my first week as a pipe smoker

right so today i finally made it into petersons shop in dublin and met a very helpfull and knowlageable staff member who gave me some advice. i told him i wanted to try a aromatic blend and he showed me a few and on his advice i picked up some peterson connoisseurs choice.
smells like a sweetshop.
i dont know if i like it or not as my first smoke with it did not go well. i had to relight 5 times and got a gurgley pipe it also decided to start to rain when i started so i will reserve judgement.
funny day actually as i had a terrable shave this morning with the unusuall combo of stubble and irratation despit pleanty of pre shave prep and time and care shaving. lets hope the week picks up tomorrow.

anyhow petersons shop was amazing and i will definatly be calling back.

Well hello there. First of all let me say I am extremely jealous of your situation. To be able to just waltz into Peterson's shop in Dublin is near a pilgrimage for me. If ever I get over there it will be one of my first stops! What a history that shop must have.

As for your experience, never fear. You are doing exactly what 99 percent of newbies do. Including my first few huffs of a pipe. THe best way I saw it explained was to "sip the pipe". Do not try to draw hard on it. It creates too much heat which releases steam from the humectants and flavourings in the tobacco. There is an old saying amongst pipe smokers. If it smells good it probably tastes bad and if it smells bad it probably tastes better. Many aromatics are blended with cheaper tobaccos but not all. If you make it back to Peterson's, ask them for a mild English blend. And tell them mild on the Latakia. It will likely be much drier and a bit easier to keep lit for a newb. Let your pipe rest a good while between bowls as well. If you feel like it, ask for a Virginia cake tobacco. These are the naturally sweetest tobaccos out there but come with a bit of a price for most newbs. The sugar content can also lead to charring and heat buildup. I do not experience this and love Virginia above all other tobaccos. I don't really smoke anymore but every so often I pull out the pipes to enjoy a bowl. If you decide to try them, ask for something like Astley's #109. A very remarkable Virginia tobacco.

Regards, Todd

I might add that the best aromatic tobacco I have ever smoked was Dan Tobacco Sweet Vanilla Honeydew. A great Virginia base with natural vanilla scent. I let the last bit of my old tin sit for a long time and the scent essentially disappeared. The remaining tobacco was very mild. I have tried their Blue Note but found it could smoke hot quite easily. As you experienced with your aromatic. Dan makes very good aromatics for the most part.

Regards, Todd

Well the next time you are in there ask the Peterson gang about their range of Peterson Special Editions. They come out once a year, are aromatics and if you can find the 2009 or 2010 you will not be disappointed.

thanks guys! i know how lucky i am to have two specialists beside each other and only 20miles away. i tried to find others but the next nearist one is up in belfast bit of a drive for smoke.

i could buy online but i am a lover of going into a shop and meeting and chatting with a expert and being able to feel and in this case smell the produce. the fact petersons are irish means i am helping the irish econmy.


my plan at the moment is to get about half way trough this batch then to go completly diffrent and try a non aromatic blend so i can get a much better idea what i like and what is out there.

Agree with the concept of "sip the pipe" not only will you get the gurgle but you can get the dreaded snake bite on your tongue from smoking too hot. Best advice I ever got about keeping the heat down is to check the heat of the bowl on your cheek and if its uncomfortable your smoking too hot.

cool...... ; )
i did notice the bowl was warm to the touch.

If you have time do a Google search on the Frank Method of Packing a Pipe. I have tried it and a lot of other people on the web seem to agree that its an outstanding way to load your pipe. Good luck and enjoy.

The bowl will get warm but the tip about it being uncomfortably warm on the cheek is a good one. Also pack lightly there should be very little resistance to the draw on the pipe. If the draw seems a little too light you can always adjust gently with the tamper, but too tight and the only thing is to dump and start over. If its just a hair too tight try tapping the side of the bowl with a finger to loosen things up. The pack 'll make the smoking much smoother. Also keep some regular pipe cleaners of hand, I can be a wet smoker especially when clenching, running a pipe cleaner down the bit while smoking can get rid of excess moisture and stop any gurgle once it starts.

Have fun with it, it'll become second nature soon.

right! i managed to smoke a bowl all the way down today. i got the pack and light right at the start and took my time with it using my improvised pipe tool witch is a jewelers screwdriver the end tamps well and the pointy end pokes well. it got a bit hot and a little gurgley in the middle so i let it rest for a few mins and restarted it got her all the way down.

Good deal!

the next time you are in peterson's try sherlock holmes, it is not as sweet as conn choice or ask them about 1792 flake & the lads will show you the best way to use a flake, & i find a flake is a much more slow burning & cooler smoke

A big +1 to 1792 flake. Sam Gawith tobaccos are just special. The 1792 gets a bad rap at times for the slight rubber smell it produces upon char light but once you get it going and go easy on the huffing it is a very good, albeit strong smoke. At least for newbies.

Regards, Todd

One of my personal favorites; tastes of pineapple and anise.