Your Recommendations, Please

[NathanA]

As well as being new to pipe making I am also relatively new to pipe smoking. The only place anywhere near me has about a half-dozen bulk blends and that's about it. I would like to branch out and I was looking to make an online purchase. I was hoping all the old pros would chime in with their recommendations of their favorite tinned tobaccos and/or those that every pipe smoker must try. I don't know a lot about the differences between tobaccos but so far I have enjoyed non-aromatics the most and if I have read correctly I don't think I like heavy burley blends because I believe those are most similar to cigarettes, which I don't care for. I would love to hear all of your opinions/suggestions. Thanks everyone!

[TRS]

You've gotta let us know what you've tried and liked; at least a flavor profile if not a blend. I personally like all kinds of blends, aromatics included. But some of my favorite non-aromatics are Ashton Artisan's Blend, Esoterica Penzance, Mcclelland Dark Star and Esoterica Stonehaven. Some or all of these may be completely unavailable. And I'm not an old pro. But give an idea of what you like as far as flavor and someone should be able to help! Pure VA? VA/Per? English? Aromatics? (C'mon, maybe you've just tried the wrong aros! )

[NathanA]

Alright. I'll try to elaborate. The shop near me is pretty pathetic and not very helpful. Their blends have names like Snowflake, Somerset, Caribbean and Black Gold (those names probably don't mean anything). I don't know a lot about the types of tobacco so I couldn't really say what tobaccos are in what blends. I liked the snowflake and caribbean which I think are mainly cavendish, but that is kind of a guess based on what I have read about tobacco types. I also ordered a sampler from Iwan Ries in Chicago. There was a Three Star Blue aromatic which I did not care for (it was described as mostly burley, with virginia and fire cured cavendish, a Dr. Bradley blend which I liked (described as a classic English mixture), a Private Blend which I liked (described as a middle of the road non aromatic) and a King's Oriental which I liked (described as cavendish blended with virginias and orientals). I honestly have not experienced enough to tell the difference between cavendish, Virginia, latakia or anything else. The reason I raised the question is because I was reading about some WO Larsen aromatic blends which sounded really good. I don't know if I brought any clarity to the situation but thanks for the help.

[TRS]

Check out tobaccoreviews.com if you haven't already. I looked up the Iwan Ries blends (I'm unfamiliar with them) and it turns out that some of the ones you liked are lightly aromatic and burley based. If you do some digging and reading about the blends you'll eventually find some things you'd like to try. Trial and error! Personally, I recommend the above tobaccos (Artisans and Penzance are strong English blends, very smoky and spicy) as well as Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream for a delightful aromatic (with real tobacco taste though!) Experiment; it's a great deal of fun. I've discovered that I like all different kinds of blends across the board, depending on my mood.

[pennsyscot]

My fav is Ashton Artisan. For a new smoker I would recommend McClelland No. 12. Peterson Connoisseur's Choice and Christmas 2009 are great aromatics.

[TimGeorge]

I went through the same thing two years back or so, having switched from cigars and having never been a cigarette smoker. All of the following is extremely general and may be of no use to anyone but myself but:

As a general rule, I think you will quickly discover whether you like the aromatic blends or the "pure" english/virginia/vaper blends the best. Personally, I found the aromatics as a rule smell good in the store but that's about it.

If you find you feel the same, then the next decision is whether you like latakia or not, a key ingredient in many "english" type blends. I am not, so far, a big fan, so I am at home now in the virginia/vaper blends, and move freely among them. I like the Russ Ouellette blends at pipesandcigars.com, which you can buy in bulk, and which you can also buy in small quantities until you find what you like:

http://pipesandcigars.com/ruouhobl.html

My favorites so far: anniversary kake and capitol stairs. Thank goodness for online resources. Most tobacco shops near me stock only aromatics as a rule and know very little about pipe tobacco at all, being mostly in the business of selling cigars.

[kbadkar]

Check out older "recommendation" posts in this section for other suggestions. Check out pipesandcigars and smokingpipes online to see what is available, cruise through descriptions and order a few that capture your fancy and branch out from there.

The problem with tobaccoreviews is a lot of the tobaccos reviewed are no longer available and everyone has an opinion, none of which should influence your own.

[TRS]

The problem with tobaccoreviews is a lot of the tobaccos reviewed are no longer available and everyone has an opinion, none of which should influence your own.

This is very true, but it's a great place to look at all the descriptions of a particular brand's blends in one spot. Some of the reviews are also good for finding out things like "Tobacco X is very similar to this and that particular blend" and a lot of those nerds give really in-depth descriptions of flavor profiles. Also, it can help you determine what elements compose certain blends; particularly since you said you thought you didn't like aromatics and burley-based blends, but then stated the tobaccos you enjoyed, which are are lightly aromatic english and a burley based blend.

[flix]

The problem with tobaccoreviews is a lot of the tobaccos reviewed are no longer available and everyone has an opinion, none of which should influence your own.

This is very true, but it's a great place to look at all the descriptions of a particular brand's blends in one spot. Some of the reviews are also good for finding out things like "Tobacco X is very similar to this and that particular blend" and a lot of those nerds give really in-depth descriptions of flavor profiles. Also, it can help you determine what elements compose certain blends; particularly since you said you thought you didn't like aromatics and burley-based blends, but then stated the tobaccos you enjoyed, which are are lightly aromatic english and a burley based blend.

+1, Beatus. I have found that several of the reviewers on TR have good reputations. I can't remember exactly all of them, but, inquisitor, pounder[some number], and others are really right on with their recommendations. You would be best served ignoring the reviewers that give a Gawith Hoggarth blend everyone seems to like a 1 star rating, with the words "too strong and couldn't get my wife to like it" in their review.

[NathanA]

Thanks for the tips so far. I spent several hours ignoring the wife and reading about blends on the sites that were recommended. I placed an order at smokingpipes.com for eight different tins from Esoterica, Mac Baren, WO Larsen, Peterson and Stanwell. I tried to vary my selections with what tobaccos they contained, some aromatic and some not. This should keep me busy for a while and hopefully develop my palate a little more. I would still love to hear some more recommendations if anyone has one.

[Thomas Tkach]

If you want to try Virginias and VaPers, look into Steve B's sampler of Russ' blends--you get several different blends at a decent bulk price:

http://pipesandcigars.com/stbsvaelheho.html

[dogwood]

i like virginias. my favorite is rattray's old gowrie. it's virginia with perique (va/per).

i suggest trying small tins of different types and see what you like. try a light latikia blend and some virginias.

you can't go wrong with any rattrays or sam gawith.

i love rattray's og, hal o the wynd, brown clunee (all VAs). sam g's full virginia flake is fantastic.

also go to tobaccoreviews.com.

[mathias65]

After a few decades of smoking cigarettes I find myself a fairly new pipe smoker too. After overpaying at all of the local tobacco stores I finally started buying on the internet. The last few times I've bought from:

http://www.outwesttobacco.com/

I find I like the "peaches and cream" and "cherry" from Stokkebye, although on my last purchase I also picked up some "Butter Rum" and found it to be decent too.

I'm sure my tastes will expand and grow as more time goes by, but for now those have suited me just fine.

[Uncle Arthur]

I find that I like Stokkebye blends a lot. not only due to the fact that they are relatively low priced, but also they are pretty tasty . At present I have English Luxury, Balkan Supreme and Highland Whiskey safely stashed in my "cellar".

Art

[Abi Natur]

I am very fond of Latakia ,any i find myself enjoying Germain.s Special Latakia Flake and Oriental by Robert McConell a lot.
Perique is also a favorite of mine like you mentioned in VaPers.
Yes,not to forget some sweet Virginia when the going get's tough .