Best pipe for shag cut tobacco?

[Anonymous]

I just received my order of Tilbury from SP and was reading that it gets a little strength at the end and burned fast. Maybe a tall narrow billiard (chimney)?

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Perhaps... Although they're entirely different blends, I smoke my share of Margate and Pembroke which are both about as shaggy as shag gets. I find that they both taste and perform better in a wide shallow bowl. Since shag cut blends are so springy, moisture content is a bit more difficult to gauge and the old pinch test doesn't seem to be as good of an indicator. In a standard shape pipe with a rectangular bowl - (billiard, apple, poker, etc), I am left with a good amount of fairly moist dottle. The wider more shallow bowl seems to circumvent that.

 

[Anonymous]

Sound advice! I have a shallow pot I'll try it with first and go from there. The stuff is springy for sure! Jarring it was pure comedy. It comes packed pretty tight, doubles in volume and getting it into a jar was like packing cotton balls.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

getting it into a jar was like packing cotton balls.

Totally. :lol: 

 

[rothnh]

I'd recommend a smaller size bowl, such as a Group 2 or 3 for two reasons.

The Esotherica Tillbury, due to the burley content, does have some strength (on the high side of medium in nicotine IMO). Also, the smaller size bowl will help control the Tillbury's burn better, especially when sipped slowly.

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed. You would not want a big ole bowl of this stuff. You'd wake up the next morning on the floor. My Sav pot is too big. I really need to get the Pete 999 for this and my Virginia flakes. I do love Tilbury though. It would not be for everyone but it really puts me in a happy place.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Never thought of Tillbury as a shag cut personally (have they changed the cut recently?), but it smokes best for me in a group 3 billiard.

 

[somedumbjerk]

i smoke my shag cut a little moister than other cuts. sip slowly and the flavor is pretty strong. two pipes i go to are my little castello dublin, and a kriswell with a narrow bowl. the shag i smoke is mainly GH&Co stuff though. i also pack it pretty light at first, you can always tamp it a bit more if the draw is off.

 

[rothnh]

Never thought of Tillbury as a shag cut personally (have they changed the cut recently?), but it smokes best for me in a group 3 billiard.  

Technically, Estoterica Tillbury is a ribbon cut, not a shag, but the Tillbury does burn rather fast so I can see why the OP called it a shag due to the similarity in burn characteristics.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

If you'd like a little more lead to kick up the octane of your smoke, Kendal KY and/or Dark Birdseye.

 

[somedumbjerk]

If you'd like a little more lead to kick up the octane of your smoke, Kendal KY and/or Dark Birdseye.

i love kendal KY. if you add it to a VA it kind of takes place of perique, kind of. adds some spice with some light smokiness, kind of like BBQ sauce. lots of pepper in the nose. love it!

 

[DoverPipes]

POT!!!!

 

[monbla256]

Considering that there are really not that many true "shag cut" 'baccs blended these days, compared to 30/40 years ago, it really would be immaterial as to a specific shape to smoke one of today's "shag cut" .baccs in. I've smoked ALL varieties of cuts in ALL of the pipes I own over the past 40 years and gotten good smokes in ALL of them. True, some varieties seem to have more intense flavor or smoke smoother in some, but generally I'll smoke ANY blend I have in the particular pipe that strikes my fancy when I look at my racks or desk based on when I smoked it last. Try what you want in whatever shape you want, make some notes, mental or on paper and find out what works FOR YOU . :evil:  :evil:

 

[rothnh]

A couple true shag cuts I've smoked:

Five Brothers = high nic, burns fast, great blender.

McClelland 221B Series: Black Shag = the most unusual all-virginia blend I've ever smoked, definitely unique.