Recommendations for a new pipe smoker

A friend of mine at work was kind enough to give me one of his pipes that he wasn't smoking so that I could see if pipes are for me or not. I'm stopping by my tobacco shop tomorrow and I'm looking for suggestions as to what tobacco I should pick up to get me started. To give you some background, I'm a regular cigarette smoker and an occasional cigar smoker. I prefer the fuller smokes and I don't think that pipes will be any different in that respect. I would like to pick up both an aromatic and a non aromatic, but beyond that I have no idea where to start.

Dunhill Early Morning pipe

McClelland 5100

Solani Burley Flake

Escudo

GL Pease Key Largo

Good Luck

Good choices above. I would add Erinmore Flake and Frog Morton.

Thanks for the suggestions

All the above selections are of good quality and I enjoy them, however I would classify them as a solid medium in strength and body as opposed to full.
*Edit* The Burly Flake mentioned above is full bodied sorry I missed it.

Full bodied smokes

English - Dunhill Nightcap or My Mixture 965

Non Aromatic Blend - C&D Old Joe Kranz or Peterson's Irish Oak ( med-full)

Aromatic - G&H Rum Flake or G&H Chocolate Flake, Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake, (if you can get it)

There are many others but those are some of my favorites and should be resonably easy to load and smoke. The G&H Aromatic Flakes I mentioned rub out really easily and after a moment to dry out a bit will load and burn pretty well. Full aromatic blends are less common, most are pretty mild.

Thanks. Are flakes easy enough to grasp for a first time pipe smoker? I know very little about pipe tobacco.

You might have trouble finding some or all of these at a local shop unless they are very Pipe centric. Good luck on the journey.

Jim said:

You might have trouble finding some or all of these at a local shop unless they are very Pipe centric. Good luck on the journey.

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I have three very good tobacco shops within a few miles of my house so hopefully I can find something.

Act Appalled said:

Thanks. Are flakes easy enough to grasp for a first time pipe smoker. I know very little about pipe tobacco.

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As someone who enjoys a full bodied smoke, I really only started enjoying my pipes after trying some flakes. Many of the mixtures,(recommended for beginners), were too mild for a palate used to cigars and cigarettes. Consequentially I would draw too hard and fast actually reducing the flavor that was there and giving myself a hot biting smoke. The flakes I mentioned helped me to slow down and get a rich satisfying experience. If you rub them out and let them dry out a bit, you can gravity fill and smoke like any other tobacco. If you enjoy it you can experiment with folding and stuffing, but thats not necessary. The mixtures I listed I first tried after flakes and I lost my fear of the "for experienced pipe smokers" dottle I'd bought into. Now if you did not have an expressed interest in full smokes my recommendations would have been different. Just as I wouldn't give a full cigar to a nonsmoker for their first cigar. A lot depends on the individual. If you are used to, and enjoy, a rich full bodied smoking experience you should try fuller pipe tobaccos. Those same tobaccos might be too much for someone with a different preference.

Jim said:

You might have trouble finding some or all of these at a local shop unless they are very Pipe centric. Good luck on the journey.

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Sadly good B&Ms aren't as prevalent as they once were. I sometimes forget as I live fairly near to an excellent one. I can still get most SG tins. But If you don't have one near you try Mars Cigars and Smoking Pipes.com both have good prices and shipping.

Thanks for all the help

I would recommend staying away from the jarred aromatics. I also would recommend Carter hall if you can get it, as well as a corn cob pipe. Carter Hall is a Burley blend, and you may like those since you are a smoker. Since you are a smoker, the aromatics probably wont do much for you.

As a new pipe smoker, the tobacconist will probably reffer you to the aromatics. Just say no to those. The aromatics that were listed by Jwhite are good, and I don't think they fall under normal aromatics.

Oh, and most tobacconists will let you try the bulk tobacco for free.

I would start with Rattrays Red Rapparee and go from there . Most new pipe smokers end up getting a Prince Albert or some other chemical laden goo from drug store . Or they buy a aromatic becuase it smells good . Also GL Pease blends are the cats meow .

Drug Store Blends:
Carter Hall
Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic
Capt. Black White - I would reserve a pipe just for this because it is goopy

Tins:
A&C Petersen "Escudo"
Cornell & Diehl "Autumn Evening" - Has a Maple Flavor
Scandinavian Tobacco Group "Erinmore Flake"
Dunhill "Nightcap" - Strong Smoky Flavor

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I stopped by the tobacco shop where I get my cigarette tobacco today to see what they had. I was a little surprised to find that they did not carry any tins but rather only their own blends. I ended up leaving with an ounce of their Colombian Mocha, but I would still like to find a shop near me that carries tins of some popular brands.

Act Appalled said:

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I stopped by the tobacco shop where I get my cigarette tobacco today to see what they had. I was a little surprised to find that they did not carry any tins but rather only their own blends. I ended up leaving with an ounce of their Colombian Mocha, but I would still like to find a shop near me that carries tins of some popular brands.

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Cigarette outlets won't have anything but the drugstore blends, for good tins and bulk you'll need to go to proper tobacconist or order online. On the plus side the savings online can be significant.

jwhite said:

Cigarette outlets won't have anything but the drugstore blends, for good tins and bulk you'll need to go to proper tobacconist or order online. On the plus side the savings online can be significant.

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They aren't a cigarette outlet. The shop specializes in custom blends of tobacco for both cigarette and pipe. They also have a great selection of cigars as well as hookahs and shisha. I think the fact that they don't carry tins is because they blend their own tobacco. They don't carry mass marketed cigarettes either, likely for the same reason. I have one more local shop I can check, however they are centered heavily around cigars.

Act Appalled said:

They aren't a cigarette outlet. The shop specializes in custom blends of tobacco for both cigarette and pipe. They also have a great selection of cigars as well as hookahs and shisha. I think the fact that they don't carry tins is because they blend their own tobacco. They don't carry mass marketed cigarettes either, likely for the same reason. I have one more local shop I can check, however they are centered heavily around cigars.

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Oh, I see.

A quick add on before I log off.

As a former cigarette smoker, I'm just wondering what you are expecting from a pipe? I really had a hard time when I first started smoking a pipe right after and while still smoking cigarettes. I smoked way too fast.

So after setting the pipes aside for 20 years or so, I have taken it up again. Now I only smoke when I have the time to relax and smoke it properly. Sometimes I fill a bowl and smoke it while driving as I find it very relaxing. Anyway, I would only smoke the pipe when you have a good hour to get everything ready, fill your pipe, light it and RELAX. Take little sips and don't worry if it goes out. Just relight it. If it gets too hot, set it down to cool and re-light when you are ready.

Thanks for the tips. I don't plan on smoking the pipe unless I have the time to devote. I smoke cigars, and I use the same approach. I did have a couple issues with cigars burning a little hot and uneven at first, but I have since learned to relax a bit more and really take my time. I try not to smoke a cigar unless I have at least an hour and a half to devote, regardless of the size of the cigar.

Boswells would be a nice choice over in Chambersburg.

Mars doesn't have a storefront yet, but apparently will this year. They do business out of Lemoyne