New Pipe Smoker Intro

[Coz77]

Well tomorrow is the day... Im going out to pick up my first cob and a few blends. Ive been curious about pipe for quite some time now, and although I love my cigars its just to damn cold to enjoy them. As of late if been dropping subtle hints to the wife and I finally got the green light to smoke inside. Of course ill be subjected to the basement but its finished with cable, wifi and a bar so who cares.

Im fortunate enough to live 5 miles away from some of the master blenders at www.pipesandcigars.com. Because of my situation Im going to start of with the aromatics. Ive researched the Trout Stream and Butternut Burley blends. It seems that these are nice noobie blends and the room note is wife friendly.

Any info or a little help in the right direction would be appreciated.

[nonameman]

Congrats on the big day tomorrow! The cold weather here makes it hard on outside only cigar smokers this time of the year, so pipe smoking is the way to go during fall/winter.

I can't help you with aromatic tobacco, but I'm sure someone will be here to help you with blends to try shortly. You should also try a blend or two of Virginia tobacco, some Burley, and a couple Latakia blends. The room note of some blends, especially Burley and Virginia blends won't bother the people around you.

I'm sure your new cob won't let you down. Cobs are wonderful smokers! Don't forget to get a pipe tool and pipe cleaners too. Try not to sip too fast. It will help you avoid tongue bite and a hot pipe. You don't need to turn the pipe into a smoke machine! Just remember to sip not gulp.

One more thing. Here's a great site to read reviews about different blends: http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/index.cfm

Enjoy the new pipe!

Great choices to start with, they are awesome. I also enjoy eggnog which is rum and spices. Great this time of year!!

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Coz77

Well tomorrow is the day...

...Any info or a little help in the right direction would be appreciated.

Welcome.

"FILL" a pipe - don't "pack" a pipe. Using the 1-2-3* fill method works pretty well. When filled it should still draw with very slight resistance. Stiff resistance is a problem because, as you smoke, the tobak expands and will plug the bowl. When a bowl gets progessively harder to draw upon you gradually begin to suck your cheeks and tongue into blue, lifeless slabs of stinging tissue. Most experienced pipe smokers do not favor this condition. Tamp gently, as required, to keep an even burn going. Once you get the hang of a good fill and an even light/burn it's smooth sailing. IMHO.

*
1) gravity fill to the top and then compress to 1/2 bowl.
2) gently compress a small wad of tobak enough to fill almost 1/2 bowls-worth, plug it in and compress gently and evenly to about 2/3 bowlful.
3) mash a small wad tightly between your fingertips and almost top off the bowl - compress gently to 3/4 - 7/8 full, yielding a nearly filled pipe offering very slight resistance to a draw.

4) light the whole top evenly, slow sipping puffs.
5) when it's all charred and probably wanting to climb out of the pipe, tamp it gently and evenly to a smooth finish.
6) relight, evenly, and sip/puff slowly.
7) inhale DEEPLY and let the smoke trickle out around your eyeballs.
8) just kidding about #7

[DrDubzz]

trout stream and butternut burley are two of my favorites (I'm a noob too). I would definitely recommend them as good aromatic starting points. But don't be afraid to venture into natural tobaks like virginias, burleys and even latakias (the smell may be offputting at first though)

From one noob to another:

- Stick with it. My first two times I got tongue bite. Then it took a month to start developing a pallet for pipe tobaccos (at first I "couldn't taste anything" when smoking a pipe). Patience is key.

- Get a soft-flame pipe lighter. If you're smoking slow enough to have a cool dry smoke that doesn't bite your tongue, the pipe will seem to go out six jillion times. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of keeping it lit without getting too hot later.

- Dry out your tobak a little. I like to pull out enough for one bowl and let it sit out for an hour before packing, er, rather, loading my pipe.

Enjoy!

[DrDubzz]

Originally Posted by petewho

From one noob to another:

- Stick with it. My first two times I got tongue bite. Then it took a month to start developing a pallet for pipe tobaccos (at first I "couldn't taste anything" when smoking a pipe). Patience is key.

another reason butternut burley is so nice, there's about ZERO tongue bite, you can puff til you're blue in the face (I don't recommend this however) and you won't hurt your tongue

[Coz77]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Ive been doing some extensive research all week reading forums and going to tobaccoreviews.com. Just like when I started cigars 5 years ago my head is spinning from all the cool pipe info. Sure is fun though to peak down a new slope.

I can only hope my wife takes a liking to the smell and lets me continue my indoor hobby.

As stated before Ill be smoking in my basement its finished with furniture. I have half linoleum and half carpet flooring...Is stale pipe smoke unwelcoming or a problem? Should I be worried about lingering smells like I do with cigars? Should I open a window, turn on a fan?

[FrequenC]

Originally Posted by Coz77

Thanks for all the tips guys. Ive been doing some extensive research all week reading forums and going to tobaccoreviews.com. Just like when I started cigars 5 years ago my head is spinning from all the cool pipe info. Sure is fun though to peak down a new slope.

I can only hope my wife takes a liking to the smell and lets me continue my indoor hobby.

As stated before Ill be smoking in my basement its finished with furniture. I have half linoleum and half carpet flooring...Is stale pipe smoke unwelcoming or a problem? Should I be worried about lingering smells like I do with cigars? Should I open a window, turn on a fan?

Welcome to the slope!

The best tip I can give you is Take it Slow! Don't puff too often or you will regret it. Just enjoy the the scents, tastes and the general relaxation of this lovely hobby!

As far as stale pipe smoke, I find it depends on the blend (For the most part aromatics leave a welcoming scent in the air and I have not found any stale smoke smell lingering as with cigars or cigarettes. However, opening a window doesn't hurt either

Also don't be afraid to pick up some non-aromatics, I would recommend starting with something like Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake, Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake, Escudo, or all 3 of them! If you're feeling brave and want to try something with Latakia try something like Squadron Leader although I doubt the wife will enjoy the smell of this in the house

Either way, enjoy the time spent smoking and enjoy your descent down this slippery slope!

[Coz77]

Well fellas it was a great weekend. I picked up 3 aromatic blends (Butternut Burley, Trout Stream, and Danny Boy) I must have went through 6 bowls, I know it seems like a lot for a noob but I couldn't stop. I wanted to try out each blend. Each one was truly a great experience. I experimented with many different puffing and lighting techniques. Mostly just trying to keep the bowl lit. That's where I think I mess up. Things got way to hot....Needless to say I have a pretty mean case of tongue bite today. I'm going to take a few days off and try again when my tougue is back to normal.

Trying to remember to keep thing SLOW and COOL (sip sip).
I think ill try drying out my tobacco more too. Some blends felt sticky to me?

[Mikepd]

Coz- The Trout Stream is going to be a little "sticky" in nature because the cavendish in there there is a stoved which cointains some excess moisture. Feel free to swing in during the week in the evening or saturday morning to see Russ and he can show you how to pack your bowl and keep it lit and cool while smoking. Oh and hows the wife doing with the smell, does she complain?

Originally Posted by Coz77

I experimented with many different puffing and lighting techniques. Mostly just trying to keep the bowl lit. That's where I think I mess up. Things got way to hot....

Be especially careful when relighting a bowl. It's really easy to get the tobacco too hot and burn your tongue when you're relighting if you overdo it with the lighter.

Cozz good to see ya' hanging out in the pipe forum, I hope you're still enjoying your pipe. The cob is a great choice of pipe to start with IMO, I have four briars now, and I'm just as happy smoking my cobs!!! I'm still pretty new to the pipes but a couple suggestions would be, fill your bowl on the loose side to start, and dont be afraid to try a few Over the Counter Classics.... Prince Albert, and Carter Hall, as a newbie to the pipes and coming from cigars these two blends have been much better than the heavily cased aeromatics, that smell so nice.

Enjoy.

Dgar