Pipe Tobacco for Beginners

Pipe tobacco is uniquely cured and seasoned to create a flavor and aroma that’s typically much different than other types of smoking tobacco. Utilizing a variety of tobacco strains, grown on nearly every continent, pipe tobaccos are normally a composition of a variety of these leaves blended to achieve a desired flavor and strength level.

Types of Pipe Tobacco

• Virginia Tobacco – Virginia tobacco is classified into lighter and darker varieties. The lighter varieties are known to provide notes of grass, hay, and citrus, while the darker varieties may add some toast and roasted nuts.
• Burley Tobacco – Burley tobacco can vary widely. The lighter burley tobacco, known as white burley, is mellow in flavor, with hints of walnut, pecan, and cocoa. Dark burley is a stronger flavor, closer to that of a cigar flavor, with notes of earth and pepper.
• Oriental Tobacco – Oriental tobacco including Turkish, show a range of flavors including floral, herbal, earthy, and slightly sweet.
• Latakia Tobacco – Latakia Tobacco is a black tobacco that comes from Cyprus and is made by hanging leaves in barns with smoky fires. The smoke saturates the leaves, providing a smoky flavor. If you love campfires, barbecue, or jerky, a latakia might be the perfect blend for you.
• Perique Tobacco - Perique tobacco is a sweet and spicy blend. The flavors of this tobacco are often referred to as plum and pepper.
• Aromatic Tobacco - Aromatic tobacco blends are what most pipe smokers prefer. They are made by adding flavorings to the tobaccos. Any leaf can be used in these blends, but the most common are white burley, Virginia, and black cavendish. White burley tobacco absorbs flavor very well and is commonly found in most aromatic blends. Virginia tobacco is used to add a natural sweetness and help keep the tobacco lit. Black Cavendish can take on a lot of flavoring due to the nature of how it is created.

Common Pipe Tobacco Issues

Moisture content and the style of cut add additional characteristics to the overall taste of a pipe tobacco and can sometimes cause issues for newer smokers. For example, starting with a straight Virgina tobacco may not be the best choice for a beginner, as the high sugar content in Virgina tobaccos cause them to burn a little hot and new smokers do not have the technique developed to avoid scorching their tongues. Also a tobacco with more moisture will be harder to keep lit, and cause the smoker to puff more often, creating a hotter smoke.

To help avoid too much heat, make sure your tobacco isn’t too moist. To accomplish this, lay some tobacco on a paper towel and check the moisture every 15-30 minutes. When you can take the tobacco in your hand, make a fist, and the tobacco falls apart, the moisture is in the right range to pack up and light.

In short, there are a million pipe tobacco combinations, each one crafted according to a strict recipe to create a desired profile and smoking experience. Now take this knowledge and put it into practice with the help of our article How to Smoke a Pipe like a Pro.