Searching for the One

[carniolus]

Hello, fellow pipe smokers.
Since I was a little boy, I have always wanted to smoke a pipe. Last week I decided to start as soon as possible. :D
I will buy a quality briar pipe after learning how to do things properly, but for the first few weeks I chose a MM corncob pipe to start with.

It's cheap and grateful for all of my mistakes to come.
I'd like to skip aromatics in search of a tobacco that 1) suits me 2) has some kind of tradition. I don't know why, maybe because I consider myself as an old-fashioned guy,

I am searching for "the one" tobacco for years to come. Of course, in future I will try many other tobaccos, but for now I just want to find only one to start my puffing with and cellar a bunch of it.
I have narrowed down the list of tobaccos to choose from to a couple of Dunhill's tobacco (EM, LM, SM, Flake), Three nuns, Frog morton and MB Original choice. Currently I am particulary fond of Elizabethan for no apparent reason or experience.
So the question for all of you experienced pipers out there is: which one would you choose as the one?

Pick only one out of all your favourites and help me find the One of tobaccos.
My list is not intended for you to chose from, all tobaccos count. Please do not argue about other peoples' ones, just name yours and some brief explanation why.

 

[judcole]

Welcome to the forums and pipe smoking.
I don't have one blend - I have several that are always in rotation, but only one of them would count as something with any tradition behind it, and that's Peterson's Old Dublin. It fits what I want in an all-day English.

 

[peter70]

Sorry, but I like variety. Hopefully I will never be forced, to smoke only one tobacco. Currently I smoke Larsen Old Fashioned, SG Full Virginia Flake, Dunhill Royal Yacht and DTM Da Vinci in rotation. 2 months ago, I smoked Rattrays Old Gowrie, MB Navy Flake, Early Morning Pipe and Larsen Black Diamond. Next month could be different. Try to get a lot of samples of the different styles of tobacco.
Kind regards,

Peter

 

[kcpoe]

I wanted to find that "one" tobacco too. However, just a short time around this forum (and other pipers locally) has shown me that the search can take a lifetime. Often times this (pipe smoking) is looked at like a hobby. You can collect both pipes and tobacco. Just search this forum's tobacco section and you'll see pictures of literally just tobacco. I find it interesting and so do many others.
Kinda like chasing after a girl friend. The chase is all the fun, when you finally get her she makes you smoke outside!
Enjoy the journey, sample EVERYTHING, be open minded, and slow down ;]

 

[boudreaux]

Kinda like chasing after a girl friend. The chase is all the fun, when you finally get her she makes you smoke outside!

:rofl:

 

[petes03]

Wow, you've done your homework! Personally, I have to have a variety. If I smoked five bowls a day, a different blend each bowl, I wouldn't go through all of my blends in a weeks time!

Though I wouldn't call it a traditional blend, I'm gonna recommend Frog Morton Original, it's one of my favorites!
Welcome to the forum
Dan

 

[billypm]

I think any recommendations for your "the one" blend will have to be informed by the types of tobacco you prefer. Straight Virginias, Virginia with perique, English blends with latakia, burley, aromatics, Lakeland tobaccos-- all are favored by some and your quest will be easier for you once you define your tastes a little. No hurry. This is the fun part!

 

[salewis]

Welcome to the forum. Beginning to smoke a pipe is very exciting. I give any advice is to take things slowly and enjoy the experience. Beginning with a corn cob is a great idea since it only leaves you with what tobacco to smoke rather than the kind of pipe and tobacco. You may want to get yourself a sampler of five different types of tobacco to see if you like straight Virginias or a tobacco with Orientals and Latakia. I would stay away from aromatics for now. Good luck and I am sure many members of this and other forums would be more than happy to assist you with your orientation to pipe every step of the way.

 

[sfsteves]

I once found "the one" and smoked it for years ... then, it went away and although one could buy what appeared to be that tobacco, it was not the same ... it's being offered on the market again in yet another iteration, but it's yet again different and is clearly NOT "the one" ...
I speak of Three Nuns ... during the 70s and 80s, it was, for me, the Holy Grail ... and having found it once, I've invested more than a little time and money in reaching it again ... so far, although I've found a number of blends I enjoy, I have found none that are even close to being 'the one" ...

 

[peter70]

Yes, this is another reason to not concentrate on one blend. Blends get discontinued or switch manufacturers/receipes all the time. It's a good thing to already have a few fallback blends to choose from, if that happens, instead of desperately searching for a match. Alternatively you could cellar a lifetime amount of your one and only blend, but I bet then your tastes will change.
Kind regards,

Peter

 

[cigrmaster]

Welcome to the site. roth's suggestion of Dunhill flake is a good one. Start with flakes and you will never look back, for my tastes they burn cooler and have more flavor than any other cut of tobacco. Read up on cube cutting and fold and stuff preparation of flakes. I would start with cube cutting and then once you are comfortable with that, play around with fold and stuff. For a world class classic blend I would also grab a tin of Escudo. It is the Virginia/Perique blend which all others are judged by.

 

[carniolus]

Hello again and thank you all for such a warm welcome.
So, considering what all of you just told me, I am going to start with (around one sample of every type of tobacco, to decide which types suit me.
For now, I have complied the following list of tobaccos to try:

- for Virginia: Dunhill Flake

- for Va/per: Dunhill Elisabethan/Escudo

- for English: Old dublin
At this point I would like to ask for your help:
which other types of tobaccos (and blends) should I try to get a general sense of what I like? Any suggestions on a good Burley etc...?

 

[carniolus]

Oh, I forgot, I intend to also try Carter Hall, but I do not know exactly where to put it yet.
I guess you guys were right, this search is gonna take years and I already like it. :D

 

[mso489]

carniolus, welcome aboard. I see you have already accepted the notion that you will try more than one tobacco.

As in learning to cook, you don't set out to cook only one meal menu. You mean to have a fairly large repertoire

of meals to cook. You have enough good advice here, so I won't pile on with other suggestions for blends.

Have fun!

 

[kendodan]

I am quite new to the Pipe world as well. I live in Japan so its a bit difficult to get pipe tobacco here. I tried Momoyama and Silk Road here and I felt they were lacking. I then ordered Lane 1Q and Frog Morton on the Town. IQ was ok but.... Frog Morton was fantastic. So, out of my very little experience I would suggest On The Town.

 

[mikeklumpp]

Welcome to the pipe smoking world - my quest for "the one" lead me to a lot of experimentation and no clear winner - it seems my tastes change - once to twice i found a perfect fit and then the blend became unavailable - as i have aged, my tastes have also shifted toward sweeter cavidish blends away from heavier english blends - my greatest relief came when i realised there was no right way - what was right was what fit me - i keep a drawer full of different blends of a variety of flavours and smoke what i feel like smoking when I want it - rlp 6 has been good for me - frog morton - borkum iff - peterson irish oak - and stokkebye's peaches and creme - have fun and enjoy!!

 

[lqjones]

I'm with Peter70. Tastes change. I would want 2 to 3 backups instead of just one flavor. I used to think I could but now I know I could not. I say buy more than one of your favorite and that would work fine. Just my .02.

 

[cigrmaster]

For a great Virginia/Kentucky blend, I would grab a tin of Solani Silver flake. If you do, it needs to be jarred upon arrival as it does not come vacuum sealed. It is in my opinion in the top 3 best Vaburs on the market. It comes ready to smoke with no additional drying time needed, an extremely tasty blend.

 

[teufelhund]

The closest I have to a, "one" is probably Capstan Blue. Definitely my number one, but It isn't always my my first choice. I might grab some night cap or LBF just cause I'm in the mood. But the Capstan Blue never fails to satisfy.