How to get started smoking pipes

[alfredo_buscatti]

I agree with RevSmoke's about not buying CH, PA and SWR. These are lower-end burleys and to me, even the higher end such as Peretti's blends and Solani's flake tinned burley taste flat to me. As does the powerful yet equally tasteless 5 Brothers.

Latakia blends are said to be the place to start as they have the least bite of all the major tobacco genres. However, although I don't smoke latakia, I'd go for a class act such as GL Pease Westminster. There are plenty of things to distract and annoy you when you start, and with a good/great tobacco, you can at least scratch that off your list.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by alfredo_buscatti

I agree ... about not buying CH, PA and SWR. These are lower-end burleys...

Whether or not over-the-counter burley is the world's greatest pipe tobacco is not at issue in this thread. We ALL know what it is and we ALL know how it smokes, year in, year out. If someone has a problem getting a cool, easy smoke in a cob with Carter Hall or Prince Albert, we'll ALL know why and nearly anyone can get you back on track fast.

I concede there are thousands of possible things you can stuff into a pipe and enjoy but, if posters begin naming individual favorites (and brands) here it becomes a confusing, long and winding road. There are plenty of other threads (and entire web sites) dedicated to discussion why one tobacco is preferred to another tobacco. This is about a clean, easy foolproof start for newguys.

I am open to discussion here. This thread isn't for my benefit - it's for the many folks who try to start smoking a pipe and immediately find it complicated, unrewarding or confusing. I have seen how confusing things get for newguys when a dozen pipe brands and scores of "my favorite tobacco is..." posts suddenly come pouring down when the problem is knowing how to light a pipe evenly or tamp it lightly. Given OTC burley isn't my first choice in pipe tobacco either, may we agree:

1. For the first-time pipe smoker there are thousands of tobaccos to select from; and
2. any of them may ultimately satisfy you more than over the counter burley.
3. We agree that basic burley creates a common language, has well-known and uniform physical characteristics; and
4. basic burley in a cob provides a good starting point for new smokers - particularly those wishing to depart from cigarettes.

If there is a better, easier and more clear way to explain "Intro Pipe 101" to the newguy, please propose it. If that should necessarily include a broader tobacco discussion within this thread I am listening.