Pipe Tobacco Noob Questions

Started by Cap10_Morgan, 06/05/2017 07:19 PM

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Cap10_Morgan

Hey guys, I've always wanted to try a pipe and after seeing so many people on geeks that dabble between pipes and cigars, I have decided to give it a go.  Based on what I have seen, I will probably enjoy cigars more, but would like an alternative every once in a while, as well as not smoking $10 or more every time I light up, lol.  My dad used to smoke casually years ago and has a lot of pipes I could probably steal from him if I am interested.  In the meantime, I figure I will just get a MM cob to start with anyway.

My problem is what tobacco to start with.  Again, I'm trying to keep this kind of cheap to start (especially since I'm in the beginning phase of building my cigar inventory and actually hoping this will help slow down the number of cigars I smoke and build that inventory).  I can't afford to buy this and buy that until I find what I like.  With cigars, there are always samplers that can be found that run the whole flavor range and styles.  Every pipe sampler I have found has been "best of style a", "best of style b", or best of this manufacturer, etc.  I can't seem to find anything that would be a good sample to help me find a good starting point on my preference.  I don't know if I like English, or Virginia, or Latakia or Perique, etc etc etc.  I would love to find something that had them all.  In a perfect world, not even full tins, but like just enough for one bowl of multiple different tobaccos.  Am I dreaming or do you guys have any helpful pointers?  (I know there are a TON of posts asking what tobacco to start with, but they all ended with suggestions like try this brand, etc.  Haven't found anything in the way of samplers)  Thanks in advance, fellow geeks!

EDIT:  I changed the title from samplers to questions since A) hank and kent have already jumped in to help me out with sampling and B) I seem to have a lot of other questions.  Thanks, geeks!
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

M82

Wow Cap10. You are going all in ! Good luck on your newest adventure ! I know I always loved the smell of a good pipe. Not that many around anymore it seems. How has the new humidor worked out ?

Cap10_Morgan

Thanks!  Yeah, like I said, PART of the reason for the new found interest in pipes is to just give me something to smoke occasionally other than cigars so I can actually start to build my cigar inventory.  otherwise, I will smoke em as fast as I get em.  The new humi is perfect for me!  Keeping humidity at around 66% right now and I like having the 5 separate sections.  The 2 layers on top tray are smaller and holding my cubans and bombed smokes, while a large section on bottom has the box of La Traviatas I just bought. (first box i bought.  saw them on sale and always liked cao maduros...although these are a bit of a let down, they were cheap)  And yeah, even my wife was interested when I mentioned the pipe because even she likes the smell of a pipe but is "iffy" about cigars.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

jagfandaddy

Jeff, I have some pipe tobacco for you. I'll get it to you with the pass coming up. I just bought a pipe and a bunch of good smelling tobacco.
"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle."
 George Burns

Cap10_Morgan

Quotejagfandaddy - 6/6/2017  4:24 AM

Jeff, I have some pipe tobacco for you. I'll get it to you with the pass coming up. I just bought a pipe and a bunch of good smelling tobacco.

That'd be awesome, thanks!  I don't want a lot.  Just enough to "sample" different ones.  Fran95 (Francesco) is interested in meeting up with us when we get together also.  I told him I would keep him in the loop and give as much notice as I could.  (Whenever the package is on its way to me, we will have a few days to plan it)  Looking forward to it.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

05Venturer

Kent
 Guru of Cynicism & Cigars

"Pump the brakes; you take your shirt off but leave your sunglasses on?" "What sort of backwards !@#$ing pageantry is that?" "You going to fight with those shades or play pokerstars.com?"

Cap10_Morgan

Thanks, fellow geeks!  We will make a pipe smoker out of me, yet!  I stopped on the way home from work and picked up an MM cob and an ounce of their english blend (Prime Minister, they call it).  Guy was like, you SURE you want to try that your first time???  lol.  Might pack a bowl while finishing the rest of my work actually.  

Side question... with pipes, can you just say... pack a half bowl or even less?  Like knowing you just want a short smoke?  And also... I know I've seen plenty of things about the fact it most likely WILL go out and need relit.  Is it the same as cigars as far as IMMEDIATELY relighting?  Or can you come back an hour or so later?  (more than you can with a cigar.  cigars are dead to me once they sit for 5 minutes)
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

Cap10_Morgan

#7
To clarify, I know you CAN pack whatever you want.  But I'm wondering if you pack too little if it burns too hot or affects the flavor otherwise, etc.  

I just tried my first bowl and didn't go so well.  Could NOT keep it lit!  I mean it was going out quick!  Was thinking I packed too tightly so I used that little pin thing on the pipe took to try to let some air through... damn ash chunks came flying through the stem, lol.  I noticed (didn't even dawn on me) there was a filter that looked pretty clogged also, so hoping maybe that was the reason.  Do most of you prefer taking the filter out?  I was planning on it anyway, as from what I had read, a lot of the "tobacco" flavor gets caught by the filter.

That said... it was a pretty nice flavor while it was lit.  Tasted like mesquite or some other type of wood chips used in grillling.  Very smoky.  Really liked that!
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

jagfandaddy

Jeff, I've read both people taking the filter out and leaving it in. Not sure what filter you have, mine is a triangle balsa filter. The more I read about the balsa filter was to leave it in. It helps with bubbling and bite. I have yet to fire up my new one I got. Really sounds like a local herf night is in order to me.
"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle."
 George Burns

Cap10_Morgan

Yes.  Yes it is!  This was a MM cob I bought from Tobacco Cove.  This filter was like a rolled up cardboard tube with rolled up slotted construction paper in it.  I just went to try to pick out a couple pieces of tobacco that were stuck in it and pulled the contruction paper right out and can't fit it back in.  So looks like I'm smoking without a filter, lol.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

05Venturer

QuoteCap10_Morgan - 6/6/2017  1:37 PM

Yes.  Yes it is!  This was a MM cob I bought from Tobacco Cove.  This filter was like a rolled up cardboard tube with rolled up slotted construction paper in it.  I just went to try to pick out a couple pieces of tobacco that were stuck in it and pulled the contruction paper right out and can't fit it back in.  So looks like I'm smoking without a filter, lol.

IMO those filters are junk, I rarely use any filter, if I do it is the balsa wood one that can be made cheap if you have a Hobby Lobby near by. All you want the filter to do is pick up excess moisture.
Kent
 Guru of Cynicism & Cigars

"Pump the brakes; you take your shirt off but leave your sunglasses on?" "What sort of backwards !@#$ing pageantry is that?" "You going to fight with those shades or play pokerstars.com?"

Cap10_Morgan

I wonder if leaving the "cardboard tube" part of it, without the rolled up paper inside of it will absorb any moisture.  It's pretty open with just that part.  Thinking about just throwing that part back in and seeing what happens.  I'm really hoping that was part of my problem though.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

Cap10_Morgan

Ok, I changed the title of the thread since I seem to be finding more questions than just samplers and since Hank and Kent have jumped in to help me there.  So in the mean time, I figured why bother starting yet another noob thread and maybe get some of those questions answered.

1) Anyone actually know of any retailer that sells small sample sizes instead of just like 5 tins all from same brand or all in same category
2) Can a pipe be used more "conveniently" than a cigar (see earlier questions)  a) Can you just pack a small bowl when you know you don't have a lot of time without it affecting how it burns or the quality of the tobacco and b) is relighting a pipe similar to a cigar or can you go a little longer and relight and be ok.  (Lets say I light up, smoke half, but get interrupted and come back an hour or 2 later... will it be smokeable?)
3) Why was it so hard to keep my pipe lit earlier???  I did the "pinch test" from what I have seen, and it says if you pinch some tobacco, it should immediately start unravelling when you let it go.  If you pinch and it stays compressed, it is too moist, and if you pinch and it crumbles, it is too dry.  Seemed ok to me.  Now... I was smoking on the porch while it was raining out (not enough to get me or pipe wet, but humid im sure).  Or was it because I packed too tightly?  Or because of the cheap cardboard filter in the new MM cob pipe I just picked up?  I know no one can tell for sure, just curious as to which is most likely the issue.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

millarddj

#13
Oh hello there, i checked back in at the right time. To answer your questions based on my experience as a pipe smoker of about a year in earnest after transitioning from cigars:

1 - No, unfortunately there's not a lot of money in that. However, I had great success at Pipe Smoker's Forum with getting a sample bag, and I would be happy to do the same for you (little sample sizes of multiple different stuff). If you're interested, shoot me a PM and tell me what kind of stuff you're interested in trying. I have come to have a stupid amount of pipe tobacco. :biggrin:

2A - Yes, I sometimes pack half bowls. In fact, it is often recommended to break in a new pipe by starting with a few half bowls to establish a char at the bottom.
2B - No, relighting a pipe is much more forgiving than a cigar. IMO, a cigar should be re-lit within 15-30 minutes or chucked unless you trim off anything that was burned and immediately re-humidify the remainder. Pipes, on the other hand, can sit for hours or even a day or two without serious impact, and you'll have no problems with flavor, I've found.

3 - Welcome to the biggest challenge in pipe smoking. After about a year, I can now usually get a pipe to stay lit well about 75% of the time. It's all about experimenting with different tobacco, your pack style, and different pipes. The classic combo for learning how to get your light and smoke down pat is Carter Hall in an MM Cob - I did it with a little Eaton, but any cob will do. Long and short though - different things work for different people, and it's part of the mystique of smoking a pipe. Some guys will just pack via the old "codger scoop" and that's all they do. I can't do that worth a crap, but the "reverse gravity" method (inversion of the bowl rubbed over loose tobacco in the hand) works best for me. I have never had a filter or stinger impact my light or smoke at all.

Also, to address another question you had above - a tight pack is your worst enemy, mostly because it'll make the draw too snug. This is why everyone always says to tamp "with the weight of the tamper", and not to apply any extra pressure.

Cheers man, and enjoy the piping!
Ex Fumo Dare Lucem

Cap10_Morgan

Thanks, Daniel!  You answered everything pretty much exactly as I was expecting (no samplers) or hoping (was hoping a pipe could be used more periodically than a cigar.  with less commitment per say)  I'm pretty confident I packed too tightly earlier, so we will see.  I'm just going to try the same method actually, just less pressure, now that the filter is gone anyway.  Then I'll be able to compare the 2 and go from there.  But based on it going out within 30 seconds from start to finish, I'm pretty sure it was the pack.  I used what I found online saying 3 pinches.  1st with pressure of a baby, 2nd a woman, 3rd a man.  BUT... I saw things saying to give it a twist at the end and think I may have been giving too much pressure while twisting.  I'm sure I'll learn after experimenting a few more times.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

millarddj

QuoteCap10_Morgan - 6/6/2017  6:22 PM

Thanks, Daniel!  You answered everything pretty much exactly as I was expecting (no samplers) or hoping (was hoping a pipe could be used more periodically than a cigar.  with less commitment per say)  I'm pretty confident I packed too tightly earlier, so we will see.  I'm just going to try the same method actually, just less pressure, now that the filter is gone anyway.  Then I'll be able to compare the 2 and go from there.  But based on it going out within 30 seconds from start to finish, I'm pretty sure it was the pack.  I used what I found online saying 3 pinches.  1st with pressure of a baby, 2nd a woman, 3rd a man.  BUT... I saw things saying to give it a twist at the end and think I may have been giving too much pressure while twisting.  I'm sure I'll learn after experimenting a few more times.

Good luck with that. The "triple pack" method (child/woman/man) has NEVER worked for me at all, even though everyone seems to regard it as a "standard". It always results in too stiff a pack and inconsistent lights no matter how careful I try to be.

Ex Fumo Dare Lucem

Cap10_Morgan

I haven't heard of your method.   (""reverse gravity" method (inversion of the bowl rubbed over loose tobacco in the hand) works best for me.")  Whats that about?  (I can probably look it up later, just curious)
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

05Venturer

QuoteCap10_Morgan - 6/6/2017  2:26 PM

I wonder if leaving the "cardboard tube" part of it, without the rolled up paper inside of it will absorb any moisture.  It's pretty open with just that part.  Thinking about just throwing that part back in and seeing what happens.  I'm really hoping that was part of my problem though.

You can also just roll up a piece of paper and it will absorb moisture,
Kent
 Guru of Cynicism & Cigars

"Pump the brakes; you take your shirt off but leave your sunglasses on?" "What sort of backwards !@#$ing pageantry is that?" "You going to fight with those shades or play pokerstars.com?"

toby2

my two cents. keep at it. your suffering will let you know what works for you. my advise is don't puff and and don't smoke too wet. and just keep at it. i just jam flake in until there is enough to smoke for the time i have. i'm pretty sure we all started out the same. after you've got it for a spell you will forget all the beginnings and just jam a pipe full and go about your day.

freakydeakydutchman

"when a guy does something stupid once, well that's because he's a guy. But if he does the same stupid thing twice, that's usually to impress some girl."
Dr. Suess

http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=humidors;area=public;member=freakydeakydutchman

Cap10_Morgan

Thanks guys.  Tried the "gravity defying" pack last night and it worked like a charm.  Either that or removing the filter, lol.  Had to relight quite often, but I know that's part of learning how to fly.
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

Cap10_Morgan

By the way, I have loved everything I have tried from Hank and Kent so far.  The LEO and Sutliff Academy from Kent and the Lane 1Q from Hank.  I wouldn't say I just like all tobacco though, cause the crap I bought from the local B&M would have turned me off from pipes forever.  But this stuff has been enjoyable.  Thanks, guys!
"A good cigar is like a beautiful chick with a great body who also knows the American League box scores." -Klinger, M*A*S*H

toby2

can't go wrong with G. L. Pease  IMO.

jagfandaddy

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle."
 George Burns


   
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