Pipe Smoking

[TexasOutlaw]

Anyone out there smoke a pipe? If so, do you prefer briar or meerchaum? And, what's your favorite pipe?

BTW, I'm talking about tobacco pipes.

[Fritz]

Anyone out there smoke a pipe? If so, do you prefer briar or meerchaum? And, what's your favorite pipe?

BTW, I'm talking about tobacco pipes.

I like the Olde English type blends, and onces with Cherry and Whiskey types.

A nice Black Cav to finish off the night is fantastic.

Briar, Meerchaums get too hot and show age after use.

[TexasOutlaw]

I'm a cavendish man myself. Even though I have a few of the "sherlock holmes" style tobaccos. I do NOT like latakia, tastes like an herb to me.

I prefer briar though honestly i haven't given meerchaum a chance yet. The only thing close I have right now is a Calabash from BC that has a meerchaum bowl. However, I am getting some kind of nasty aftertaste, not sure if its the meerchaum; I suspect it may be remnants of the gourd as it tastes like an acrid fruit flavored.

Fritz, whats your favorite tobbaco blend or manufactuer? Do you just do bulk?

[Fritz]

I'm a cavendish man myself. Even though I have a few of the "sherlock holmes" style tobaccos. I do NOT like latakia, tastes like an herb to me.

I prefer briar though honestly i haven't given meerchaum a chance yet. The only thing close I have right now is a Calabash from BC that has a meerchaum bowl. However, I am getting some kind of nasty aftertaste, not sure if its the meerchaum; I suspect it may be remnants of the gourd as it tastes like an acrid fruit flavored.

Fritz, whats your favorite tobbaco blend or manufactuer? Do you just do bulk?

The aftertaste is because a flaw with the Meerchaum pipes is it can have the flavors of previous tabacco's "burned" into them.

I buy bulk from my local tobacaonist. He has a bunch of different blends that are exclusive to his location and some blends I helped him create when I worked there. There are a few canned I like my favorite of the cans is Shannon. It's a great blend from Dublin, Ireland. Love all of them.
My favorite bulk blend I'm smoking atm is one called Royal Road, it's great, it has a light cav mixed with a black cav so you get a duel flavor that is jsut smooth and creamy.

My pipe is a Pipa Croci it was a 350$ Pipe. I love it. Here is a pic. FEatured in the pic are some of the canned favorites.

[TexasOutlaw]

I have a fondness for Peterson tins, especially their connoisour's choice. Also, I bought something called Mac Baren Cube, and it's pretty good.

[krusen]

My girlfriend is making me give up cigarettes and chew, so I was thinking about getting into pipes. (Still nice to have a little smoke with a good beer in the evening) I was hoping this would be a good way to have some tobacco infrequently.
I really know nothing about pipes or tobacco, and don't really want to spend a whole lot. So a merchaum pipe is bad? I saw some really cool ones at the Renissiance Fair last weekend.

[TexasOutlaw]

Krusen, it's not that meerchaum is bad; it's just not the best starter pipe. I didn't like my firest one because it turns from white to a nasty pee color that I hated. Now that I'm older, that doesn't bother me as much.

Let me know how much you want to spend and I'll give you some suggestions; there are some very good "cheap" pipes.

Also, you do know that we don't inhale the smoke.

[Fritz]

A corn cob pipe is the best pipe to use for someone who is just starting out. Mainly cause they are like 5 dollars, if that. Just so that you can get used to the flavor and taste of pipe tobacco and see if it's right for you.

If you enjoy it, I'd recommend going up to a 25-30$ Briar straight neck pipe.

Also don't be afraid to ask your local tobacconist either. They will be great help for starters and get you set on the right track.

[krusen]

Yeah, I kind of assumed that inhaling wasn't a good idea....I've had a few stogies in my day.
Will tobacco stay fresh in a tin for a while?
What blend would you recommend to a beginner?
A 30$ pipe sounds cheap enough. I'm not worried about liking it, but may have to travel a little to find an actual tobacco shop.

[Fritz]

Yeah, I kind of assumed that inhaling wasn't a good idea....I've had a few stogies in my day.
Will tobacco stay fresh in a tin for a while?
What blend would you recommend to a beginner?
A 30$ pipe sounds cheap enough. I'm not worried about liking it, but may have to travel a little to find an actual tobacco shop.

Start with something light. I'd pick something that has cherry in it. Stay with the light blends, and don't' go near the Black Cavendish.
Tins will stay good for a long long long time. Pipe Tobacco in a Tin is dry cured so it doesnt even need humidity.

If you aren't too far from the Twin Cities, Stogies on Grand 961 Grand Avenue Saint Paul, MN-55105 651-222-8700 is fantastic. His selection is really nice and it's a really kewl shop. I really enjoyed my time there when I was in Minnesota on vacation.

Edit: I did a maps.google.com search of your profile location and you are : 68.0 miles away to Saint Paul. Looks like a straight shot up 7.

[TexasOutlaw]

I hate to disagree with Fritz because he clearly has much wisdom. I do own a corn cob pipe, but it is a novelty.

For price range Fritz is talking about, you may be able to get a machine made Bjarnes, which is a good cheap pipe. I still own 3 for the simple reason that I'm not taking my hand carveds out into the lake fishing. I would say give yourself a budget closer to 100 bucks. What I'm worried about is that if you get a pipe that doesn't smoke quite right, you may get turned off too quick. Peterson makes some nice pipes for 60-100 bucks. I have one of their killarny series for about 60 or so that is great.

I also disagree about the straights. It is up to most people. A straight pipe smokes dryer than a full bent but hotter. I would rather deal with gurgling (or stopping for 3 min to put a pipe cleaner in there) than a hot pipe. Also, I learned really young that a full bent was more comfortable than a straight pipe for me. It's gonna be up to you and what feels better to you. I like full 3/4 bents. If you think a wet pipe (which will gurgle at times) will bother you, you may want to go with a straight or maybe a 1/4 bent.

As for tobacco, I must once again disagree (I'm so disagreeable...). I like cavendish blends. Fritz and I clearly have different tastes. one thing that can help you. Most tobacco shops let you sample their house blends. So you can get an idea for what you like. Try burleys, virginias, and even a cavendish blend.

I think I'm rambling, so I'll quit. And maybe post again in a bit. I think I'm more excited about it than you are. I like helping out new pipe smokers.


OH one more thing, if you like cigars, you probably will enjoy a pipe.

[Fritz]

I hate to disagree with Fritz because he clearly had much wisdom. I do own a corn cob pipe, but it is a novelty.

For price range Fritz is talking about, you may be able to get a machine made Bjarnes, which is a good cheap pipe. I still own 3 for the simple reason that I'm not taking my hand carveds out into the lake fishing. I would say give yourself a budget closer to 100 bucks. What I'm worried about is that if you get a pipe that doesn't smoke quite right, you may get turned off too quick. Peterson makes some nice pipes for 60-100 bucks. I have one of their killarny series for about 60 or so that is great.

I also disagree about the straights. It is up to most people. A straight pipe smokes dryer than a full bent but hotter. I would rather deal with gurgling (or stopping for 3 min to put a pipe cleaner in there) than a hot pipe. Also, I learned really young that a full bent was more comfortable than a straight pipe for me. It's gonna be up to you and what feels better to you. I like full 3/4 bents. If you think a wet pipe (which will gurgle at times) will but you, you may want to go with a straight or maybe a 1/4 bent.

As for tobacco, I must once again disagree (I'm so disagreeable...). I like cavendish blends. Fritz and I clearly have different tastes. one thing that can help you. Most tobacco shops let you sample their house blends. So you can get an idea for what you like. Try burleys, virginias, and even a cavendish blend.

I think I'm rambling, so I'll quit. And maybe post again in a bit. I think I'm more excited about it than you are. I like helping out new pipe smokers.


OH one more thing, if you like cigars, you probably will enjoy a pipe.

You make kitty sad lol j/k I just said stay away from Black Cavs. Way to strong for a beginner

I mistyped that that shoulda red dont' use the straight pipes.
Bents are easier to keep lit.

[TexasOutlaw]

Fritz may be right about cavendish being too strong for you; what I was trying to say in a not-so-elegant way was that you will have to make your own decision.

Fritz made a great point about bents staying lit easier. Honestly, I don't ever worry about it. If it goes out, relight. It doesn't go acrid or stale like a cigar will by relighting.

When I started smoking more seriously or rather looking at different tobaccos instead of the Captain Black crap (which I cannot recommend), I bought samples or 1 oz of everything I could find. The current tobacco shop I frequent sells a minimum of 2 oz, which is a lot if you decide you don't like it.

I still think your tobaconist will let you try bowl fulls; they do me still. One other thing, pipes on the Internet are way cheaper. I can recommend a few places and even a few pipes.

Back to cavendish. Most blends have a little cavendish in them. Try cherry like Fritz suggested. Many people like vanilla. Oh I bought a Mac Baren cube for 10 bucks which was a great value, and it is like a burley/virginia blend with a hint of honey. It's great. If you like cigars, I have something called "cigar freindly" that is good. Just ask your guy what is most like a cigar.

I really like Peterson tins though (I do NOT like Ashton which is carried by the same distributer). I dont' care for latakia, which reminds me of the herbs the voodoo men used to burn in the swamps of Louisiana.


I'm sure you've figured this out, but bulk tobacco is cheaper than tins. But honestly, tobaco is a great value, even if you mispell it. At 10 bucks for 50 g, you are smoking premium stuff that lasts a long time. For this price you will be lucky to get 2 premium cigars. I still have 2 jars of different cavandish that I bought back in 97. So for about 36 bucks (I remember cause my ex wife harassed me about spending this money), I've been enjoying tobacco for what 9 years now? How is that for value! Granted I have other blends I also smoke.

It's a shame you don't live near, so you an try my stuff. My friend that moved away hated cavendish (pure cavendish) when I was introducing him to pipe smoking. He didnt like barley or virginia or even latakia. He liked something i had called raspberry champagn that i dont even remember where I got.
Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find it; the closest is a cherry cavendish mix.

In closing (finally, huh? this is longer than my thesis), we can suggest a few things, but you will have to decide for yourself. But, don't be discourages as this is the best part! I also would buy from online as pipes are cheaper. If it's only a 20 dollar different, support your tobbaco place and buy it there. Sometimes you will save much more. Get back to me, and I'll suggest a few places where I have shopped.

[superq]

I smoke a pipe a few times a year, I always stop at the local store and get a nice 50/50 mix of a very good cherry and black cav... cuts the cav and still gives the nice sweet taste.

[TexasOutlaw]

Yeah, I was thinking that most cherries I'm aware of are some kind of cavendish blend.

I wonder how long until someone gets on this thread and tells us that tobacco is the devil, that we should smoke some "HERB" (even though I don't know him) and go to church?