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Recommend a tobacco please.

The recommendations are good starting points though. With the hundreds, if not thousands, of blends and brands available it can cause an inexperienced person's head to spin. Even a one word answer like virginias. Straight va? Vaper? Vabur? Flake, coin, ribbon? When does a vabur become a burley with some va? Bulk or tin?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
The recommendations are good starting points though. With the hundreds, if not thousands, of blends and brands available it can cause an inexperienced person's head to spin. Even a one word answer like virginias. Straight va? Vaper? Vabur? Flake, coin, ribbon? When does a vabur become a burley with some va? Bulk or tin?
You can drive yourself crazy with that. I’m more interested in the act of pipe smoking than what is in the pipe so if something pleases me and doesn’t distract me, I’ll be satisfied with it and not worry so much about whether or not there is something better. When it comes to cut, I really don’t like playing with tobacco; I just want to get it in my pipe and light it. I prefer that the blender rub it out for me. I smoke coins and slices from time to time but only because I like the blend not because of what it looks like before I squash it and burn it to ash. I would be perfectly content to just smoke Edgeworth for the rest of my life. Maybe tobacco should be like a wife; you marry a woman and aren’t supposed to be keep trying others. 😂
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
The recommendations are good starting points though. With the hundreds, if not thousands, of blends and brands available it can cause an inexperienced person's head to spin. Even a one word answer like virginias. Straight va? Vaper? Vabur? Flake, coin, ribbon? When does a vabur become a burley with some va? Bulk or tin?

At the end of the day, it will be easier to establish a tobacco rotation based on the general blend genre you fancy, and then perhaps the blender you trust or prefer.

You'll go crazy if you try to peg it down to some holy grail base leaf formula that you have thought up, based on what the Internet told you. And you'll wind up needing a spreadsheet program to keep up with your inventory if you cast too big a net.

The better blends for each broader genre have a well-earned reputation no matter what the proportions and casing/toppings happen to be. The best blenders, whether the dead author of a now venerated classic, or an experienced small-batch artisan, have done the work for you.

Sure, sample away. But the kids calmly working their 16 Crayolas always seem happier and more content than the ones scrambling to use all their 64 Crayolas on every page. The former are more focused on the bigger picture.

Tobacco rotation. And some thought there were only pipe rotations. ;)
 
Sure, sample away. But the kids calmly working their 16 Crayolas always seem happier and more content than the ones scrambling to use all their 64 Crayolas on every page. The former are more focused on the bigger picture.

Tobacco rotation. And some thought there were only pipe rotations. ;)

I like to keep things simple. I never thought of tobacco rotation but here I am just getting back into pipe smoking about a month ago and I already have 11 different tobaccos. The last time I smoked a pipe I only had maybe 2 kinds of tobacco. It is fun to experiment.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I like to keep things simple. I never thought of tobacco rotation but here I am just getting back into pipe smoking about a month ago and I already have 11 different tobaccos. The last time I smoked a pipe I only had maybe 2 kinds of tobacco. It is fun to experiment.
I just thought of another tobacco you may consider trying - Sutliff Match Troost. Troost is an old Dutch blend masterfully resurrected by Sutliff. It is a blend of Cavendist, Virginia, Burley and Oriental. It is lightly topped with Caramel/Butterscotch, pleasantly sweet and tangy citrusy. Cut is broken flake and not bitey. The tobacco flavor is not affected by the topping at all. I smoked the original quite a lot when I first started pipes and just had two bowls on the patio. Still very good and available at Pipesandcigars in bulk at a modest price. Just a thought.
 
I just thought of another tobacco you may consider trying - Sutliff Match Troost. Troost is an old Dutch blend masterfully resurrected by Sutliff. It is a blend of Cavendist, Virginia, Burley and Oriental. It is lightly topped with Caramel/Butterscotch, pleasantly sweet and tangy citrusy. Cut is broken flake and not bitey. The tobacco flavor is not affected by the topping at all. I smoked the original quite a lot when I first started pipes and just had two bowls on the patio. Still very good and available at Pipesandcigars in bulk at a modest price. Just a thought.

Thanks for the suggestion. Sounds interesting.
 
Yesterday was the first time I ever blended 2 tobaccos together. I did a 50 - 50 mix of Old Dark Fired and Carter Hall. I enjoyed it very much. The idea of mixing tobacco seems pretty good.
I'll have to try some more blends.
There's a couple that I use to mix in with other blends. Black cav is great to tone down something and Kentucky is wonderful for punching blends up.
 
Is this the thread to ask about starting pipe smoking again?

Years ago I smoked a pipe about 2-3 times a week. The pipes, a Peterson, a Savinelli, and several others are still tucked away in a box in the closet. In those days I preferred the sweet blends, Cavendish tobacco, etc., and not the English types. f I were to take up the occasional pipe again, this Amphora sampler looks like a good place to start. Is there a particular vendor most of you prefer?
 
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Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Is this the thread to ask about starting pip smoking again?

Years ago I smoked a pipe about 2-3 times a week. The pipes, a Peterson, a Savinelli, and several others are still tucked away in a box in the closet. In those days I preferred the sweet blends, Cavendish tobacco, etc., and not the English types. f I were to take up the occasional pipe again, this Amphora sampler looks like a good place to start. Is there a particular vendor most of you prefer?

I can’t get anything locally so my go to online stores are Smoking Pipes and Tobacco Pipes, and as a last resort Pipes and Cigars.
 
I can’t get anything locally so my go to online stores are Smoking Pipes and Tobacco Pipes, and as a last resort Pipes and Cigars.
TobaccoPipes seems to have a very wide selection. The Amphora sampler looks good, and I like the description of the Mac Baren Navy Flake.

If I get back into this, in even a minimal way, I'll need to stock up on matches, the long wooden kitchen type, and some pipe cleaners -- though my storage box may have some in there.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
I can’t get anything locally so my go to online stores are Smoking Pipes and Tobacco Pipes, and as a last resort Pipes and Cigars.

Those are both first-rate vendors with very long tobacco line cards. I highly recommend both.

Depending on how much you spend, TP has a lower free shipping threshold ... although I would lean towards UPS these days over USPS anyway with any vendor. USPS is a mess right now.

If you spend enough with SP and get on their VIP lists, you can also get some decent standing discounts.

For more pedestrian OTC blends, others that are very competitive are JR Cigars, and WV Smokeshop. JR with the right coupon has some of the lowest delivered prices out there on many codger blends.

I've also had excellent service from Milan in VA and Payless in FL lately.

For non-Pennsylvania residents, Boswells is probably as good as it gets for custom-blended aromatics. For locals, the state taxes and fees are nearly insane.

Other than JR, these are all smaller and/or family-owned shops. I prefer to send my business to the latter whenever possible.

I'm in the same boat as many; most of the local brick and mortar shops have been driven out of business. The few remaining have retreated to mainly cigars.
 
In my return to piping since January, I've found that I like burley blends the best, with Half & Half's Virginia/burley coming out on top. If I wanted to try something more Virginia forward, or a straight Virginia, what would be a good selection? Capstan Blue, for instance?
 
In my return to piping since January, I've found that I like burley blends the best, with Half & Half's Virginia/burley coming out on top. If I wanted to try something more Virginia forward, or a straight Virginia, what would be a good selection? Capstan Blue, for instance?
Capstans are OK. Va Forward, Savinelli Doblone d' Oro, Solani 660 Silver Flake. Straight Va, GLP Union Square.
 
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