. This is a great way to try a wide variety on the cheap. Just make sure to jar them if you aren't going to smoke them right away.
How much would a ounce of 4 blends last me if I smoked twice a day (idk im just speculating usage rn)
You're going to get so many answers. My opinion is cobs dont ghost easily and you can sun dry them to get the ghost out. Captain Black isnt bad about ghosting anyways. I would just smoke it and enjoy it. I would and have smoked CB in my Briar pipes too. I really don't taste it. I'd only be concerned about those harsh fruity blends like cherry. Even those, I wouldn't worry about a cob just clean the stem.
1.75 ounces or 50 gram tin of tobacco equals about 20 average size bowls roughly.
I smoke everything in everything: I ain't afraid of no ghosts!
What you are asking is
1) "Should (you) dedicate a pipe to aromatics and keep the other for other blends?"
2) "How often should (you) rotate my pipe(s) ?"
Like all things - it depends !
How sensitive are you to "ghosts" ? Do you like "untainted" flavours from your smokes ?
How "wet" do you smoke ?
Cobs are quite forgiving, but they will "ghost"
They smoke drier than briars, but if you smoke wet, they will "sour"
Some are not at all sensitive to ghosts.
And some actually like the combination of a "ghost" and what they are smoking - (?)adding complexity
If you are not at all bothered, or simple do not care, then smoke what you like in the pipes - different genres one after another in the same pipe
I am in the camp where I do not like my flavours sullied by previous blends/smokes.
I am lucky to have multiple pipes, so having separate pipes for different genres of tobacco is not a problem.
If you are a wet smoker, then resting your pipe after a couple of smokes and allowing them to dry thoroughly before reusing is a good idea
Hope this helps
Not even Ennerdale?
My Current favs:
-Cult Blood Red Moon - currently available at Pipes & Cigars
-Lamb with Jam - Available at Country Squire
-Hobbit's Weed - Arlington Pipe & Cigar Lounge
-Lane Very Cherry - tobaccopipes.com or anywhere
-Vauen Auenland The Shire - tobaccopipes.com
Starting Virginia flake try 507c for a baseline then Newminster 400 then cd opening night. You can try Stokkebye 402 and capstan blue as well
For Virginia perique try escudo, orlik golden slice or stokkebye 400. Then you have watch City flake 558, rouxgaroux, and rythym & blues hard to find though 558 might be in stock.
Burley and Virginia burley try MacBaren golden extra, hh old dark flake or Boswell prem burley. Old joe Krantz Blue label. Sir Walter Raleigh.
You should try some Boswell piper pleasure and Penn. Dutch treat. For aros
Figure 4g per bowl avg . The way to know is weigh your pipe before and pack your pipe and then weigh on a milligram scale. I use one that weighs 600g max 0.1 g accuracy for blending test amounts for my own blends. 20 bucks on Amazon.
For Virginia perique try escudo, orlik golden slice or stokkebye 400. Then you have watch City flake 558, rouxgaroux, and rythym & blues hard to find though 558 might be in stock.
Burley and Virginia burley try MacBaren golden extra, hh old dark flake or Boswell prem burley. Old joe Krantz Blue label. Sir Walter Raleigh.
You should try some Boswell piper pleasure and Penn. Dutch treat. For aros
Figure 4g per bowl avg . The way to know is weigh your pipe before and pack your pipe and then weigh on a milligram scale. I use one that weighs 600g max 0.1 g accuracy for blending test amounts for my own blends. 20 bucks on Amazon.
Depends on the blend, the size of your pipe's bowl, and how you prepare and pack the tobacco. I think a range of 15-25 bowls per oz is a decent ballpark estimate.
What I do is buy single ounces of blends I want to try, throw the ones I want to smoke immediately into mason jars (which provide a great seal while also making the tobacco accessible), and heat seal the ones I don't plan to smoke right away in mylar food storage bags. This keeps them fresh and moist until I decide to smoke them, at which point they too get jarred.
I only keep Va/Pers on hand regularly with a little Westminster for a Latakia hit now and again. So, I smoke them in all of my pipes.