Teaching my son to smoke a pipe?

[winton]

My son will be with me at my table on Sunday at the Chicago Pipe Show. He asked me to teach him how to smoke a pipe while we are there. I plan on doing this before the show opens that morning.
Here is my question. What tobacco should I use to introduce him to smoking? A pleasing aromatic, a mild Virginia blend, a English blend? Perhaps he should start with some rope tobacco I recently bought.

 

[nurseman]

I started a year ago and learned the hard way. Don't start with an aro , he will over puff and get tongue burn . Medium english works well . I would avoid Va since most straight VA requires some experience to avoid bite. Frog Morton or White Knight would work .

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Samuel Gawith St. James Flake was the third blend I ever tried and it was almost immediately something I liked. My vote is for an aged Virginia, or a Lat bomb.

Had I been introduced to those early on undoubtedly I would have been smoking it a lot (I actually asked for a Latakia heavy blend on my first shopping trip to a B&M and I think the guy gave me something akin to Early Morning Pipe, which gave me a totally wrong impression of Latakia).
Another thing I had totally wrong was puffing cadence, mostly during lighting. I remember feeling like I had just scorched my mouth with fire. For a stranger it wouldn't be good but with close relatives you might get away with starting the bowl for him and letting him smoke it after it's lit, at least for the first bowl. I doubt it's possible for someone to get lighting right on the first try so I think letting him just smoke it after the work has been done would be a better first impression.

 

[bloodwood]

I'd opt for something that is cheap, pleasant, readily available and doesn't bombard the taste buds.
I'm talking an old codger blend like Carter H. or Prince A.

 

[wyfbane]

It all depends on his taste preferences. If he LIKES sweet stuff and you guide him through how to smoke it, you can get him the right aro. Even a nicely cased VA like Stokkebye Nougat or something may work.
If he is into latakia (my 10 year old LOVES the smell of the strong Englishes) then you can start there.
If he spends a lot of time around your cellar he should be able to pick out a tobacco that appeals to him.
And welcome him to the fold!

 

[phil67]

Prince Albert. Burns easily with hardly a relight needed and it certainly won't bite. Good 'beginner' tobacco as it's less frustrating for someone new to the pipe.

 

[joshb83]

Thats an awesome milestone in your son's life that i'm sure he'll remmeber for many many years and it'll probably end up being something that he'll pass on. A truly great idea to share with your son.
As far as setting him up with his first tobacco, i think that if he's walking around and smelling the different tobacco's and smelling the smoke of the poeple around him, just let him know its ok to ask, so many people are more than willing to have a conversation about their current smoke. I've even been offered a half a bowl's worth in order to try it myself. I'm sure he'll do well, especially with the wealth of experience at the show and your own personal knwoledge of the subject. Enjoy your time there, and i think it would be great to see a picture or two.

 

[mso489]

Keep it simple. No rope, flake, plug, or coin. Nothing challenging on strength or flavor. Something that tastes good. I'd suggest Lanes LL-7. Likewise with the pipe, either a mid-size light weight briar, or a MM cob. Actually, if he's spent time with you when you smoke your pipe, you've already taught him to smoke. My dad never gave me any instruction whatever, but when I picked up a pipe, I had it down cold. Pack, lighting, tamping, relighting, cleaning, and more. It just imprints your brain.

 

[escioe]

I think a flavorful but non-latakia-laden latakia blend would be a good choice. Chelsea Morning comes immediately to mind.

 

[pipefish]

Don't waste time with the Aros--have him try any of the Frog Mortons (I'm partial to Cellar and OTT) and an MM cob. Enjoy your time with your son at the pipe show!

 

[delkhouri]

I agree with the no aromatics. At least not traditional aromatics such as the cavendish with cherry or vanilla added. While they smell nice the actual flavor is lacking.
I would go with a quality tobacco with a casing on it. Something like Reiner professional mixture or Peterson Nutty Cut. Or even a Virginia/Virginia blend.
Personally I would stay away from anything with Latakia. Latakia tends to be polarizing in the sense that people either love it or hate it. So I would stay away from it because I wouldn't want him to possibly hate the first tobacco he tries.

 

[mso489]

Forums members are disproportionately non-aromatic smokers, but I believe most pipe smokers begin with aromatics, and more aromatics seem to be on the market than non, so clearly most pipe smokers, quantitatively, prefer them. So I think it's safer to start a new pipe smoker with a tobacco-forward aromatic. They might like a non, but the chances that they will feel more comfortable with a mild, tobacco flavor forward aromatic is better than otherwise. I say, play the odds on this one. Since you'll be at a pipe show, you could then let him go forage for a sample of whatever struck his fancy, so he's on his own. Hey, he might start with a Frog and never look back. But I don't think Lanes 1-Q or LL-7 would put him off.

 

[ericusrex]

Unless he's been around your pipe smoking he may have an aromatic in mind. Most beginners do. If that's the case, he might be disappointed with anything else. If he already knows the good stuff isn't vanilla or cherry then I'd show him your favorite blend. If he immediately dislikes what you've picked then dump and go in another direction.

 

[pipefish]

But I don't think Lanes 1-Q or LL-7 would put him off.

Maybe not, but I found 1-Q to be a bit of a disappointment. I really wanted to like it but I never got much flavor from it. The same goes for Dan's Blue Note--it had been my "go to" aro but it ultimately put me off of aros because I got tired of the "hot air"--not taste! In fact, I'd given up on aros pretty much altogether, but then I tried Cult Blood Red Moon. Now THAT is an aromatic. Finally, an aro that packs some flavor--and it's a cherry blend no less!!! Go figure. That wouldn't be a bad one to start off on if it has to be an aro.
Anyway, I don't really know how Winton can go wrong with Frog Morton Cellar. Even if it doesn't "wow" his son, at the very least he'll get some mild to medium flavor rather than hot air. I wished that'd been the first blend I tried. I don't even smoke Cellar all the the time, but it never disappoints when I do.

 

[portascat]

I introduced my son to pipe smoking when he left for the Navy.
He dug the simple vanilla style aromatics, mostly. Probably because they were easy to smoke and enjoy while he fumbled and learned how to smoke properly.
He actually wants to smoke my Escudo coins when he comes back home on leave, and especially enjoys them. I don't smoke them that often, and pretty much only with him, so they are typically well aged when they come out.
You just never know what will strike a chord.

 

[jkrug]

Speaking from personal experience I would start him with something on the milder side no matter if aro or non-aro then veer off towards the stronger more complex blends. It's also good to remember that he doesn't have to pack a full bowl when sampling the stronger blends. A dizzy head and churning stomach after a full bowl of a powerful smoke does not enhance the pipe smoking experience....ask me how I know this!! lol
Good luck to you and your son. ::

 

[settersbrace]

You didn't mention if your son has had any prior experience with tobacco. Whether it be cigs, cigars or dip it makes a difference in my experience. Former or current tobacco users tend to go for a more substantial, straight forward tobacco minus the the fruity, cased aro's. This isn't always true but it may help simplify your decision making. It's hard to go wrong with a light flake like Dunhill or OGS.

 

[lostandfound]

Old Dark Fired?

 

[winton]

To my knowledge, my son has never touched tobacco in any form. He has never expessed an interest in it. I am sure that I will use a milder blend. I seriously doubt he will pick up the pipe afterwards, which is OK with me.
Mostly, I was joking about rope tobacco for a very beginner. Thanks for the advice. I also have a nephew that has picked up the pipe. I probably will send a lot of samples from the pipe show to him.

 

[sparrowhawk]

I agree with much of the above, for what it's worth, particularly about trying a non-aro. Before discovering this forum I regularly smoked Captain Black Gold and endured horrible tongue bite, wondering if this is something that pipe smokers learn to get used to or something else. On joining, I learned of the biting potential of aros, which I still smoke, but none as powerful as Captain Black Gold. These days, I'm partial to Virginias like 5100 Red Cake and a semi-aro such as Trout Stream. These two tobaccos are the basics that I keep in my two pouches, along with a huge variety that have been donated to me by the charitable and great all-around fellows here, and a good bit of Sutliff's Private Stock. Molto Dulce remains one of my favorites. But try something that is suble and pleasant like a Virginia such as 5100 or Trout Steam.