Question about Smoking a Pipe.

[MelangeMan]

I've gotten interested in smoking a pipe again. I gave it a shot a few years ago. I've also smoked a couple regular cigarettes and some swishers. My problem, if there is one, is that the smoke from all of those tastes pretty much the same.

I smoke Captain Black in my pipe. I read reviews about it and every other tobacco and people describe smoke as tasting this way and that, sweet and vanilla, or smoky and earthy, or whatever. But... it just tastes like burning tobacco. The scent afterward smells like a good old tobacco shop, and thats what I like, but the smoke, again, just tastes like... smoke.

Is there something I need to be doing? I follow the advice I've read about pipes, I pack and light the pipe how people recommend, but it's always the same.

I just bought a nice thick walled pipe this afternoon to see if maybe it'll be different than the two thin walled pipes I've used before. Haven't tried it yet. Thanks in advance.

[beja]

I've found that when I got a new pipe, I have to smoke it in stages. I never pack it full the first 10 times I smoked it. I'd start by filling it a quarter of the way, do that several times, then work my way up to half, repeat, etc until I eventually have a full pipe. This would build up a decent cake on the bottom, and then the pipe would burn more evenly and generally taste better.

I started out with Captain Black as well, as that's what my grandfather smoked and I had a fondness for the smell. Eventually I moved on to shopping at the tobacconist and trying different blends.

If you're looking for taste, the English blends (non-aromatics) are the way to go in my opinion; however, they don't give you that same pipe store smell the way that cherry, Capt. Black or other aromatics do. I never really found a perfect tobacco that tasted AND smelled the way I'd like it to. The tasty English blends tasted good, but smelled like a campfire. The aromatics just tasted bland.

[celloguy11]

Pipe smoking was my thing waay before I found cigarettes and now snus, and thus I know waaay to much about it. This is my first post on this forum, and I'm glad it's about pipe smoking. Advice from my friend above me is good. Break in your new pipe slowly if you need to. I usually do that anyway because it's good practice. Now, as far as your tobacco of choice goes, I would really recommend that you go down to your closest tobacco shop and talk to the friendly man or woman who works there. Explain to them what you are looking for (aroma AND taste) and they should be able to help you out. My recommendation is to try out a couple Virginia's in flake or ready rubbed form. Really nice stuff with a lot of flavor but it smells good. And as far as the subtle nuances you mentioned about the smoking tasting a particular way, just close you eyes and smoke a couple of pipes and really try to enjoy the experience. You could even try and put your thoughts down in writing. It sounds silly, but it's one of the best ways I know of to make "snobbish descriptions" read like common english. Anyways, good luck! Let me know how it goes.

[Snusdog]

MM,

Let me add a couple of things to what’s been said. First, if you are breaking in a new pipe it is going to take a while for you to really get the flavor. Depending on what kind of pipe you have the flavor may be a little bitter at first. Somewhere around the 10th bowl you will begin to notice the bitterness has subsided. One thing that will help is to take a slight bit of honey for your first 3 or 4 times smoking your new pipe put it on your pinky finger and lightly coat (and I stress lightly coat) the inside of the bowl. This will spead the breaking in and will reduce the bitterness.

Second, It will take some time before your mouth gets used to the smoke. At first you will just taste smoke and then have ashtray mouth. This will subside and then you will be able to taste more and more.

Third, a lot of the problem is that you have been using a blend made up of primarily burley. Burley can be cooler- depending on if its cased (flavored)- but it is pretty bland. Let me recommend two excellent starter blends. The first is “Frog Morton on the Town”. The second is “Virginia Woods” Both of these are by McClelland. They are both cross over blends meaning that they are suited for those coming from aromatics to natural blends (ie no flavoring/casing). Frog Morton on the Town will introduce you to English style Tobaccos (those with Latakia) and the VA Woods will introduce you to blends with Virginia leaf. Most any pipe store will carry them or you can find them easily on line.

Hope this helps

[MelangeMan]

I do need to give the pipe more time to break in, even though it was pre carboned. I don't mind a bland/mild tobacco as long as it eventually starts tasting/smelling more like pipe tobacco and less like cigarette tobacco. I'll probably mostly smoke CB because I don't think there are any smoke shops around here with an eye for pipe smokers. I'll just relax about it and keep puffing. Thanks persons.

[Jason]

Mmmmm, Captain Black......that's all I used to use when I still smoked a pipe. I miss it sometimes, but I'd rather just stay away from smoking tobacco altogether.

I had always heard that the less flavored (i.e. aromatic) a pipe tobacco is, the better the taste for the smoker. I don't know if that is actually the case, though.

[beja]

Also, if you're smoking daily, you might want to pick up another pipe or two, so that you can give them time to rest. Smoking the same pipe everyday, especially if you're testing new tobaccos can lead to a nasty taste.