Pipe Tobacco Package for a Beginner

[khai91]

Hi forumers,
I am not exactly a beginner since I haven't even begun buying any pipe or tobacco yet. However I am extremely keen of discovering this hobby and make it something enjoyable everyday I live in Singapore where the tobacco is extremely expensive, thus my best bet is to buy in bulk online. And I need some help in choosing the right tobacco to get me start with and something to progress on after I am used to it. I have not been regularly smoking cigars or cigarettes and Vitamin N definitely does not matter for me.
After doing some research online, I decide to give it a try to all 3 types of tobacco, the English, Virginia and Aromatic blends. The reason is since I haven't tried any of these types, I am open to anything and I will leave it to my senses to tell me which type I should proceed with next time.
So, here is the list I plan to get:

English:

1. Frog Morton Cellar - A name appears everywhere, a clear cut answer for beginners :D

2. Dunhill Nightcap - Although a strong blend, I am very tempted to give this legendary blend a try.
Can't find Boswell Northwoods in smokingpipes.com, therefore Nightcap is an easy choice for me.
Virginia:

1. Samuel Gaweth Best Brown Flake - Not sure what to choose between Best Brown and Full Virginia, and I read from somewhere that BBF is better, so here goes.
Again, can't find Mississippi River in the website, wonder how good it is as described by the reviewers.
Aromatic:

1. Lanes 1Q - Seems like a must try, and it's cheap.

2. Mac Baren 7 Seas Regular - Not so sure about this one, seems like a light blend to get me start with.
Aromatic range seems too wide; I get wowed by the choices available out there!
Any advice any forumers mind to give? Sorry for my bad english :p
Cheers,

Khai

 

[tarak]

Those are all great tobaccos. I'd recommend doing some reading about how to prep and pack flakes- that Full Virginia Flake will be a tough place to start if you've never smoked a pipe. Also, be careful with that Nightcap- it's high in nicotine so it might kick you in the butt if you aren't used to it!
But those are quality choices. Enjoy, and welcome to the forums!

 

[khai91]

Hi Tarak and coalsmoke,
What would you recommend for something similar to Nightcap, which is strong in flavor but contains tolerable nicotine level? Im not too sure how nicotine would affect the smoking experience.
Also do you have suggestion for Virginia blend that is not flake? Most of the good ones I found are all flakes.
I decided to get an Estate pipe for under 100 bucks (it's a Stanwell Design Choice I think), if the condition is fine I wouldnt mind it. For the time being Im not into collecting pipe yet
Khai

 

[05venturer]

Welcome to The Club khai91!!!

I too would suggest perhaps staying away from the flake for a bit. Also I would pick yourself up a couple Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipes as they are very forgiving for a beginner and deliver the best smoke I have found to date. Also you may want to give a good Burley tobacco a try, a couple of good choices IMO would be MacBarens "Burley London Blend", "Golden Extra" and of course Carter Hall.

Good Luck

 

[jgriff]

You'll find the best-loved virginias/vapers around these boards are usually flakes but there are some rubbed-out or ribbons that are pretty well-regarded like Rattray's Old Gowrie or Hal o' the Wynd or Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture. Even better are the Esoterica Dunbar or Dorchester but they aren't the easiest to find as their stock seems to be bought out immediately. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of MacBaren's Virginia #1 but it's been a popular introduction to Virginias for a lot of smokers.

 

[nscoyote]

while those ares me good choices to begin with i would also contact soem fo the online retailers and enquire abotu sampler packs of house blends or bulk blends. as well as invest in 3-4 corn cobs * better yet a $30 grab bag from Missouri meerschaum directly * to experiment with the differnt blends and types. you dotn want to smoke an aro in a bowl you just smoked a strong english in and vice versa as the ghost might not impart the best flavour of the currant bowl

 

[petes03]

Welcome khai! There's already been some good advice handed to you, so I don't have much to add.

As far as the Nightcap, the nicotine in it doesn't bother me, in fact I don't even notice it. That being said, people have different tolerance levels for nicotine, so you won't really know until you try it. I might suggest to you, Hearth & Home "Black House" and McClelland "Frog Morton" original. Neither of these have a very high nicotine content, IMO, and have wonderful flavor. The Frog Morton Cellar you've chosen is a personal favorite of mine, and is a very mild tobacco which uses Latakia as a condiment, rather than the main attraction. You won't be disappointed with it!
As for the Virginias, flakes are kinda hard to deal with if you've not had much experience with them. I'd suggest a ribbon cut or similar cut of Virginia, such as McClelland "Deep Hollow" (my favorite) or McClelland "221b Black Shag". These would be much easier to deal with.
I also agree with the above suggestion of "Carter Hall", a fine old burley blend. It's very mild and very forgiving, where technique is concerned. I might also suggest Scotty's "Butternut Burley"

And Lane "BLWB", for a couple more burleys, both are available in bulk.
As for aromatics, the Lane "1Q" is about the best! Close behind would be Sutliff "Molto Dulce".
The suggestion of buying a couple of MM corn cob pipes, is also a great suggestion! They're cheap, tough, and forgiving, you can't go wrong with them!
Hope this helps,

Dan

 

[khai91]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your comments and advices, I appreciate all of them very much! I like the corn cob pipes and the Burley suggestion, never thought of them if they were not mentioned.
Meanwhile Im still hesitant of which Virginia blend to get as everyone gave different preference, no 'holy grail' for this category. Will continue gathering information from everywhere for it
Cheers,

Khai

 

[carcosa]

Also one thing you forgot to try is Perique tobacco, usually comes paired with Virginia tobacco and the pair is nicknamed a VaPer. I recently tried my first VaPer: Dunhill De Luxe Navy rolls, kind of expensive but I got it on a buy 2 get one free deal... nice smoke but it is a flake...

 

[Perique]

Khai, your English is great! Don't apologize for it.
I wouldn't recommend Full Virginia Flake as your introduction to Virginias. It's just too much of a pain to prep and smoke. Comes very wet and is very finicky. Roth's recommendation of Dunhill Flake is a good one. Also you may want to try Capstan Blue flake or Rattray's Marlin Flake. Personally, I think Marlin Flake is fantastic -- in my top five favorite blends.
As pointed out above, you've left out the Virginia/Perique (VaPer) style. For VaPers, you can't really beat Escudo. Should definitely be on your list.
Also, good call on the estate pipe. You will probably get more pipe for your money and, as it's already broken in, a better smoking experience.

 

[easygoer]

Can't find Boswell Northwoods in smokingpipes.com, therefore Nightcap is an easy choice for me.

boswellpipes.com
You have to call them as they still do business the old fashion way. Give them a call if you can as there great to deal with. Welcome aboard Khai.

 

[petes03]

Boswell Northwoods is a wonderful blend, but a word of caution, if you've never had Latakia it'll be a little bit of a shock. It has a strong Latakia base! Still, it's a great blend, and definitely one that's in my top 20.

 

[khai91]

Once again thanks guys for your advice! I have placed my order today and am looking forward to start the journey :D Meanwhile, do you guys have any method or idea of how to keep your tobacco in best condition? I know that the moisture of tobacco will affect the flavor and how well it burns. In my place the humidity level is extremely high, always above 70%, do I need to store them in a dry place? Also I have ordered some bulk tobaccos, will it be fine if I always keep them in the plastic bag that comes with it?
Your advice is very much appreciated.
Cheers.

 

[petes03]

Get yourself some canning jars, the kind with a two piece lid. Over here, Ball "Mason" jars or Kerr brand jars are the best. Just put your tobacco in them and screw the lid on tight.

 

[zonomo]

Let us know how it all turns out. You will find that your taste will not so much as change but mature. You'll begin to detect subtle flavors that you really enjoy and others that don't appeal to you as much. But do yourself a favor and try to not get caught up in "what you should like", and just smoke what you enjoy. If there is one major truth in pipe smoking that is that everyone's taste differ. Welcome to the forums and welcome to the addiction.

 

[fitzy]

I don't know how you can say 4noggins is cheaper on tobacco prices.
Just take a look at GL Pease tobacco's. Almost 4 dollars cheaper on smokingpipes.com for the 8oz tins.
http://www.4noggins.com/g-l-pease-haddos-delight-8-oz.aspx
http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/g-l-pease/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=2283
I compared about 15 different tobacco's from Escudo to Mcclelland to GL Pease to Orlik to Dunhill to Capstan. Most are with in a few pennies of each other in either direction with smokingpipes usually cheaper.
Also smokingpipes has a far greater variety of tobacco's. 74 different tinned brands to be exact vs 42 for 4noggins.

 

[jkenp]

4Nogins gives a 10% discount to members of two other forums. I haven't heard of that here. Possibly, that is my oversight.

 

[carcosa]

might be good to get a couple of corn cob pipes to put in your rotation if you only have one pipe. That way you can give it a rest without ruining it.

 

[tarak]

Sorry, missed your follow up questions-
You could give Dunhill 965 a go for a little less nicotine.
I don't have a lot of experience with non-flake Virginias, though McClelland makes many in their Matured Virginia series.

 

[khai91]

@zonomo, still waiting the shipment to arrive and I can't wait to begin the journey.
@rothnnh and fitzy, I did some research on the prices of different websites and I chose smokingpipes.com for 3 reasons.

1) Price. Slightly cheaper than pipesandcigars and 4noggins, not a lot difference, but every penny counts when it comes to online shopping.

2) Shipping. pipesandcigars doesnt ship overseas so I skipped it, the shipping cost for smokingpipes and 4noggins seem to be on par.

3) Estate pipe. Smokingpipes offers tons of estate pipes and I love the fact that they provide the condition of the pipe so that we don't get caught on bad pipes.
For me the choice is straightforward after doing all the comparison.
@carcosa Yes I did get 2 corncob pipes and am excited to see how it tastes comparing to briar pipes. :D
@tarak At last I gave Nightcap a go to see if I am nicotine tolerant enough, and if I do, I may enjoy every bit of it.
Cheers everyone.