From April 1 and onwards, I haven’t purchased RYO tobacco and instead have spent my money on pipe tobaccos.  I won’t spend an additional $25lb for the same thing I was just paying just $20lb a day before.  The tobacco hasn’t changed.  Can’t afford proper health insurance for my own family I think I won’t subsidize anyone else’s thanks.

If not for taking up the pipe on top of my RYO habit,  I would have wasted quite a bit of money finding pipe tobacco suitable for rolling/stuffing.  Therefore, unless you only choose to smoke other’s suggestions, I would highly recommend  buying at least one (cheap) corncob pipe.   If you’re experimenting with pipe blends on your own, you’re most likely gonna end up with some blends that just aren’t suitable for DIY cigarettes.  I’d like to share some blends that I’ve found to work well for MYO and some that work for RYO.

I won’t add too many of the RYO blends that are now being cut for pipe for us new pipe smokers, other than to give a big kudos to D&R and company for their discretionary steps in keeping their popular blends affordable for the little peoples.  I’ll briefly mention a few of the “smoking tobaccos” that have been available for generations, Prince Albert and Carter Hall for example.  Very few of these are very suitable for my tastes and several others here due to the excessive sugars and humectants used, however they do work and people enjoy them.

To start with the most suitable there’s the Shag cuts.  Traditional cuts for both RYO and pipe use, have not had to change whatsoever.  Our tyrannical admin wasn’t successful at pricing these out of the market.  Some great Shag pipe cut were available to cigarette smokers this whole time but few of us experimented nor felt the need to.  Many traditional pipe blends make for excellent dual use smoking. Remember, Shags take no extra processing and for those inclined theses are the ones to roll.

Shags

1. Five Brothers by Pinkerton.  This blend is based on a centuries old Burley blend, resplendent with birdseyes and nicotine.  Although not a Halfzware in the least, that’s the closest style that comes to mind.  Not for the faint of heart.

2. Dark Birdseye by Gawith Hoggarth. Exceptionally full, dark fired Kentucky tobacco in a Shag cut.  Another powerful blend that will appeal to Halfzware fans.

3. Kendall Dark by Gawith Hoggarth.   Similar to a Halfzware but with a unique flavor of it’s own.  Half dark fired Kentucky and half Virginias in an easy to stuff Shag cut.

4. Ryback by D&R (Daughters and Ryan).   A traditional Halfzware without the extra humectants and toppings typical of this style, making for an extra smooth and satisfying smoke.

5. Three Sails by D&R.  Ultra bright yellow Flue Cured for Virginia enthusiasts.  Reminiscent of the old and much revered Three Castles of the same blender.

6. Picayune by D&R.   Many Shag smokers like em strong but this one takes the cake.  Labeled wisely “for extreme smoking enthusiasts” this is no ad come-on.  Five Brother’s fans who crave a little extra might give this Pic a try.  Based on the old New Orleans cigarette of the same name.  Get your affairs in order and wear clean drawers.  This could be the accident your mom had in mind with this advice.

Ribbons and Cubes

1. Longcut aka 701 VLC by Stokebbye.  Straight Virginia Blender which is a “longcut” but appears to be a well rubbed out “ready rub”, regardless, it works well.  This is a surprisingly tasty Virginia that I would smoke regardless, financially coerced or otherwise…good stuff.
2. Longcut/Blending Virginia by Sutliffe.  Another straight Va that’s mostly used for blending by pipesmokers, like the above.   Not quite as tasty as VLC-701 but not a bad smoke in it’s own right.
3. East Carolina Blending Ribbon by H&H (Home & Hearth).  Good straight East Carolina Virginia, not a Flue Cured if I’m not mistaken which might explain it’s relatively bland flavor.  Decent smoke in a pinch but not a favorite of mine, light smokers might appreciate this one more than me.
4. E.B. (Easy Burning) by Faders.  For Burlophiles, a straight Burley with great flavor and a touch of Perique.  While this Cube-Cut contains Cavendish (which I usually avoid) it’s in such a small amount it’s almost unnoticeable.  One of my favorite Burleys to date and stuffs nicely.
5. Blended Turkish Ribbon Blender by McClellens.  For the Turkish fans, this is no Ramback.  Thick with sticks;  needs a little cleaning for the best smoking experience.
6. 2015 by McClellen.   One of the few Flake cuts I’d recommend because it needs a bit of work “rubbing it out”…a lot of work for some, but it’s just that good.  One of the tobaccos for my tastes.
7. Three Friars by C&D (Cornell & Diehl).  A Burley/Virginia mix with Perique.  This is another one that takes a little work but the flavor is well worth the effort.  An interesting take on a VaPer and made by C&D, I think that say’s it.
8. Haunted Bookshop by C&D.   A Burleyphiles choice. Burley/Perique that’s Ribbon cut,  easy to stuff and tastes grrrreat.
9. Danish Export by Stokebbyes.  Similar to the original RYO blend of the same name but cut for the pipe.  Something’s lost in this one but it’s PS.
10. Norwegian by Stokebbyes.  Something’s missing here too.  Still PS.
11. Louisianna Red by H&H.   These are definitely not in order of quality or taste and a taste of this Ribbon cut VaPer will prove that.  Sweet, spicy, smooth, all that.  Going out on a limb here, H&H is primo stuff.
12. Rolando’s Own by H&H.  Another great VaPer by H&H and even better than the previous for my tastes.  Spicier and sweeter, this one is fuller and adapts well for our purposes.
13. Prince Albert.  Century old Burley blend that was originally intended as a “dual use” tobacco.  My mom said, if I can’t say anything good…..but a lot of people just love this stuff.
14. Carter Hall.   Well,  better than the Prince and dries faster too.  To give credit where it’s due, this is a good tasting, simple blend.

This is by no means exhaustive,  pipe tobaccos that are suited for Rolling Your Own smokes. A start.  I’ve tried all of these, they smoke and some roll fine. As I continue to experiment, I might update the list.  Suggestions welcomed.

Caveat, some of these are not as easy to stuff as what many RYO/MYOers are accustomed to. I hate to add that some folks just might become a bit frustrated with some of these. I assure you, these work or can be reasonably made to. I will add that the flavor of many are superior to what many RYO enthusiasts are accustomed to.

Update 04/26/10

From the nicotine fiends and friends at RYORevolution.com, the Net’s most authoratative users of what some (not all by any means) “Real”  pipe smokers refer to as their “Blessed Leaf” (bless their little souls) comes the list to blow away all lists that refer to which of the “Blessed Leaves” smoke best in our single use paper pipes.

Reprinted with permission and one of the contributors, this is the most up to date list of both traditional pipe blends that happen to smoke well in a SUPP © (single use paper pipe) and the newest offerings from the ex-RYO manufacturers.  Those who are doing their best to 1.) feed their kids, 2.) keep their loyal customers satiated,  3.) avoid straying outside the draconian laws  bent on prejudicing the RYO smokers (us evil ones), and lastly 4.) stay afloat rather than be forced to abandon their lifelong and in some cases, family generations of  entrepreneurial spirit.

The only tobacco users to endure the greatest single tax in US history from what some refer to as the greatest president this country has ever seen.   Enough of the plight of the poor RYO enthusiasts, poor  meaning the lowest income per capita smokers,   purely coincidentally the easiest targets.  Leaving the inspired decisions of the great politicians of our time for a better mind, this list should find those in need an affordable and smokable product to chew on.  A product  made from tobacco,  not “predominately tobacco” nor “predominately tobacco by-products” but the actual “Blessed leaf” itself.  Go on, allow yourself to hear the angels sing in your head when you read that part (I do).  I can almost hear them, can you?  It’s beautiful.

The fact that many pipe blends are in fact made with the same tobaccos as cigarettes didn’t take long to uncover, despite some initial controversy.  Flue cured, Burleys and Orientals make up a large part of the pipesters arsenal sharing the basic constituents of 90%+ of the popular cigarette and RYO blends.   Now a lot of pipe blends are unsuitable for rolling and stuffing cigarettes with and we’ll avoid these; the aromatics and Cavendished blends along with any and all over-cased and humidified blends.  The addition of excess sugars, Proplyene Glycol and other additives make for an uncomfortable and unsatisfying cigarette.   Other pipe blends are foreign to the majority of cigarette smoker’s taste’s and many might find them offensive, Latakia and Periques come to mind.

Finally there’s the physical differences, those that render some blends unsuitable for use in either stuffing and/or rolling DIY cigarettes.  The machines that the RYO smoker uses aren’t suitable for some and the blends themselves are unsuitable to be burned successfully in cigarette tubes and rolling papers.  We’ll stay away from these blends as well, most commonly Flakes, Stoved, Cavendished and Kaked products.  That leaves us with the preferable Ribbon and uncommon Shag cuts and the less than optimal Twist, Plug and Rubbed blends.  Ribbon cuts are similar to most RYO cuts but thicker and larger while Shags are a cut we’re already familiar with and ready-to-go.   Twisted, Plugged and Rubbed blends can be suitable depending on manufacturer and texture of the final product but the least desirable and most time consuming to prepare of the usable blends.

Many RYO smokers are looking for specific blends but in reality, there’s too many to count.  Instead of the hundred blends available to RYO consumers pre-S-CHIP, and what most are still accustomed to, the pipeosphere offers in excess of a thousand blends for RYO enthusiasts to explore and experiment with.  But where to start, well as above, Ribbons for starters.   This common pipe cut in an uncased and unflavored blend with none or minimal humectants can stuff perfectly right out of the tin.  A bit of drying is necessary, note:  anything that takes excessive time here might be and probably is overly cased.  Overly humidified, or blends cased in humectants such as Propylene Glycol (which is done to retain “freshness” or moisture) are uncomfortable and most likely unhealthy to inhale.  What we’re looking for here are the largley uncased Burleys, straight Virginia’s, VaPers (Virginia and Perique), Orientals and combinations thereof.  Another factor to consider is packaging.

Pipe tobaccos come tinned, pouched, bulk blends which are commonly “Glad-bagged”, and Twisted and Plugged, which are self explanatory.  Any cut can be packaged in any of these ways, including the Twists and Plugs.  Incidentally, speaking of Twists and Plugs, while these are time consuming, these are usually extremely smokable and have relatively little or in many cases, no humectants nor flavorings.  These are oftentimes the strongest and too uncomfortable for many cigarette smokers to inhale.  Tins, being the most expensive packaging, often hold the most desirable blends but the price per lb can easily exceed $70lb.  Unless you’re in love with a specific blend, tinned tobaccos should be reserved for the pipe smokers.  The packaging most RYOers should be looking for is the bulk selections.  Here is where we can get pipe blends at post S-CHIP prices of less than $30lb, and that’s for some premium tobaccos!  Blends like C&D, McClellen and Peter Stokebbye come to mind, although we’re in no way limited to them these are the blends I’ve gained the most experience with.

Got your Ribbon, Twist or Rubbed blend and are ready to stuff?  What to do now is dry the tobacco, and this is where many RYOers will make a common mistake.  Regardless of cut, pipe tobaccos are generally thicker and larger than any RYO cut the smoker will have had experience with.   The RYOer will be tempted to stuff the tobacco when it feels like his or her RYO did when it was ready and this is a mistake.  The pipe cut will have to be dried to where it feels too dry and markedly drier than any RYO should feel when stuffed.  In fact, the pipe cut should feel so dry as to make one think they overdid it, but this is when it’s ripe for stuffing.  Rollers need not be overly concerned with this part although a too-wet blend will be bland and slow to burn with less than optimal smoke output.   The machine will have a different feel when stuffing pipe tobacco, it will have a stronger than usual resistance that will “break” and the tobacco then shoots into the tube.  This doesn’t occur with every blend but the once the thickness of the pipe leaf is broken, the built up tension will practically feel like it’s stuffing itself at first.

Much of the worry and anticipation that this bill has caused wouldn’t have been much of an issue 30 years ago, not just because our government wouldn’t have (and didn’t) fleece it’s citizens in such an open and immoral fashion but because dual purpose tobaccos were more common.  I’ve even heard of triple use tobacco where a twist would be a satisfying chew in the morning and afternoon and the spent chew could be dried for use in the pipe or then further ground for rolling one!  The fact is the overwhelming majority of smokers wish to continue smoking but it is true that most would appreciate a little less expense and harassment.