Thank you, kind sir 
Now the hunt is on for a good Burley. Boston has some good tobacconist shops if I can’t find it online. When I was buying NET I liked his (Clay from N-E-T) natural Cavendish and Flue Cured Red Virginia. Wish me luck!
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@Kinnikinnick On my search for Solani I found a B&M that ships but says it will not ship or sell any flavored tobacco and cigars within MA because of MA flavor ban. That must really put a dent in their business. Then they direct you to forward all complaints to our governor, at that time, Charlie Baker. But it does carry this. Out of stock, of course!
The other shop I thought of immediately was this one which has been around since antiquity. They don’t carry Solani but what do you think about their product? What online vendors do you recommend?
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If you’re located in MA, good luck getting tobacco shipped there; you’ll need to go with a third party/friend to get the online/out of state tobacco you want. But, this is a good place to start looking for “your type” of tobacco. It’s a great source of info for research and reviews:
https://www.tobaccoreviews.com/
I would highly suggest paying attention to the reviews of tobacco by User: JimInks. He’s been doing it for years and is a very straight shooter. NO long diatribes about anything other than the tobacco.
Now remember, a pipe smokers description/review about tobacco must be taken with a pinch of salt. These guys are setting fire to the tobacco, inhaling it, and tasting the way on fire/burned tobacco tastes. Don’t take all of their words to heart.
Another note… and this one is important… some tobaccos are “cased” with flavoring. Stay clear of those. Look for tobaccos which are “Non-Aromatics”. Your outcome for true tobacco flavor will be infinitely better; nothing in the (flavor) way, between the tobacco, your tastebuds, or olfactory senses.
In other words, a tobacco which touts it has a whiskey, bourbon, Irish mist, coffee, cherry, etc. flavor which goes along with the tobacco flavor, should be avoided at all cost! These are manufacturers/vendors buying/taking crappy tobacco stock and casing it with flavor to hide the fact it’s crappy tobacco. They have to sell that crappy tobacco somehow. You DON’T need to be that buyer!
If you want a particular flavor in the NET… put it in there yourself, with the hundreds of bottles of flavors in your DIY flavor collection.
I’m not being snide when I say this @muth , but I only know the outcome of the tobaccos which I have macerated/extracted. It’s all trial and error. If something sounds good to you, buy it and give it a go. I did that exact thing many, many times and some tobacco blends failed me and were a great disappointment… some were stellar. It’s kinda like going to Las Vegas, if you know what I mean. You can’t “count tobacco” like you can “count cards”… it’s all a gamble with tobacco choices. But, sticking with the old guard blenders/manufacturers can have its benefits. Their stuff stays “out of stock” for a reason; it’s good stuff.
If you see something online you want, I’ll be happy to be your “Mule”. Send it to me and in turn, I will ship it to you. You cover all ship costs, of course.
P.S. Get yourself an Aeropress coffee maker. It makes filtering your maceration a breeze! Plus, most low micron filters fit the Aeropress filter cap; some trimming may be required.
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Thx for all that. I’ve already determined that buying a flavored tobacco is out of the question. Idk what they use to flavor it and I don’t need any extra stuff to gunk my coils. I was thinking what you said, use my own flavors if I want.
I think I remember reading Jiminks reviews in the past. Sounds familiar.
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@Kinnikinnick looks like I can’t buy any flavored tobacco which is fine with me but MA has a high tobacco excise tax.
Massachusetts’ tobacco excise taxes vary by product type and are as follows:
- Cigarettes: $3.51 per pack of 20 cigarettes
- Cigars and smoking tobacco: 40% of the wholesale price
- Smokeless tobacco: 210% of the wholesale price
- Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): 75% of the wholesale price
Vendors are responsible for paying the excise tax, but the cost is passed on to the consumer in the retail price.
I might do better ordering online. Depends on who I order from. That’s been my experience with eJuice vendors.
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I typically order from Smoking Pipes.
Here’s a typical order of mine:
Their ship costs are fairly reasonable.
I also order from:
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Also:
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I was just perusing reviews from your link. This is definitely the place that I remember. Jiminks latest review on Solani ABF has been down rated from 4 stars to 3 from 2013 to 2022. The blend has changed a bit. You ain’t kidding this is going to be a lot of trial and error to find my favorites. I used to smoke a ladies pipe many years ago (much to the chagrin of my dentist, ha!)
I’ve got an Aeropress in my shopping list and I wanted to ask you about the SS filters. Are they worth it?
Thx for the sample order. I’m hoping to find 2 or 3 to start with.
Edit: When I place an order with my card will I be charged with MA excise tax even though I’m sending the order to you? Also, sometimes when ordering it says that billing address must match the mailing address. I hope I can find a work around if that happens. I’ll let you know when that time comes. Thx for the help.
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I noticed that one of your choices has a whiskey flavor to it. Doesn’t that contradict what you told me?
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I never went with an Aeropress SS filter. I figured it would let too much sediment through to the final filter.
When I first filter the maceration (leaf in PG), I use a SS ricer to separate the leaf from the PG.
Then, I just use the Aeropress filters with the Aeropress to filter the extract; run it through twice.
Indeed, it does. However, I am a sucker for great descriptions/reviews from users of the tobacco. The dark fire leaf, fig, raisin, dark fruit, etc. remarks pulled me into buying the GLP SixPence. I’ve extracted several GL Pease tobaccos, none of which were a disappointment. Thus, I let the casing on the Sixpence slide. The small amount of whiskey/rum casing they’ve added, does not come through to the final flavor.
Once you start extracting particular manufacturers/blenders tobaccos, you get a feel for whether or not you can trust them to not screw up the tobacco or use crappy tobacco and hide it with casings. GL Pease is a straight shooter.
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Looks like I’ll be adding a ricer to my cart. Thanks for the information on all of the above. I have to admit, perusing all the tobaccos and their descriptions is just as exciting as looking at flavors. It’s even more intensive though because I have to learn about cuts and blends.
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This pasta maker might be easier on your hand and wrist for the first portion of extraction; separating the leaf from the PG. The ricer works, but can be a little stressful on the joints.
…all part of the fun and brain exercise!
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Here are a couple of links you might find helpful:
https://www.tobacconistuniversity.org/curriculum_tobacco_college_pipe.php
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Plus, if you’re really interested in a stand alone, unadulterated Burley… these links below delve into Semois; a very sought after burley, by the burley aficionado.
(If you can’t get to this article due to a pay wall, I can copy and paste the article in another stand alone post)
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Thank you for all the help. I was able to read the entire story. It made me wonder if I still had that ladies pipe from years ago. I’ll be looking for it because of the memories. A great article making you wonder about that Semois and what it smells and tastes like. Oh the little pleasures in life!
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Hehe… I remember, after not smoking for years, grabbing one of my corn cob pipes and trying a little bit of an ADV tobacco in the bowl.
After I did that, it reminded of exactly why I quit smoking in the first place! Ick! I had to rinse/gargle my mouth with vinegar to remove the nasty burned tobacco taste from my mouth!
Learned my lesson on that curiosity.
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I remember vaping my first NET and thinking wow, this is what the tobacco actually tastes like when it’s not on fire? I found it so flavorful and smooth. I’m already thinking I may try some teas once I get more experience with the bacco. Is this the AeroPress device you were talking about?
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Exactly what I thought! It was a delight to the tastebuds and olfactory senses. I had the same sensation when I first tried an RDA. It was a mind blowing experience to have that flavor rush.
That was actually the first DIY extraction I ever did! I found out I needed to make the maceration way stronger than I did the first go round. But, it was the experimenting that was the fun part!
Exactly. The “kit” usually comes with filters as well.
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I didn’t realize what a “wonder tea” Rooibos was. I just searched it and aside from it’s medicinal value they say it tastes similar to:
VANILLA HONEYBUSH
A close cousin of rooibos, full-bodied, creamy and syrupy-sweet.
Sounds like a yum to me!
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I had to post this because it sounds too good. Not only would I want to drink this but I would be excited to try and extract it. Who wouldn’t? These aren’t flavors you will find in a bottle.
I just noticed some of the desserts and dessert beverages they have. Flavor combos I haven’t seen or tried yet. Some great ideas for recipes.
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