High-Dollar Tobacco

While the ranks of cigarette smokers are weighted to the lower end of the income spectrum, cigars and pipe tobacco are generally considered to be high-end items. Premium tobacco, to be sure, doesn't come cheap. Some cigars, such as Zino Cigars Platinums, can cost as much as $40 apiece - and that's nothing compared to the Gurkha Black Dragon, which come at a cost of $1,150 apiece. Gurkha also makes a more economical smoke called His Majesty's Reserve, which will set you back $15,000 for a box of 20.

Finding the Right Flavor

Top-shelf pipe tobacco, like Billy Budd, is also expensive, but those who choose to smoke it swear by its rich aroma and full-bodied flavor. Saint James' Flake and its cousin, Blakely's Best Bayou Slice (both made by McClelland's) have their fans as well. Abenaki tobacco can cost as much as $24 a pound. Pipes, too, can be very expensive depending on the materials from which they are crafted and the ornateness of the designs. Dunhill is one example of a high-end tobacco pipe. Hookahs, too, can run in the hundreds of dollars.

Methods without Madness

Cavendish tobaccos have nearly all of their natural flavors replaced by the process of steaming the leaves. Black Cavendish, vanilla cavendish and cherry cavendish are popular pipe tobaccos, though the actual plant material is generally Virginia’s tobacco, and sometimes Burley's. The process of steam treating (and then aging) turns the tobacco to a very dark color. English Cavendish brands include McConnel's Maduro and Rattray's Black Virginia.

Back on Earth, Captain Black is an inexpensive pipe tobacco that can be bought by the pouch or the tin, but it's hardly the only "officer" of the pipe tobacco world. Other brands include Captain Bob's (by Cornell & Diehl) and Captain Earle's (by Hermit). McClelland also produces Cyprian Star, which incorporates latakia tobacco (leaves that have been smoked over fire for added flavor). People who enjoy this blend of Arabic and traditional tobaccos extoll its unique flavor and smoothness. As with so many other things in life, tobacco products are, above all else, a matter of taste.

Enjoying Heavenly Cigars and Heaven Cigars is popular alternative that takes the difficulty out of the tobacco smoking equation.