Pipes

[TimmyBoston]

I've been smoking cigars for a few years now and I'm really interesting in pipe smoking. I've seen at least a few people here are pipe smokers and I was looking for tips and advice. I know next to nothing about pipes and pipe tobacco so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

[ouch]

www.tobaccoreviews.com :drool:

[rikrdo]

Hey Tim..

Check out www.pipes.org
Especially the instructional forums.
Great stuff.

[DLoyd76]

Hi Tim, welcome to that other fold. Beware, there is such a thing as Pipe Acquisition Disorder too. Consider yourself warned. :biggrin:

Ok, first off: this being the internets and all, here's the relevant sites. Ouch posted the wonderful tobaccoreviews.com. Pipes.org (http://pipes.org/) is the 'center' of the coterie, having been online for many years. Pipes and Tobaccos (http://pt-magazine.com/) magazine is a wonderful resource and a great read. They have a free trial offer on their site, and I think there's free tobacco involved too. Other good retailers are Cup O'Joes (http://www.cupojoes.com/), Pulver's Pipes (http://www.pulversbriar.com/), by the esteemed Marty Pulver (of the fabled 'Sherlock's Haven' store in San Francisio - rip), Payless Pipes (http://paylesspipes.com), and SmokingPipes.com (http://smokingpipes.com/), the weboutlet of Low Country Pipe & Tobacco (South Carolina). All fine establishments.

On pipes themselves. Like a blade, you can pay for a lot in a pipe and get not much more than the other. At the low end are machine made pipes. Assembly line means cheaper, usually at the expense of quality. However, many machine made pipes smoke just fine, and are great starter pipes (heck, we all drive assembly line cars, and we're ok, right?) Stanwell is a well-regarded maker of machine made pipes. Basically, as the price gets higher, you pay for the quality of the wood (and look of grain), and how much handmade work goes into it. At higher grades, the smoking experience can be better, as more expensive pipes have better engineering and lighter woods (proper drilling and curing of the briar). A well made pipe is a work of art, and costs accordingly. Choose wisely, but remember that a pipe fits YOU, not the other way around. Don't hesistate because a pipe may not be 'brand name'. Two of the best smokers I own are no-name brands. Price? Low-grade $20-100. Mid-grade $100-250. High grade $250 and up. The borderlines are malleable. Don't overlook seconds. Dunhill is the most recognized name pipe in the world. They run into the tripe digits and above. Parker is the 'second' line for dunhill. Same curing, same drilling. Flawed wood (i.e. not perfect). I have a savinelli second and it's great.

Now, on to tobacco. Like creams and aftershaves, here is where you play. There are hundreds of different blends available. Play with them all. I recommend blends by glpease (http://glpease.com), Cornell & Deihl (http://CornellandDiehl.com), and rattrays. Oh, and Dan tobacco's Limerick is tasty too. You'll hear 'english blends' and 'virginia's a lot. English means it's got Latakia in it, which means strong and smokey. Virginia means straight viriginia tobacco, which means sweet and complex and bright. Smoke them in different pipes, or you'll never get all the flavors. Aromatics have fruity flavors sprayed on them. Usually the more unnatural the smell, the hotter and uncomfortable they are. But I still take a pipe of Captain black (vanilla) from time to time.

Wanna try them all? go to your tobacconist and ask for a sample. AND...buy about 4 corncob pipes. Yep, corncob. they'll give you an uncluttered taste of the tobacco, and you'll be out $40. Once you find some you like, try them out in the pipe.

The frustration come from packing, lighting and relighting. Now is a great time for you, as PT mag just published an article on packing your pipe with great ideas. I recommend picking it up.

That should serve as a little primer. Of course, half the pleasure is in the discovery, and there's plenty out there to discover. Enjoy it, never abuse it, be conscientious of others, and most of all. DON'T EVER INHALE.

P.S. smoke slowly. The faster you go, the hotter the furnace becomes.

Cheers,

-d

[PalmettoB]

Hey Tim..

Check out www.pipes.org
Especially the instructional forums.
Great stuff.
Got some good stuff from there. The professor's pipe sweetening trick was worth reading.

[Steelforge]

DON'T EVER INHALE.

Just out of interest, why not? I'm a non-smoker so I don't really understand these things. Do you taste the smoke in your mouth, or just enjoy the scent of it in the air?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm genuinely interested as I always assummed all smoking was the same (cigarettes, cigars, pipes etc.) i.e. to get a nicotine hit.

Thanks,

Iwan.

[ouch]

My favorite place to order from is marscigars.com, but knox has the added benefit of selling shaving supplies. Talk about a double whammy!:tongue:

[MasonM]

Just out of interest, why not? I'm a non-smoker so I don't really understand these things. Do you taste the smoke in your mouth, or just enjoy the scent of it in the air?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm genuinely interested as I always assummed all smoking was the same (cigarettes, cigars, pipes etc.) i.e. to get a nicotine hit.

Thanks,

Iwan.
Smoking a pipe is far more about flavor than nicotine. Pipe smoke expands an incredible amount and inhaling can be a choking experience. Pipe smoke is also much harder on the lungs than cigarette or even cigar smoke. This varies on the tobacco of course.

Check out meerschaum or meerschaum lined pipes. These deliver a very smooth smoke and don't require breaking in. Their my favorite smokers. I have a Calabash that is my smoothest and favorite smoke.

One thing about meers; unlike briars you do not want a cake to build up in the bowl as this will crack the pipe. Clean it out with a paper towel or something similar after each smoke and it will last a lifetime.

[Steelforge]

Thanks Mason. I don't smoke and probably never will, so I was just curious really. I doubt if I'll take it up, interesting though it sounds!

[thestubblefactory]

There is a lot of good information on the web about pipes and pipe smoking. I smoked pipes for several years and I think I got up to about 40 pipes. I even made a few, one selling for $400! There are several good new and vintage pipes out there but there are several bad ones too. The very best luck I had was with Castello. They were always consistently above any other brand I tried- and I tried a lot. I also had good luck with Mark Tinsky, Sir Jacopo and Nording. I discovered that some, like Dunhill (at least in my experience) performed no better than some brands that were a fraction of their price. Never tried a meerschaum. However, there are several other brands and makers that are very good. My favorite mix was Dunhill My Mixture 965. You will need to get or make a rack to store your pipes, a reamer to clean carbon buildup, a tamper, pipe cleaners. I used Everclear for the annual cleaning/sweetening. Had to quit though due to hassle from the wife. Good luck.

[DLoyd76]

IMHO, cigar smoke is stronger than pipe when inhaled:eek: In any event, pipe smoke is more about flavor than nicotine. Cigars too. Inhaling is more of a cigarette thing, and is definitely too rough for me (not to mention the added health risks).

Ironically, Iwan is also the name of Iwan Ries Pipe store, the oldest continously owned pipe store in the country (chicago).

[Scotto]

Tim,

You have gotten some good advice, so I don't have much to add, other than that your wallet will hate you even more than shaving if you get into pipes. :wink: I will make the standard disclaimer that any sort of smoking is bad for you, though in moderation it is a very relaxing and rewarding pastime.

There are a lot of parallels to learning shaving:


You will spend lots of money
There is a huge variety of stuff to try
Instead of learning razor angle, etc. you'll have to master pipe packing and smoking
BBS shave ~ two-match pipe (one charring light, one more to smoke an entire bowl; something that takes some time to master)
Ouch's tobacco collection ~ Scotto's shaving collection :wink:
etc.


If you can find a local tobacconist, you will be ahead of the game. It is nice to be able to try stuff out without depending on mail order stuff.

[Phog Allen]

Hi Tim. Here's my two cents(that's probably not worth 1). Couldn't agree more with what's been said already. Another machine made line to consider is Savinelli. A wonderful old Italian brand and they make good smokers for decent prices. Oh they make the handmade stuff that adds up to $$$ as well. This would be most of their Autograph line. Very good stuff. Another machine made brand for the most part is Peterson of Dublin. I have a couple of theirs and love them. One thing I was told by a local smoke shop owner(30 plus years of experience)is that if you are going to smoke cased(aromatic)tobaccos, the Italian and Danish brands like Stanwell seem more forgiving. The English, Irish, and a lot of handmades seem cured to work better with English blends and straight Virginias. That is all VERY subjective and is in no way concrete but so far, I've found it to be a very good rule of thumb.

I very rarely smoke aromatic tobaccos anymore but when I do, it's Sweet Vanilla Honeydew(by Dan C.A.O. I think). This is the only cased tobacco I've smoked that will lose most of it's scent if you leave it alone for a good long time. They use more natural flavourings to scent it. Hence the natural breakdown of scent. Most other brands use synthetic scent and they last forever. That shoud tell you something. Another thing to remember with the pipe is that you should aim for it to smolder, NOT smoke. If it's rolling continually with smoke you've likely got it too hot. This is when tongue burn and acrid tastes come in. Sometimes it's just crummy tobacco! You should aim to "sip" the pipe. The best thing I have been told about keeping the pipe lit is to forget it when you're first startting. Pipe tobacco does not have the burn accelerants added to it that cigarettes do so it will go out if you set it down. Try this. Let it sit for a half hour and light it up again. Sometimes you'd be surprised how much better the burn and flavour is. It's all over the place and there are no set rules for burn rates and the like. I live outside K.C. and we are home to one of the finest tobacco blenders in the world. McClelland Tobacco. Don't ask for a website. They don't have or want one. I spoke to one of the McNeills at a local pipes show. They would just as soon no one even called them. These tobacco blenders are a very secrective lot. If you think getting info about toiletries is hard, fuggedaboudit with tobacco blenders. Just search the sites mentioned above for McClleland's. I adore their Virginia blends like Dark Star and 2035. 2015 Va./Perique blend is great too. The main thing is, dive in and have fun. Remember, if the pipe is gurgling, sputtering, or the taste and smoke seem too hot, it is! Run a pipe cleaner down the stem and let it sit. Try again. If it's lost, big deal. You're talking pennies per bowl with bulkd tobacco. The main thing is to have fun. Okay, the warning. Any smoking cannot be considered "safe". However, pipe tobacco is the cream of hte tobacco world crop. The difference between it and the ground up crap in cigarettes is beyond compare. The finest leaf in the tobacco world's shires go into premium pipe tobaccos. So I feel it's much less harmful than cigarettes. As Mason said, this ain't for inhaling! If you keep the smoke cool, it releases a plethora of flavours. Hope this helps and be prepared for PAD, TAD,(pipe and tobacco aquisition disorders)and accoutrements galore. I somehow feel more gentlemanly when smoking my pipes. Just relaxes you old boy.

Regards, Todd

[Scotto]

Todd, you have to head to NY so we can share a good bowl and a meal. Maybe if he is nice we'll invite Jay (ouch) as well. :lol:

[ouch]

I promised myself I would stop smoking after I hit the big five-oh, and I've pretty much done so. I"ll soon be having a huge "going out of business" sale.

As for pipes, here is my all time favorite producer. He is truly the king of "birds eye".

http://www.matzhold-peter.at/

[zachster]

Oh, jeez -- reading this thread makes me realize that I will just have to break out my old pipes (Savinelli) again.:biggrin: Haven't smoked anything but cigars for the last seven or eight years, but used to really enjoy pipe smoking, especially in the Fall. And now it is Fall...

My favorite budget tobacco was Iwan Ries 3-star, non-aromatic. Looks like they are still around: http://www.iwanries.com/

[Phog Allen]

Aye Scotto, I'm game if I could ever get past making time for the girl's school activities, the wife in college, 8 to 5 grind, etcetera. I've been wanting to see Ireland FOREVER and If I ever get there, will NOT leave that glorious isle till I've visited http://www.peterson.ie/ and blown a good chunk of money!

As to the food, well NY is supposed to have some of the best in the world so mayhaps a layover there is in order. Indeed, the tobacco will be shared and the yarns spun. I'll bring the McClelland's and you can bring some Sam Gawith or maybe Gawith & Hoggarth. Both are glorious blenders from the lakes region of England. I might even throw some Frog Morton Across the Pond in. I'll tell you guys, if you can ever get your hands on a blend with Syrian latakia in it you'll think you went straight to English blend heaven. Cyprian Lat. is smoky like driftwood. Syrian is like a grand harwood such as oak or ash burning in the fireplace. So rich yet delicate. A real favourite. It's cold, blustery, and damp tonight. I think one of the pipes will get a workout!

Regards, Todd

[srajguru]

I've smoked cigars for a while, and been interested in getting into Pipes.
.but I've always wondered.
In general how long does one sit and smoke a pipe..is it a quick thing?
One of the pleasures of a cigar is that you can often enjoy it for an hour or more..
If you want to do this with a pipe, approximately how many times do you have to refill the bowl?
Are there pipe tobacco's that are not flavoured- plain cured tobacco- as in a cigar?

[MasonM]

I've smoked cigars for a while, and been interested in getting into Pipes.
.but I've always wondered.
In general how long does one sit and smoke a pipe..is it a quick thing?
One of the pleasures of a cigar is that you can often enjoy it for an hour or more..
If you want to do this with a pipe, approximately how many times do you have to refill the bowl?
Are there pipe tobacco's that are not flavoured- plain cured tobacco- as in a cigar?
How long depends upon the size of the bowl. I have one that will smoke in about 5 minutes and a few that will go for a couple of hours.

You never immediately refill the bowl of a pipe, especially a briar, right after smoking it. It needs to cool, rest, and dry before being repacked and lit again. That's why most pipe smokers own several pipes and never smoke the same one twice in a day. Meerschaums are the exepction to that rule in that they absorb the oils and moisture and can easily be smoked several times a day as long as they are allowed to cool in between.

Pipe tobaccos come in a huge variety of types, blends, and casings (flavorings). You can find just about anything from a plain burley to a very rich blend of casings.

[PalmettoB]

Had a chance to get a CAO meerschaum for 25% off at Boswell's in PA. I missed out, but I think I really want to get one. I have about ten briars of various types, but the meerschaums seem like a great pipe. I do like the quick turn around. The CAO rep told me about being careful not to get it really hot and be outside in the winter time, as it might crack from the cold. I sorta laughed and told him I didn't have to worry too much being from SC!:biggrin:

[srajguru]

How long depends upon the size of the bowl. I have one that will smoke in about 5 minutes and a few that will go for a couple of hours.

Could you give me the name of a pipe that can be enjoyed for a couple of hours? Or an hour?

I smoke on a Friday night or a Saturday night..It's real joy to just relax for a bit, with a nice bourbon or a single malt and a book.

[prophet]

I actually just tried pipe smoking...still breaking in my pipe, so still getting a bit of tongue bite, but quite tasty nonetheless.

My current ounce is a local mix called Country Gentleman from 310 Pipe and Tobacco here in Murfreesboro, seems like good stuff.

Smoke easy, smoke slow, and dont forget to not inhale!

[ouch]

I'll tell you guys, if you can ever get your hands on a blend with Syrian latakia in it you'll think you went straight to English blend heaven. Cyprian Lat. is smoky like driftwood. Syrian is like a grand harwood such as oak or ash burning in the fireplace. So rich yet delicate. A real favourite. Regards, Todd

I have some of Greg Pease's ill-fated Bohemian Scandal. Shortly after its release, there was a warehouse fire that destroyed virtually the entire crop of Syrian latakia, ending production of that blend. The last 2 oz. tins I saw for sale were going for >$50 a pop. Not my favorite by a long shot, but a nice blend and a collector's item.
I have a bunch of old Dunhill, Rattray, and McClelland, too. There are just so many great blends to be had.

[TimmyBoston]

Could you give me the name of a pipe that can be enjoyed for a couple of hours? Or an hour?

I smoke on a Friday night or a Saturday night..It's real joy to just relax for a bit, with a nice bourbon or a single malt and a book.

That does sound good!

[TimmyBoston]

I'm off to the Tobacco shop in the next few days to get started, wish me luck! :wink:

[galopede]

I find it's the natural tobaccos that seem to go on for an hour or more, especially the flakes. Aromatics, I find, burn fast, hot and nasty.

Stick to virginia flakes or the English blends with Latakia and you won't go wrong.

Gareth

[boboakalfb]

Very interesting thread. This is something I have been curious about lately...I smoke cigars from time to time and wanted to give a pipe another shot. I dabbled with it 7 or 8 years ago but my only experiences were with my local Tinder Box. Trying the different bulk blends that they carried...I think most of them were aromatics so I understand now why I would get tongue bite so often. They just seemed to burn so hot. I can't say that the people that work there are very knowledgable. I don't think that any of them actually smoke a pipe...one can barely communicate in english so forget him. Now with the internet and a couple of site references here I have been doing a bit of reading. I picked up a tin of Dunhills Early Morning Pipe to try out. Looking forward to trying out some of the blends mentioned...

[MasonM]

Could you give me the name of a pipe that can be enjoyed for a couple of hours? Or an hour?

I smoke on a Friday night or a Saturday night..It's real joy to just relax for a bit, with a nice bourbon or a single malt and a book.
Not really. Almost every pipe maker out there makes pipes of different sizes. Just find one with a nice large bowl, pack it correctly, and it'll last quite a while.

[TimmyBoston]

Ok, I smoked a pipe for the first time tonight!

Earlier today I went to a local tobacco shop and bought and inexpensive pipe, some cleaners, a little pipe tool and an ounce of pipe tobacco. I'm going to have to find another shop, their pipe tobacco selection was extremely meager to put it lightly.
So this evening I went outside with a copy of Richard Russo's Empire Falls and my modest, little pipe and a short pour of Pappy Van Winkle 15. It was a very nice time. And something I know I will do again.
My next step is check out the pipe forums and try another tobacco shop in town in hopes of better pipe tobacco selection.

I would like to thank everyone who has posted with all your great advice and tips, I can't thank all of you enough. :thumbup: I am continually amazed with the knowledge base and generous of spirit of the members of this forum.
Now I'm off to spend more money!!!!:biggrin:

Thanks again. But I hope discussion continues in this thread, Pipes seem really fascinating and I, for one, would love to keep this going. :smile:

[ouch]

An interesting site to see a wide variety of pipes (and, occasionally, vintage tins) is

www.thepiperack.com




I'll post some pics in the next few days.

[BlackLabelBrewer]

After reading this thread, I dreamed of pipe smoking last night. Does anyone know of or have a link to a good starter kit?

I've had little success in the past, but I think I'm just buying bad pipes and worse tobacco. That and I'm sure my technique leaves something to be desired.

[mparker762]

Could you give me the name of a pipe that can be enjoyed for a couple of hours? Or an hour?

I had a big Pioneer calabash once that would go for 3.5-4 hours regularly. Dropped it and broke the bowl, and haven't seen another one that big since.

You need a big bowl to smoke that long, along with a slow-burning tobacco like a sliced or cubed latakia. The late lamented Bengal Slices was a very slow burning tobacco. I generally burned Balkan Sobranie in my Pioneer calabash, but it's also long gone, and the new stuff just isn't the same.

[ouch]

I had a big Pioneer calabash once that would go for 3.5-4 hours regularly. Dropped it and broke the bowl, and haven't seen another one that big since.

You need a big bowl to smoke that long, along with a slow-burning tobacco like a sliced or cubed latakia. The late lamented Bengal Slices was a very slow burning tobacco. I generally burned Balkan Sobranie in my Pioneer calabash, but it's also long gone, and the new stuff just isn't the same.

I hope you're referring to the regular tin, and not the "Aromatic"
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=B&TID=1073

The former is a nice, lush smoke, while the latter........ well, you'll just have to read for yourself.:lol:

[boboakalfb]

I hope you're referring to the regular tin, and not the "Aromatic"
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=B&TID=1073

The former is a nice, lush smoke, while the latter........ well, you'll just have to read for yourself.:lol:
:lol: Too funny...

[kozulich]

Could you give me the name of a pipe that can be enjoyed for a couple of hours? Or an hour?

I smoke on a Friday night or a Saturday night..It's real joy to just relax for a bit, with a nice bourbon or a single malt and a book.
All but one of my pipes will easily go for an hour if you smoke them slow and pack them well (like you're supposed to). I would say, the pipe that doesn't would be an exception. I tend to prefer pipes with medium to smallish bowls. I would advise that if you get a small or large bowl pipe, an hour or two would be no problem. I once had a Nording freehand with a large bowl that would smoke for 2 hours, but there was a problem with the amount of moisture that would collect in the bottom after all that time, and the location of the stem hole was such that any fluid would immediately be sucked up the stem.....yeechh, ptuey! I sold it on.

My current favorite is a custom, no name freehand very long churchwarden. The smoke is sooo cool, the pipe looks fantastic, and its great for sitting and reading a book. If I'm going to be up and walking about, I prefer a short stem pipe with a smaller bowl that I can clench in my teeth if I need to free my hands.

[ouch]

In theory, a churchwarden should be the way to go. I just can't get past the "looking insane" part. A canadian is a cool smoking, more realistic alternative.