Was this pipe a false economy?

[sablebrush52]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I've done a load of online research and youtube viewing. I get like this when I have a new interest haha. As far as easy smoking reliable codger blends, any recommendations for some that are readily available in the UK? I'm guessing St Bruno is one?

99% of YouTube is pure uneducated crap, so beware. Drying down your tobacco will allow you to gain better control of the burn, and get more flavors, as excess moisture masks flavors. Since this is an aromatic I recommend that dry down til it doesn't clump, and a little bit beyond, but leave enough moisture to carry the aromtic flavorings. Too much drying will lessen their effectiveness.

St Bruno is an excellent blend with strongish flavors, one of my favorites. I give it some drying time before smoking, though it can be smoked straight from the pack. I just find controlling the burn easier with less moisture.

Bottom line is practice and experiment until you find the combinations that work for you. There's no substitute for that.

 

[evillewis]

Dry your tobacco more, pack looser and show down. If you packed too loose, use the tamper to compensate. Smoking 3 bowls as experience would be like trying to be a scratch golfer after 3 swings. If pipe smoking were as easy as cigarettes and Cigars, I'm not sure cigarettes or Cigars would even exist. It takes time.

I definitely have a lot to learn for sure.

 

[evillewis]

99% of YouTube is pure uneducated crap, so beware. Drying down your tobacco will allow you to gain better control of the burn, and get more flavors, as excess moisture masks flavors. Since this is an aromatic I recommend that dry down til it doesn't clump, and a little bit beyond, but leave enough moisture to carry the aromtic flavorings. Too much drying will lessen their effectiveness.

St Bruno is an excellent blend with strongish flavors, one of my favorites. I give it some drying time before smoking, though it can be smoked straight from the pack. I just find controlling the burn easier with less moisture.

Bottom line is practice and experiment until you find the combinations that work for you. There's no substitute for that.

Thanks for the advice. Of the 3 tobaccos I have, the Peter stokkebye is the dryest and probably the one I had most success with. I haven't even tried the Caramel coffee yet as it's much more moist than the others.

 

[mso489]

Good less expensive brands made in UK are Falcon, Parker, Hardcastle, and Britannia, and you may be able to get these used as estate pipes. Good moderately priced French brands probably available in UK include Chacom, Ropp, BC, Genod, and price wise especially EWA.

Some people worry about the rustic appearance of Missouri Meerschaum and other cob pipes. If you live in the countryside, they're perfect, and in the city (to me) they look pleasingly casual and look relaxed and off-handed even if you're dressed up.

No need to run out and buy a new pipe. Eventually you'll want a second pipe. At that point, if your first pipe has been holding you back, you'll immediately know that.

 

[anotherbob]

don't know if anyone said so but also try different tobaccos. If you already smoked cigs and liked the flavors then smoke something more tobacco forward. Try something along the lines of a burly based blend, a virginia based blend and also something that's so called English (a style that doesn't have as much to do with the country as one would think). You'll have a better idea of what you're trying to find flavorwise. The aromatics seem like they should have more obvious blunter more beginer friendly flavors, but counter intuitively it's the opposite. Takes more experience to pick up what they're putting out.
Oh falcons are great and very beginner friendly too. I have two of them and while my ugliest pipes, they're wonderful smokers. And the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

 

[ThermionicScott]

In the bicycle world, we say that your first bike serves to show you what you’ll want in your next bike. So try not to feel bad about the things you don’t like about this starter pipe, you’re learning!

 

[blackpowderpiper]

Also, it takes awhile before your taste buds transition to where you can actually pick out the nuances in the pipe tobacco. Training your taste buds is part of the learning curve. Hang in there, one day the light switch will cut on and the effort will be worth it.

 

[evillewis]

don't know if anyone said so but also try different tobaccos. If you already smoked cigs and liked the flavors then smoke something more tobacco forward. Try something along the lines of a burly based blend, a virginia based blend and also something that's so called English (a style that doesn't have as much to do with the country as one would think). You'll have a better idea of what you're trying to find flavorwise. The aromatics seem like they should have more obvious blunter more beginer friendly flavors, but counter intuitively it's the opposite. Takes more experience to pick up what they're putting out.
Oh falcons are great and very beginner friendly too. I have two of them and while my ugliest pipes, they're wonderful smokers. And the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

I can't say I exactly enjoyed the flavors of smoking cigarettes, but from what I gather that's pretty common.

 

[evillewis]

In the bicycle world, we say that your first bike serves to show you what you’ll want in your next bike. So try not to feel bad about the things you don’t like about this starter pipe, you’re learning!

This is great and definitely worth keeping in mind. I bought a cheap cheerful pipe purely to give pipe smoking a try, and because I didn't fancy buying a corn cob.

I didn't expect to be perfect for that price, just good enough to get myself started.

 

[anotherbob]

I can't say I exactly enjoyed the flavors of smoking cigarettes, but from what I gather that's pretty common.

It's funny I think the cherry and vanilla and what not tobaccos are suggested to beginners because you already know those flavors. But the tobacco forward blends are more beginner friendly.
That said smoking a pipe takes a while to really get. Even if you have all the best advice and are having regular enjoyable smokes, it still takes a while for everything to click and to really get how deeply enjoyable, relaxing, meditative, sexy, and just plain fun pipe smoking really can be. One day you're smoking and you don't have to think about it at all, it just almost happens, you notice dimensions of flavor that seemed like fairy tales and for the first time you realize that Jim Inks isn't pulling your leg or eating copious amounts of psychedelic lunch meats (or whatever would cause taste based hallucinations), and while all isn't right with the world it is in that little smoke cloud built of perfect Smokey wisps you're inhabiting for the next 40 minutes or so. So in short don't worry too much about getting it right as much as just worry (as in care about and focus on, not fret over) about enjoying it a little bit at the moment.

 

[evillewis]

It's funny I think the cherry and vanilla and what not tobaccos are suggested to beginners because you already know those flavors. But the tobacco forward blends are more beginner friendly.
That said smoking a pipe takes a while to really get. Even if you have all the best advice and are having regular enjoyable smokes, it still takes a while for everything to click and to really get how deeply enjoyable, relaxing, meditative, sexy, and just plain fun pipe smoking really can be. One day you're smoking and you don't have to think about it at all, it just almost happens, you notice dimensions of flavor that seemed like fairy tales and for the first time you realize that Jim Inks isn't pulling your leg or eating copious amounts of psychedelic lunch meats (or whatever would cause taste based hallucinations), and while all isn't right with the world it is in that little smoke cloud built of perfect Smokey wisps you're inhabiting for the next 40 minutes or so. So in short don't worry too much about getting it right as much as just worry (as in care about and focus on, not fret over) about enjoying it a little bit at the moment.

That's a wonderful outlook which I'll try to keep in mind. Thank you.

 

[anotherbob]

That's a wonderful outlook which I'll try to keep in mind. Thank you.

Pipes are pretty great but they're a skill. Not a super hard skill but slightly above most things done for consuming something enjoyable. One of my favorite pipe learning memeories was a total accident. I thought dry was bad but I let a tin of mine get very dry. Thought it's ruined might as well through it out. But whatever might as well smoke it as something meh can be better then something that is nothing. I was shocked at how it not only smoked really well and didn't go up in smoke in a few seconds like I expected, but how the flavors popped and ever since then I've been a convert of the drier is better school of pipe smoking (to a pretty extreme level, I prefer a step above dust).

 

[evillewis]

Pipes are pretty great but they're a skill. Not a super hard skill but slightly above most things done for consuming something enjoyable. One of my favorite pipe learning memeories was a total accident. I thought dry was bad but I let a tin of mine get very dry. Thought it's ruined might as well through it out. But whatever might as well smoke it as something meh can be better then something that is nothing. I was shocked at how it not only smoked really well and didn't go up in smoke in a few seconds like I expected, but how the flavors popped and ever since then I've been a convert of the drier is better school of pipe smoking (to a pretty extreme level, I prefer a step above dust).

Keeping this in mind, I think I'll stick with the Peter stokkebye Kentucky maroon/nougat for now as it's the dryest and also the least aromatic smelling of the 3 blends I have. I'll look at picking up some more tobacco forward blends next time I place an order for more goodies.

 

[anotherbob]

Keeping this in mind, I think I'll stick with the Peter stokkebye Kentucky maroon/nougat for now as it's the dryest and also the least aromatic smelling of the 3 blends I have. I'll look at picking up some more tobacco forward blends next time I place an order for more goodies.

unless you're terminally ill you have plenty of time to explore the world of pipes.

 

[evillewis]

unless you're terminally ill you have plenty of time to explore the world of pipes.

I'm "only" 42 so should be good for a little while yet

 

[anotherbob]

I'm "only" 42 so should be good for a little while yet

youngster. Well here we are. I am 44 so ....

 

[PipeIT]

Just to add. Any recommended blends from Gawith and Hoggarth? Those are available to buy bulk in 15 or 25 gram pouches so are inexpensive to sample which seems ideal.

I really love Samuel Gawith Grousemoor!

There are so many blends out there, it will take time, to start finding some you really enjoy, and then when you think that one was great, you’ll find another, it never ends!

 

[evillewis]

I really love Samuel Gawith Grousemoor!

There are so many blends out there, it will take time, to start finding some you really enjoy, and then when you think that one was great, you’ll find another, it never ends!



View attachment 178211

I see that appears to have a Lakeland topping. I've no experience of them but they seem to be divisive and known for ghosting?

 

[warren]

Lower your expectations. Many a new smoker, cigarettes, cigars, etc,, sets the bar too high. Learn to load and cadance you like and then begin to explore the rich, wide world of blends if that's your goal. My goal is simply nicotine and, when enjoying an evening, non-work pipe to enjoy the book I'm reading while sipping on a bowl of acceptable tobacco. I keep my smoking as simple as possible. Others are "wired" differently and smoke for other reasons.

 

[evillewis]

I had a fairly pleasant bowl of Kentucky nougat this evening. I'm struggling with keeping my pipe lit. I realize this isn't necessarily a big deal but it seems I'm having to relight every couple of minutes while trying to smoke slowly, and even then my bowl is feeling pretty warm in my hand. Maybe I'm not getting it lit properly to begin with?

Think I'll stick with this blend for next few smokes. Less variables might be a good idea while I try to grasp the fundamentals.