So, can anyone who has smoked both perhaps give us all a comparison on taste and overall smoking experience?
Pipes vs cigars?
- Thread starter Waistcoat
- Start date
It comes down to personal preference. With pipes I found the big plus was the amazing variety of tobaccos out there both natural and flavored. I got a variety of pipes but never got the hang of it - it takes some work to learn how to pack them and how to smoke them properly. And it's kind of a pain to keep pipes cleaned out and maintained.
I like smoking cigars more because they're easy - clip the end off, light, relax and enjoy. Taste-wise, cigars aren't as varied as pipe tobacco. A cigar tastes, well, like a cigar to me with more subtle differences in flavor and aroma while different pipe tobaccos taste very different. Hope that helps some.
I like smoking cigars more because they're easy - clip the end off, light, relax and enjoy. Taste-wise, cigars aren't as varied as pipe tobacco. A cigar tastes, well, like a cigar to me with more subtle differences in flavor and aroma while different pipe tobaccos taste very different. Hope that helps some.
- Thread starter
- #3
Do you get as strong a flavour with pipes as you do with cigars? You said different pipe tobacco tastes very different, can I assume that pipes produce a thinner, more tasty and subtle smoke than the relative punch in the face you get the first time you have a cigar?
I enjoy pipes more because of all the varieties of pipe tobaccos. Latakias, Virginias, VaPers, burleys, aromatics are all profoundly different. Not to mention the pleasure of smoking these tobaccos in a hand carved pipe. All in all a more fulfilling experience for me.
Pipes and cigars offer very different experiences. Pipes have a much steeper learning curve, but a broader range of smoking experiences. I get much stronger punch, in terms of both flavor and potency, in my pipes over any cigar I've smoked. I'm also able to get a much lighter smoke than any cigar I've smoked, much depends on the tobacco one chooses and how the smoker imbibes. Pipes are also higher maintenance, they require resting and cleaning to keep them in good order, but over the long term tend to be more cost effective. Exceptions of course made to the collector of high grade pipes. In terms of flavor it really is hard to judge as pipe tobacco tastes very different than a cigar so that would of course be a matter of personal preference, and a comparison would require a type by type comparison of the varying genre of pipe tobacco verses popular cigar filler, binder, and wrapper combinations.
I'm a Cigar man myself and I've never tried a pipe, besides...I haven't yet seen anybody smoking a pipe in public. 
Christopher
"Cigar smoking knows no politics. It's about the pursuit of pleasure, taste, and aroma." Anonymous
Christopher
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Here is an article I had written for a different site on this very topic
besides...I haven't yet seen anybody smoking a pipe in public.
It's not our fault you don't associate with the right people.
Well written, I enjoyed it very much.
+1 to all that. I smoked cigars first & thought pipes were too mild for my liking at first because all I had tried was a local B&M's blend of black vanilla. Now I know different. Some flakes can punch harder than some full-bodied cigars.
I equate pipes-cigars to straights-DEs somewhat. Pipes, just like straights have a decent learning curve that can be frustrating at first but once you are comfortable with them the ritual of preparation can become just as relaxing as the deed itself. Same with cost; you can buy one fairly-priced pipe or straight & maintain it nearly forever. This makes it very cost effective...but...you can never have just one.
- Thread starter
- #12
Well I have two more cigars to get through. The first two were ok, not really so great that I'd consider making it a hobby. We'll see if the other two I have can pique my interest. If not, I've found a set of 2 corncob pipes for $20 that I might buy to give pipe smoking a shot. Either that or one of the thousand $5 wooden pipes from China on Oz ebay right now...
By the way Quan that article was great, big help
By the way Quan that article was great, big help
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Well I have two more cigars to get through. The first two were ok, not really so great that I'd consider making it a hobby. We'll see if the other two I have can pique my interest. If not, I've found a set of 2 corncob pipes for $20 that I might buy to give pipe smoking a shot. Either that or one of the thousand $5 wooden pipes from China on Oz ebay right now...
By the way Quan that article was great, big help
I wouldn't waste your money on those $5 Chinese pipes if I were you. They are $5 for a reason! The cobs will serve you much better for learning.
Take a look at the Falcon metal pipes too. Interchangeable bowls so you only need one metal bit. Easy to clean and smoke like a dream. I have several quality pipes but it's the Falcons that get the most use!
Gareth
+1 If your looking for under $30 smokers stick with a cob.
I have been smoking cigars for 15+ years and pipes for a little over 4. They both have their place. Mowing, yard work, golfing, bs'ing and drinking at a bar on the patio a cigar is great. The pipe requires a little more attention but once you get the hang of them not that much. I found a pipe is better on long drives, sitting on my patio enjoying some quiet time, walking with the dog back through the woods. Get the right tobacco in your pipe and you can get a major flavor hit or go mild and mellow. IMHO don't start with a cob. I have a couple of MM Country Gentlemens and they are good smokers particularly for OTC burley's like CH, PA, etc.. A Savinelli in the $40-60 range is an excellent pipe. A falcon is also a nice pipe with a 60's vibe.
I'd suggest you forget the cob. Get a Falcon and some McConnell's Scottish Cake and you'll find a world of lushness you never thought possible from tobacco.
(so few people left in the world who know what either real tobacco or real bread actually is)
I hope that nobody says they are mutually exclusive....
Al raz.
Al raz.
Probably should have been a little more clear - If your looking to spend under $30 for new smokers stick with a cob unless you know what to look for. Estates are a different kettle altogether and I continue to recommend them for great value, and there are some new pipes in the $30 dollar range that are very nice smokers, but there are more that are not. I've recommended Flacon pipes several times and for the right person they are near perfect. However if one is tempted by a $5 Chinese pipe get a cob, for the same money it is by far the better choice of the two.
Not at all they are just very different.
Wow, that is what I thought after so many years of doing both on and off
I was worried for awhile.
Al raz.
I was worried for awhile.Al raz.
