Your favorite smoke

[HanSolo]

What's your preferred stogies and/or luxury cigars and/or pipe tobacco?

Personally, when it comes to cigars, I really like the Gurkha brand, they have a bunch of good cigars, and they're priced in the mid-range. Pretty consistent quality as well.

When it comes to Pipe, a Virginia blend, or an English blend with latakia, are my favorites.

[HanSolo]

Another killer cigar is La Gloria Cubana, Series R. I have a box with No. 7. They got like a 58 gauge, and the length of a Churchill. The kind that makes even the hardened smoker turn green... Once I made a bet to smoke one of those, then followed with an Opus X (Yes, the super expensive cigar), and I made it... but I had water handy, and I had eaten just before. The world was spinning after that.

One tip I heard was to get pure sugar, like the ones in single service packs. Not the fake sweeteners, but the real sugar. Because that guy claimed it reverse the intoxication to some degree. I haven't tried it though.

If you're thinking of starting pipe, be prepared for a completely different experience and taste. It's nothing like cigars. And it takes some time to master. It's like learning to play an instrument. You have to practice to get good at it. I will come back to you with tips later, but if you're gonna try it, make sure you get a fairly decent pipe (not too expensive, because you might break mess it up) but not too cheap either. I think some Peterson pipes goes for 70-90 bucks, and they're pretty good quality. I've been thinking about upload photos of my pipes, but I never get to it. I should. Maybe over the holiday I will try to get some pictures taken.

[HanSolo]

Sorry Dan, I've just been busy. :)

I'm cleaning up my office and my house right now, and I will have those pictures for the pipe collection. .. eventually...

A good starter tobacco for pipe would be an English blend. They're not too strong, but have a nice flavor to them. Some people recommend cavendish, but I don't think it's a good start. Black Cavendish always burn my tongue of some reason.

Here are some really good blends I like:
Kingsfisher from Butera (it's a Virginia blend)
Dunhill's My Mixture 965 (considered a cavendish, but I'm not sure)
Golden Slice, by Orlik (a Virginia blend)
The Malthouse, by Founder's reserve (aged premium mix which is very good, not sure what category to put it in though)

[HanSolo]

// What would be the easiest to keep lit?


If you open a tin and don't smoke so much from it for a week or two, the tobacco will dry out a bit and will stay lit easier.

If you have a hard time keeping it lit, it's either the wetness, but it can also how you pack it. You have to experiment to find the right packing routine for you. For a while I packed too hard and it was harder to keep going. And when you have to puff harder, then it gets hotter, and it burns your mouth more. Loose packing is what I prefer.

And after you have smoked for a few minutes, the top layer is starting to turn to sot. Use the tool and pack it carefully to build a little "lid" of burnt tobacco. That will create a little "oven" effect in the pipe and help keeping it lit. (If done right) Practice is key.

// Should I try the flavored ones or steer clear?

Well, it depends on person. It's fun to experiment with, but one thing is very important, don't use the same pipe for aromatics as you use for English blends. They're so different that the aromatic will mess up the English blend taste.

// I like good old tobacco flavor.

Then I recommend you stay away from aromatics for now, and stick with English, Oriental, or Virginia. Some people put Virginia blend in the same category as aromatics, but I don't, it's a bit different process and the taste is very different. If you do want to try an aromatic, I recommend what I call "Scottish" blends, which are the one infused with whiskey, cognac, or something else alcoholic, those can be extremely good.

// One of the best cigars I ever smoked was the Partagas 150.

Yes, those are classics. I still have a full box.

// The tobacco was discovered in a warehouse in Spain or Portugal, where it had languised for 18 years or something. It was pure, rich tobacco flavor. The Best!

Gurkha is a very good brand name too. Most of their cigars strong and flavorful.