Shag in pipe?

[damianmonk]

Has anyone ever tried smoking shag (RYO stuff like Drum) in a pipe?
Asking because I was talking about pipes with a friend who smokes RYO who offered me some, but I didn't have my pipe with me.

 

[aldecaker]

I tried either Drum or Amsterdam Shag, I forget which, in a cob once. Terrible. Neither the tobacco variety nor the cut was suitable for smoking in a pipe. It reminded me very much of tobaccos like Red Cap or 4 Aces; maybe good for RYO, but no good in a pipe.

 

[deathmetal]

Did it the other day and it was quite tasty. I used Drum Gold which is half-Virginia half-dark fired, and packed the shake on top to avoid clogging the pipe. If it weren't expensive and hard to find, I'd do this more often.

 

[darwin]

Gawith & Hoggarth makes a number of shag cut tobaccos that are intended for and work very well in pipes. They aren't cheap but they are no more expensive than other high quality bulks.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

G&H dark birdseye is a great shag. There are lots made just for the pipe. You have to pack it tight though, but it burns very well.

 

[damianmonk]

I am talking specifically about RYO shags though, not shag cuts :wink:

 

[deathmetal]

Daughters and Ryan Three Sails is designed to emulate one of the oldest and most respected hand-rolling tobaccos, Three Castles. It's pretty tasty in a pipe, although it's not too similar to the original, especially if you mix it 50-50 with Five Brothers.

 

[moses]

American Spirit RYO Perique Blend is fairly serviceable in a cob, if needs must.

 

[nachman]

Must be a big pipe to have a shag in it.

 

[michiganlover]

Smokers Pride Rich Taste is quite tasty in a cob. Has a mild burley flavor, with a style kind of like the American OTC tobaccos like Prince Albert and Carter Hall. I've heard Smokers Pride Mellow Taste is good too.
I tend to think these two are the exception though. My wife smokes RYO cigarettes and I've tried Gambler Red, and it was disgusting in a pipe. Terrible flavor and burned hot.
Prince Albert in the past was marketed as a dual use tobacco both pipe and cigarette.

 

[aldecaker]

RE Prince Albert: Does work well as a dual-use tobacco. In general, I have found that pipe tobacco makes a better cigarette than cigarette tobacco smokes in a pipe.

 

[newbroom]

It's what I started smoking a pipe WITH. Shag ryo types of tobacco. I had been smoking Drum ryo for years and then the price went to hell and I started looking for alternatives.

Thank goodness I kept looking even after I tried smoking my legend for a month or more with that sort and inhaling it too. I knew I was 'on' to something by having eliminated the paperwork, but it wasn't until I got curious about real pipe tobacco that I became 'enlightened'.
Taxation led me to pipe smoking.

 

[mathoozula]

A lot of RYO tobacco is labeled as pipe tobacco to get around the cigarette taxes.
You could smoke some of these RYO tobaccos in a pipe, but I never have. Its all on the matter of preference. If you like it, do it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I started with RYO in a pipe also, but it was a ribbon and a much better quality Turkish blend that most commercial cigarettes use. Not all RYO is made equally. Many RYO is actually great for both. Daughter's Ryan and Stokkebye are two brands that make pipe blends that are also excellent for rollies. Heck, cigarettes started as pipe tobacco rolled up for fast and easy smokes on the go.