And Now For Something Completely Different...Part 2

A fellow pipe enthusiast and I used to greet each other with the question "what's your favorite tobacco?" We would then reply with whatever was burning in the pipe at the moment followed by, "for now!"

Tastes change in everything we do as human beings, at least for most of us. In pipe tobacco it's the norm to start out with traditional American aromatics. Some love them and stay with them, still others find a need for further explorations into the world of straight Virginias and latakias ( commonly referred to as English blends, but that's not really accurate.) Never be afraid to try something, even if you are surrounded by well meaning fellow enthusiasts denouncing some category of tobacco as an abomination or just flat out crap. One man's poison is another man's meat and drink.

We all find our way to the kind of tobacco and brands which become our constant companions and go to smokes. I certainly have mine and they are primarily in the straight Virginia or VaPer's and latakia based blends. I also prefer flakes as opposed to ready rubbed but I don't let that stand in my way of trying new things.

My preference for flake tobacco is because I like the ritual of examining the leaf and breaking it down to my specifications for the bowl. It also tends to burn longer than traditional ready rubbed and ribbon cuts. But this is just another area where there is something to suit everyone's desire. Only through personal experimentation will you find what works best for you.

Unless you are actually in a pipe smoking contest don't worry about how often you have to relight. I've tried just about every filling and lighting method there is and the one which works best is the three layer gravity fill. Drop the first layer in to the rim and tamp very gently, drop a second layer and tamp a bit harder and a third tamped firm but don't muscle it. Be sure to test for good air flow at each tamping of the filling process or you could wind up sucking your brains out and be very frustrated. The first light or false light as it's called will give you that big red fire glow that makes you think you're lit, you're not. Gently tamp the tobacco and relight, now you're on your way to pure bliss. Watch out for stray hot tobacco pieces landing on your arm or clothes.

Keep a variety of tobacco on hand to suit your mood of the moment. You might love hamburgers and fries but you wouldn't want them all the time so don't limit yourself to only one blend. Unless you are super wealthy and can hoard large stashes of your favorite smoke you will need to have a few choices you enjoy because many blends are often unavailable for long periods or get discontinued.

The next time someone asks you what's your favorite tobacco, you proudly tell them whatever you're smoking at the moment, followed by, "for now"!

The smoking lamp is lit...