I've just noticed that I had the stem on my pipe upside down in that photo I posted. Not sure how I managed that. :lol: I've started to get a better understanding of where I was going wrong in a couple of areas. I think at the beginning I wasn't drying out my tobacco enough and I think this was caus...

I've picked six more blends to try. This time I'm sampling a small cross section of classic Lakeland blends and modern, mild aromatics. While I was waiting for them to arrive I decided to refinish my Legend cob pipe. I'm not a big fan of the yellow finish, so I rubbed it down, lightly stained it wit...

Being you're in the UK ( aka / Redcoats) .. I strongly recommend the McConnells Scottish Cake . I swear , it fits in with everything you mention . Maybe you can get it across the pond over there ... It would really be worth the try . If I had any , I'd send you some . I'd guess you'd flip out on it...

Great choice! You can't do much better than a Legend for your first pipe. 30 minutes, even as small as the Legend is, is maybe a tad bit short for a full bowl unless what you are smoking is really dry or a fast burner. This is why I asked which pipe you had, just to kind of judge your pace. You mig...

I reckon I could have got well over 30 mins out of my bowl as I slightly over filled it by accident. Just curious Dave, what pipe are you smoking out of? What size chamber does it have? It's THIS one. I chose that one as it seemed like an average size to get started with. To be honest based on the ...

Maybe aromatics would be too much if you're not into flavorings so much but a simple black cavendish with a mild flavoring you might like ? Smokers pride black cavendish , Sutliff b20 black cav , lane BCA etc ... stuff like that Or burley stuff . I'm no fan of HEARTH and home , GLP and C&D burl...

Right, now I'm really getting there. I've just tried St Bruno and Grimpeur hit the nail on the head! That's the smell I remember from my childhood. It's basically the smell of a 70's/80's hotel lobby. :lol: I got a similar amount of sweetness as Rich Dark Flake but with a slightly more aromatic tast...

I've just tried a bowl of Rich Dark Flake and it was an altogether more successful experience! This time I tried the swirl method of packing and I think this helped in several ways, although I think I may need to pack a little tighter next time. I also nuked the tobacco for 5 seconds in the microwav...

At least for me, the key thing for pulling the sweetness out of most tobaccos is sipping slowly. The faster you smoke, the more the sugars sort of carbonize rather than caramelize and you don't really taste it. It's a super common thing to smoke a little fast when first starting out, but rest assur...

I had a little spare time this evening, so I decided to try the Century Black Spice ahead of schedule. So far this is definitely my favourite. It was milder and less bitter than the Royal Jersey Perique but with plenty of complexity. Far more than I could comprehend with my novice taste buds. Again,...