It's been hit and miss, and this is largely down to moisture/pack/tamp. I've had the same tobacco be easily my favorite - delicious, easy to keep burning and keep in the optimal temp range for flavor, etc. - one pipe, but underwhelm, not stay lit, alternate between too-hot and going out, etc. the next.
@Petrichor 's advice has been very helpful and many thanks for him
So Redbeard are you enjoying the pipe or the cigars more? I’ve only ever smoked a handful of cigars. Never smoked a pipe. In general which one is cheaper after you have a pipe? 100% more enjoyment from a pipe. I have 5 cigars leftover that I may honestly never smoke; probably going to be...
saddlehunter.com
A few random notes - many of which
@Petrichor mentions (and many others on the web do not...)
- There's so much out there about not overpacking that it's easy to get carried away and have it be too loose with a nice easy drawing pipe - in particular up top. The part that's burning needs to be tight enough to keep burning. The part that's not needs to be loose enough to let air flow.
- Drying is huge.
- I've had better luck recently after getting more thorough with false lights. Don't skimp.
- If you have a reasonable pack, you can moderate the temp of the burning tobacco by "stoking" your pipe. Partially (mostly) cover the bowl as you draw on the pipe. This speeds up the air that comes in (since it's coming in through a smaller area) and stokes the fire. You can do this to help control the temp. This is real useful.
- This advice is an absolute game-changer as you can let the temp float up and down and get the flavor of the tobacco at different temps. Lets you keep the temp nice and low and controlled.
I feel like things are trending in the right direction, but I'm definitely not yet good enough to pick out true favorites. Everything is subject to change. First impressions:
- The Peterson/ex-Dunhill blends feel like the most consistent. I've had the most consistent results with them. They're a finer ribbon cut, a bit drier in the tin, and easy to handle. I can see why these are well-regarded. The 965 is more my taste than the EMP I think. I'm really pissed I took Nightcap out of my cart by mistake.
- The Escudo the first time I smoked it was amazing. Followups have been more hit and miss. It's rolled and sliced into coins so more in the prep. I probably did a better job rubbing it out and letting it dry, or packed it better, the first smoke. I tried folding it with bad results.
- Westminster I was very unimpressed with at first smoke, but with better drying and packing I had a really nice bowl yesterday.
- Maltese falcon I've had some really tasty hints, but less consistent burns than the Peterson blends. I've gone back and forth between overheating the tobacco and having it go out a fair bit here. It's a bit coarser in the tin with more moisture content. I might revisit this today. I feel like it's a few technique improvements from being very good.
- Key Largo - the cigar leaf and coarser cut put a bit more premium on preparation I think. There's a noticeable dryness to this blend. I feel like I need to zero-in on the temp range a bit more.
- Plum Pudding Reserve - I need to work on my prep on this one (plug/cake).
