I've only been back to pipe smoking for a few weeks, after a 35-year break, and I have already learned more here in that short time than in my past smoking adventures.
I'm a vaper, and used e-cigs to quit smoking cigarettes. Initially, I was trying to find a e-juice that tasted like a menthol cigarette, but quickly realized that it didn't exist. I settled on bakery and candy flavors, and that worked. One of my favorite flavors to vape is still vanilla custard.
So...when I dug out my old pipes, and was gifted some in a PIF here, I set about looking for a vanilla tobacco, and bought several aromatics. But a funny thing happened (much like my vaping experience), I found that a tobacco that smoked like my vanilla custard e-cig doesn't really exist, and I find that I am now drawn to the old standards.
More and more I am enjoying the less heavily flavored tobaccos like Carter Hall and SWR. They pack, burn, and smoke great, and are still mild enough for me (an admitted over-puffer) to avoid the bite. In fact, they seem to smoke far milder than the aromatics - very, very nice and satisfying.
I still have jars of vanilla, and will continue to enjoy the sweet candy-store indulgence of a bowl of Sutliff Z92 vanilla custard without feeling that I am somehow "cheating", but I have come to appreciate the others for what they bring: a nice, flavorful, no frills smoking experience.
The other minor revelation: I love cobs. I get an amazing smoke from a sub-$10 pipe. I find myself often reaching for my MM Washington or Legend for my evening smoke on the back deck...what a fantastic value...though I need to get some acrylic stems soon as mine are already showing some wear.
I'm a vaper, and used e-cigs to quit smoking cigarettes. Initially, I was trying to find a e-juice that tasted like a menthol cigarette, but quickly realized that it didn't exist. I settled on bakery and candy flavors, and that worked. One of my favorite flavors to vape is still vanilla custard.
So...when I dug out my old pipes, and was gifted some in a PIF here, I set about looking for a vanilla tobacco, and bought several aromatics. But a funny thing happened (much like my vaping experience), I found that a tobacco that smoked like my vanilla custard e-cig doesn't really exist, and I find that I am now drawn to the old standards.
More and more I am enjoying the less heavily flavored tobaccos like Carter Hall and SWR. They pack, burn, and smoke great, and are still mild enough for me (an admitted over-puffer) to avoid the bite. In fact, they seem to smoke far milder than the aromatics - very, very nice and satisfying.
I still have jars of vanilla, and will continue to enjoy the sweet candy-store indulgence of a bowl of Sutliff Z92 vanilla custard without feeling that I am somehow "cheating", but I have come to appreciate the others for what they bring: a nice, flavorful, no frills smoking experience.
The other minor revelation: I love cobs. I get an amazing smoke from a sub-$10 pipe. I find myself often reaching for my MM Washington or Legend for my evening smoke on the back deck...what a fantastic value...though I need to get some acrylic stems soon as mine are already showing some wear.