Where Do I Go from Here?

[Bullman]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

I have been a smoker off and on for 25 years or so. At one time about 15 years ago I got into pipe smoking and was a regular order person from Thompsons, with a mixture of cigars and pipe tobacco. The only pipe I have left from that era was a Brebbia brand (I think) vest pocket pipe. Needless to say I was an aromatic smoker and very much a casual piper, I learned how to keep a pipe going and that was about it.

I quit smoking altogether about 5 years ago, and then this past summer I got hit working a couple of rounds of night shift for about a month and I needed some help staying awake nights so I went back to cigars. I didn't like where the cigar path was going and I got myself a couple of pipes for Christmas. I have a Missouri Meershaum Wizard collection pipe ( big bowl ) and then I have another pipe I got off Amazon that I have yet to use with anything that is also Lord of the Rings related, I just sort of like Churchwardens I guess.

Anyway, right now Captain Black is the easiest thing to get so that is what I have been smoking, but I am looking for a little adventure and wonder what I should try. I have been looking on line and there were a couple of Peter Stokebye tobaccos I was looking at, I like pistachio ice cream so I was looking at their Pistachio blend and then thought about something in the non aromatic line like Luxury Navy Flake? Don't really know what things like Latikia, Burley or Cavendish and I think Virginias are supposed to be sweeter than others? Steer me in a direction. Do I want to smoke non aromatics in the same pipe as I do aromatics or should I have a dedicated pipe for each? I don't want to spend a fortune, just have something a little different now and then, a break from the Black if you will.

 

[anotherbob]

seriously worst thing that can happen is you buy a blend you're not so into. But that's a step closer to find blends that change your perception of what pipe smoking can be. Just read up on the basics until something sounds good to you and get that.

 

[olkofri]

If you don't build any 'cakes' you shouldn't have a ghosting problem and can smoke whatever you want followed by whatever you want. Cobs don't really have a ghosting problem, anyway.

 

[kg.legat0]

I think there's a million answers to this, and I don't even have a quarter of the experience smoking...but I have nerded out pretty hard on pipe tobaccos the past couple years. ...Captain Black is also one of my absolute favorites.

If you like aromatics, I feel like you can't go wrong as long as you pick a flavor that agrees with you. ...the more natural tobaccos have a whole world of nuance and variation -to my surprise, there's also a whole world of sweet smokes to be had without aromatic flavorings.

I would recommend trying the Peter Stokkebye flakes ...I don't know if I've really even seen someone on this forum who has said they don't care for them. Each one is a little different, but they're all great. The navy flake, in my opinion, is a good indicator for whether or not Virginia Perique blends might be your thing. Once I tried them, I was an instant fan. Flakes also burn really nicely, in my experience.

If you feel really adventurous, I would recommend Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky for a flavor adventure ...very sweet/flavorful, not overly strong with the nicotine, and a great intro to dark fired blends (which are also their own, cool, world). Cheers!

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Five Brothers pipe tobacco
Price Albert
Carter Hall

Get you some burleys. Those I listed are the ones I've found are easiest to enjoy. They are easy to smoke and will be a lot closer to cigarettes and cigars. I started with Captain Black and I wish I hadn't. Not that it's all bad, but those aromatics can be hard to figure out. I've recently revisited the Captain and its not a terrible thing. Five brothers is an easy one, taste is simple and good. It's pretty forgiving and easy to keep lit.

I smoke whatever in whichever pipe I pick up.

Enjoy your journey, buy you a few 2 oz bags of whatever sounds good to you. Hey, if you don't like them you'll only be out 5 bucks. Just my 2 cents, good luck buddy.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Read through here as well as tobaccoreviews.com to get some ideas. Try to figure out which genre of blends you like the best. A large portion of the enjoyment in pipe smoking is trying different blends to determine what you like the best.

 

[Bullman]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. There is supposed to be a good pipe shop up the road about an hour in Blacksburg, I have been thinking about going to go and check it out some weekend.

 

[danimalia]

The nice thing about Stokkebye is they have options in just about every genre. Yes, you should absolutely smoke the Stokkebye flakes. They're great, and also very available and affordable, which makes them even greater in my book.

When I was a new piper, I spent a lot of time browsing different tobaccos and learning as much as I could. I can also remember being an RYO smoker and getting pouches of Stokkebye Amsterdam shag from Grant's in San Francisco along with some cigars every once in a while, and seeing the beautiful little tins of G.L. Pease's Fog City blends and thinking they were just so cool looking. Eventually, the curiosity got the best of me, and I ordered a cob and some different tobaccos to try.

 

[Bullman]

I have watched the Pipes and Cigars pipe smoking 101 classes on you tube to learn a little bit about the different tobaccos.

 

[timpiper]

Lanes RLP-6 is like captain black, but better in my opinion.

For something different with a sweet smokey taste try -
Macbaren HH Old Dark Fired
Peterson/Dunhill Early Morning Pipe

TimPiper

 

[mso489]

I'd buy one ounce of five or six different tobaccos, in bulk (in a baggie, to be stored in a jar) in several genres like English, Virginia and Virginia Perique, burley, Balkan, Aromatic (flavored tobacco in vanilla, rum, whiskey, or something you like better than these). This experiment will cost you about $30, and you will learn a lot about what you like. Save what you don't like in a jar and try it later. Even if you really like something, don't stock up. Your tastes will change. Build on what you know about what you like and keep sampling. Don't buy anything in quantity for a year or two. Have fun.

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. There is supposed to be a good pipe shop up the road about an hour in Blacksburg, I have been thinking about going to go and check it out some weekend.

Blacksburg Virginia?

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

I have been a smoker off and on for 25 years or so. At one time about 15 years ago I got into pipe smoking and was a regular order person from Thompsons, with a mixture of cigars and pipe tobacco. The only pipe I have left from that era was a Brebbia brand (I think) vest pocket pipe. Needless to say I was an aromatic smoker and very much a casual piper, I learned how to keep a pipe going and that was about it.

I quit smoking altogether about 5 years ago, and then this past summer I got hit working a couple of rounds of night shift for about a month and I needed some help staying awake nights so I went back to cigars. I didn't like where the cigar path was going and I got myself a couple of pipes for Christmas. I have a Missouri Meershaum Wizard collection pipe ( big bowl ) and then I have another pipe I got off Amazon that I have yet to use with anything that is also Lord of the Rings related, I just sort of like Churchwardens I guess.

Anyway, right now Captain Black is the easiest thing to get so that is what I have been smoking, but I am looking for a little adventure and wonder what I should try. I have been looking on line and there were a couple of Peter Stokebye tobaccos I was looking at, I like pistachio ice cream so I was looking at their Pistachio blend and then thought about something in the non aromatic line like Luxury Navy Flake? Don't really know what things like Latikia, Burley or Cavendish and I think Virginias are supposed to be sweeter than others? Steer me in a direction. Do I want to smoke non aromatics in the same pipe as I do aromatics or should I have a dedicated pipe for each? I don't want to spend a fortune, just have something a little different now and then, a break from the Black if you will.

You need to round out your tobacco experience with some basic foundational varieties, Latakia blends and Virginia Perique blends seem to be the most loved.

An easy place to start with Latakia is G.L. Pease blends. Gaslight and Quiet Nights are two that I have tried and found very good.

Samuel Gawith St. James Flake is a staple Va-Per, but being a flake I've found it a bit more work to handle. Sutliff "Elizabethan Match", now called "Victoria Blend" is an easy burning Virginia blend that tastes fantastic: Sutliff Bulk: DUNHILL MATCH VICTORIA (ELIZABETHAN) BLEND - https://4noggins.com/sutliff-altadis-bulk-dunhill-elizabethan-match-blend.html

Once you want to have a bit of fun experimenting grab some boxes of Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake and store it away in jars for a few years. Once you've aged a Virginia blend for at least a year the results are very nice.

 

[chopper]

Five Brothers pipe tobacco
Price Albert
Carter Hall

Enjoy your journey, buy you a few 2 oz bags of whatever sounds good to you. Hey, if you don't like them you'll only be out 5 bucks. Just my 2 cents, good luck buddy.

I've not tried Five Brothers and never will. Not because it's not a good smoke but because it's got a heap of nicotine, something that I avoid since ditching a 40-a-day cigarette habit over ten years ago.
Five Brothers would probably be a good blend for those also trying to ditch the cigs but it wasn't available here in Nanny State Australia.

Prince Albert and Carter Hall are much better blends for those starting out.
I've not tried PA myself but I can recommend Carter Hall. A very tasty blend.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I've not tried Five Brothers and never will. Not because it's not a good smoke but because it's got a heap of nicotine, something that I avoid since ditching a 40-a-day cigarette habit over ten years ago.
Five Brothers would probably be a good blend for those also trying to ditch the cigs but it wasn't available here in Nanny State Australia.

Prince Albert and Carter Hall are much better blends for those starting out.
I've not tried PA myself but I can recommend Carter Hall. A very tasty blend.

I'll admit I'm already crooked on nicotine all day, so maybe I don't have good gauge. I really can't tell the difference between Five Brothers and the other OTCs, nicotine wise. I suspect the "nic hit" has a lot to do with what you've eaten and how hydrated you are.

 

[chopper]

I'll admit I'm already crooked on nicotine all day, so maybe I don't have good gauge. I really can't tell the difference between Five Brothers and the other OTCs, nicotine wise. I suspect the "nic hit" has a lot to do with what you've eaten and how hydrated you are.

Absolutely, a full stomach can make a big difference.

Starting at 14yo, a mate & I would go to the city to visit tobacconists to buy O/S brands; Gitanes, Russian Sobranie [we loved the smoke but also I think it was that brand that had a black paper and gold filter - very classy, lol] U.S. made Camel, Winston and Pall Mall in the soft pack, Gauloise, kretek brands like Bentoel and Gudam Garam, Temple Bar ...... the stronger the better.

Before I switched to a pipe 35 years later, I couldn't go longer than 30 minutes before cravings set in.
When anyone switches exclusively to a pipe from a cig habit, they will go through withdrawals regardless of Vit N levels due to the addictive chemicals that are added to cigarettes [that's why those who smoke tailor-made cigs get no satisfaction from a RYO]
After many quit attempts over the years I was determined to smoke nothing but a pipe as a compromise.

Because I was so addicted to cigarettes, I now mostly choose blends that have nicotine levels no stronger than mild.
Despite my past ability to handle Lady N, I've become quite sensitive to the stuff.
Take PS Luxury Navy Flake for example; our resident tobacco savant @jiminks says "The nic hit is just past the mild level." That small difference from what I regularly smoke is enough for me to notice.
Five Brothers would probably turn me green

So I find it interesting that many of you don't notice a big difference between blends with mild levels of nicotine to ones with much stronger levels.
The fact that I inhale might have a lot to do with it.

It's a shame in the sense that there's many blends that I'll never get to try simply because of the nic levels [Not that I'm complaining though - there's plenty of other choices for me] but by avoiding the stronger stuff I've managed to beat the addiction.
Now I can go hours without when otherwise occupied & not even notice.

Apologies for the long explanation but I find others experience with nicotine compared to mine rather intriguing.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Absolutely, a full stomach can make a big difference.

Starting at 14yo, a mate & I would go to the city to visit tobacconists to buy O/S brands; Gitanes, Russian Sobranie [we loved the smoke but also I think it was that brand that had a black paper and gold filter - very classy, lol] U.S. made Camel, Winston and Pall Mall in the soft pack, Gauloise, kretek brands like Bentoel and Gudam Garam, Temple Bar ...... the stronger the better.

Before I switched to a pipe 35 years later, I couldn't go longer than 30 minutes before cravings set in.
When anyone switches exclusively to a pipe from a cig habit, they will go through withdrawals regardless of Vit N levels due to the addictive chemicals that are added to cigarettes [that's why those who smoke tailor-made cigs get no satisfaction from a RYO]
After many quit attempts over the years I was determined to smoke nothing but a pipe as a compromise.

Because I was so addicted to cigarettes, I now mostly choose blends that have nicotine levels no stronger than mild.
Despite my past ability to handle Lady N, I've become quite sensitive to the stuff.
Take PS Luxury Navy Flake for example; our resident tobacco savant @jiminks says "The nic hit is just past the mild level." That small difference from what I regularly smoke is enough for me to notice.
Five Brothers would probably turn me green

So I find it interesting that many of you don't notice a big difference between blends with mild levels of nicotine to ones with much stronger levels.
The fact that I inhale might have a lot to do with it.

It's a shame in the sense that there's many blends that I'll never get to try simply because of the nic levels [Not that I'm complaining though - there's plenty of other choices for me] but by avoiding the stronger stuff I've managed to beat the addiction.
Now I can go hours without when otherwise occupied & not even notice.

Apologies for the long explanation but I find others experience with nicotine compared to mine rather intriguing.

My original plan was to do as you have done. I also tried this with dip and chew. Now I just have too many things to dip and smoke and not enough time in the smoking day. Haha

As I have read here People have widely varying experiences with nicotine. I am also intrigued by this, don't apologize to me for a long response. We are here to discuss smoking and this is a topic that is definitely related. For me the effects of nicotine vary with no apparent rhyme or reason. Some days I feel a buzz? From Prince albert, other days it misses me even if I smoke some of the brown ropes. There is no immediate relief from a nicotine craving with my pipes. After about five minutes though I can feel the urge for a cigarette subside. The only thing stopping me from switching to the pipe completely is the fact that so many places are no smoking. I have to actually stop what I'm doing and smoke my pipe, all I have is another 35 years and I can retire and smoke all day. Haha

I suggest Five Brothers because it's easy to figure out mechanically and it has a nice smooth flavor. If you're REALLY intolerant to nicotine I suspect any blend could make you turn green.

 

[chopper]

My original plan was to do as you have done. I also tried this with dip and chew. Now I just have too many things to dip and smoke and not enough time in the smoking day. Haha

As I have read here People have widely varying experiences with nicotine. I am also intrigued by this, don't apologize to me for a long response. We are here to discuss smoking and this is a topic that is definitely related. For me the effects of nicotine vary with no apparent rhyme or reason. Some days I feel a buzz? From Prince albert, other days it misses me even if I smoke some of the brown ropes. There is no immediate relief from a nicotine craving with my pipes. After about five minutes though I can feel the urge for a cigarette subside. The only thing stopping me from switching to the pipe completely is the fact that so many places are no smoking. I have to actually stop what I'm doing and smoke my pipe, all I have is another 35 years and I can retire and smoke all day. Haha

I suggest Five Brothers because it's easy to figure out mechanically and it has a nice smooth flavor. If you're REALLY intolerant to nicotine I suspect any blend could make you turn green.

"Dip and chew" is something that I've never heard of in Oz in my entire life. [For some reason I associate it with American baseball players] From what I've read from others, chewing tobacco is harder to quit than cigarettes.

That was the beauty of switching to a pipe for me. It was all about the addiction [plus it is said that nicotine is the cause of Buergers disease]
Having tried different ways of quitting it became apparent that I simply like to smoke. Always have. Always will. It's how I treat stress or depression. A smoke will always make me feel better.
Smoking a pipe is a happy compromise because I still get to smoke but without much nicotine and none of the nasty chemicals.

It's a psychological thing now. When I help out an old boss and drive his Mack tipper every so often for example, when on a long say 3 hour drive, when I feel like a smoke I just tell myself that I will have time for a smoke when I get to my destination. Yay I get to have a smoke! When I smoked ciggies it was like 'Now. No I can't farkn wait I said now!'.
That's a huge change in perspective. Although I can pack a bowl and light it up while driving, it's too much hassle. I can wait.
Avoiding nicotine was the key for me. It's a shame because I like nicotine but it no longer likes me. With a pipe at least I get to smoke.

As it turns out I now love a pipe and pipe tobacco. I've lost any desire to have a cigarette and would not have one even if I'd run out of my pipe tobacco.

No not "REALLY intolerant to nicotine", I've become sensitive to it. Because I've avoided it for so long, I now really notice an effect that I can't really remember when I smoked ciggies.
A junkie ends up having a hit just to feel 'normal'. Or like a stoner who builds a 'tolerance' and can't get high. No, it's because they've got so used to being high, that being high has become normal for them.

And so I suspect that it must be very similar with nicotine. One becomes so used to the effect that one no longer notices it because it's become normal for them. It's probably why I couldn't say if the blends that I smoke have any nicotine because I don't notice any effect. I only know that there's a 'mild nic-hit' in most of my blends because Jim told me so, lol.
Since I've avoided it for so long, I now really notice the effect when it's above a mild level. Plus my body is no longer used to dealing with nicotine in large doses.

 

[UncleRasta]

Save what you don't like in a jar and try it later. Even if you really like something, don't stock up. Your tastes will change. Build on what you know about what you like and keep sampling. Don't buy anything in quantity for a year or two. Have fun.

Good advice. I shall heed it myself.

 

[Bullman]

Blacksburg Virginia?

Yes, that's the one.