From the tactile quality of the pipe as it sits in your hand, to the skill and patience required to create a perfectly packed bowl to the sight and sound of the tobacco as it catches fire pipe smoking is as much a secular sacrament as it is a beloved pastime. One of the most compelling aspects of the tobacco pipes experience is catching your first whiff of the cherry, fruit, or vanilla notes rising from the bowl and the fond associations they can bring with days gone by when obscure elders would sit with their feet up on grandma’s ottoman after Thanksgiving dinner sparking up their calabash with thick wooden matches.

With the holidays just around the corner, those of us at Paykoc Pipes have decided our gift to you this year will be this list of the 9 best-smelling pipe tobaccos currently on the market. Enjoy!

Nine Pipe Tobaccos With the Best Aromas

In this list, we will focus on aromatic tobaccos that typically exude the more widely appreciated aromas and forego the non-aromatics, whose delights we will explore at another time.

Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut

Vanilla Cream Loose Cut from Mac Baren has a creamy vanilla aroma topped off with a floral finish. Virginia, Burley and Black Cavendish tobaccos create a room note that’s by turns light and lingering. If you’re in search of a tobacco that will produce an agreeable scent that won’t take over the house this is definitely one of your best choices. The Virginia and Burley base stays mostly in the background creating a grassy, earthy foundation that understands its supporting role. If you enjoy accepting compliments on the ambrosial aroma emanating from your briar pipes, Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut will certainly produce them in spades.

Cult Blood Red Moon

We’re not going to catch tobacco aficionados off guard with our inclusion of Cult Blood Red Moon on our list of best-smelling tobaccos. Just about anyone with any pipe smoking experience is aware of its reputation for being one of the best-smelling tobaccos currently on the market. And that reputation is well-earned. The most prominent note here is cherry that dovetails nicely with the taste to create a well-rounded experience from the minute you open the tobacco pouch to the time you set the pipe down to cool. A delightful combination of old and new this Virginia, Burley, and Cavendish blend won’t exactly have you pining for simpler times, but it may evoke a memory or two of Grandpa and days gone by.

Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

Autumn Evening is a renowned bestseller from Cornell & Diehl that leaves the delightful aroma of pancakes and maple syrup lingering in the room. Of course, if you don’t think the aroma of pancakes and maple syrup are delightful then you may have issues with Autumn Evening. But most of us here at Paykoc Pipes would categorize AE as one of our favorites, and we’re pretty sure you’ll like it too. While the maple scent tends to lead the way it eventually yields vanilla and caramel notes that produce a more well-rounded olfactory experience.

Sutliff Barbados Plantation

If you enjoy daydreaming about bawdy nights on Caribbean islands Sutliff Barbados Plantation will transport you there. This is a tasty liquor blend from Sutliff Private Stock with rum forming the aromatic vanguard before eventually yielding to a creamy vanilla note that lingers in the air. The blend of Cavendish and Burley produces a grassy, albeit somewhat nutty base that holds its own while informing both the rum and vanilla scents in surprising and satisfying ways.

Peterson Connoisseur's Choice

Sometimes you want simple and straightforward, other times you want something more complex and alluring. You’ll get plenty of the latter with Peterson Connoisseur’s Choice. Virginia and Black Cavendish flavored with rum, vanilla, maple and fruit produce a cornucopia of scents that harmonize like a well-practiced A Capella group. Connoisseur’s Choice is a pleasant, smooth burn that is all about emphasizing the joys of aromatics and does so with alacrity.

CAO Eileen's Dream

Even some of those new to tobacco pipes are aware that CAO produces some of the best-smelling pipe tobaccos. In this case, there is more to Eileen's Dream than meets the eye. Whereas you may be expecting just another cherry or vanilla blend with a Virginia and Black Cavendish base, what you get is far more complex, with a creamy vanilla note mingling with subtle hints of chocolate and a wisp of coconut. Eileen's Dream is as distinctive as aromatics get with a compelling bouquet of flavors that engage the senses for all the right reasons.

Lane Limited 1Q

If you prefer predictability over surprises you’ll probably take a shine to Lane Limited 1Q. This is vanilla pipe tobacco at its predictable best with a generous vanilla bouquet that holds its own without ever overwhelming or offending with sappy sweetness. The Virginia and Cavendish blend is the perfect base from which to launch this homage to the vanilla bean and the light caramel overtones provide just enough counterbalance to maintain order.

W.O. Larsen Signature Vintage Mixture

Trying to get a firm handle on the W.O. Larsen Signature Vintage Mixture isn't easy. And we suspect the company wouldn't have it any other way. This is not your typical American aromatic. Instead, you'll find a creamy, almost flowery fragrance up front that eventually yields to something denser, but no less appealing. The good folks at W.O. Larsen have definitely conjured up some aromatic magic here, and done so without introducing anything revolutionary or, frankly, distasteful. As a result, trying to put your finger on exactly what those top notes might be is likely to keep you occupied from the minute you strike your match until long after the smoke has cleared.

Hearth & Home Classic Burley Kake

The last item on our list of best-smelling pipe tobaccos is Hearth & Home Classic Burley Kake. Flavored with anisette, rum, and cocoa the aroma here is both comforting and strangely familiar. You’re likely to pick up on coffee and cocoa notes lingering sweetly in the air, though nothing so sweet as to qualify as excessive. The Burley, Kentucky, and Virginia base does more than just support the top flavorings. Although they do that admirably. They also provide aromatic counterpoints that add depth and interest to the bouquet while providing an unmistakable air of comfort, warmth, and familiarity.

Try These Tobaccos With Our Briar or Meerschaum Pipes

There's an entire universe of great-smelling tobaccos out there. With this list, we've just scratched the surface. Still, if you're looking for a great smelling tobacco to launch your pipe-smoking career you can't fail with one of the above-listed aromatic gems.

If you are new to tobacco pipes it's a good idea to start with a dependable, great-smelling tobacco and then branch out from there. And if you're looking for the ideal pipe with which to start your collection, peruse the selection at the Paykoc Pipes website, or visit our brick-and-mortar shop in central Denver.