Smoked my first pipe...

LiquidChaos66

I don't know if it was just me or the tobacco but it was practically flavorless! I had a house blend from my B&M called "satisfaction" it smelled amazing but held very little taste. I did have some issues keeping it lit and did come across some gurgling. I tried the child, woman, man pipe packing technique and it had a good draw but like I said had issues staying lit. I'm gonna try the frank method next time. For my first pipe it was not a game changer... But I still have lots to learn. Advice for keeping a pipe lit?

pilgrimtex

Very likely your tobacco is too wet. Spread it out on a plate or baking pan and let air dry for awhile till it feels dryer than when you laid it out. As for flavor its trial and error. Perseverance is in order to be a pipe smoker. Once you've put in your time you will look back and be thankful. LOL
The only method in pipe smoking is to find your own. I take a bunch of tobacco in my fingers and start stuffing. Then I pack it down when full. Puffin is like drawing on a straw drinkin a milk shake. You will not taste the aroma everyone around you compliments you on. At least I never do while smokin. Thats why its nice to be around pipe smokers because you can pick up on their aromas. I got treva to smoke a pipe. We sit together and enjoy each others smoke. If you wish send me a pm and I'll get you some samples to try and how to acquire them. They are the accumulation of a number of years sampling.

J.S.

What you are experiencing was what I went through too. This is why I don't smoke aromatic tobacco. It never tastes like it smells and I cannot smell what I am smoking! My first tobacco was 1-Q. Many love it but while it looked like tobacco all I could taste was a little vanilla here and there and that was not too often!

I left aromatics at that point. Don't get me wrong I still sample some here and there and I have found a couple that are good but I think you will find that a good medium English blend will be more to your tastes. That is just from my own experience everyone's journey is different. Happy smoking!

J.S.

I use the Frank method too. It works great! It will take a little while to get used to. I think it was a 3 part video series so watch all 3. You can also find a twist to that called the Bob method, which works with pipes that might not be drilled correctly. Bob is Bob Tate, editor of Pipes Magazine so he knows what he is talking about.

The Frank method helped me alot. Most blends using it (or Bob's methods that he shows in several videos) have me smoking to the bottom with 3 or fewer relights! The relights always seem to correspond with my trips inside for more coffee or tea too so that has a lot to do with it too.

Amos Umwhat

Agree with the Frank's method opinions, is very close to what I do. As far as the pipe experience, as with cigars, it's all about the nose, all about the nose, all about the nose. Are you retro-haling? If so, how do you do it?

As Tex pointed out, you're not going to get it right the first time.

As far as "what tobacco?" goes, get lots! Try lots! There have been times when I've smoked one tobacco almost exclusively for a period of time, but, what fun is that? I like change, and different things, and from what I've seen you've got the pipes to experiment with!

Above all, enjoy!

pilgrimtex

Amos Umwhat:

Agree with the Frank's method opinions, is very close to what I do. As far as the pipe experience, as with cigars, it's all about the nose, all about the nose, all about the nose. Are you retro-haling? If so, how do you do it?

As Tex pointed out, you're not going to get it right the first time.

As far as "what tobacco?" goes, get lots! Try lots! There have been times when I've smoked one tobacco almost exclusively for a period of time, but, what fun is that? I like change, and different things, and from what I've seen you've got the pipes to experiment with!

Above all, enjoy!

Ditto! LOL Oh thats right He mentioned Tex. LOL

LiquidChaos66

I did start retrohaling today with my second pipe. I let the tobaccos sit out for a while and dry up a bit and did the whole process again. It stayed lit longer than the last time and the flavor was a little more noticeable. But still lacked taste. Mostly tasted like taking in moist air from a hot shower. On retrohale I noticed some vanilla and sweeter flavor but very water vapery on the flavor. The thing I like though is on cigars its almost painful to retrohale. With the pipe it's not bad. Not sting or eye watering burn. They way I did it was taking a puff off te pipe and the retrohaling about half and the blowing the rest ou my mouth. I seemed to get better results that way.

Tex you have a PM btw.

pilgrimtex

Retrohale hale slowly letting the flavor soak in. You may have chosen a very bland blend based on what you told the proprietor. Get some cavendish and add to that blend. Slowly add a little more cavendish. Look for a cavendish with vanilla accents so as not to clash with that blend. As a cigar smoker you have gotten used to strong flavors so a very bland blend will seem wanting. In pipe smoking tonque bite is the big issue. A number of the English blends such as my Celtic will produce that effect if smoked too much. What is tongue bite? Drink an iced cold soda with ice in it and you will find out. LOL
If you smoke as many pipe fulls as I do in a day you will find your drinks become more closer to room temp. (beer is drunk too cold in the US anyway.) LOL

LiquidChaos66

I am gonna be in the area of my B&M tomorrow ill see if i can pick some Cavendish up. I do know that i will be having a cigar tomorrow night. just cause its my Sunday tradition now.

pilgrimtex

Ok. Ask for Altadis Black Kathy or Lane Ltd. BCA. It won't be what he calls it in the B&M but he'll know what you're sayin and maybe start sharing the actual names of his blends. (That is what he purchases) Then you can go on line and purchase bulk by the ounce.