Pipe Smoking Guide: Buying Pipe Tobacco
Do you remember your first cup of coffee? Did you drink it black? My guess is that you started out with cream and sugar or maybe even one of the flavored creamers. Then as time progressed you backed off the creams and sugars, so you could really appreciate the taste of the coffee. Well smoking tobacco is really no different. Many beginners really are drawn to pipe smoking for the aromatic blends that are so commonly associated with pipe smoking. Then as time progresses the smoker begins to appreciate the different types of tobacco that are available.
If you’re a pipe smoking beginner and looking for that first tobacco selection let me make a recommendation. Visit your local pipe shop or any online shop and find a sampler of mild aromatics. These samplers are usually 5 - 7 tins of tobacco ranging in blends, aromas, and tastes which will give you a great start in developing your pipe smoking palette. When you’ve had your fill of the aromatic tobaccos you should purchase sampler packs from each of the major tobacco types described below.
Virginia
60% of the United States tobacco crop is grown in Virginia. This tobacco has a delicate fruit-like flavor which makes them subtlety sweet. They are rather tangy but are pleasant on the palate, reminiscent of a mild salsa. The best matured Virginia’s are naturally sweet and clean-smoking tobaccos that fill the mouth with flavor. You will notice a flavor curve that is zesty at light up and then turns richer as the tobacco is smoked. Virginia tobaccos are also important components of aromatic and flavored blends.
Burley
Burley tobacco is the next most popular tobacco for pipe tobacco blending. The technical term for Burley is “air cured”. This air curing is done in large open barns, by the natural air flow, for one or two months. The color is ranging from light brown to mahogany. Most burley, which has virtually no sugar of its own, is “cased” or flavored with sugars of one kind or another and this rich, full-flavored tobacco has traditionally been the base of the majority of American-style sweetened blends. When smoked, cased burley starts light, mellow, and mildly nutty, with no sharpness. If it is of good quality and has been handled properly, it will produce a rich, full flavor somewhat like sweet oatmeal or granola, with a caramel character coming from the burnt sugars.
Spice Tobacco
Spice tobacco is not a single type of tobacco, but a mixture or blend of sever different types of tobacco described below. Most of these types below are used primarily in English blends. Many people refer to ‘English Tobacco’ when describing the types they like best. English tobaccos are simply tobaccos that have had no flavors added during the curing process. Therefore English tobaccos are usually a mixture of different types of tobacco, but have no flavors added during curing.
- Oriental: This naturally aromatic, heady tobacco comes from the Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and other Eastern Mediterranean countries. The finest Orientals, often called “Turkish” tobacco, has a flavor that is delicately spicy. Used in small quantities, it gives to “English” or “Oriental” mixtures a sweet, yet piquant character. Sun-cured Oriental leaf has a greenish-yellow to golden brown color. Second only to flue-cured Virginia in natural sugar content, the finest Orientals from Greece and Turkey are mildly sweet and have an herbal or spicy character with an incense-like aroma. The best known types are Izmir, Samsun, Yedidje, Cavella and Bursa.
- Latakia: Latakia is the result of a curing process involving fire curing the leaves over controlled fires of aromatic woods and fragrant herbs. Probably the most well known spice tobacco. Mainly grown in Cyprus and northern Syria. After the leaves are harvested and dried, they are hung in tightly closed barns and smoke-cured. Small smoldering fires of oak and pine fill the barn with smoke, and covering the leaves with smoke particles. Latakia was “discovered” when a bumper crop resulted in surplus, and the excess tobacco was stored in the rafters. The peasant farmers traditionally used wood and when short of wood camel dung for cooking and heating in the winter. The smoke cured tobacco unique flavoring and taste was discovered the following spring. Latakia produces a very rich, heavy taste, with an aroma that has a “smoky” characteristic. Latakia is an indispensable ingredient of traditional English mixtures. The content can vary from a few percent to about 40-50%, or even more. A few smokers like it at 100%. This would tend to be harsh, not because Latakia is a strong tobacco, but because it burns and tends to dry out your mouth and throat.
- Perique: Perique is a Red Burley type of tobacco, grown and processed in St. James, Louisiana near New Orleans. Perique is a rare, slow buring, strong-tasting tobacco. Production is small which makes it a bit more expensive. Perique is a deeply aromatic tobacco with a fragrance somewhere between cooked fruit (prunes) and sautéed mushrooms. Like latakia, perique is a naturally fermented condiment tobacco and is used rather sparingly. Its rich, black color and leathery texture compliment its delicate flavor. Before fermentation, perique appears most like Kentucky burley. During fermentation, the tobacco steeps in its own juices for 10 months before further aging. Perique is the truffle of tobaccos, rare and precious for its distinctive pungency.
Cavendish
Cavendish is a process of curing and a method of cutting tobacco leaf; the term does not refer to a tobacco, but a type of manufacturing process. The processing and the cut are used to bring out the natural sweet taste that is a characteristic of Virginia tobacco. This process will create a tobacco very light in taste, quite mild and easy to pack. English Cavendish uses a dark flue or fire cured Virginia which is steamed and then stored under pressure to permit it to cure and ferment for several weeks. Cavendish can be produced out of any tobacco type (mainly Virginia’s and Burley’s). The original English Cavendish is produced out of Virginia tobacco, which is slightly flavored and heated by high pressure. This will give you a very dark, black tobacco.
The modern version of Cavendish is generally much more flavored. The natural taste of tobacco is almost gone. The flavoring is also called “Casting”. This is the term used when you add a considerable amount of additives to the tobacco. This is usually done by producing a fluid mixture of sugar, liquorice or any kind of aromas in which the tobacco is soaked. The goal is to produce a sweet and smooth aroma. Modern Cavendish tobacco comes in numerous flavors, cherry, vanilla, rum, chocolate, strawberry, coconut, and many other flavors.
This by far doesn’t cover all of the different types, but knowing what each of the major types taste like will help you decide which is best suited for you. As you progress through this wonderful hobby your tastes will change and you’ll begin to appreciate a wide variety of tobaccos.
This is really a great post. When I’m around someone smoking a pipe, I’m often intrigued by the aroma. I’ve often wanted to try, but I also know that some of the tobaccos are harsh. I’m going to try out some of the mild aromatics and see how it goes.
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed the guide. Please stop back by and let me know how your pipe smoking experience turned out. Would love to know which type of tobacco you chose for your first
good as far as it went. I am looking for an more info on different styles of cut and what effect they have. I see the words Flake and Ribbon and at least one other that escapes my memory at the moment used to describe the cut used.
I wouldn’t recommend just a large sampler of mild aromatics. I’ve gone down that road and it ain’t no fun. Sure there are those who might like them, but I think the new smoker should try some fuller, medium strength, blends as well. A lot of times you might be smoking one of these mild guys trying to pull out some flavor and end up smoking way to fast. I personally didn’t really start loving pipe smoking till I tried Samuel Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake. BTW, I recommend flakes only to the experienced or at least very dedicated pipe smoker.
My advice, look around the net for the consistently top rated tobaccos in each type of tobacco blend (English, Aromatic, Virginia, etc.). Pick a couple from each and try them. That way you’ll get an idea of where you would like to go. I would also recommend a good “drug store” blend like Carter Hall.
CMA
(P.S. tobaccoreviews.com is a good place to start.)
I almost forgot to say, whatever you choose, don’t give up. It may take a while to find something you really like. Pipe smoking is much more complex than lighting up a cig. At the same time, there is much more to be enjoyed.
CMA
Pipe smoking is pure quality time to me. I should have started it years ago, instead of those stinky cigarettes. It’s much much tastier than cigarettes and cigars. It took a little practice at first but it’s almost a second nature to me now. I smoke about 2 to 3 bowls a day and always in a very relaxed ambiance. I enjoy a bowl from beginning ’til end.
After experimenting with different brands and flavours, I ended up being hooked on ‘Cube’, from MacBarren. It has such a subtle and delicious aroma I cannot describe. I also enjoy ‘Mild Chocolate’ by Golden Blend. And ther’s indeed so much more to choose from.
As a woman, I sometimes get some weird looks from men and women who are not used to this. Most people love the scent, though. It is a shame that some women who would love to smoke a pipe but feel ashamed to do so!
At the moment I have five pipes and my favorite ones are the two ‘Crosley’ type pipes by Big Ben. They are affordable filter pipes of good quality, and provide a delicious smoke. Perhaps more women pipe smokers will come out of that aromatic closet after reading this, who knows
Hi Martine,
Do you still inhale your pipe smoke? I mean, there are no additives in pipe tobacco as with cigarettes. I smoke only giant briar pipes…the bigger the pipe the cooler the smoke. My favorite pipe is a Boswell that holds 17 grams of tobacco 
I am searching for pipe smoking women to correspond with, but they are so rare. I understand your enjoyment of a pipe regardless of gender 
As yourself, I previously smoked cigarettes…now only a pipe. However, I continue to inhale the smoke like I did with cigarettes. I truly enjoy the sensation of filling my lungs with delicious pipe smoke
I try to convert as many cigarette smoking women into pipe smokers…my wife is an example (she smokes both). Please write back and share your smoking philosophy with me
Walter
Hey, guys! New pipe smoker here-sort of. Didn’t do it exactly right before but I’m starting to learn a lot more. Tried a mostly Virginia and even that might be a little sweet for me. Sugar was never my favorite drug. My next try was an item called “Murdock’s Pipe,” sold by McCranie’s in Charlotte, NC. It has Latakia in it. Usually I’m a purist and don’t like a lot of spice either; but this is good. Not sure I want pure Latakia, however.
I am a big J.R.R. Tolkien fan though not a big fan of the movies that Jackson guy made (King Kong included). I noticed that Latakia is fire-cured, and read in a Tolkien biography somewhere that he also enjoyed fire-cured, but the biographer at least called it “Kentucky Cured.” Anyone here know exactly what blend he liked or at least something close? I do sometimes like to imitate Tolkien in the simpler things as opposed to learning, oh I don’t know, twenty-five languages or so. He was secretly a hobbit, you know! (Although he was certainly taller than the usual specimins).
Is there any way of finding this out without e-mailing his son? Hate to bother the guy-he seems to be pretty busy but at least he has given up on rehashing and publishing his father’s early drafts. The guy at McCranie’s said I wouldn’t like the blend I am smoking now and he was most definitely wrong about that. Someone shoot me an e-mail or several: that is one type of e-mail at least I wouldn’t mind having in my inbox.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Hi, I grow tobacco in my back yard and have had some success curing it for cigarette, cigar smoking as well as chewing. Can any one tell me what is involved in curing tobacco for pipe use.
Thanks,
Hiya;
I’ve only grown my own once. Here’s my story. My grandfather owned a gun shop, one day a man walked in and wanted to trade him some home grown tobacco( I mean like a bale’s worth) for some gunsmithing work down his rifle. My grandfather asked where he got the seeds and the man said that his father grew it and simply handed down the seeds. So my grandfather instead traded the work for seeds. He grew his own right in his garden. he said that at first it was VERY strong and bitter so then he started hanging it in a small shed on his property. After about three months it was smooth enough to puff. Then he tried laying it in the sun for a while and also smoking it with herbs or woodchips in the enclosed shed. A few years ago my grandfather passed away and I found a small bundle of the tobacco in his workshop along with maybe a dozen seeds. The tobacco had laid in there for some 3-5 years before I found it. It was a very natural tasting but not overpowering. I then thought, WOW I can take these seeds and grow my own as well. I did just that but the tobacco I ended up with was WAY too strong to puff. I didn’t try anything for smoothing it out. So I just hung it in his shop, it’s still there now. Once in a while I go over there to puff my pipes in his old shop but that tobacco has not yet mellowed out at all. So all I know is that raw tobacco is VERY strong in taste which is why there are so many ways of ‘curing’ it.
I enjoy your article, I have been a pipe smoker now for about 15 years and I enjoy reading all I can on the subject every chance I get. I wish that there was this much good information out there when I got started. It might have made my experiences a little bit eaiser however, I think that has been part of the fun (all of the experimenting and trying different things!) Great work, thanks for the article!
Hello there! Searching, and trying to learn a little about the different types of pipe tobacco available out there, and many people have expressed their love for different ones, I wondered if you know what composes the famous “Black Tie”, and if there’s a difference between this one and the “White HAll Black Tie”, really getting confused by now.
Thanks,
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=W&TID=2337
is a review of Black Hall White Tie on the indespensable tobaccoreviews.com. That’s all I know.
Anyone tried blending their own tobaccos? I have enjoyed doing this by trial and error ever since I became a pipe smoker. That is part of the fun of this thing we do that makes it a little more of an art than a habit! My latest (and most successful) blend is 50% Virginia (Stokkebye’s Navy Flake), 20% strait Syrian Latakia (McConnells), 20% Kentucky fire-cured (Gawith Kendal Kentucky), and 10% unflavored cavendish (I used the cavendish centers from Stokkebye’s Bullseye flake). This recipe could certainly be tweaked! Any other amateurs into this sort of experimentation? I still haven’t figured out Tolkien’s smoke if you read my earlier post; found another reference to his liking for Kentucky fire-cured (I’m not man enough to smoke it straight), and something that said he liked Erinmore flake, which surprises me because it has a strong “vanilla” casing, and I always thought of Tolkien as a purist. Happy puffing!
Yup!
I blend vanilla cavendish and a chocolate flavoured burley I found. Apart they are fine but together they compliment eachother perfectly. I ussually go for a 50/50 mixture.
I’ve also tried Vanilla Cavendish and Dunhill’s royal yaht together. I know it may be heresy to fiddle with anything Dunhill but after the first time I tried Royal Yaht I knew it would be too strong for me without some ‘meddling’.
I would LOVE to find some pure Perique to experiment with in small quantities.
Hi does anyone know where I can get a version of 100% natural tobacco like ‘american spirit’ tobacco for the pipe or can you use rolling tobacco in a pipe?
Rolling tobacco burns too fast for a pipe, but any quality pipe blend should be at least close to “all natural.” If you are a cigarette smoker going to pipe(I smoked American Spirit for five years) try Peter Stokkebyes Bullseye or Navy flake. cupojoes.com, pipesandcigars.com, or marscigars.com. Both tobaccos also roll great cigarettes if you dry them out.
Hiya;
Orlik Golden Sliced is a great light natural tobacco that smells similar to a cigarette when puffed. It comes in a tin in a navy cut so you have to break it up a little before you puff away. It is the tobacco I started puffin’ the pipe with, it’s forgiving and natural in taste.
good luck…