Technically didn't know whether to post this under cigar or misc discussion 🤦 , so fire away. I've got a pipe and a sampler of tobacco on the way, I'm excited to give smoking pipe a try. I remember one of my great grandpa's smoked a pipe and I loved the smell of a pipe. Anyway looking for some advice from some of the vets, as far as breaking in the pipe etc, thanks. Now commence the harassment

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Post it under WGAF.

AF :-"

I found it humorous, YMMV.

If it is a briar pipe, before you smoke it, wet your finger and dampen the bowl. You only do this the first few times you smoke it. You start with only a small amount of tobacco in the bowl and smoke it slowly not building up too much heat. each time you smoke it it will get better. After a few bowls the pipe will get broken in and you can go to full bowls. When the bowl is finished tamp out the used tobacco ash and turn the pipe upside down to let it cool and dry out. being upside down the bowl will hold the moisture a little longer helping it to season. There are so many blends you will want to try, but let your nose be the guide. In a good tobacco shop, Pipes and cigars, and not a pot shop, you will find all sorts of loose flavors. You can blend them to your liking. I was a big fan of Staghorn and honey clover. It was a woodsy and sweet blend. I would on occasion pick up some Paddy's Irish or straight Burley tobacco, usually around St Patricks day. i both smoke a pipe and carve briar ones when I am out to sea. It is far more convenient than cigars because most of my pipes are shaped to sit upright, and I could lay them down on the counter while working on charts or doing other things on the bridge. The pipe would not go out for a while and I did not have to worry about the ashes all over the place or burning holes in the charts or counter tops. I rotated pipes throughout the day as my whims dictated. I have had many including Mereschaum(white chalky pipes). They are a bit different to smoke but are well worth the price as they absorb a lot of the liquids while you smoke and keep a nasty drop from coming up the stems. They also color as you smoke them from the tobacco staining from inside and get a wonderful look to the outside which some carvers take advantage of to make them have a wonderful appearance. By your tobacco by the ounce or several ounces once you have found a blend you like. Then get yourself a glass jar with the rubber seal around the lid and load er up. You can put a small humidifier button in the jar lid and keep the tobacco fresh. When you smoke Mereschaum or handle it do not handle it with bare hands or let friends touch the bare pipe it will discolor bad from the skin oils. I have a small cloth glove I wear on my holding hand. Hold the pipe from the stem if you have to use the other hand. The stems are usually Lucite. You wil need a few pipe cleaners, those fuzzy wiry things, a pipe nail, it looks like a short fat roofing nail with a flattened shaft for scraping old tobacco out of your pipe and a wide head for pressing it down on occasion while smoking. I prefer Cedar matches for lighting as Butane is not good to inhale. I hope that helps!

Thanks Spectresquad, I have pipe cleaners and a pipe tool with a tamper, scraper, and somehing else on it can't remeber. I ordered a Big Ben Cambridge 613, then the sampler is 2oz of five different tobaccos. Didn't want to invest to much, just incase I don't like it.

SD quit making me google crap to see what it means, I don't keep up with all that girly txt slang8-[

I would coat inside your bowl with a little bit of honey not a lot just enuff to coat the bowl it will help you build a cake faster.

Welcome to the Briar! Feel free to pm me any questions once you start. Enjoy.

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Just a suggestion here......Grab yourself a half dozen cobs.These will come in handy when breaking in the briar.You may in fact do as I did........place the briar up on the mantel to look pretty and smoke nothing but cobs.Briar is so fussy compared to cobs.

Post up those 5 baccy's you ordered and let us know which ones you like along with what it is you like about them.Giving you some tobacco direction will be much easier.

Ron

The sampler includes

Sutliff Mardi Gras
Sutliff Voodoo Queen
Cornell & Diehl Plantation Evening
Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning
Cornell & Diehl Bayou Night

Will post likes and dislikes once I get them and smoke a few. Does pipe tobacco need any kind of rest before smoking after being in the mail, like a cigar does?

I have never purchased pipe tobacco through the mail, so I do not know. I doubt it. If you have a pipe and cigar shop near you , visit it and smell a few blends they have in their jars.

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I'll second what Ron said about cobs, they are tough to beat as a reliable smoke every time. Added plus of them costing very little making them perfect for outdoors stuff in case it's lost, broken, etc... Also, I found the cob was more forgiving on the tongue then briar was when I was learning how to smoke VA's.

A good burley in a briar can be one of life's sublime pleasures. Check it out.

That depends on the tobacco, some are more moist than others out of the container and can use a little airing out before you pack it. As you go along it'll become clear how you like your smoke. Have fun, in many ways I get more enjoyment out of my pipe than cigars these days.