All right, class. I know it’s been a while since I’ve taught your section, but I hope that you have taken the opportunity to practice what we talked about last time.

Who here remembers what we talked about before? Yes, you in the second row.

That’s right: how to select your first pipe. Now, how many of you have that pipe with you? Good! I see a lot of briars and corncobs. Oh, there are even a couple of meerschaum pipes in the class. Very well done.

When we last met, I was about to discuss how to select your first tobacco. Let’s talk a little about that now.

Bear in mind, this is how to select your first couple of blends, not how to select a tobacco once you’ve gotten the hang of pipe smoking. By that time, you will have ideally figured out what you like and how to select a new blend to try.

For now, let’s worry about how to select those all-important first blends.

I am not going to tell you the one option that you must do, because I don’t believe there is one, but rather show you your options, with their positive and negative aspects, and then you can make your own, educated decision.

A lot of people out there recommend starting with so-called drug-store blends, such as Half & Half, Prince Albert, and Captain Black. These blends are all extremely popular and are enjoyed by many and smoked exclusively by some.

There are two principle components within your classic drug-store blend: Burley and Cavendish, typically black Cavendish.

Burley is a common blending component within other types of blends, used frequently to add a little depth and a lot of nicotine. This is a slow-burning tobacco with a mild flavor and a slightly aromatic room-note.

There are many benefits to starting with a Burley-based blend. The flavor will typically be mild and those around you often have nothing but positive things to say about the aroma. In fact, these Burley-based blends will remind a lot of people of “exactly what my grandfather smoked”, which is a line you will hear over and over again.

With these benefits in mind, there are a few downsides. First, it has an extremely high nicotine content, so much so that many experienced pipe smokers still find the “Nic Hit” to be too much to handle. Additionally, the slow-burning quality of Burley means it is prone to bite those who try to smoke too quickly. As new pipesters tend to smoke faster than they really should, they are likely to experience tongue-bite, which very well might turn someone off of pipe smoking.

If you do want to start with Burley blends, I suggest Boswell’s Premium Burley.

Next we come to Cavendish, the primary component of blends like Captain Black.

For clarification, Cavendish is a method of preparation of tobacco, not a particular genus. The tobacco is pressed and then heated, so that it can ferment and become sweet.

Cavendish is very similar to Burley in its benefits. It smells great to passers-by and has a sweet, yet mild, flavor. It also does not have the same amount of a Nic Hit as Burley.

It still has its downside. Cavendish, particularly black Cavendish, tends to be moist, which means that it can be difficult to keep lit if not properly dried and packed. Also, it has the potential of biting, a big downside for any beginner. Read more