Hey guys any of you can give me some tips about good pipe tobaccos, i was looking at Rajeks and they have a good selection of Samuel Gawiths (i really want to try the SG pipe tobaccos) and others brands, i had a tin of Dunhill Early Morning some time ago and loved so I am looking for something like that (Latakia?) .Thank you AP
From Samuel Gawith, go for Squadron Leader, no question. A wonderful blend that many swear by (including myself). You might like the Frog Morton series of tobaccos from McClelland too. I’m a big fan personally, and they have a heaping helping of Latakia!
Commonwealth MIxture from SG is a latakia blend too, very nice too. My favourite SG is 1792 Flake though very moreish indeed that one. Stefan
In SG my favorite is Squadron Leader and second is Skiff Mixture. One I like even better is GL Pease Westminister. It tastes like Dunhill London Mixture. It is pretty pricey though compared to SG tobacco.
I’m no expert on the matter as I’ve only tried a few types of pipe tobacco but i have really enjoyed Benson & Hedges - Mellow Virginia. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some Samuel Gawith Twist to chew and smoke. Anyone have any experience in that regard ?
My favorite Latakia containing blend is definitely Bow-legged Bear from C&D, then Abingdon from GL Pease. A lot of people like Penzance, but I gave a half-pound of it away, because I dislike no-nicotine smoke in the worst way. Commonwealth, Pirate Cake, and Lancers Slices are ok, but not on par with Bow-legged Bear. I like it almost as much as 1792 which is definitely my favorite above and beyond anything else. Of the G&H, I smoke Dark Flake unscented and Aromatic, Kendal Dark, Dark Birdseye and Kendal Kentucky. I like all the SG and G&H ropes. Full Virginia Flake from SG was my first love, and I still like it a lot. Add now Opening Night from C&D and Hal O the Wind from Rattray and the Iwan Ries flakes. Peterson’s Irish.
Orlik Golden Sliced, Peterson University Flake, MacBaren HH Mature Virginian, MacBaren Dark Twist,(. if I can put my two cents worth in). I guess you can tell I like the Virginian. Always liked a Peterson pipe for a plain, good smoking pipe, too.
Try some SG Plugs, RB Plug or maby Kendal Brown Both highly reviewed just cut off an amount and cut grind shread ball rip the stuff to your liking.
It’s funny that this thread would be created today. I have never tried pipe smoking but just got the itch this week to give it a go. In fact, I am 20 minutes away from winning a vintage Oscar Savinelli aged briar pipe on ebay for a mere $30. I will promptly purchase some of the tobaccos above to break it in. Any advice to a new pipe smoker?
Thanks for the tips everyone, i will try to order some of your suggestions in the next week
For a new smoker I would suggest something that is not mild. I would consider some Prince albert all you can get is drug store stuff, but if you can expierence some of the finer blends anything Samuel Gawith would be a good bet here is a site that can really help. http://www.pipesandtobaccos.com/pipesandtobaccos/tobaccos/tobaccoall.htm Shipping may take some time seeing as they are far away but the range they have is amazing and for reviews http://tobaccoreviews.com/ probly the most comprehensive site
From the world of buying cigars by the box, I started out buying pipe tobacco by the pound, and only later started buying smaller amounts. So, I recommend that you buy one small tin at a time instead of bulk. Second thing is that you can ignore most of the reviews at TobaccoReviews.com, including the high count posters, but just look at the header and see how the admin rated it. The same terminology means different things to different people. My idea of strong is high nicotine, and a lot are talking about ‘flavor’ as in Latakia, even if it has no nicotine. Many are like puppies piddling on every tree just to have something to say. To wit, if you’re scared of nicotine, why review it just to say you’re scared of nicotine, just pass on it. Same here with me about menthol; I have no business having opinions about any mentholated snuff. Call Rich at 4Noggins, or Tarler at C&D, and have them hook you up with series to sample. Anything is fair game except American aromatics, a waste of bad tobacco. 4Noggins and Mars Cigars have star ratings to consider. The things I like have high nicotine. So anything I say I smoke, avoid it if you don’t like nicotine. Try Penzance instead.
For Newbies on pipes: If it smells good it probably tastes terrible. Go for something without casing(added flavors). In other words, avoid aromatics like the plague. Aromatics have chemicals sprayed on them to make them smell good. When these chemicals burn they taste bad and burn your tongue. A good English blend is what I would recommend, or if you want something mild perhaps “Shortcut to Mushrooms” or some other unflavored cavendish. Many Cavendishes are flavored–Yuch. tobaccoreviews.com is a good site to educate yourself on pipe tobacco Just remember, everyone likes something and everything is liked by someone. once you figure who likes what you like you can see how they review a product.
That was one of the great things about pipes, there was never an end to the search for the perfect tobacco, the perfect pipe that smoked that tobacco a certain way, the many shapes and finishes of the pipes–it’s a wonderful addiction and hobby! Something about Winter,the kids all quiet in bed, me sitting in front of the woodburner at home, a smoldering pipe, the smoke silently rising around my head—compare that to standing outside in the cold, huffing down an old, plain cigarette-THERE Is NO comparison!!
More so then finding a good blend is finding a good pipe. Then finding a good blend from that point. I rememeber having a great alpine pipe years ago that for some reason smoked some of my least favorite blends wonderfully. I never liked any cherry tobaccos ever but for some reason out of that pipe they took on a wonderfully amazing taste. Don’t look for the right tobacco till you find the right pipe.
This will gonna be my first order from 4noggins. Cornell & Diehl BOW LEGGED BEAR 2oz. G.L. Pease ABINGDON 2oz McClelland FROG MORTON ACROSS THE POND 100g Samuel Gawith KENDAL CREAM FLAKE 50g G.L. Pease WESTMINSTER 2oz McClelland Grand Orientals CLASSIC SAMSUN 50g
I use Andrea’s in Kenosha WI. They do take orders over the phone, and will ship wherever. I know Dave, the owner personally, and will personally vouch for any and all of their house blends. My personal favorite is his Jack’s Prestige Navy Cut Flake, though I do have to say I am a big fan of Torben Dansk’s Blue Note, which is German.
Looks good.
I was a big fan of SG when i smoked pipes. I liked the skiff mixture and the navy.
Check out Iwan Ries. iwanries.com They also have the most snuffs I’ve seen in a brick and mortar. If you find yourself in downtown Chicago it’s a great place to check out. They also have something like 12,000 pipes in stock, cigars, snus. My favorites are: IRC international IRC virginia flake Ashton- Smooth Sailing I’m no expert though I do smoke my pipes a few times a week. AP- Looks like a nice sampling of tobaccos I’d love to check out more varieties so I may give some of those a try in the future. Let us know what you think when you get them.
AP, there are so many pipe tobaccos out there. I love latakia blends, especially in the colder weather for some reason. SG makes some delicious blends. For their lats, I would recommend Squadron Leader and Balkan Flake. Peter Stokkebye Balkan Supreme is very good, and inexpensive- $25/lb at Mars. Cornell and Diehl make a wide range of lat blends too, some with burley and perique for big flavor and a larger nic-kick. When I first started pipes, I was fascinated with the old styles of tobacco, the plugs and ropes. IMO, they deliver the most in terms of flavor, good smoke, and vitamin N. However, they require more preparation and can require more attention. Pipe smoking is economical, once you have your pipes. I went to a cigar shop the other day, and bought a tin of Hamborger Veermaster for the price of a good cigar. Enjoyed an hour-long smoke, and still have tobacco enough for about 20 more smokes. If I may recommend a forum, check out smokersforums.org Many pipe smoking veterans there, lots to learn. In fact, that forum is where I first learned about snuff.
I’ll probably receive a few groans for mentioning this one, but I’ve always liked Borkum Riff Bourbon. It’s very accessible, found almost anywhere and the flavour is quite nice.
@mr_snuffypants no laughing here. Though I have never tried it, I always hear that Borkum is one of the best drugstore brands for pipe tobacco. I’m going to have to check out iwanries next time I go into Chicago. Didn’t ever occur to me I could find a place carrying snuff out here in the midwest, though I guess Chicago is a big enough town… EDIT: Checked out their site. Definite stop on my next trip into town. Hmm. I’ll be passing through next week. I’ll have to stop in for some Toque Chocolate which I am out of and some WOS Lemon Grove which I have never tried.
This thread has some pics from the last time I went to iwan ries
Many in the organized pipe tobacco smoking community believe in ‘cellaring’ to intentionally age tobacco. I fit more into the hoarding a ridiculous amount category than sophisticated aging. Iwan Ries flakes come in aluminized zip-locks, ready, that day. This is a high quality operation.