Tobacco Questions

[JD11]

Hey all ,
a little backround on me . I'm a cigarette and cigar smoker giving pipes a try.I got a basket pipe starter pack that came with 8 -1oz samples (mostly house aromatics), i also bought 2 cobs and 4oz lane ltd 1Q and a pouch of CBW. trying to get the hang of packing , lighting , relighting , and lighting again and again. all the while pouring over all the threads and reviews here , tobaccoreviews , pipedia and wherever google sends me.

As a NPS with no palate for pipe tobacco and that I have only smoked CBW , Lane 1Q and butternut burley, which i like . What is/are the baccy I should try that would let even MY inexperienced palate taste a "typical" English , Virginia , Vaper , Oriental or other. so that I can then pick a path and find the one that I like in that genre.. If thats even possible being as there is so much out there , not to mention the SGs and other hard to find baccys

I plan on doing the Newb sampler trade at some point , but I want be able to know what I am tasting ,pack a pipe and keep her lit first ..

[NCRadioMan]

If you are re-lighting that much, try drying the baccy out a bit.

As for English suggestions:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...hlight=english
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...hlight=english

I only smoke English as I don't like artificially flavored baccy and I can't taste VA's and VaPer's but I am sure you will get some great suggestions on the other variety's. Good luck!

[kayak_rat]

For a good sampling of English....I like 965 or Nightcap from Dunhill. Most shops should have these so they are easy to find. For a slight Oriental spin on English blends, try the Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill as well.

Most shops have some good bulks that will give you a chance to make the rounds of the basic flavors. For Virginia, a sample of McClellands 5100 is hard to beat.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by kayak_rat

For a good sampling of English....I like 965 or Nightcap from Dunhill.... Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill as well... For Virginia ... McClellands 5100 is hard to beat.

Pretty darn good advice.

All of the suggestions above are excellent. If you want to get wild and try flake tobacco, 100g of Rattray's Marlin Flake (JR's $12 - cavendish, virginia and perique)) is easy on the wallet and easy to enjoy - dark and mellow. On the other side of the field, lighter and piquant, is the always-available Macbaren's Navy Flake (virginia/burley).

There are many spectacular virginia (and virginia blended) flakes but some are more challenging than others to handle. I mention the two above for landmark smoking character, easy availability and easy flake intro.

[Curly Cut]

if you're still smoking cigars and not strictly smoking pipes for a few months without cigars, then i wouldn't waste your time with a VA or Va/Per - you won't taste what makes them so good.

as far as readily available English and Oriental blends, your local shop may have some McClellands tobaccos to try. that's what i was smoking a lot of when i was switching back to pipes from cigars and couldn't taste VAs and Va/Pers yet.

I'm not a fan of Dunhill blends, other than Elizabethan Mixture, so i can't recommend them at all. Cornell & Diehl also make a couple nice and easy to smoke English blends, like Da Vinci, which you'll surely be able to taste even if you just stopped smoking a cigar 2 minutes before you lit the pipe.

[JD11]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. what do you think about Maltese Falcon , and Frog Morton for english .For va - vaper Escudo and Dan Tobacco Treasures of Ireland -Limerick.. Supposedly all of these available at local B+M . If I order online some of your recommendations are on my short list

[kayak_rat]

Maltese is a great choice for an english. GL Pease is a top notch blender and his chioce of Cyprian Latakia adds great flavor. From Morton is a good staple to have around. Not as heavy as the Maltese, but will still demonstrate what a good english should be.

I have been away from VAPERS for a while, but Escudo is one everyone I know has a tin or two. Sounds like you are well on your way. Congrats on embarking on a new adventure.

[JD11]

Thanks to all your help and all of the members of this asylum I seem to keep finding slopes to slide down...

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by JD11

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. what do you think about Maltese Falcon , and Frog Morton for english .For va - vaper Escudo and Dan Tobacco Treasures of Ireland -Limerick.. Supposedly all of these available at local B+M . If I order online some of your recommendations are on my short list

Those are great starter VaPers!!

[Curly Cut]

Originally Posted by JD11

For va - vaper Escudo and Dan Tobacco Treasures of Ireland -Limerick..

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

Those are great starter VaPers!!

i concur, but just make sure you've given your palate time to recover from smoking cigars, or else you'll have a hard time tasting most of the flavors in a VA or Va/Per.

[JD11]

will do Curley Cut, thanks

[Slow Triathlete]

You never know what you'll gravitate to.....that's what makes it fun.

[Paulmac]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

You never know what you'll gravitate to.....that's what makes it fun.

And what you gravitate to now, may not be what you gravitate to 2 years from now.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Paulmac

And what you gravitate to now, may not be what you gravitate to 2 years from now.

Don't mention that to Mrs. Moo. She's touchy that way.

I agree that you never know what you will gravitate to. It does truly make it fun. I only have 3-4lbs of pipe tobacco. The largest quantity I have of a single blend is a pound but the next largest is only 3 ounces. The rest are 2-1ounce of each blend. I find myself constantly switching back and forth between blends. It's what makes the hobby so fun. There is so much out there to still try!

what does everyone think of McClellands's 221b Honeydew and Dan Tobacco's Blue Note?

those along with Lane Blend 1Q are what I purchased with my first pipe.