The starter list

[SirenofTitan]

Bonjour!

My apologies for my previous post on the subject

But as it is, I am fairly new to pipe smoking, nor do I know anyone personally who smokes one. You could ask me what are some nice teas to try a cup of to give you an idea of the scope of things, but as for tobacco I am at a loss. So given that my resources are the strip mall down the street, a corner shop two towns over, and a sad little biweekly paycheck, what are your recommendations?

And any extra info you feel may be pertinent is oh-so appreciated as well.

Merci!

[MarkC]

Sounds like for now you're pretty much dependent on the widely available pouches. Carter Hall would be my pick, although many would say Prince Albert would be the best choice. As far as aromatics, I'm probably not the best person to say, but I think Sail Natural is absolutely delicious.

[cactusboy33]

Good starter tobaccos are, for me, are
Mac Barens Vanilla Cream (nice sweet taste, no tongue bite) and
McLintocks Black Cherry (nice cherry flavour, no bite and its what I started with)

I have heard that Prince Albert is a good 'drugstore' option as well. I must say from my experience give Captain Black a wide berth as it was like smoking cardboard, although as a cheap option you may wan't to try it because you'll never know till you do.

Hope I helped in some way

[indigosmoke]

Ash, welcome!

You might also want to consider ordering online...many good choices out there for online vendors...pipesandcigars.com, cup o' joes, smoking pipes, 4noggins, the tobacco barn, to name a few and even with shipping included the prices are great compared to local shops. For example, I recently ordered a 100g tin of Frog Morton for $20.00 shipped. The same tin costs $29.95 at the local b&m here in OKC. You can get lots of bulk blends and drugstore blends online as well. Many of the aromatics (flavors like cherry, vanilla, etc) you find in your local store are really just renamed McClelland bulk blends you can find easily and cheaply online. Boswell's (boswellpipes.com) are also online and well regarded for their aromatics, as are some of the aromatics (butternut burley seems to be a favorite) made by pipesandcigars.com (a b&m in Albany, NY with a strong web presence.) Many online vendors also offer sample packs which you can use to try a few different blends to see what you like. Also, after your post count gets to 25 and you've been a member for a few days the WTB/WTT forums will appear. Signing up for the newbie trade is a great way to sample some blends. You provide an experienced pipe smoker with a tin of something they like and they'll send you several generous samples of different blends to try. Check it out when you are able. Try all different kinds of tobaccos at first, not just aromatics. You never know what you might like. There are so many to sample. Take your time and have fun!

Lastly, if you can get your hands on it (your local shops might not have it but all the online vendors do) I'd recommend McClelland's Frog Morton if/when you'd like to try a light english blend...smooth, cool smoking, no bite, slightly sweet, and just a taste of latakia. The Frog is great introduction to english type blends. Welcome to the pipe. Enjoy the journey!

A Bientot!

John

PS - love your forum name! Reminds me on one of my favorite books... Titan by John Varley

[FrayAdjacent]

I got some Lane 1Q recently and kinda like it. I like the mild flavor, since I'm new to smoking anything - didn't smoke cigarettes or cigars before picking up the pipe. The room note is kinda strong, so I won't smoke it inside.

Several other blends I've tried are pretty strong, so I'm thinking of getting some 1Q and cutting the stronger stuff with it to tone it down a bit and see what I enjoy.

[RJpuffs]

When you get the requisite number of days/posts under your belt, wander over by the WTS/WTB section which will magically appear at that time, and join in the noobie pipe trade. Get a whole mess of different baccys to try out.

[GregNJ]

Originally Posted by indigosmoke

You might also want to consider ordering online...many good choices out there for online vendors...pipesandcigars.com, cup o' joes, smoking pipes, 4noggins, the tobacco barn, to name a few and even with shipping included the prices are great compared to local shops.

This.

I went to five local tobacconists, not a tin of pipe tobacco between them. Went on line, and bought four tins of the tobaccos most frequently raved about on this forum.

Greg

[Mister Moo]

Challenged paychecks go hand in hand with a couple of Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes and a big tub of Carter Hall. Highly qualified pipe smokers will confirm this is a classic American combo that has worked for pipe-lovers for many, many decades. Some folks try it and never smoke anything else. Do not imagine this pairing is less than a shade of excellence.

[indigosmoke]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Challenged paychecks go hand in hand with a couple of Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes and a big tub of Carter Hall. Highly qualified pipe smokers will confirm this is a classic American combo that has worked for pipe-lovers for many, many decades. Some folks try it and never smoke anything else. Do not imagine this pairing is less than a shade of excellence.

Once again the Moo Man is right on target.