newb here. just got some new toys...

[schollianmj]

so I have been smoking cigars for a while now, but since the temps have dropped, I have no garage or shed, and the wife will NOT let me smoke in the house I have been ruining some great sticks. I tend to wait until its not TO cold then I go out and light one up. with in about 1.5-2 inches into the stick I am so freaking cold it is no longer enjoyable to smoke...

So I bought this...
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a21/schollianmj/2012-01-05_12-06-31_915.jpg

My thinking is that I can fill the bowl (notice I said fill, NOT pack? ) 1/2 or 3/4 and enjoy it and even if I do end up wasting some of it the cost is a lot less than the Cigars I have been wasting. lets see, 2 oz. of the local shops blend $6.50... This morning I tried to smoke an Ave Maria Reconquista that I was gifted and only made it about 2.5 inches into it. What do those sticks cost, $20.00? My normal cigars cost me $5.00 - $10.00, this is a lot less costly.

the tobaccos that I bought to try were:
Hayes #2 – A lighter Latakia mixture with bright and matured Virginias blended with Turkish tobaccos on a base of cased fragrant Black Cavendish for “social acceptability”.

and:
Rare Silk – A honey-vanilla flavoring on a long ribbon cut mixture of flue-cured Virginia and Burley.

I smoked a bowl of both today and love the Hayes #2. :dr it has a slightly smokey scent when I bury my nose in the bag, and upon lighting it has a nice flavor, with hints of a campfire. I know Im doing a horrible job describing it, but hey, I said im a newb! :)

Now for a couple questions...

I need to keep the tobacco in a humidor or something right? I see online pouches for tobacco, but wont that allow it to dry out?

I bought a cheap 30 dollar pipe. no name brand since it was my first one... other than aesthetics, what are the benefits of the higher dollar pipes? I saw a peterson that I really loved, but it was just under two hundred. why? what makes them so expensive?

my pipe gurgles a bit after smoking for about 15 mins. I know it is moisture accumulating at the bottom of the bowl from the tobacco, but I cannot seem to get a pipe cleaner down the stem to wick it away. is there something I can do to fix this? I was thinking of using a small file and chamfering the opening of the hole.

While talking about pipe cleaners... the opening in the mouthpiece is so small I can hardly get the pipe cleaners in it. could I open it up a bit with and exact o knife or some such?

I think thats about it for now. Thanks for reading.... :D

[Zanaspus]

Now for a couple questions...

I need to keep the tobacco in a humidor or something right? I see online pouches for tobacco, but wont that allow it to dry out?

I bought a cheap 30 dollar pipe. no name brand since it was my first one... other than aesthetics, what are the benefits of the higher dollar pipes? I saw a peterson that I really loved, but it was just under two hundred. why? what makes them so expensive?

my pipe gurgles a bit after smoking for about 15 mins. I know it is moisture accumulating at the bottom of the bowl from the tobacco, but I cannot seem to get a pipe cleaner down the stem to wick it away. is there something I can do to fix this? I was thinking of using a small file and chamfering the opening of the hole.

While talking about pipe cleaners... the opening in the mouthpiece is so small I can hardly get the pipe cleaners in it. could I open it up a bit with and exact o knife or some such?

I think thats about it for now. Thanks for reading.... :D

1) Humidor is too wet for pipe tobacco (not to mention it's like putting Acids in your humi. Buy a flat of mason jars. Cheap as chips and optimal for pipe tobacco.

2) As you are learning, the downside of a $30 pipe is that it is often engineered like a $30 pipe. i.e Not a clean straight airway (this causes gurgles and obstruction of pipe cleaners to try and fix it. $200 is mid-line for Peterson. Look at Petersons, Stanwells, and Savinellis say here:

http://www.smokingpipes.com/

This is my personal favorite e-tailer. They certainly have the widest selection. Also, if you don't mind the look, Missouri Meerschaum corn-cob pipes smoke as well as most $200 pipes IMO. At 8-10 bucks for the better ones, they're a worthwhile investment even if you prefer briar

3) See 2 above

4) An exacto knife, no. Drill bits, files and the like, yes. Seems to me an awful lot of effort for a $30 pipe.

Enjoy the trip!

[Ed21201]

Sounds and looks yummy to me Broseph

[JD11]

[QUOTE=
my pipe gurgles a bit after smoking for about 15 mins. I know it is moisture accumulating at the bottom of the bowl from the tobacco, but I cannot seem to get a pipe cleaner down the stem to wick it away. is there something I can do to fix this? I was thinking of using a small file and chamfering the opening of the hole.

While talking about pipe cleaners... the opening in the mouthpiece is so small I can hardly get the pipe cleaners in it. could I open it up a bit with and exact o knife or some such?

[/QUOTE]

could that be a filter pipe ? filter would keep a pipe cleaner from passing thru..

[schollianmj]

no filter. the holes weren't aligned properly, but 10 mins with an exacto knife and all is better. :-)

[JD11]

Glad it worked out for ya.. now enjoy it...

[schollianmj]

oh yes. most definitely am enjoying it. :-)