Need Help, in a hurry!

My wife is away for the week, and I'll be joining her at her family's next weekend. Her brother recently started smoking a pipe, and I thought it would be a great idea for me to bring him a gift... but I have to do it on the sly. I also figured it would be a good time for me to see if smoking a pipe might be for me. But I have no idea where to start? Anything I buy would have to be available locally, and pretty inexpensive (I've been given an allowance while SWMBO is away). There is a tobacco shop near my house, that I intend to visit this weekend. What should I be looking for?

Missouri Meerschaum, and a box of Carter Hall is a good starter kit and available locally.

For your BIL, ask the tobacconist, there will be lots of choices there, but without knowing his preferences, tobacco is a crap shoot, maybe a tamper, or a lighter.

Try getting a tin of Dunhill if they have some. Something like Early Morning Pipe, My Mixture, or Flake would be a good start. Avoid Nightcap... unless you want something that has a good amount of nicotine. Dunhill makes quality blends that are more traditional, so you won't get anything with weird flavoring.

If in doubt, use www.tobaccoreviews.com to see if a tin that catches your interest is considered good quality. YMMV and all that, but if a blend has a 2 star rating or lower, chances are it's crap.

I'd also advise you to avoid all things cherry. Chances are that it'll taste awful... especially if the store carries a light selection to choose from.

For an actual pipe, you'll want a Missouri Meerschaum corn cob. It's low maintenance, cheap, and smokes just as well as done fancier pipes.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Mike H said:

Missouri Meerschaum, and a box of Carter Hall is a good starter kit and available locally.

For your BIL, ask the tobacconist, there will be lots of choices there, but without knowing his preferences, tobacco is a crap shoot, maybe a tamper, or a lighter.

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+1. A Missouri Meerschaum cob is the #1 best starter pipe there is, and Carter Hall is one of the best OTC tobaccos there is. Prince Albert also has a really good reputation, although it's not one of my favorites, so that would be another one to try.

As for your BIL, Mike is right. Without knowing his tobacco preferences, it's better to ask the tobacconist, or go with an accessory of some sort. On the flip side, depending on how recently he started smoking, he may not have is own preferences nailed down yet. That gives you a bit of leeway if you want to get him some tobacco. Whether he ends up liking it or not, he'll fill in some gaps in his knowledge, and he'll appreciate the thought.

Ok now this (for me)? The store didn't have meerschaum pipes, bit that had these cheap corn cobs. They only had pipe tobacco in their own packaging, but told me these were "unflavored".

So how do I go about loading and smoking?

Let the tobacco dry out for 30 minutes or so and then to this

And when you've done that, hit Youtube and look for videos about how to smoke a pipe. You'll be busy all night.

And don't forget pictures. Now that you have your first pipe, we'd love to see it.

and then hit ebay and start looking for estate pipes.

First try. No idea what I'm doing.

It looks the the correct end is on fire so you're 90% of the way there.

Commander Quan said:

It looks the the correct end is on fire so you're 90% of the way there.

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Always a good sign.



Nice tie Jessy.

It wouldn't stay lit though, I'd get a few puffs, it would be ok, then a few puffs of chimney smoke flavor, then it would go out.

Here you go. Keeping Your Pipe Lit - Basics for Brown Leaf Seedlings (BBLS)

jzuzphreek said:

It wouldn't stay lit though, I'd get a few puffs, it would be ok, then a few puffs of chimney smoke flavor, then it would go out.

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it takes some learning. Eventually you figure it out. But don't worry help is on the way!

You guys are great. So accommodating for a new smoker!

Congrats. on your new pipe Jessy...great one to start with. Like Derrick said...you're 90% there.

Since your BIL is new also, I'd get him something like a nice tamper and a sample of tobacco from your local B&M. Something that's not too hard to keep lit. Ask the guy at the tobacco shop.

This video may help.

If you haven't gotten a gift for you BIL yet, a Zippo with a pipe insert might be a good choice. You can get them for about $20 or less and they're a great option.

Looks like you found a cob already, is it a Missouri Meerschaum? If not, and you want to get one, try Walgreens. They usually have some behind the counter.

jzuzphreek said:

Ok now this (for me)? The store didn't have meerschaum pipes, bit that had these cheap corn cobs. They only had pipe tobacco in their own packaging, but told me these were "unflavored".

So how do I go about loading and smoking?

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Rather newish again myself.

Missouri Meerschaum is a brand name of corn cob pipes.
If the store only has there own brand of tobacco tell them your looking for something similar to Lanes 1-Q which IMHO would be a popular tobacco to start with.

cursethis said:

Try getting a tin of Dunhill if they have some. Something like Early Morning Pipe, My Mixture, or Flake would be a good start. Avoid Nightcap... unless you want something that has a good amount of nicotine. Dunhill makes quality blends that are more traditional, so you won't get anything with weird flavoring.

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For the record, Early Morning Pipe may not be as nicotine-heavy as Nightcap, but it's no lightweight.

Since you mentioned My Mixture 965, I'll second that. I haven't tried it but I tried another tobacconist's clone of it and I loved it...if it's anything like the original then that's a winner.

jzuzphreek said:

Ok now this (for me)? The store didn't have meerschaum pipes, bit that had these cheap corn cobs. They only had pipe tobacco in their own packaging, but told me these were "unflavored".

So how do I go about loading and smoking?

Click to expand...

Missouri Meerschaum actually doesn't offer any meerschaums, only corn cobs and a couple cob-like hardwoods. They're very inexpensive and very good pipes. They aren't picky and don't require a lot of maintenance, nor do they impart a flavor (except when brand new, until they break in after a smoke or two).

It looks like the cob that you got isn't a MM though. From the photo I'd guess that it's a generic cheap Chinese cob. I like those well enough but they are the cheapest pipe on the market and others don't like them. I did eventually get frustrated with their inconsistency and breakage though I'll probably resume using them again. Enjoy it, but don't give one as a gift.

So, a few tips regarding your difficulty with it going out...

1. That's completely normal, but you'll certainly want it to stay lit longer than a few puffs or it will be frustrating. Just keep in mind it's not like a cigar that you expect to stay lit for 90 minutes straight.

2. Dry your tobacco by laying it out on a sheet of paper for a while. If you're in a dry climate, you might only have to do it for a few minutes. I often have to do it for days on end, New England humidity is always high. You want it as dry as it can be without crumbling in your fingers.

3. Load the bowl moderately tightly, so the tobacco is springy and the draw is like sucking juice through a straw (neither like a milkshake nor air). All instructions always say to load it looser than you believe you should, but apparently those are for people who like to sledgehammer their tobacco in.

4. Keep a steady pace puffing. Again, it's not like a cigar that you can put down for 5 minutes and have it stay lit. Smoking the pipe isn't what you're doing while you do something else; it's what you're doing, period. Something else is what you're doing while you smoke the pipe.

5. Try different tobaccos. Lots of them. Some stay lit better.

Speaking of different tobaccos, trying lots of different tobaccos is great. I like ones that smell like a campfire and taste like it too (latakia or "English" blends). Any idea what your BIL is into? It would be good to bring him something he likes.

Can you describe the smell of the tobacco you bought, both before lighting and after? Common scents might be vanilla/generically sweet (aromatics), campfire/pine (latakia/English), cedar/hay (Virginia or sometimes burley), etc.

Do you have any history of smoking anything (tobacco or otherwise)? How about your BIL? It might be possible to aim you in a good direction for what to get based on what you've liked before.