So, can anyone who has smoked both perhaps give us all a comparison on taste and overall smoking experience?
besides...I haven't yet seen anybody smoking a pipe in public.
Here is an article I had written for a different site on this very topic
Pipes and cigars offer very different experiences. Pipes have a much steeper learning curve, but a broader range of smoking experiences. I get much stronger punch, in terms of both flavor and potency, in my pipes over any cigar I've smoked. I'm also able to get a much lighter smoke than any cigar I've smoked, much depends on the tobacco one chooses and how the smoker imbibes. Pipes are also higher maintenance, they require resting and cleaning to keep them in good order, but over the long term tend to be more cost effective. Exceptions of course made to the collector of high grade pipes. In terms of flavor it really is hard to judge as pipe tobacco tastes very different than a cigar so that would of course be a matter of personal preference, and a comparison would require a type by type comparison of the varying genre of pipe tobacco verses popular cigar filler, binder, and wrapper combinations.
Well I have two more cigars to get through. The first two were ok, not really so great that I'd consider making it a hobby. We'll see if the other two I have can pique my interest. If not, I've found a set of 2 corncob pipes for $20 that I might buy to give pipe smoking a shot. Either that or one of the thousand $5 wooden pipes from China on Oz ebay right now...
By the way Quan that article was great, big help
I wouldn't waste your money on those $5 Chinese pipes if I were you. They are $5 for a reason! The cobs will serve you much better for learning.
Take a look at the Falcon metal pipes too. Interchangeable bowls so you only need one metal bit. Easy to clean and smoke like a dream. I have several quality pipes but it's the Falcons that get the most use!
Gareth
+1 If your looking for under $30 smokers stick with a cob.
I'd suggest you forget the cob. Get a Falcon and some McConnell's Scottish Cake and you'll find a world of lushness you never thought possible from tobacco.
(so few people left in the world who know what either real tobacco or real bread actually is)
I hope that nobody says they are mutually exclusive....
Al raz.
Not at all they are just very different.