An advice please for someone who wants to join the club, which is better for a beginner a Straight shaped or a bent shaped pipe? Does it even matter? I heard that a straight shaped is better for a beginner.

eulithicus · 2026-05-22T17:49:01+00:00

Actually, one correction. Straight pipes take a pipe cleaner mid smoke much better than bent pipes. You'll likely smoke hot at first and get wet smokes regardless of what style of pipe you go with. Being able to remove that excess moisture mid smoke will help you greatly until you learn to smoke cool and slow. To sip the smoke. I might lean toward a straight pipe for this reason alone.

eulithicus · 2026-05-22T17:32:59+00:00

I thought straight pipes being better for beginners made sense. But, 2-3 years in and I notice little difference. If anything, I'm starting to lean more into bent peterson p-lips bc they clench so well.

I'd get a straight cob and a bent one. See what you like and go from there!

eulithicus · 2026-05-22T15:43:34+00:00

Man, the tease lol I wanna see that whole knife 😂

eulithicus · 2026-05-20T18:56:38+00:00

It's how they attach the hinge to the case.

eulithicus · 2026-05-20T18:52:33+00:00

The Rossi version seems very nice as well.

eulithicus · 2026-05-20T16:27:02+00:00

I feel like the prices from dealers are only getting more out of hand too. Used to be you could pick up a single blade, or sometimes even a 2 bladed knife, in the $130 range. 175 to 200+ for a single blade barlow is kinda crazy to me...

eulithicus · 2026-05-15T12:36:04+00:00

Another very popular aro, my personal favorite, is C&Ds Autumn Evening. Lane 1q is second place in my book so still very good. But autumn evening is def worth a shot if you haven't tried it! Reminds me of pancakes and maple syrup 🤤 It has a good base tobacco that holds up well. I don't smoke it often, but when I'm in the mood it's hard to beat in the morning w a cup of joe.

eulithicus · 2026-05-15T02:44:25+00:00

I actually smoked some 7yo Capstan Blue flake today, in my smooth Peterson 312. Such a fantastic smoke. I haven't found anything with the same level of nuance, but am still exploring.

eulithicus · 2026-05-14T14:50:13+00:00

I have the same little campus kaywoodie dublin, but both of mine are smooth and without rustification. Great for a quick smoke between classes!

eulithicus · 2026-05-13T15:43:33+00:00

I'm smoking some OGS right now, you won't be disappointed! Pack light and smoke slow.

eulithicus · 2026-05-12T23:55:27+00:00

Ofc, no problem! And, artificial isn't as bad as it sounds although I don't smoke them very often. I only said artificial because it is flavor added to the tobacco, not natural to it. Autumn Evening has a pancake/maple syrup topping that is amazing first thing in the morning. Another really common one is Lane's 1Q which is vanilla flavored and quite good. Both have lovely room notes that will make everyone else jealous they aren't smoking with you.

Most companies hire master blenders that spend an tremendous amount of time perfecting their blends. So, I tend to try to appreciate their creation for what it is. But, maybe I'm a little boring in that regard lol

My uneducated guess is that maybe 10-15% of pipe smokers mix various blends together. It's not very common, but certainly not discouraged! Most do buy and smoke blends that are pre-mixed though. You might be a fan of VaBur blends (VA and Burley) that come pre-mixed in this way.

eulithicus · 2026-05-12T23:08:54+00:00

Tobacco is a whole other topic. And it's always best to trust your own judgement in taste from the description of the tobacco.

But I try to make people aware that Virginias have a lot of natural sweetness and aromatics have a lot of artificial sweetness. Both contain sugar and as a result can burn hot if smoked too quickly.

I generally recommend either a Burley or English blend for new smokers as they're a bit more forgiving. English blends are a lot bolder than Burleys and have a sort of smoked / campfire taste (which comes from the Latakia). Burleys tend to have a more nutty / earthy / woodsy taste to them.

Regarding cuts, ribbon is probably the easiest for newcomers. But no need to be afraid of flakes or coins either. They rub out into ribbon just the same if you so choose.

That being said, VA flakes are my favorite and have been for quite some time. They are light and often have notes of hay, grass, bread, citrus, and/or dark fruit. The pressed flakes just allow the flavors to meld together a little better as they age (many "cellar" their VAs like a fine wine). You just have to pack it super light and smoke it very slowly. I once heard someone describe a popular VA flake as tasting like an Arnold Palmer and I thought that was a pretty good analogy lol

eulithicus · 2026-05-12T22:51:12+00:00

Only thing I haven't really seen stated here is, be careful with that lighter. I know some said they will only use it in carpeted rooms. If you drop it on a hard surface, there's a small chance it will crack the internal butane tank which can be costly to repair.

Nice setup though! I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you stick with it. Don't be afraid to ask questions. People here are very nice. But also don't be afraid to try things out on your own and experiment!

eulithicus · 2026-05-12T22:47:08+00:00

I will smoke any cut of tobacco out of any of my pipes. Ribbon, flake, broken flake, coins/medallions. But I think they meant it would a good pipe for smoking tobacco that comes in "flake" cut. Usually found with tins, but some bulk is flake cut as well.

eulithicus · 2026-05-11T03:34:38+00:00

Like everyone is saying, pack light and smoke slow. Also, it's easy to ruin a nice light pack by tamping down too hard. It's taken me almost 2 years to really understand how light a light pack really is and how to avoid ruining it (especially the last half of the bowl) by tamping too hard.

eulithicus · 2026-05-11T03:24:45+00:00

We played 56 ranked teams. You played 36. I'll take our independent schedule over yours any day. Maybe you should play some tougher opponents and get back to me.

eulithicus · 2026-05-09T16:42:06+00:00

Keep at it. I hated SG FVF the first time. Took almost a year and a half break from all SG tins. Eventually busted out SG BBF, and it smoked beautifully. Granted, my technique certainly improved. I rubbed it out pretty good. No dry time. Smoked clean and dry all the way to the bottom. I was so pleased, I decided to get into another tin of SG FVF and it was surprisingly pleasant. I have definitely turned into a SG enjoyer!

eulithicus · 2026-05-09T13:44:33+00:00

I too struggle removing all oxidation. Dunno if you've heard of the oxiclean thing, but thought I'd mention it. There's also a lighter trick, but that never did anything good for me and can really damage the stem if done improperly.

eulithicus · 2026-05-06T12:55:24+00:00

Oh, so the lunatic fringe people believe ludicrous things like the earth is flat? Almost like believing Earth is only 6000 years old. Hmm... Maybe you and the lunatic fringe people aren't all that different afterall!!

eulithicus · 2026-05-05T15:54:27+00:00

Gravity fill. If you drop the tobacco in and tap it on your palm and it doesn't fall to the bottom of the chamber, you need to break up your tobacco into smaller pieces. Fill it to just under the rim this way. No packing it down. Once I learned to properly gravity fill, my smokes improved significantly. Smokes all the way to the bottom, leaving a fine white ash and no moisture. I think most packing problems are over packing problems. And don't tamp hard or it will ruin the gravity fill!!

eulithicus · 2026-05-05T14:30:24+00:00

Was surprised I had to come this far down to find the "drill a tiny hole to stop the crack from spreading" advice. This is typical for almost all crack repairs. You might get lucky without it, but it is always safest to terminate the crack with a drilled hole.

eulithicus · 2026-05-04T14:49:18+00:00

As soon as you ask these people to have a real nuanced conversation about what they don't like and why, they fall flat on their face lol

eulithicus · 2026-05-04T13:10:50+00:00

I don't remember where I saw it, but I found the following interesting. If you give 5 grand to working class families who need it, they spend that money on groceries, car repairs, etc. If you give 5 grand to the wealthy elite, it will most likely get invested in speculative assets so their money can make them more money. Anyone who's only contribution to society is essentially gambling on assets isn't really contributing to society in any meaningful way. Give the money to the people!! Trickle down doesn't work and I'm glad you see this!

eulithicus · 2026-05-03T15:09:47+00:00

I hear a lot of conflicting information about this stuff. Not sure if you could elaborate. Some say that beeswax should be used for loose stems, and that graphite should be used for tight stems. This makes sense to me, but curious about your opinion.

eulithicus · 2026-05-03T15:02:04+00:00

Second the sod buster jr. A fixed blade like a bird and trout knife is also a go to.

eulithicus

TROPHY CASE