| Author | Message | ||
     Nathaniel Beckenbauer Member Username: Norseman Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2007 |
I've been smoking a pipe for a few weeks, (a 2 month stint with captain black doesnt really count, in my opinion  ), and am having fun so far. I own two tobaccos, a local "old virginia" which seems to be an aromatic, and dunhill nightcap, which I'm sure you all know very well. So far I'm enjoying myself, but I keep thinking "there must be the perfect one out there" and I'd like to find it... any aromatic or virginia (or anything mild and beginner-like) that you guys could recommend? ps. how do you combat aftertaste? I am willing to spend the time and money to find the perfect tobacco! | ||
| Paul Tedesco Member Username: Ptedesco Post Number: 10 Registered: 10-2006 |
First, Captain Black does count. You might be surprised as to how many veteran pipe smokers go for Captain Black on a regular basis. It is a bit over-flavored. Then, try Half & Half to satisfy you aromatic VA wants. Good stuff, I buy a pouch a month or so. Mild, try Carter Hall. It's like Prince Albert with the flavor put in. Very nice VA. Aftertaste? A good thing sometimes, but I usually accompany a relaxed pipe smoke with a large glass of ice tea, or iced coffee. That'll do 'ya for aftertaste. I'm sure you will get lots of recommentdations for high-end tobaccos, but above are just a few available at most local retailers. | ||
| Todd Bannard Member Username: Sasquatch Post Number: 310 Registered: 05-2006 |
Welcome, Nathaniel. My recommendation to any new pipe smoker is Frog Morton from McClelland. It's so easy to smoke, super sweet, very mellow, and yet has a really nice smokey latakia flavour throughout. It's an eye opener for many. I don't combat aftertaste... I savour the fact that pipes leave me pipey. Except with some virginias, which leave kind of an ashy smell. Anyhow, I don't think a pipe smoker can easily obscure the fact. My wife always knows when I have smoked. Maybe it's because I don't do it constantly... | ||
| Troy N. Member Username: Revt Post Number: 177 Registered: 05-2006 |
Nathaniel, you said, "I am willing to spend the time and money to find the perfect tobacco!". That's a great attitude, because it keeps the mystery and pleasure of a pipe fresh and exciting! If you're anything like me, you'll find the "perfect" tobacco and then a few months later find a new "perfect" tobacco . . . and then on and on again. Tastes mature and change and I say roll with it. Recommendations: I recommend it all the time, but MacBaren's Vanilla Cream is just near the top for a good aromatic. Lovely vanilla room note and a taste that changes it's complexity with how you smoke it. Not a difficult smoke at all, either. You can buy it in a flake version if you really want the good stuff, but the loose tinned type is excellent, as well. Other tobaccos that have found a place in my heart (and rotation) are Dan's Blue Note and Peterson's Sunset Breeze. Both very different but very pleasing in their own way. Aftertaste: I've found a few tobaccos that leave a nice aftertaste, even the next morning! But most tobaccos, quite honestly, leave me scrambling for my toothbrush when I get up. I chew Trident White gum to clear out the unpleasant "morning after" flavor. | ||
| Don T. Hava Member Username: Donthava Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2006 |
Oh....the impossible quest...finding the 'perfect' pipe tobacco. No matter how long you smoke a pipe, that quest will continue. Eventually, your home will be filled with dozens of tins and bags and jars of tobacco as you continue the quest for the holy grail of pipe tobacco. You will soon realize that every day you arrive home and find a brown paper package on your doorstep....is Christmas. That your best friend is "Mr. Brown" or Ms. FedEx. That the tobacco in that next brown package is sure to be the 'perfect" pipe tobacco. At some point you will discover it's the journey that counts.....not the destination.....and you will find a little bit of perfection in every bowl you smoke. Welcome to the Crusade my brother. | ||
| Jim Jackson Member Username: Jim45 Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2005 |
Don Yes, it is indeed the journey. | ||
| Russell Galloway Member Username: Rudge Post Number: 8 Registered: 11-2006 |
Nathaniel, Sounds like you already have a case of "TAD". There is no known cure, sadly. | ||
| George Simpson Member Username: Simp Post Number: 138 Registered: 11-2005 |
Welcome Nathaniel. Russell is right, you already have TAD and there is no cure, only treatment. Treatment being to buy more tobacco. There is a whole world out there. After smoking a pipe for nearly 20 years, I have just scratched the surface myself. And don't be afraid of flake and cake tobaccos. They can be a challenge but they are worth the effort. As far as a VA, you might try Old Gowrie made by Rattray. My newest find is Kajun Kake by Cornell and Diehl. A very tasty VA/Per. | ||
| Robert Bittner Member Username: Rmbittner Post Number: 179 Registered: 01-2005 |
Nathaniel: Welcome to the fold! As others have noted, it's that search for the "perfect" blend -- or the "perfect" variety of blends -- that keeps this hobby endlessly fascinating. I'm not a lover of aromatics, and there's currently only one in my 6-blend rotation: Bob's Chocolate Flake (from Gawith Hoggarth). I'm finding it very enjoyable, and I think it would certainly provide a mild but flavorful introduction to a different kind of aromatic than what you might be used to. For a more typical -- although still restrained -- aromatic, I have a soft spot for McClelland's 221B: Honeydew blend. (Honeydews are flavored with molasses, not honey.) It's mildly flavored, and you still get the honest flavor of a matured Virginia. I'll also second the suggestion for Rattray's Old Gowrie. This is my "go to" Virginia flake; it isn't "aromatic" in the sense of being flavored with anything, but it's wonderfully pleasing to smoke. If you'd like shake things up a bit, I'd suggest trying a Balkan blend, some of which are my absolute favorite blends. Right now I'm enjoying Charing Cross from G.L. Pease, and it's a mild-to-moderate Balkan that makes a great "morning pipe." (I'll just mention that I need to pack Pease's blends a bit tighter than any other in order to get a cooler, more flavorful smoke.) Bob | ||
| Kevin Durling Member Username: Briar_fox Post Number: 54 Registered: 11-2006 |
Hey Nathaniel, Troy is right you will keep on finding tobaccos that you enjoy as time goes on, just this weekend I tried Orelks Dark Strong Kentucky and absolutely love it, Nightcap is one of the first tobaccos I tried and it's definately one of my fav's and it's also great for coloring meers. I also love Arcadia and Peterson's University Flake as well as Peterson's Old Dublin. At first I didn't enjoy aromatics as much because I was smoking poor quality ones, but through trying new ones I found that I really enjoy aromatics in flake form. Good luck in the persuit of a favorite tobacco, thats half the fun! As far as getting rid of the aftertaste I find that a pint of Guinness works great, actually I just enjoy Guinness with my pipe, and isn't that what it's all about? | ||
| smokey strodtman Member Username: Smokey422 Post Number: 402 Registered: 08-2005 |
Nathaniel, I would recommend that you check out the samplers offered by several retailers, it's an easy way to try several tobaccos without spending a lot of money. Three I can recommend are www.cornellanddiehl.com, www.pipesandcigars.com, and www.vtpipes.com. Talk to the proprietors at these sites and they will steer you in the right direction. Also, some sites sell tobacco by the ounce so you can read the descriptions and make up your own sampler. Good luck, we're all still looking for the ultimate tobacco! | ||
| Nathaniel Beckenbauer Member Username: Norseman Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2007 |
thank you all for your responses! I am thinking especially of getting some blue note, macbaren, rattray's (despite the weird name), some balkans, and probably everything else, once I get the time (and funds). the sampler idea is good, but it brings up a problem: what if I really like a tobacco! soon I will be done with it and will have to wait for my order to arrive! there is no justice in this world! |