Pipe noob seeking help

[RubenEscarsega]

Not sure if I'm posting in the right section but here we go:

I usually smoke 2-3 cigars a day (work at a cigar shop) and costs of stix are definitely adding up plus expensive taste doesn't help. I wanna give piping a try so I can only smoke maybe 1-2 stix a day. I need recommendations on pipe brands and pipe models specifically. My budget for one is around $100 any suggestions guys. Thanks

 

[Grrrrr609]

Not sure if I'm posting in the right section but here we go:

I usually smoke 2-3 cigars a day (work at a cigar shop) and costs of stix are definitely adding up plus expensive taste doesn't help. I wanna give piping a try so I can only smoke maybe 1-2 stix a day. I need recommendations on pipe brands and pipe models specifically. My budget for one is around $100 any suggestions guys. Thanks

Pick yourself up a Missouri Meershaum Corn Cob. Costs about 7 bucks. Walgrens, Rite Aid, and some CVS carry them. These honestly are the best pipes to learn on.

 

[javajunkie]

yup! cobs can smoke just as well as anything else, and also are essentially disposable, so the perfect tool to cut your pipe teeth, so to speak. also, i am a fan of just regular dr. grabow pipes, if you want a starter briar. more important is that you get something you are comfortable with, and focus on learning the tobacco and the technique.

for a lot of us, coming from a cigar background, aromatics (the flavored stuff) is NOT the place to start. we already appreciate tobacco done well on it's own merits, and also the less "worked" pipe tobaccos tend to burn better and easier, making the learning curve less steep. focus on a virginia style, a burley style, and a latakia-forward blend, IMO.

i would recommend doing the newbie sampler trade (in the cigar forum), and then possibly the pipe newb trade (in the pipe forum).

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

X3 for the cob... I'm not as experienced as these two gentleman, but a cob is a good "training wheel" so to speak.

 

[stin187]

I'm still a pipe newb myself but I found the Newbie Pipe Trade thread was a wonderful place to start. Of course now I'm careening down that slope, between the monster sampler Java sent over and Grrrrr getting me into pipe restoration ... but hey it's fun!

 

[danmdevries]

Found myself looking at videos and atricles how to smoke a pipe, looking at a ton of Grrrrr's restoration pictures, and reading a bunch of the posts in the pipe forum. I still held off, but then the wife asked why I don't smoke a pipe and that pretty much shoved me over the edge. Actually getting ready to go run some errands, one of which is to stop at the local b&m for some pipe tobacco and a cob to try it out. I tried a pipe before, with walgreens aromatics, but I haven't a clue where that pipe went so on recommendation of most, I'll try a cob.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I just recently got my first cob and started out with a cheapie Dr Grabow included in some sampler from an online retailer almost a year ago. I will 2nd the suggestions to buy a cheap pipe like a cob or Dr Grabow to start and to steer clear of aromatics if you already appreciate a good cigar, I think of aromatics as the Acids and infused cigars of the pipe world. There are some good aromatics, but for me they usually start to taste like garbage towards the end of the bowl and aren't very enjoyable. Once you get the hang of things and want to invest in a more expensive pipe, Savinelli is a brand that gets nothing but praise and has lots of options in the price range you listed. If you plan to smoke a pipe every day, remember that briar pipes need drying time between smokes (general rule is 1 day rest per bowl) while cobs and meerschaum don't need the drying time like briar.

 

[problemsolverjc]

i would recommend doing the newbie sampler trade (in the cigar forum), and then possibly the pipe newb trade (in the pipe forum).

^^ This. Do a noob trade, and then a noob pipe trade. Thats how I started. Dont turn to the pipe much because I can't seem to do it right, but I keep trying

 

[mdwest]

Ill add a +5 to the cob pipe... best pipe in the world to "learn" on... super cheap.. smoke decent as a general rule, etc...

For me, the hardest thing to learn to do properly was to get a good pack from the start.. if you can master that... you are 90% the way there.. grab a couple of cob pipes.. and burn through a wide variety of different bulk and tin tobaccos.. and figure out what you like.. while learning to pack, tamp, puff, etc..

Once you have the basics down... make the investment and buy yourself a couple of "nice" pipes... youre going to want more than one if you intend on smoking daily (need to give them a little rest between smokes).... but for your $100 budget.. you can easily grab a couple of very nice restoration/estate pipes... or grab a new "entry" level pipe from one of the better known "good" manufacturers.. and a cheapie to smoke when giving that one a rest (and youll still have the cobs)...

 

[UtahRootBeer]

I have been smoking a pipe for 9 years, and to be honest I never got a correct pack until 2 years ago after reading and watching videos. I still mess up a pack about as many times as I get it right but thats when you dump and try again.just keep trying it then all of a sudden you will get great packs without even paying attention.

 

[problemsolverjc]

I have been smoking a pipe for 9 years, and to be honest I never got a correct pack until 2 years ago after reading and watching videos. I still mess up a pack about as many times as I get it right but thats when you dump and try again.just keep trying it then all of a sudden you will get great packs without even paying attention.

This makes me feel a lot better about my lack of success!

 

[javajunkie]

hell, i picked up a DrG when i turned 18, and just figured out how it works december '12. which was an 18 year tutorial. which makes me feel old and slightly slow... o(

plus side, still have the pipe, and it works wonderfully now!

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

hell, i picked up a DrG when i turned 18, and just figured out how it works december '12. which was an 18 year tutorial. which makes me feel old and slightly slow... o(

plus side, still have the pipe, and it works wonderfully now!

Since you're younger than me, I cannot, rightfully, call you old without calling myself old, and I'm not old. But, I can agree with your slow statement.

In all honesty, this makes me feel a lot better. I struggle with the pack whenever I smoke a pipe, however, I do enjoy it. Since I enjoy it, I keep going back to it, but since I do struggle with it, I tend to lean towards cigars more.

I hate it when I can't pick something up relatively quick. It frustrates me and I hate being frustrated. I have had some pack where all I have to do is tamp a little and it lights right up, but those aren't the norm.

I wish I could master that technique.