Need help buying my first pipe

[Salty O'Rourke]

It's been mentioned before, but worth repeating - how a tobacco smells in the jar/tin or the room note left by the smoke has little bearing on how it tastes to the smoker. My favorite blends are Latakia-forward ones that taste great to me, but smell like barnyard sweepings in the pouch and like smoke from a brush fire when puffed. Mixture No. 79 smells nice in the pouch, like the dish of potpourri in your grandmother's parlor, and it leaves a pleasant enough room note, but it tastes like, well, like Mixture No. 79 .

 

[Fallbeard]

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experiences. Due to your recommendations, I purchased a Missouri Meerschaum Country Gentleman cob pipe, SWR regular, and some Mac Baren Burley London blend (saw on another post).

I really appreciate the warm welcome by everyone.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experiences. Due to your recommendations, I purchased a Missouri Meerschaum Country Gentleman cob pipe, SWR regular, and some Mac Baren Burley London blend (saw on another post).

I really appreciate the warm welcome by everyone.

Solid choices, enjoy jour journey!

 

[Columbo]

A few cobs and some Sir Walter Raleigh, Prince Albert or an Amphora sampler. Matches, pipe cleaners and a golf tee...that would be about $60 - $70 on the high end.

Start cheap and go slow. Pipe smoking wasn't meant to be rushed.

Or … wander out to the shed or garage, and grab the nearest clean loose nail.

New pipe smokers are a very pleasant sight. Someday, they’ll be the old fossils passing along the advice.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Casings work also well as a tamper and the Country Gentleman is a fine smoker!

 

[Columbo]

Casings work also well as a tamper and the Country Gentleman is a fine smoker!

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The Country Gent is an excellent pipe for peanuts. I have one, and it surprises me from time to time. Worth the extra couple bucks.

I think the OP made a fine choice with one.

 

[Multum in parvo]

The Country Gent is an excellent pipe for peanuts. I have one, and it surprises me from time to time. Worth the extra couple bucks.

I think the OP made a fine choice with one.

This one is dedicated to Lats and I’ve heard numerous times that cobs and Lats don’t work well

 

[Benzadmiral]

Sir Walter Raleigh for the win! You'll have trouble understanding his 16th-century English, but the smoking experience is sublime! I've never tried Mac Baren's London Blend, but their Golden Extra, apparently much like it, is excellent stuff.

 

[Kentos]

If you can afford it, and don’t mind selling it or throwing in the bottom of the junk drawer if pipe smoking isn’t for you, than I think it’s a great looking pipe and should smoke well.

If it’s somewhat of a strain on the discretionary funds, and it would be a bummer if you burnt it out learning to smoke a pipe, a cheaper alternative like cobs, Morgan Bones or an estate might be a better choice.

I started on cobs, and still have them. Never burnt out a pipe, but I did scorch a few rims.

In the end it’s a highly personal decision and there is no correct answer in my opinion. Regardless of what you end of getting, if you can figure it out, pipe smoking is an enjoyable, potentially wallet emptying hobby lol.

Good luck!!

 

[Kentos]

P.S. great pipe and tobacco choice!

 

[Isaac]

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experiences. Due to your recommendations, I purchased a Missouri Meerschaum Country Gentleman cob pipe, SWR regular, and some Mac Baren Burley London blend (saw on another post).

I really appreciate the warm welcome by everyone.

Solid pickup to start the journey.

 

[Fallbeard]

Mail man was good to me today. A Gillette 66 that I bought off another B&B member also came in.

Enjoying my first burn in right now. SWR smells like straight chewing tobacco in the pouch. My technique has a lot of room for improvement but it’s been an enjoyable experience.

 

[Dagabose]

Boswell Pipes has samplers packs of aeromatic and English blends. I bought these and a few cobs when I started.

He makes great pipes if you want to spend more on a pipe later on.

Dr Grabow Omega was my first briar pipe, and I still love it.

 

[cwright]

I've also just started this journey. This mornings smoke, MM Country Gentleman, SWR tobacco, very good mild smoke. May be a good place to start.

 

[Benzadmiral]

One of the best pipe video guys on YooToob is Muttnchop Piper (yes, spelled just like that). He has tutorials on how to load your pipe, and how to sip it to avoid tongue bite and have a more enjoyable piping experience. His "breath method" (essentially, inhaling air through your nose and exhaling smoke back out through the pipe) works very well for me. Take a look at his channel.

 

[Multum in parvo]

You will also learn about patience when watching his vids. Perhaps have a pipe alongside

 

[DesertDan]

Muttnchop Piper is fantastic, love his channel.

I started pipe smoking when I was 16 (ahh those were happier days), I began with a Dr Grabow pipe (still have it) and an aromatic called "Misty Mountain" from a local shop called Smoker's Haven. It took a while to learn to smoke properly, load the pipe correctly to get a good ember, pacing my draw so as to minimize tongue bite, etc.
I gradually tried other blends and acquired more pipes along the way. Now I have many pipes, many different tobacco blends and a large, cellared supply of nice tobaccos.

It may sound cliche, but pipe smoking really is a journey. If you stick with it, you will learn a lot and even have some surprises along the way.

Take your time and enjoy it.

Cheers!