Tobacco Recommendations for New Pipe Smoker

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Pavelmed

Lurker
Jun 20, 2020
11
19
EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

I'm a newer pipe smoker.. about 2 to 3 months now. Been smoking mainly out of MM corncobs and hardwoods because I love their quality and price. Looking for an every day tobacco, so far I've tried tins/cans of
Nightcap
Early Morning Pipe
Glp westminister
Petersen Standard Mixture
Sam Gawith Squadron leader.

While these are all fantastic, I find them all to be the same taste/flavor. I've had these all jared up and smoke them as I I please. Looking for something a little more robust/wilder/memorable. Any recommendations?
 
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Casual

Lifer
Oct 3, 2019
2,577
9,420
NL, CA
I don’t know about wilder, but those are all in the English category. Maybe try burley blends? I like Sutliff Ready Rubbed, or Mac Baren HH Burley Flake, or their Navy Flake.

if “wilder” really is what you want, maybe try Bob’s Chocolate Flake (bizarrely good), or 1792 Flake (strong and bizarrely good).
 
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JMcQ

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 9, 2019
850
4,264
46
Atlantic Beach, FL
Try as many different kinds as you can and you'll slowly start figuring out what your taste buds crave. Good luck.
 

daytonsean

Lifer
Aug 28, 2012
1,018
3,201
Dayton
Following the latakia category give C&D star of the east a try.
Peterson Old Dublin has a lot of flavor to it.
H&H blackhouse has a lot of flavor too.
Go look up some other blends like virginia or burley and you will likely find some heavy hitters in those categories as well.
 

Pavelmed

Lurker
Jun 20, 2020
11
19
Virginia and Burleys were my next thing to look at. Any suggestions? I was thinking Amphora Virginia and Haunted bookshop.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
Amphora Burley is also substantial but mellow. Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake is a Virginia you might enjoy, and also a way to try flake, and is available in bulk for a one or two ounce sample. Also in bulk, C&D Billy Budd is still an English, but with cigar leaf -- don't expect a cigar experience, just a lively pipe blend. Take your time. I think you will find the ones you already have more interesting over time, so jar them up. With a few months, or a year, you may find it is a whole new day.
 
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
All of the above are VERY solid recommendations. Since you have a nicotine tolerance already, I’d add Peterson’s Irish Flake to the list as a good strong Virginia/Burley/dark fired Kentucky blend.

Also, if you’ve enjoyed the blends you’ve been smoking, you should certainly add Balkan Supreme to the list. It’s available as a Peter Stokkebye or Arango branded blend (same blend, different brands). It’s a bulk, cheap, and tastes amazing. Better than a lot of other pricier tinned English/Balkans I’ve tried.

Sampling bulk blends of different genres is the cost-effective way to find what you like. From there, you can narrow your focus.
 

radrick96

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 4, 2020
242
533
28
Orlando, Florida
Simplest answer IMO:

Go buy the amphora sampler. It will give you 5 of the different blends in a few different forms to work with. It’s what I started with off someone’s recommendation. Since then I know two people I’ve recommended it to as well and they enjoyed it as well. YMMV of course.

Amphora blends are owned by MacBaren I believe, which is a popular tobacco brand. My favorite was burley and Kentucky. Virginia is great as well. English got me interested in more English blends, and the dark cavendish is like a black and mild(some users here I believe use it to mix with other blends even).

Good luck.
-Rick
 
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
Simplest answer IMO:

Go buy the amphora sampler. It will give you 5 of the different blends in a few different forms to work with. It’s what I started with off someone’s recommendation. Since then I know two people I’ve recommended it to as well and they enjoyed it as well. YMMV of course.

Amphora blends are owned by MacBaren I believe, which is a popular tobacco brand. My favorite was burley and Kentucky. Virginia is great as well. English got me interested in more English blends, and the dark cavendish is like a black and mild(some users here I believe use it to mix with other blends even).

Good luck.
-Rick
I always forget about the Amphora sampler. ?
 
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JLD66

Might Stick Around
May 8, 2020
60
354
73
West Kentucky
Try as many different blends as you like because it’s going to be a journey before you really settle in on the ones you like the most. For this reason my advice to you would be don’t stock pile a bunch of tobacco that a year or two down the road you don’t like just enjoy the journey.
 

Pavelmed

Lurker
Jun 20, 2020
11
19
Since making this thread I bought an oz of Haunted Bookshop from P&C and a pouch of Amphora Virginia Blend. The haunted bookshop is superb. Everything I've wanted from a pipe tobacco.. Hearty, robust and full of nicotine. The Amphora Virginia also very nice and tasteful, though not as full on the nicotine as HB and certainly not as easy to keep lit as HB. Both have been amazing and worlds above what the English blends I listed above have brought me. Does this mean I am a Burley fan?
 

--dante--

Lifer
Jun 11, 2020
1,069
7,293
Pittsburgh, PA USA
Since making this thread I bought an oz of Haunted Bookshop from P&C and a pouch of Amphora Virginia Blend. The haunted bookshop is superb. Everything I've wanted from a pipe tobacco.. Hearty, robust and full of nicotine. The Amphora Virginia also very nice and tasteful, though not as full on the nicotine as HB and certainly not as easy to keep lit as HB. Both have been amazing and worlds above what the English blends I listed above have brought me. Does this mean I am a Burley fan?
You may be -- Haunted Bookshop is a staple to many. I suggest giving Old Joe Krantz a try. It's essentially Haunted Bookshop kicked up a notch in strength and spiciness. They're made by the same blender. I keep 'em both in cans side by side within arms reach.
 

Littlepipe

Lurker
Jul 3, 2020
5
1
I'm a new pipe smoker I started last January and have 2 nice petersons pipes one an old 417 pipe my father bought in the early 70's and only smoked about twice another Irish army 68 pipe that I just got on monday. I started off smoking yactsmans plug tobacco and changed to condor original and like it much better my first pipe is just broken in and I quite enjoy smoking it now my second one is just starting to get a flavour now. Can anyone recommend any other irish or British tobacco's I could try.
 
Mar 29, 2016
1,006
5,540
I'm a new pipe smoker I started last January and have 2 nice petersons pipes one an old 417 pipe my father bought in the early 70's and only smoked about twice another Irish army 68 pipe that I just got on monday. I started off smoking yactsmans plug tobacco and changed to condor original and like it much better my first pipe is just broken in and I quite enjoy smoking it now my second one is just starting to get a flavour now. Can anyone recommend any other irish or British tobacco's I could try.

Germain's Brown Flake, Special Latakia Flake, King Charles Mixture, Medium Flake.

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake and Plug, Best Brown Flake or Kendal Plug, Squadron Leader, St. James Flake and Plug.

Gawith Hogarth Deluxe Twist XXX, Black Irish X Unsliced, Brown Irish Twist.
 
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