Pipe Packing and Smoking techniques: Difference between revisions
→Selecting your first tobacco
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=== Varieties === | === Varieties === | ||
===="Drugstore" Tobaccos==== | |||
:Generally, you will be better off purchasing your tobacco from a tobacconist. Many of the commonly available blends found in discount stores or supermarkets are made from lower-quality tobacco, and the additives with which they are laced for preservation and "taste enhancement" alter the way a tobacco smokes, usually for the worse. Of course, there is no harm in sampling these tobaccos; you may discover that one such blend is just your cup of tea. Most "drugstore blends" have been around for decades, so they must have something going for them. | :Generally, you will be better off purchasing your tobacco from a tobacconist. Many of the commonly available blends found in discount stores or supermarkets are made from lower-quality tobacco, and the additives with which they are laced for preservation and "taste enhancement" alter the way a tobacco smokes, usually for the worse. Some may even burn horribly that damage your pipe, with the minimal damage of souring your pipe, and in the worse case actually burned off the sidewalls of your pipe. Of course, there is no harm in sampling these tobaccos; you may discover that one such blend is just your cup of tea. Most "drugstore blends" have been around for decades, so they must have something going for them. | ||
:If you live in an area where there are no tobacconists, you can always shop online, or you might try the drugstore-supermarket brands, Captain Black (Americas no. 1 selling pipe tobacco) which is very mild, and flavorful, or Borkum Riff, a bit hotter and wetter smoking. Granted, they may not satisfy the connoisseur's refined tastes. They are tobacco for the masses, but they aren't too bad. The large tins are usually fresh. The small pouches may not be. | :If you live in an area where there are no tobacconists, you can always shop online, or you might try the drugstore-supermarket brands, Captain Black (Americas no. 1 selling pipe tobacco) which is very mild, and flavorful, or Borkum Riff, a bit hotter and wetter smoking. Granted, they may not satisfy the connoisseur's refined tastes. They are tobacco for the masses, but they aren't too bad. The large tins are usually fresh. The small pouches may not be. | ||
====Faux Pipe Tobaccos (a relative term)==== | |||
:This is a new variety of "pipe" tobacco which has emerged recently (2009) in America, and posibly other countries. It is actually roll-your-own cigarette tobacco, which is being marketed as Premium Pipe Tobacco, to avoid the ridiculously, high taxes and regulatory requirements on cigarette tobacco. In a pipe it's not so good, I think, compared to real pipe tobacco. Oddly enough, though, it seems to work fine in cigarettes. On the other hand, it is tobacco which can be smoked in a pipe, and it is you who decides, good or bad, not me or the government. | :This is a new variety of "pipe" tobacco which has emerged recently (2009) in America, and posibly other countries. It is actually roll-your-own cigarette tobacco, which is being marketed as Premium Pipe Tobacco, to avoid the ridiculously, high taxes and regulatory requirements on cigarette tobacco. In a pipe it's not so good, I think, compared to real pipe tobacco. Oddly enough, though, it seems to work fine in cigarettes. On the other hand, it is tobacco which can be smoked in a pipe, and it is you who decides, good or bad, not me or the government. | ||
===Aromatics vs. non-aromatics=== | |||
:These are the two broadest subdivisions of pipe tobaccos. As a general rule, most beginning smokers tend to go for an "aromatic" tobacco, which has been "cased" or "topped" with flavorings such as vanilla, cherry, etc., while those converting from cigars or cigarettes often prefer an "non-aromatic" or "natural" tobacco. | :These are the two broadest subdivisions of pipe tobaccos. As a general rule, most beginning smokers tend to go for an "aromatic" tobacco, which has been "cased" or "topped" with flavorings such as vanilla, cherry, etc., while those converting from cigars or cigarettes often prefer an "non-aromatic" or "natural" tobacco. | ||
====Aromatics==== | |||
::A good aromatic tobacco is lightly topped with a natural flavoring. Aromatics tend to be more moist than non-aromatics, which can lead to problems smoking them. These problems can be avoided if care is taken in the preparation of the tobacco and in the pack of the pipe. | ::A good aromatic tobacco is lightly topped with a natural flavoring. Aromatics tend to be more moist than non-aromatics, which can lead to problems smoking them. These problems can be avoided if care is taken in the preparation of the tobacco and in the pack of the pipe. | ||
====Non-aromatics==== | |||
::These are tobaccos that contain no flavored additives; in fact, a good non-aromatic blend will contain no additives whatsoever, other than perhaps a bit of water. | ::These are tobaccos that contain no flavored additives; in fact, a good non-aromatic blend will contain no additives whatsoever, other than perhaps a bit of water. | ||