I don't smoke, but have questions. Is herbal tobacco nice? For that matter is normal pipe tobacco nice? Has anyone used a savinelli balsa system pipe? Thats all for now. Kristian
First of all, I have quit smoking.. at least for now I love pipe smoking, but I would personally stay way clear of herbal tobacco! It's an abomination IMO! "Normal" tobacco comes in a few variants, personally I like "Cavendish" tobacco (Tobacco infused with molasses and aromas). I prefer filter systems, the Savinelli balsa filters are nice, but I prefer active coal filters, takes the edge off the harshness.
Herbal tobaccos are a sham in my opinion. Some folks consider them to be more healthy than regular tobacco, but if you're gonna smoke, why not go ahead and use regular tobacco?
Pipe smoking is the bomb. Can't say I've ever burned any herbal tobacco but regular pipe tobacco is a wonderful thing. Some of my go-to blends: Prince Albert: This blend and Half and Half are the Aqua Velva Classic and Clubman AS of pipe smoking. Not extremely aromatic but quite smooth, nice vitamin N (nicotine) content and not likely to offend bystanders Peterson University Flake: Comes in a square tin, looks like pieces of beef jerky. Fold a piece up plunk it in your pipe and you're off. Full tobacco taste but a bit more cased and aromatic than my normal fair. Good for when I have a sweet tooth. Cornell and Diehl http://www.cornellanddiehl.com/oldindex.html is the spot to be if your looking for pipe tobacco. I've not had a bad one in the bunch. A few of my favorites: Old Joe Krantz: A bit on the cigary side and probably not great for beginners but IMHO probably the best pipe weed on the market. WARNING: This stuff is the nicotine power bar from hell. A wonderful thing for early morning with a hot cup of Joe. Epiphany: Great stuff, combines the classic American burley manners with that exotic, English blend flavor Riverboat Gambler: Another great blend from my buddy Bob Runowski. Full flavored and remarkable General Recommendations for pipe smoking noobs (YMMV): A corncob actually smokes pretty well and gives you a way to "check it out" without a huge initial investment. Very Important: Step 1 Separate the bit (mouthpiece) from the rest of the pipe. You should see a wax paper cylinder (filter). Pull that out and throw it as far as you can. If you decide pipe smoking is not your thing, you're out a couple bucks for the lesson learned. Aromatics (the blends that attract most noobs to pipe smoking) actually smell about a ton better than they smoke. Overly cased blends that smell like vanilla, cherries, apples, etc. Typically smoke very hot and contain next to no vitamin N. Learn to correctly load a pipe (PM me for more on this) Noobs should generally start with a burley blend (i.e. Prince Albert or Half and Half) burley is generally much less particular about noob mistakes than say a virginia, that will give you cat tongue if you puff too quickly and tend to just be very bitey and unpleasant for the inexperienced smoker. If there's anything I can talk about all damn day, it's pipes and tobacco. If I can enable any neophyte pipe smokers please, don't hesitate to let me know. Be advised though PAD (pipe acquisition disorder) and TAD (tobacco acquisition disorder) make shaving related AD's look like a picnic
Love the baccy !!! Listen to the man above ................:sihns011..........GI knows his stuff www.brothersofbriar.com www.tobaccoreviews.com www.glpease.com Check these places for mo info
Very good advice from GI. I've been a pipe smoker for many years and GI is right about pipe and tobacco AD. I'm back on English blends after about a year of smoking McClelland Virginias. Black Woods Flake is awesome. Smoking Penzance now.
Great advice, GI :happy088 I can't comment on herbal tobaccos either. I had a bowl of Frog Morton on the Town the other day. Latakia blends work so nicely with cold weather.
So what is the main attraction? Is it fiddling about with traditional things in the same sort of way we do with shaving? Is it because you like the tobacco/nicotine?
The original Surgeon General's Report reported that moderate pipe smokers lived slightly longer, on average, than people who never smoked at all. Perhaps it has something to do with taking the time to go through the ritual of lighting up is relaxing? Or folks willing to take the time are of a more relaxed personality? Either way, you can't be in a hurry to smoke a pipe; it forces you to slow down and reduces stress. Sound familiar?
I smoke pipes and enjoy them. Like GI said, the "aromatics" smell better than they smoke. A mild Virginia tobacco might be a good way to start out. I have a Savinelli. They're good pipes. I prefer Petersons in a bent configuration with a small bowl. I actually like the Peterson "system" pipes the best, but Peterson makes some nice pipes which don't use the "system" design. Whichever pipe you use, I would avoid the Dr. Grabow pipes....they might turn you away from smoking a pipe since they tend to burn hot. As for tobaccos, I really like flake tobaccos such as Navy Flake, Bob's Chocolate Flake, McConnell Scottish Flake and Peterson University flake just to name a few.
Well said, my brutha..............:eatdrink047 My pipe(s) is my wubbie to and from work. Keeps the road rage under control and the commute much more enjoyable. I'd be lying if I said I don't need the nicotine but it's not even close to when I smoked cigs. There is an underlying want but not the I NEED IT NOW addiction that I had with cigarettes. I love my pipe(s) but if I dont get in a smoke for a day or 2, its no biggie
Well, I "quit" back in may/june.. Not definitely, that was never the goal, just to rid myself from the nicotine habit... Didn't like to wake up with a nicotine craving, so I decided to kick it... I TRULY enjoy a nice pipe, I just hate the addiction! I'm going to have a smoke this weekend! Looking forward to it!
I quit smoking about 14 years ago. However, now and then I have a craving. I have been really wanting something for a while now and may just have to get a pipe. Although it will probably be a cheap pipe and will ruin the whole experience (that and being a pipe newb).
Yeah, I recommend you stay away from the bottom range of pipes and go for a midrange, you can get a VERY good pipe for $40-ish... I recomend you look for "Royal Danish", Stanwell's budget line, affordable pipes with great character. I'd say they are more value for the money than a Stanwell itself!
Let's not forget Kaywoodie in the discussion. Slightly more affordable than European pipes but a great value for the money nontheless. http://www.smfrankcoinc.com/kaywoodie/standard/standard.htm Me personally, I like the pre-1938 Kaywoodies. They can be picked up for a song on 'the bay" and are easy to return to like new condition (surely, you didn't think old straight razors were the only things you could restore ). The briar on these was 150 years old or so when they were made. If there's a better smoke on the planet, the Almighty saved it for himself. A perfect companion for some good old Codger Burley.
Hate to spend that much on a pipe off the bat, but don't want a bad experience to start with. Can't have a pipe shipped to work and can't trust anything shipped to home to make it. So I guess corn cob or nothing will be the case. OK... I did try a CC pipe once upon a time... not doing that again :happy102
I am aware that we have different financial circumstances, but I still recommend that you try to avoid a corn cob pipe
I can't believe the corn cob bashing. I love my corn cob pipes. I'm really glad I have them, and they all smoke very nicely. Here is a short list of reasons: if it breaks or burns out who cares great for travel, no worries about scratches, dents, breaks great for learning on, no worries about wrecking an expensive pipe nice to have when you have a small rotation of pipes. No need to rest between smokes smokes just as nicely as any of my $50 pipes They may not be as refined as a nice briar, but they are definitely worthwhile pipes.
I snipped the list for brevity's sake, but I agree wholeheartedly. Missouri Meerschaum is the budget-conscious pipe smoker's friend. There's actually a guy who did a series of video blogs on Youtube talking about cobs and how to get the most out of them and pipes in general. That might be a nice resource for you as well. Do a search for 'Aristocob'
