Pipe smoking and collecting pipes is exactly like knives. Way too many styles, versions, and prices. Good mixed with bad, with plenty of rumors. Just like knives, you don't need to jump in with all your money to start enjoying this pastime.
You can get a lot of smoking from a corncob pipe made by Missouri Meerschaum. Corncobs are great pipes because they are cheap AND they are ready to smoke NIB without being broken-in. Corncobs can still be bought for ~ $10-15. This is the way to go if you want to see whether you will like pipe smoking but don't want to spend a lot of $$$.
Briar pipes need to be broken-in in order to give a cool smoke. A "cool smoke" is one which doesn't have too much moisture (steam burns the tongue) and affets the taste. The cheaper ones tend not to be good smokers at all and can result in unsatisfying smokes and a burnt tongue. Don't get me wrong, most of my pipes are briar, but this isn't necessary to throw a lot of cash into pipes until you've figured-out what you like. Plenty of bad along with the good out there.
Here's one of my current favorites: made from Morta, or petrified bog oak. It is mineralized to almost pure carbon which makes the entire pipe act as a filter during smoking.
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The best thing about pipe smoking (besides the relaxation part) is the hundreds of tobaccos available for smokers nowadays. Personally, I would not recommend smoking those tobaccos in the pouches you get in drug stores as they are loaded with stabilizers and sugars to maintain freshness and give a sweet taste (Captain Black). These are the ones that burn the tongue and can turn many people off before they really get started. There are way too many great tobaccos which come in cans for smokers to try. I would recommend Corniell & Diehl, GL Pease, McClellands as great American brands to investigate.
Tobaccos come in 4 categories:
1. aromatics: what most people think about when thinking pipes. these are tobaccos which have been processed with additives to impart specific flavors and aromas to them such as vanilla, chocolate, cherry, etc. This also includes the English "lakeland" flavors, which Americans compare to "soap flavored". There are goods as well as bads here. CAO, MacBaren, WO Larsen are examples of aromatic brands.
2. Virginias: pure tobaccos with little or no additives. These are the closest to straight tobacco flavors you will get. Virginia will cure and age over time and the smoking will become smoother. Highest nicotine content, btw.
3. VAPer -which is a blend of Virginia tobacco and a bit of Perique tobacco (specially cured tobacco from St. James Parish, LA). This gives a tangy flavor to the smoke. Rattray's Marlin Flake is a fav of mine.
4. English: this is tobacco blended with Latakia tobacco. latakia is a type of tobacco which has been cured & aged by smoking over certain woods. This gives a strong, leathery smoke flavor. English tends to be the strongest flavored & smelling tobaccos. You will either love them, or hate them. Haters tend to be wives & GFs, who compare the smoke to "old gym socks". Dunhill is the best known for making english blends famous.
You can find out more about each brand & blend by visiting
www.tobaccoreviews.com, which is the most extensive tobacco review site online.
If anyone doesn't have a tobacconist nearby to visit, I suggest that they get their first tins of tobacco from JRcigars.com. They have really good prices and now ship for only $5.00.
