After enjoying cigars for past 15 or so years and working my way up to mostly full-bodied selections I am now going for the exclusive forum pipe. What are some good tobaccos to start with? My favorite cigar wrap is Cameroon if that helps any. Don't have a desire to start with "fruit" flavors. Caught wind of Mac Baren and think I may try a few of theirs. What recommendations and other helpful info can you give a newbie?
Jumping In With Both Feet (Pipe Smoking) Need Tobacco Recommendations
- Thread starter Red Horn
- Start date
I would recommend Penzance, Frog Morton ( really like this one ), some type of Virginia tobacco ( this has a very specific taste, somewhat sweet. Presbyterian mixture is also very nice. Penzance is woodsy, mildly spicy. Frog Morton I can smoke all day long. Very easy burning. I agree with staying away from the fruit or booze flavored blends.
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
You really can't compare pipes to cigars, they are completely different animals.
I would recommend starting out with a variety of styles, English, Virginia, Virginia/Perique, and Aromatic (aro's are not as evil as you may think)
English - GL Pease Westminster, or Frog Morton
Virginia - Rattrays Hal O' the Wynd or Dunhill Flake
VaPer - Escudo, or McCellend 2015 (this is a bulk)
Aromatic - Cornell and Diehl Autumn Evening, or Two Friends Chocolate English.
Enjoy!
I would recommend starting out with a variety of styles, English, Virginia, Virginia/Perique, and Aromatic (aro's are not as evil as you may think)
English - GL Pease Westminster, or Frog Morton
Virginia - Rattrays Hal O' the Wynd or Dunhill Flake
VaPer - Escudo, or McCellend 2015 (this is a bulk)
Aromatic - Cornell and Diehl Autumn Evening, or Two Friends Chocolate English.
Enjoy!
A lot of cigar smokers enjoy the Va/Per blends like Solani Silver Flake. Personally, I like the straight Va's, Rattray's Hal O' the Wynd is a good one to start with.
I'd go with rich med-full to full bodied blends. Peterson's Irish oak, Rattray's marlin flake, SG's best brown flake. There all pretty bite-less, have a decent room note and provide great flavor which is important when transitioning from cigars. If you want a sweet smell good smoke the Autumn Evening is a good choice.
I have to be honest with you guys if I had started out pipe smoking with Virginias and flake I would have given it up pretty quick but I was not a smoker before taking up the pipe, I guess everybody has different tastes. I do love the English's though.
The OP said he had smoked cigars for 15 years prior to this endeavor, that lends itself to certain flavor profiles, none of which are english blends. Doesn't mean he wouldn't like them, just giving him something in his comfort zone. English blends are kind of like a menthol cigarette to some folks.
He also said he was leaning towards fuller flavored cigars. If you look at recommendations I've made in the past they tend to be a little different depending on what their tobacco history is. Of course every taste is different, you don't like flakes for example. But coming to the pipe from full cigars myself, I had a hard time until I tried some of the fuller flakes and blends and have heard the same from others with a similar experience. Of course if you try a style or type of tobacco that doesn't suit you that just means you should try something else, not that pipe smoking isn't for you.
Also flakes are a cut, not a flavor. There are English flakes, as well as aromatics. Once you rub them out, they aren't flakes anymore.
I see.
I like McClelland WILDERNESS, BULK STOKEBYES LUXURY TWISTS> Flakes are somewhat hard to master so I'd leap in and learn early on...LilBrown Store, WVtobacco, are two that I think prices good stuff at reasonable prices for smapler packs of ~ 1 ounce.
- Thread starter
- #12
If willing please PM links to a few good sources of tobacco to try.
Look for a tobacco shop that has people hanging out smoking, with a large selection of bulk tobacco, and ask some questions. I ended up with several 1 ounce samples that I am working my way through.
Do that, if you can.
- Thread starter
- #15
About ready to "pull the trigger" on these;
Hal O' The Wynd
Dunhill Flake
Blackwoods Flake
Dunhill Mixture 965
Frog Morton
Hal O' The Wynd
Dunhill Flake
Blackwoods Flake
Dunhill Mixture 965
Frog Morton
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All well regarded tobaccos there, I know where you can get rid of the first three if you don't like them!
I enjoy all of those nice selection of Va and english.
Hey, I'm in the exact same boat as the OP, minus the nice LE pipe 
. Thanks for the suggestions.
Edit: rereading all the suggestions i feel like a newbie straight razor user asking about hones and sprays
. Thanks for the suggestions.Edit: rereading all the suggestions i feel like a newbie straight razor user asking about hones and sprays
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- Thread starter
- #19
Think I may be over doing it a little as a starter. If I eliminated one which should it be?
Hal O' The Wynd
Dunhill Flake
Blackwoods Flake
Dunhill Mixture 965
Frog Morton
Hal O' The Wynd
Dunhill Flake
Blackwoods Flake
Dunhill Mixture 965
Frog Morton
I would eliminate two, the 965 and the Blackwoods flake. 965 is a pretty heavy english, and the Blackwoods flake is not for everyone as far as flakes go. To be honest, you could stick with the HOTW and Frog Morton for starters. Frog morton will give you enough of a dose of Latakia to see if you like it, if you do, you may enjoy heavier English blends. HOTW is a great example of a VA, one of the best, if you don't at least partially enjoy it, you probably won't like many VA's.
