Pipe smoking?
 

So hi. I tried out some Cigars...the cheap ones and even the "good" kinds, however I just didn't like it..tasted like smoke, I couldn't even get a HINT of "taste" I got my friend into smoking a pipe like last year...I remember when he lit it up for the first time..it smelled awesome..I have always liked the smell of a pipe. Would it be right to say that pipe tobacco tends to have a richer deeper more noticable flavor? or do you think since I got nothing outta cigars, then I probably wont with pipes?

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Cant say if you will like it or not until you try it. I wouldn't say pipe tobacco is richer or deeper with more noticeable flavor than cigars, but I wouldn't say the opposite either. There are so many blends ranging from mild to full, that its impossible to make generalizations like that. You'll just have to try it for yourself!

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

I am a very new pipe smoker (3mo<) and started on cigars. Here is my take on it.

It really depends on your description of "tastes like smoke". Do you mean it tasted like you were sucking on an ashtray? Or perhaps you just dont like the taste of tobacco? Taste is very subjective and depends on the cigar and how long you have been at it. Like anything worthwhile it takes time.

Now onto pipes. While the smell is there, almost never does the pipe tobacco taste like it smells. Even more so with aromatics (which often get the most compliments from others). You actually get a more subtle flavor with most blends. A good number of cigar smokers who switch to pipes find themselves disappointed with the more mild flavor and lack of a nicotine kick when they are expecting just the opposite.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

hmm, I guess I will just have to try it for myself. And by tasting like "smoke" I mean, it tasted like I was just...tasting cigarette smoke..nothing special to it. I do remember I THINK tasting something a wee bit different but it was such subtle thing..and quickly vanished. My friend who seemed to be able to "get" the taste in cigars, while I didn't, really liked the pipe when he first tried it. It was some big bag of Cherry blend we bought at the local rite aid..but he immediatly just leaned back and was like "holy crap..this thing is awesome" I never tried it tho.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Sounds like you experienced a bad cigar. There are plenty of crappy ones out there (often machine made) that are nothing but a big cigarette. Good cigar flavor just cannot be compared to that of a cigarette. I suggest trying some different sticks.

While aromatics (like your friends cherry blend) often smell amazing and are what initially lured most new pipe smokers in, the taste often ranges from "good" to "sucking on an ash tray" because lesser quality tobacco is often used. Ive got a few aro blends and ive found this to be true in my case (and im buying the tinned stuff). Some are downright harsh no matter how much I play with drying them out.

Non aromatics (non flavored/infused) blends are (to me) much more enjoyable and they comprise about 95% of what I have in stock and are what I go to 99% of the time. You still get that rich full "pipe tobacco smell" and it actually tastes good! Ive seen the light.

That being said, try everything out and decide for yourself. Get a cob and a couple different samplers of tobacco and have at it!

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

I sort of see what the OP is saying.

I feel like I do get a larger range of flavors from a pipe. And I mostly smoke non-aromatics. From what I understand, and from the limited experience with aromatics, the better it smells the worse it tastes (like your middleton's cherry and Apple blends and such).

While there are a range of flavors in cigars I find those other "non-strait-tobacco" flavors are a bit more subtle and can be a little more upfront in some pipe tobaccos.

My advice is to grab yourself a $5 cob and some samples and try it out.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Depends. I wouldn't say more flavorful, to be honest most guys I talk to who switch from cigars to pipes find it less flavorful at first. Both pipes and cigars take some getting used used, if you go into either with lofty expectations of flavor and taste and your bound to be disappointed.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

My preferences changed from all cigars to mostly pipes last year. Previous to then I had attempted to smoke a couple pipes I had bought at different times but I always burnt my tongue, smoked too hard, and had to relight constantly.

I find that the range of flavors is much wider with pipe tobacco. With cigars you are smoking something that is only a couple steps away from the raw material it is made with, and is only changed through natural process such as fermentation and aging.

Tobacco used for making a pipe blend goes through many more steps to adjust or replace the natural flavors of the tobacco. Some of these are non invasive like pressing the tobacco into blocks, to help marry the flavors, and others are more so, like adding a topping to the raw tobacco, which adds a different flavor or another level complexity. Or casing the tobacco which is soaking the tobacco in a soup like flavoring to drastically change it's flavor profile.

Like others have said, if the tobacco smells too much like fruit or something other than tobacco it is probably cheap Virgina or Burly tobacco that was processed into Cavendish and then cased with flavors to replace the natural tobacco flavors. Not all of these aromatics are bad but most of the cheap ones you buy in a store other than a tobacconist are. Most pipe tobacco will not provide as big of a flavor as smoking a cigar, this is a hard thing for cigar smokers to get at first, but after a couple weeks you'll hardly notice the difference.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

I'm enjoying the pipe- I esp. enjoy the wonderful aromas produced by many of the tobaccos I've tried. I'm still learning, and have to relight quite a bit, and suck bits of tobacco while puffing, but hopefully(and usually) practice makes perfect.

I just got two better quality pipes(still fairly cheap- 2/$45) to augment my corncobs, and hopefully will get a good quality pipe soon enough.

So far the constant relights are bothersome, cigars stay lit!

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Thanks for the replies guys. My bud came over a couple days ago, and he rebought a corncob pipe, and some tobacco. I tried some of it..I still got the same "reaction" I got from cigars. He had bought some brand called "Captain Black" gold Cavendish. He also bought a bag of tobacco from some brand I believe is called "vintage" Cherry Cavendish. It tasted like smoke..however it didn't feel very harsh..it just tasted like nothing. However both are apparently "mild" flavors. Also they are Aro-matics and from reading some of your posts, it would appear aromatics have even less flavor.

I have a feeling that almost everything I have tried so far (cigars included) have all been mild. My best bud was born without the ability to smell, so I think he has a bit of a hightened sense of taste...he can't seem to bear any spicy food, and he can taste the flavors in these rather bland tobacco's. I think what I need is a really strong tobacco. Maybe something like "English" blend? I heard that its a strong tobacco...any other strong tobacco's coming to mind folks?

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

English blends are my favorite, and a great place to start to get away from the aromatics. You can also try some VA/Per (Virgina + Perique) which has the tang and snap of a Virgina with with some Perique mixed in to mellow it out and add some richness.

Check out http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/index.cfm - it's a great resource for getting an idea of how different blends generally taste. Also check out the Newbie Sampler Trade for pipe tobacco. - http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9168 .

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

I found out there is a tobacco shop in the city next to me. I might be going up there some day soon, to look at their tobacco. I'm interested in trying a tobacco called "Presbyterian"

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

See thats the thing. Being that because I have pretty much only tried mild Tobacco so far (thats what I'm boiling it down to) Then...what kind of flavor am I suppose to expect? If I find that right tobacco and "see the light" will it be very noticable? Or am I going to have to take a few puffs and be like "I kinda...taste it" I'm not even sure of what flavor to be looking for lol.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_...PHA=S&TID=1968

I found the tobacco that I had tried...apparently is VERY mild...no wonder I got nothing out of it.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Most aromatics arent very flavorful and are often mild in the nicotine dept.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

I've heard in the past that the only similarities between pipe tobacco and cigar tobacco are what they are made of and that they're intended to be smoked.

Pipe tobacco has the benefit of a diverse geographic range compared to cigar tobacco. Whilst premium cigar tobacco come from a few countries with amazingly similar climates; pipe tobacco comes from all around the world. You have your Virginia's (which aren't just necessarily made in Virginia), Periques (Louisiana), Burley (Kentucky), Latakias (Cyprian and Syrian), and non-toasted Orientals (Mostly the around the Mediterranean). All of these come from vastly different climates and soil.

Likewise, there are many different ways to prepare pipe tobacco, toast or don't toast and the toppings applied; even packing could affect tastes: press in to flakes, medallions, loose ribbons, cake.

Cigar tobacco, on the other hand, comes from similar climates and is prepared similarly. Likewise, the variations of taste are much more subtle as a result. Likewise, apart from naturally controlled variables (shade/no shade; time to ferment; seed variances) cigars are unabridged and unmistakably tobacco first and foremost.

Neither is better than the other, it's merely a preference to like one or the other or both. Basically think of cigars as straight espresso shots, and pipe tobacco as the differences of coffee in general.

Likewise, find a simple list of every type of pipe tobacco that would interest you (for instance):

English
Balkan
Oriental
Virginia
VA-Per
Aromatic

And buy a tin or sample of tobacco of each to determine you're likes and dislikes. I'd imagine a full English Blend being the most complex, while an aromatic would be virtually tasteless.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Thanks for the information.

My bud actually found out by his grandpa who used to smoke a pipe and cigars for about 30 years, told us that there was a Tobacco shop in the town next to us. It was awesome to here about this because, we thought the only one close was a really shady known to deal illegal drugs in the back type place. We visited today. I had no money so didn't get anything however it was small, and family owned (for nearly 100 years) My bud however got some mixes of Pipe tobacco from them. Country Blend (which smelled awesome) Almond Burbon, and Virginia Peach. I think I might like the country blend. I plan to go back up like next week, and buy a pipe from them, and some of their personal mixes. I will make sure to tell you guys how it goes.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

Check out this thread http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...t=9168&page=23 to get a good sampler of different types of tobacco. There is a big list for the noobs but get your name on the list. I did this a couple months ago and got a great sampling for an experienced pipe smoker.

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

hmm. So my bud stopped by yesterday. He brought his beaten down cob and his baccy with him :) Here is the situation.

1. He has had it for almost a month now, and has NOT cleaned it once.
2. Its filtered
3. ever baccy I have tried from his pipe I couldn't taste

Now I told him that I heard the filter can actually filter out the taste sometimes, so he took it out, and sure enough to him..it tasted better. He loaded up a bowl of Georgia Peach baccy, and I decided to have a go. FINALLY I tasted something. It wasn't a distinguishable flavor. It tasted sweet..almost sour, I would get it at the tip of my tongue..only I also wasn't sure if I was burning my tongue lol, but it felt cool as well. Now..was this the baccy? or was it that "drip" everyone speaks of?

Re: Pipe smoking?
 

It could be a combination of both. Smoking the "dirty" pipe could lead to nasty flavors and/or drip. He needs to run a coupe pipe cleaners through the pipe just to get all that old residue out.