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Pipe tobacco WOW moment

In my short pipe tobacco experience I have had two WOW moments. These moments came from the tobacco being well above my initial thoughts and expectations. So far Frog Morton and Firedance are my two WOW tobaccos.

Anyone else have any?


-Luke
 
G&H Bobs Chocolate Flake. I ordered a 2oz sample with an order based on a recommendation from Jwhite. When it first arrived, I cringed at the smell of Latakia, I don't care for it much. When I finally decided to give it a go, it instantly became a favorite, I ordered an additional pound before I finished the first bowl.
 
Rum and Maple by Altaldis, was my 3rd try at smoking pipe and was the tobacco I smoked when I realized I could actually enjoy the hobby.

I actually enjoy non-aromatics more, but I still haven't found one that really knocks my socks off with flavor.
 
Rum and Maple by Altaldis, was my 3rd try at smoking pipe and was the tobacco I smoked when I realized I could actually enjoy the hobby.

I actually enjoy non-aromatics more, but I still haven't found one that really knocks my socks off with flavor.

Have you ever tried a Balkan tobacco or a blend with some Latakia or Perique in it? I find that I really enjoy those blends when I'm wanting a good amount of flavor. Samuel Gawith makes what many call "Lakeland" tobaccos that have some flavors added to them, but are not like your run of the mill aromatics. I really enjoy Gawith's offerings that I've tried so far. I do still enjoy Burley as a knock-around even though most see it as boring and not very complex it has its place.
 
I have tried Frog Morton, which I believe has some latakia. It does have substantial flavor, but it is very leathery...not particualarly my favorite taste, though I will occasionally be in the mood. In cigars I prefer the earthy and nutty tastes with subtle sweets. I haven't really found that in a pipe tobacco.

Orlik's was semi-sweet...but not complex.

I will have to try some Gawith, I have heard many good things.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Two Friends English Chocolate, I won't say it's the best tobacco I've ever had, but it's up there. I just wasn't expecting it to be as good as it actually was I was impressed.
Another wow moment for me was opening my first tin of Escudo, and seeing all those rolls layed out in inside the tin.
 
Rum and Maple by Altaldis, was my 3rd try at smoking pipe and was the tobacco I smoked when I realized I could actually enjoy the hobby.

I actually enjoy non-aromatics more, but I still haven't found one that really knocks my socks off with flavor.
I would say give G.L. Pease's Westminster a try.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
In cigars I prefer the earthy and nutty tastes with subtle sweets. I haven't really found that in a pipe tobacco.

And I've never had pork that tastes like a ribeye, but I have had some fine pork.

If you are looking for a pipe tobacco that will offer the same flavor profile as a cigar, you'll never find it. The differences in the leaf, how they are treated, and blended do not lend themselves to the same outcome. If you want a cigar, smoke one, if you find a pipe tobacco you like, smoke it and enjoy it for what it is, but don't dismiss the blend because you were looking at it through cigar flavored glasses, you'll miss some fine tobacco.
 
My apologies, I did not mean to offend. I was merely stating that I had no found a pipe tobacco that entirely fit my tastes, and leather isn't something I look for. If it helps, I would like to say that I only have about a year of smoking and experimentation under my belt.

I wouldn't necessarily ask for the same flavor profile, but I would like to try some pipe tobacco with the same flavor strength. Usually my first few puffs of a pipe are laden with flavor, but it quickly fades, while a cigar's flavor seems to stick around through the entire thing. I want that in a pipe, because I actually enjoy smoking a pipe more. I will hopefully be able to try some of the suggestions in this thread soon enough.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
No apologies are needed. How often are you smoking cigars? If it's a couple times week, and you're mixing cigars and the pipe, it will be difficult to appreciate the subtleties of pipe tobacco. I was a cigar smoker, who couldn't smoke a pipe without feeling like me mouth was a blast furnace from over puffing, trying to get the big flavors of a cigar out of a pipe. After, abstaining from cigars and smoking my pipe 3-4 times per week in an effort to figure it out, I slowly was able to pick up the more subtle flavors. I still smoke cigars, although not nearly as often now, and each time I do it's like a firehose of strength and flavor compared to a pipe. You may have to do the same,give yourself a break from the cigars, and let your palette adjust.
 
I actually started with pipe and moved to cigars because as soon as I tried one I could actually taste it. Perhaps I will take a break from cigars and smoke a tin of Escudo Navy Deluxe or similar exclusively when I smoke and see what happens after a few weeks.
 
For me it was Esoterica Penzance. Probably the first I'd tried with a prominent Latakia component. It was a definite WOW.
 
I actually started with pipe and moved to cigars because as soon as I tried one I could actually taste it. Perhaps I will take a break from cigars and smoke a tin of Escudo Navy Deluxe or similar exclusively when I smoke and see what happens after a few weeks.

I'd recommend getting some of the fuller flakes from SG and G&H rubbed out fully. My personal WOW moment came with 1792 flake from SG. Really opened up pipe smoking for me as well as G&H rum flake and Bobs Chocolate flake also from G&H. Whatever tobacco you choose there is something counter intuitive about pipe smoking - the larger the hot ember and the deeper or more rapidly you draw the more shallow the flavor. The best flavor arrives from the gentlest of sips as you keep the pipe on teetering on the precipice of staying lit and going out. Natural instinct is to draw harder on the pipe when the flavor seems light, don't. Better to relight as you get your rhythm down.
 
I was wowed the first time I tried an English blend - Altadis Fox & Hound. I was scared by the smokey smell from the bag; but I was very surprised on the first draw that it was not overpowering.

My second wow was Escudo. It was my first flake of any kind so I was confused. But the first time I got it folded & stuffed just right, BAM, I loved it. That was my first tin & the first time I had spent more than $5 on a tobacco so I treated it as a delicacy only smoking it once in awhile. Of course once I opened that door there was no going back.

Not a baccy, but my other big I remember was trying a cob. I never expected a pipe with a fraction the retail value of a iffy basket briar to smoke as good as $60+ pipes.
 
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