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Pipe Tobacco

Do any of you gents smoke a pipe? I have always found the smell of someone's pipe to be intoxicating (I'm not sure I've ever smelled what would be considered "foul" pipe tobacco). On the rare occasion that I happen to be in close proximity to a gentleman's pipe, I find myself breathing deeply, sometimes even going as far as following someone
just to be downwind of the pipe smoke! :lol:

I'm interested in pipes and pipe tobacco, but just not sure where to start. I'm not a smoker - I can't stand the smell of cigarettes. Cigars can be nauseating to smell, but a pleasure to smoke every now and then. But pipes ..... pipe tobacco seems to be in a category by itself - I actually find it quite pleasurable to be around.

So, I'm just wondering if any of you smoke a pipe ... how often ... what kind of tobacco you like ... etc.

If one is interested in an occasional smoke, where does one start in finding out about the different pipes that are available and the different pipe tobaccos ??

Any comments, stories, suggestions, references, etc, would be really appreciated!


Thanks guys!

- David
 
I should've done a little digging before posting, as I just read Scotto's post about childhood memories and his first pipe & tobacco.

Great story ...
 
Where it that post? I have been wanting to try a pipe lately as well. I enjoy mid range cigars from time to time (Arturo Fuente, Macanudo, etc.) however, I have never smoked a pipe. I am not looking to make a major investment. Actually the least spent to still give a pleasurable experience. Any advice would be welcome.
 
Ah, yes. Cigarettes are foul things: little white deathsticks of nasty addiction (my apologies to any of our members that indulge themselves so). Cigars can be excellent, but the cost for a good cigar is just way out of my price point (especially if I want to keep acquiring shaving products at the current rate). Because there's no rolling involved, pipe tobacco's inherently cheaper to smoke, as well as provides an absolutely incredible variety of options. Many of them I find taste disgusting (despite their often 'aromatic' aroma), but the markup for quality tobacco is far less than for cigars, and there's a greater variety of quality available for an excellent price. As for price, check Mars Cigars out. Some crucial resources for any pipe man are Tobacco Reviews and the pipes.org forum.


Some basic tobacco guidelines:
-It doesn't necessarily taste like it smells, especially if you're smelling those sweet fruity casings put on aromatics. Having said that, for those tobaccos which are not covered in sweet-smelling gunk, they usually taste even better than they smell.
-What you'll enjoy is subjective, and will probably change over time, but you must let your own tastes dictate what you smoke. As you can no doubt ascertain, I abhor the sweet casings of aromatics, but many others do enjoy them. Since I enjoy stronger flavours like single malt scotch and spicy foods, I tend to prefer blends high in Latikia, but as always, YMMV.
 
I suggest skip the smoking and put it into brushes, razors, soaps and creams. You'll be healthier, smell better and look fabulous.

Randy
 
I smoked a pipe for about a year,
and I will tell you this. You are probably better off buying the creams, and getting a friend who smokes a pipe. While smoking a pipe is decidedly more enjoyable than a (nasty) cigarette, and most cigars (personal opinion of course), they NEVER taste as good as they smell. Also a pipe, or in that matter, cigars as well as cigarettes, will leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. They are great while you smoke them...but let that thing cool and YECCCCH. The only form of tobacco smoking I've had that tastes as good as it smells (and doesn't leave an aftertaste or smell on your clothes) is a hookah. Hookahs are able to do this because the tobacco is wet and never actually burns, but is heated with charcoal. A long story.
Unfortunately if you are already addicted (cigarettes or pipes or whatever) a Hookah is not likely to satisfy your urges. It is large, unwieldy, takes time to set up, and is simply not convenient for the typical smoke break.
So....I am rambling again, but if you are considering a pipe, perhaps buy a cheap corncob pipe first, and a small bag of tobacco. Corncobs smoke decently, but are not necessarily a long-term investment like some of the nicer pipes...if you are going to smoke something, it might as well not be something that smells bad to others. At least a pipe gives you some latitude in what tobacco you smoke. I used to like the (somewhat cheap) Captain Black tobacco in a blue pouch. There are much better offerings out there, but I liked its "chocolatey" taste. Still, again, never as good as it smells, and it ALWAYS left a taste afterward.
John P.
 
Ah, the wonderful Hobbit leaf. Indeed, though there is truly no safe way to smoke any tobacco, the pipe is the weapon of choice for me. No cigarette or cigar will ever touch the pipe for gentleness and variety, nor economy for that matter. That said, you must learn to sip the pipe. Huffing away is a SURE way to burn your tongue and get a very acrid, bitter taste in your mouth. Do not expect billows of whitest smoke every puff. You are trying to keep your pipe smoldering, not burning. This releases the best flavours. As has been mentioned, a simple rule of thumb is that what smells good burning is does not taste as good. The "casing"(or flavouring)that is used to flavour the tobacco is usually quite moist and sometimes bitter. Natural tobacco blends to look for are Virginias(highest sugar content and can get HOT in a hurry if huffed), Latakia, and Burley's. The Latakia is a major component in English blends, Balkans, and Oriental mixtures. Those last three listings are styles of tobacco blends. Check out the pipe forum at knoxcigar.com. GREAT place and tons of experienced hands there. One warning, you know the SCAD acronym we see here? It was lifted from boards like that one that have PAD and TAD. You guessed it, PIPE and TOBACCO aquisition disorder. It's just as bad as grooming stuff so don't say you weren't warned.
 
David,
I just re-read your post, and wanted to add that I've smoked some of those very same cigars (pretty good ones, IMHO) but you know EXACTLY the taste I meant....a pipe (to me) tastes a good deal better than most cigars, but the taste afterwards, as well as the smell on your clothes? The same. If you can deal with it, and want to smoke, a pipe is still probably the best way to go IMHO. It's a little more dignified than cigarettes, and like choosing a shaving cream, there is a huge amount of choices out there, for everyone's tastes. For a short time I smoked Cherry cavendish, and my friends liked the smell of it so much they didn't even want me to go outside to smoke (I did anyway). I only wish it tasted as good as it smelled. It was good, don't get me wrong, but never as good as it smells.
John P.
 
Phog Allen said:
Ah, the wonderful Hobbit leaf. Indeed, though there is truly no safe way to smoke any tobacco, the pipe is the weapon of choice for me. No cigarette or cigar will ever touch the pipe for gentleness and variety, nor economy for that matter. That said, you must learn to sip the pipe. Huffing away is a SURE way to burn your tongue and get a very acrid, bitter taste in your mouth. Do not expect billows of whitest smoke every puff. You are trying to keep your pipe smoldering, not burning. This releases the best flavours. As has been mentioned, a simple rule of thumb is that what smells good burning is does not taste as good. The "casing"(or flavouring)that is used to flavour the tobacco is usually quite moist and sometimes bitter. Natural tobacco blends to look for are Virginias(highest sugar content and can get HOT in a hurry if huffed), Latakia, and Burley's. The Latakia is a major component in English blends, Balkans, and Oriental mixtures. Those last three listings are styles of tobacco blends. Check out the pipe forum at knoxcigar.com. GREAT place and tons of experienced hands there. One warning, you know the SCAD acronym we see here? It was lifted from boards like that one that have PAD and TAD. You guessed it, PIPE and TOBACCO aquisition disorder. It's just as bad as grooming stuff so don't say you weren't warned.

what he said, what he said!
John P.
 

ouch

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Pipes have long been one of my favorite hobbies, and I routinely receive packages from around the globe from people seeking my opinion on some arcane weed, even though I hardly ever smoke anymore. A good cigar can be a wonderful experience, but for sheer mystique, nothing beats the bewildering array of flavors available in the finer pipe tobaccos. As noted previously, marscigars is one of the finest establishment, although knox cigars has the added benefit of catering to the wetshaving world: Castle Forbes and Dunhill in one stop shopping.
I have posted tons of reviews on the tobaccoreviews site, which is one of the finest resources available for this subject.
 
JohnP said:
I smoked a pipe for about a year,
and I will tell you this. You are probably better off buying the creams, and getting a friend who smokes a pipe. While smoking a pipe is decidedly more enjoyable than a (nasty) cigarette, and most cigars (personal opinion of course), they NEVER taste as good as they smell. Also a pipe, or in that matter, cigars as well as cigarettes, will leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. They are great while you smoke them...but let that thing cool and YECCCCH. The only form of tobacco smoking I've had that tastes as good as it smells (and doesn't leave an aftertaste or smell on your clothes) is a hookah. Hookahs are able to do this because the tobacco is wet and never actually burns, but is heated with charcoal. A long story.
.

Greetings from a fellow Hookah lover. Have you seen the High Life range of glass hookahs? They are marketed mainly for those who enjoy "alternative" combustibles, ahem, but to cover themselves legally they market a range of flavoured tobacco blends. Although their product smells a lot of better than it tastes, being made of glass with large diameter bowls they smoke very smoothly indeed. Their charcoal also burns very cleanly, not that that makes much difference but I'll take any advantage I can get in the war against smoking related diseases. Also have you ever tried putting a hookah in the fridge and then filling it with ice water, it is an incredibly pleasant sensation, even for someone like me who doesn't particularly enjoy smoking.
Warm regards,
Alex
 
As a long-time pipe smoker, I can weigh in here.

First, needless to say, you are better off not smoking anything, especially if your health is poor. That being said, an occasional pipe or cigar can be an incredibly relaxing and rewarding experience, as long as it is done in moderation. The hobby is like anything else; it will consume your money and time with abandon if allowed to promulgate.

I'll defer to Jay on his breath of knowledge on tobacco; he is my personal guru. I would advise people who are interested in trying a pipe to avoid the "aromatic" blends which are cased with various noxious substances from liquers to licorice. The moisture content makes them very hard on tongue and pipe alike, and you are not really experiencing tobacco, only flavorings. There is a realm of all-tobacco scents and flavors analagous to shave products, from the deeply smoky latakia to pungent perique to the exotique orientals. Search around the web and you will find lots of information, or drop me a PM and I would be happy to expound further.
 

ouch

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Scotto said:
I'll defer to Jay on his breath of knowledge on tobacco;

Yeah, I gotta do something about that.:lol:

I second what Scotto said regarding heavily cased/topped blends. Straight Virginias can be just as lethal- read some of the reviews of MacBaren's Virginia #1 on tobaccoreivews.com. A free razor to anyone who can guess which post was mine.
 
After having stopped smoking the pipe, cigars, and cigarettes over 20 years ago I still miss the occassional bowl of latakia.. Ahhh!
:em2300: By the way Tobacco Breath, is MacBarens still marketed?
 

ouch

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guenron said:
After having stopped smoking the pipe, cigars, and cigarettes over 20 yeqars ago I still miss the occassional bowl of latakia.. Ahhh!
:em2300: By the way Tobacco Breath, is MacBarens still marketed?

Sure is. MacBarens has a huge portfolio, and is a major player in Europe. If you want to duplicate the experience of smoking their Virginia #1 without having to deal with all the nastiness of nicotine and smoking, all you have to do is touch the tip of your tongue to the exhaust pipe of an idling motorcycle. Voila!:001_rolle

Hmmm. No takers on the free razor so far.:confused:
 
ouch said:
Sure is. MacBarens has a huge portfolio, and is a major player in Europe. If you want to duplicate the experience of smoking their Virginia #1 without having to deal with all the nastiness of nicotine and smoking, all you have to do is touch the tip of your tongue to the exhaust pipe of an idling motorcycle. Voila!:001_rolle

Hmmm. No takers on the free razor so far.:confused:
A bit of bite?
What free razor?
Thye had something called Plumcake that was a delightfully juicy blend.
 
Geez, just finished reading the thread on quitting cigarettes by NMMB and then hopped on here. . .I know that cigarettes and pipes are different beasts, but am having a tough time understanding how/why any kind of tobacco use is worth the risk.

And before anyone asks, yes, I do take the occasional drink and am aware of the health issues associated with alcohol. :redface:
 
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