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new pipe smoker with questions


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Hi Folks,

I'm getting ready to quit cigs and move to smoking a pipe. I've got a few pipes already but I don't know anything about them so I'll tell you what it says on them. The pipes I have are:

Duncan Hill Aeroshphere

Venturi

Willard Adjustomatic

Willard Imported briar

Marxman Super Briar

Real Briar made in france

Czecho Slovak

I've been collecting them for a few years from estate sales. all of them look either new or barely broke in. I also have a few nice pipe holders, some with places to store tobacco, one is a glass jar, another looks more like a wood humidor.

My questions are...

From the list of pipes I have, which are my best?

What is a good low cost tobacco that is smooth and won't make the woman run in and beat me? (again)

The pipes I assume are my best (duncan hill, marxman, venturi) came with one of my pipe racks and was loaded with tobacco which has dried out, can I bring it back to life somehow?

Where can I find info that will teach me the proper way to smoke my pipes and care for them?

Thanks for your help,

Jacob

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Hey, Jacob.

I'm a new pipe smoker, too. I don't know much about pipe brands, but it sounds like you have a great selection. You'll prob find out which ones are the best after your third or fourth bowl in each.

I found a youtube member who has lots of good advice about pipe smoking, maintenance, and enjoyment. The thing I like best about him is that he isn't a snob...he clearly enjoys his pipes and likes to share his passion. All of his videos can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PipeFriendCHS

A great starter video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G2Pdu5UXUk

I do not like dried out tobacco. I would throw it out. If you're determined to try it, try re-moisturizing with water. You can also throw a chunk of apple in a ziploc bag with the dried out tobacco.

As far as tobacco choices, I've been buying from a local shop. They have a house #17 blend (called "Chateau") that I'm crazy over. My wife, who can smell smoke across a restaurant, really likes the aroma (or room note) of the Chateau. Hit me up over PM if you would like a sample.

Glad you found the site!

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No idea on the pipes, I'm no expert.

But I will throw in a vote for "Calypso Black" (a bulk tobacco) from pipesandcigars.com. It is a wonderful tobacco that has an excellent room note and tastes fantastic. I almost always smoke it with a glass of bourbon, so I know they go well together.

Joel

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It's been many years since I gave up smoking; none of the names you list are familiar to me. Some of them have names that suggest some gimmick in the design.

I tried many such pipes during the 25 years I smoked, but I never found one that I preferred to a pipe designed in the simple, traditional way. I have little doubt that nothing has changed in this regard.

I would bet that the best pipes of today are those made of dense, closely grained, thoroughly cured briar that contains no hidden pits or splits. Unfortunately, the surface of a pipe doesn't always reveal what's inside.

If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you wade through this thread for wide-ranging discussion about pipes and tobacco.

If that doesn't sate your appetite, do an advanced search for either "tobacco" or "pipe" by username "bluesbassdad". I suspect that will turn up a few more threads.

A point that I have made more than once is that sometimes the tobaccos that smell nice to bystanders are not particularly mild on the smoker's tongue -- and vice versa.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

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Can't speak to your pipes, but I can point you to boswellpipes.com for tobacco. J.M. Boswell is a pipe maker in Chambersburg PA. In addition to handcrafting exceptional pipes, he also creates and sells his own tobacco blends that are raved about. He's a great guy and they are an absolute pleasure to deal with. Customer service is paramount.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jeremy's suggestion to add apple or apple peel to a bag with the tobacco is an old method for keeping tobacco moist, but I've never tried it. As for trying to bring back dried tobacco by re-moistening it, I've tried to do that but without success. I agree that you should throw it out.

However, if you have any old tins that were never opened, those should be fine. In fact, old unopened tobacco tins can be worth quite a bit of money. There's a community of collectors for such things as tobacco improves with age if stored properly.

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Rose buds also work to rehydrate dry, leafy things (tea, pot, tobacco). Plus, you might impart a lovely fragrance!

I back off my earlier claim that you should just "add water" to dry tobacco. G.L. Pease (tobacconist extraordinaire) recommended misting with some distilled water from a fine sprayer. Sounds like better advice than just dumping a shot of water on the mess. Apparently, a straight water dump causes mold and mildew growth.

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