Pipe Tobacco Purchase, Did I mess Up?

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Gabe215

So I have a pipe I bought on here a few years back (danish hand made) never got into smoking pipe tobacco. I just made an impulse buy yesterday and wanna get someone/ anyone’s thoughts on if I would like this given my taste in cigars. I bought- Plum Pudding, Bengal Slices, Ashton Artisan Blend, Star of the East, and Scottys Bass Pond. As for cigars I like NC Fuente Anejo, Tatuaje and Liga Privada for CC’s I like Ramón Allones and Bolivar. All the reviews on pipe tobacco they use the leaves that are in them to describe the taste. I don’t know what Latakia or Perique tastes like. What can I expect? Any and all help is appreciated!

Cigars produce smoke pipes produce smoke and that is where the similarities end, fully and completely.

It is like trying to compare pineapples and apples, they are not at all alike. You cannot smoke them the same and surely they will not taste the same. Enjoy each of them for what you get out of them, not what you expect as a cigar smoker.

One of the things that will make your pipesmoking experience better is properly filling your pipe - do not fill t too tight or too loose. Trying to explain it here would be difficult, but know there are a couple different methods that work well. Videos online will lead you to see the different things done, and then experimentation will follow as you find "your way to do it." A tobacconist who smokes a pipe is probably a great teacher if you have one local, or an old hand at pipes.

When you light your pipe, like a cigar, you want to get an even burn going. This means you will have to have a tamper. And the lighting process itself is a ritual to be enjoyed. You'll get your initial charing light, at which the tobacco will puff up out of the bowl a bit, you need to tamp it down evenly, and then, while puffing, get an even light of the entire bowl. Again, this is not something that happens naturally, or comes easily. Sitting with an older pipester & going through this process the first couple of times can be immensely helpful

Do you not expect to get the same volume of smoke from a pipe as you do from a cigar.

Go back and read that last line again.
Read it one more time.

Trying to get the same volume of smoke from a pipe as you do from a cigar will lead to pain and sorrow. Yes, you heard me correctly. Trust me on this, your tongue will thank me. Best way I can describe smoking a pipe is to sip it. You can also leave it in your mouth, puffing occasionally. Interestingly, ormal conversation with it in your mouth will keep it burning lazily, probably the proper pace for smoking. Slow and easy, small "sips" to roll around in your mouth, to taste to settle nuances of flavor.

As for the different blends that you purchased, none of them are in my normal rotation. That does not mean they are not good, it means they are not in my wheelhouse. Do not expect them to be the same.

Both perique and Latakia are tobacco's that are cured in a specific manner to produce specific flavors. Latakia is done with Oriental tobaccos, and we'll have a very smoky taste - I used to truly love Latakia, but it has fallen out of favor with my taste buds. Perique on the other hand will have hints of plum or raisin and spice, it is probably my favorite cured tobacco.

Virginia tobacco doesn't always come from Virginia. Virginias are naturally sweet, and if I can stay it that way, some are brighter in flavor while others are darker and richer in flavor. I personally like the smoke Virginias or VaPers ( Virginia/Perique blends).

You have stepped into a brave new world. Experimentation is your friend. You will develop your own techniques and habits, they may be slightly different than what a possible mentor would tell you. That is okay, you need to do it your way.

Piece of the Lord be with you.