Michael Rosenblum

I'm burnt-out on cigar smoking and am about to quit cigarettes .
Looking for some mild, smooth, no bite, pipe tobacco suggestions to try.

RLBraunJr

Try Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe - I'm a former cigarette smoker and EMP fills the bill for me... I have no desire for a cigarette any longer.

Be careful though - EMP is what I call a good inhaler.  Some pipe tobaccos are more pleasant to inhale than others.   You will probably be tempted to inhale.

I Schier

Try Cornell &Diehl's new Cross-Eyed Cricket.

Chuck612

Mild all day smoke, Rattray's 7 Reserve. Can't beat it.

brmacke

You might check with your local tobacconist for Lane 1Q or Lane RLP-6.  Your local guy probably sells these mixtures, although under a house brand name. Both mixtures are mildly aromatic, but smoke cool with little, if any, bite.

William J. Linch

My personal favorite is Dunhill 965. Available in tin or in bulk.

Robert Alexander

• Ashton Old Dog

• Penzance

• Butera's Latakia #2

• Dunhill 965

• Veermaster

Rich Lafferty

I'm quite fond of Blatter and Blatter's "1904". Available mailorder; see www.blatterpipes.com. Phone orders are recommended over email.

The Blatters recommend 1904 to beginning smokers (including myself); although I've moved on to stronger smokes, I always have some 1904 on hand for times that I want something lighter. It's quite pleasant for those around you as well.

Hans Siegrist

Dunhill Early Morning Pipe or Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild are fairly mild tobaccos that do not give tongue bite.

Gregory Pease

There are two sorts of phenomena referred to as "bite," and each has a different genesis and a different solution.

The first is a sort of chemical burn which results from a tobacco producing a very alkaline smoke.  Smoking rapidly exacerbates this sort of condition, due to more complete combustion and increased chemical activity resulting from the higher temperature.  The solution is to either change the type or brand of tobacco you are smoking, or to smoke more slowly, or both.

The second sort of "bite" is actually from heat, and it comes from smoking a tobacco which is too wet, resulting in a great deal of steam being carried into the mouth along with the smoke.  Smoke by itself never reaches a temperature much above 105F, which is well within the body's tolerance range (a cup of tea at this temperature would be rejected as luke warm!).  Water vapour, on the other hand, can easily reach temperatures in excess of 200F (remember that water boils at 212F, and while steam can reach a higher temperature when under pressure, we are dealing with an open system, and the steam cools somewhat from heat transfer as it moves down the stem of the pipe into the mouth.).  Over an extended period, this can scald the delicate tissues in the mouth, and result in a heat burn.  The solution here is to dry the tobacco, somewhat, and once again, to smoke slowly.

There is an optimum range of moisture for tobacco to smoke well, and most find it to be between 7% and 15% by weight.  If too wet, you have steam, and if too dry, it will tend to combust too readily, possibly resulting in the chemical burn mentioned earlier.

My suggestion to novice smokers has always been to find a full flavoured NATURAL tobacco, rather than a cased aromatic, as it will allow you to really get to know the ins and outs of smoking a pipe, without the added difficulties created when adulterants such as propylene glycol (PG), which is used as a humectant to keep tobacco moist when stored improperly, are added to the leaf.  Once you have a feel for the pipe, and it does take some getting used to, you're able to more successfully explore the vast world of tobaccos, and you'll be more likely to understand the experiences which you will have along the way.

I recommend a full flavoured tobacco, as opposed to a more "mild" one, as the taste intensity is more or less proportional to the intensity with which one puffs away on the pipe.  A novice pipe smoker is more likely to puff like a locomotive with a mild tobacco, in order to increase the taste sensation, more likely resulting in one of the forms of "bite" described.  A rich tobacco, on the other hand, provides much more flavour intensity will less puffing, so you can get used to the "proper" way to smoke a pipe, and spare your poor tongue some of the discomfort.

There are many fine, rich Virginia and "English" style tobaccos on the market, you will receive many suggestions, I am sure.  Before starting, read through the articles which have been posted here, read through the FAQ, and try to find a knowledgeable tobacconist from which to buy a quality pipe and some excellent tobacco.  Purchasing a good estate pipe has some to the novice, as the pipe will already be "broken in," and one can buy a better grade of pipe for the same dollar value if it's been smoked before.  Of course, some are turned off by this idea, but most of us engage in the buying, selling and trading of estate pipes at some point in our pipe smoking careers.

Finally, and most importantly, BE NOT DISCOURAGED!  Pipe smoking is an exercise in patience, and rewards those who take the time to learn and understand the arcana of the art.  Welcome to the Coterie!

 

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