Disposable "Tasting Pipe"

I use a Dr Grabow
They are cheap and if something leaves a ghost I can ream it to the bare wood or throw it away and not be hurting much

At times I can get them on ebay 5 or 6 for around $10 cheap enough

At the price they sell at, who cares if you toss 'em after a few samplings!

But if you're really into tasting blends, I guess you'll need to look into clays.

corb cob pipes are 5 dollars, if you really like you can buy one of the very small ones for 3 dollars, lol.

I second the cobs. I carry one with me every time I leave the house now, just in case I stumble into a local B&M.

Cobs are cheap, durable, forgiving but are decent smokers once they are broken in. Two and a half years ago I bought four cobs and I still smoke them once in a while, for example, when I want to smoke something exotic, like blends with Latakia or an aromatic.

I also have some half a dozen of briar pipes, which I don't smoke. I could use them for trying something different but I don't since the best of them is worse than the worst of the cobs. Actually, cobs are about the same.

And, yes, I do have a clay but the stem averts me and it doesn't smoke so good. Maybe I'll smoke it later tonight to check how it's doing.

Get some cobs.

But keep in mind, the first few smokes from a new cob aren't the best. It takes about 4 or 5 bowls to get rid of the burnt wood taste. You also may want to ditch the paper filters that comes with them.

are great little smokers, light with almost edible stems they seem to be treated as the janitors of the tobacco industry. A slightly unfair characterization in my opinion. Disposable? I guess but I use them for a bit more than just tasters. They do taste a little funny at first, are no substitute for a briar but they have thier place and go great in the work area. I try to think of them more like the Budweiser Clydesdale's of the tobacco industry.

Get some mini cobs.
Why throw away a Grabow?
Grabows aren't as cheap as they used to be. The cheapest Grabow runs about $17.00 today!

I vote for cobs too. One of my fonder pipe smoking forays as a newbie was Peterson University Flake.

I could not believe the taste.

These guys had me start with cobs to try new tobacco's and the price was just right.

and say that you should look into finding cheap and good clay pipes. the very first puff will taste as good as the last