Best advice I can think of is do-not-worry. You will find 101 opinions and suggestions here and elsewhere. You won't taste the fine nuances of various blends at the start. It's all fine.
My first pipe is a Savinelli 106 from what they called their "starter series", it's among my best smokers and still smoked regularly 10+ years on. Cost me maybe 60 euros back in 2009 or so. No need to go higher for a decent briar in my opinion, no need to worry about having 7 pipes from day one (sometimes I smoke the same pipe daily, sometimes a pipe will sit for weeks or months). In fact no need to go more than $100 for a pipe, tamper, cleaner, and a handful of tobaccos. Pipe smoking can be great on the cheap compared with other forms or smoking, let's not mention fine wines and spirits or fancy foods, furniture, vehicles, clothes, jewelry, electronics, these fields can get crazy expensive FAST. It's a great anomaly: top-line blends cost nearly the same as a bog standard blend, I know of no other consumer good that is like that.
As for tobacco, don't go for aromatics, Captain Black, Borkum Riff, Scandinavik, Seven Seas, all trash in my opinion, first learn the true taste of pipe tobacco - it's great! Amphora is quite a bit better. Get some Peterson Nightcap, or 956, get some Deluxe Navy Rolls, get some MacBaren Old Dark Fired, get some Amphora full aroma. Let the tobacco dry some, although the ones mentioned above are good from the pouch more or less. Pack LIGHTLY, use just the weight of the tamper, don't let the pipe get hot, warm is hot enough. Don't worry about relights, just relight as needed. Don't worry about the jargon around here, it is accurate but no need to worry, it will come - this forum is great, probably the best I've been on, and been in loads.
As for cigars, I don't know cigars, I just smoke Toscano Classico, tried big name Cubans a couple of years back but they didn't do much for me.
My first pipe is a Savinelli 106 from what they called their "starter series", it's among my best smokers and still smoked regularly 10+ years on. Cost me maybe 60 euros back in 2009 or so. No need to go higher for a decent briar in my opinion, no need to worry about having 7 pipes from day one (sometimes I smoke the same pipe daily, sometimes a pipe will sit for weeks or months). In fact no need to go more than $100 for a pipe, tamper, cleaner, and a handful of tobaccos. Pipe smoking can be great on the cheap compared with other forms or smoking, let's not mention fine wines and spirits or fancy foods, furniture, vehicles, clothes, jewelry, electronics, these fields can get crazy expensive FAST. It's a great anomaly: top-line blends cost nearly the same as a bog standard blend, I know of no other consumer good that is like that.
As for tobacco, don't go for aromatics, Captain Black, Borkum Riff, Scandinavik, Seven Seas, all trash in my opinion, first learn the true taste of pipe tobacco - it's great! Amphora is quite a bit better. Get some Peterson Nightcap, or 956, get some Deluxe Navy Rolls, get some MacBaren Old Dark Fired, get some Amphora full aroma. Let the tobacco dry some, although the ones mentioned above are good from the pouch more or less. Pack LIGHTLY, use just the weight of the tamper, don't let the pipe get hot, warm is hot enough. Don't worry about relights, just relight as needed. Don't worry about the jargon around here, it is accurate but no need to worry, it will come - this forum is great, probably the best I've been on, and been in loads.
As for cigars, I don't know cigars, I just smoke Toscano Classico, tried big name Cubans a couple of years back but they didn't do much for me.
