Recommendations for a new pipe smoker
This guest post comes courtesy of Eric from SmokingPipeTobacco.com. If you’re interested in pipe tobacco, this is a great resource.
After being asked to write a little about pipes for the cigar smokers here, I decided to put together a list of tobaccos I’d recommend to a new pipe smoker. These blends represent each of the major categories of tobacco, and they are all of the highest quality and personal favorites of mine.
Aromatics
Green River Vanilla – a high quality black Cavendish with a superb vanilla topping. This is a very forgiving blend and if you’re looking to contrast your cigar smoking with something on the sweeter side, this is it.
Pennington Gap – Burley, Black Cavendish, and Perique flavored with bourbon. Spicey yet sweet, this blend carries with it the substance and body of a variety of quality tobaccos.
English/Balkan
Westminster – if there is a classic English, this is it! A creation of the legendary blender, Greg Pease.
Charing Cross – another Greg Pease blend, this one billed as a classic Balkan.
Bailey’s Front Porch – Burleys, Cyprian Latakia, Perique and golden Virginia – this is what I’d call an American Style English. Very flavorful and satisfying.
Burley
Pegasus – The tin description says it all: “Three Burley tobaccos, two Virginias and a touch of unsweetened Black Cavendish make this a classic American blend.”
Old Joe Krantz – “Dark and cube cut Burley with red Virginia ribbon and Perique create a smooth, all day smoke.” This is one of my personal all-time favorite blends for its robust body and stoutness. In my opinion, this blend is the best implementation of Perique available.
Virginia
Briar Fox – “An exceptionally smooth crumble cake of Virginias, the personal blend of Peter Heeschen, the well-known Danish pipe maker.” For a Virginia tobacco, which are often prone to causing tongue bite, this one is very well behaved. Highly recommended for its natural sweetness.
All these blends are fantastic, but they are only a glimpse of what’s out there. If you wish to continue exploring pipe tobacco, consider yourself invited to join me at smokingpipetobacco.com where you can read more reviews of pipe tobacco, learn more about pipe smoking, and discuss these or any other blends. I’m anxious to hear your thoughts!
