Opinions on this inexpensive cob for a newbie testing the waters

[jrfoxx]

I think Zippo's are a bit of nostalgia. They have butane inserts to replace the fluid one for older lighters. I have a Zikar that looks
very much like yours. Works great.

You may need to get a straight blade knife or something to scrape the sides of the pipe down after a bit. The sides will slowly build up and need to be scraped down.
After I do that i put a tip in some rum and wipe the inside down after cleaning it. Gives your pipe a nice flavor for a bowl or 2.

Start with an aromatic tobacco I think. Hell I started with Captain Black from the drug store many years ago.

One thing I can suggest is when you get tobacco check how wet it is. If it's wet it can be difficult to keep lit. Also it will give you a bit of tongue burn as you smoke it.
I leave mine on a paper towel for up to a day to dry out a bit. Buy pipe cleaners in bulk on ebay or amazon. You'll go through them fairly fast depending how much
you smoke. Over time I've become a sipper of the pipe and not drawing heavily on it. Gets hot and not very enjoyable in my book

As for the straight blade knife for scraping, do you think that's what the slightly serrated straight tool in my lighter is for?

Seems to make sense as I can't think what else it would be used for.

Here's a closeup of it:

I friggin love cigars

[LazyLightning]

A lot of good advise has been given.

I will interject one thing, aromatic tobacco is not for everyone. I would also try a Latakia from a small tin, it can take some getting used too, depending on the blend. Though you may instantly Love it, some of both aromatics and non, will give you a little idea what to expect/and enjoy.

I run one or two pipe cleaners through the stem ( down to the chamber ) after every smoke, to get excess moisture out. I also curve 2 pipe cleaners in half and gently get debris from the chamber. Though I use a paper towel in my Meerschaum chambers. I use a Thunderbird zippo insert for my pipes, nice soft flame.

You want a thin layer of “cake” to build up on the inside chamber. So don’t be overly aggressive, but with an inexpensive cob/hardwood it’s not a huge deal. If you get into it and start buying $100-$200+ pipes either Briar or Meerschaum you will want to make them last a lifetime. However that’s for a later date, you may not like it at all, everyone is different. The first non aromatic I feel in love with was Orlik Golden Sliced. I have 30’ish pounds of a variety of tobaccos aging. Everything from Carter hall, Latakia Flake, and a bunch in between. Be more than happy to send you a tester pkg, just shoot me a pm, if interested. Some of it has been aging for a decade+

HTH!

[Cool Breeze]

Welcome to the addiction.
That pipe is fine, although I prefer cobs to the hardwood pipes they offer. That is strictly personal preference though. It will smoke fine. The only difference is it will heat up a bit faster than a cob or a briar.

Let us know what you think about the Autumn Evening. It's my favorite aromatic.

To answer a couple questions, yes filters hinder the draw. But that is also personal preference. Some like the draw a little tighter. Others like it more free. Experiment and see what you prefer.
I don't use them because you can't pass a pipe cleaner while you're smoking.

Zippos are fine. You will taste the lighter fluid if you overfill it or if you don't let it burn off a bit before lighting. Just let it burn about 3 seconds before lighting your pipe and you'll be fine.

[dj1340]

Pipes are much like cigars, not everyone has the same taste. For me Latakia can be strong at times and ghost the pipe.
I have pipes for different blends. I have several blends of different tobaccos depending on the weather and my taste for the day.

[dj1340]

That will work. It will be a bit before you need it. Takes some time to build up a cake in a pipe. I have several diffent blends of different kinds of tobacco so if you'd like some samples
send me a PM and I can send you some. A lot of it is aged 10 to 15 yrs.

[LazyLightning]

Good point Don!

I have a set for Latakia blends, and one for Virginias, Burleys, etc…my cobs I don’t worry too much about ghosting. But I don’t want an expensive briar to be a all caked with Lat. while smoking Golden Sliced for example.