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Stick that in your pipe and smoke it! [Pipe thread]
cogell
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Like, tobacco pipes.
I'm looking to get a pipe to smoke from so I can be a classy gent and get all the honies. The only problem is I have no idea where to start. What kind of pipe should I get? Are there any special tools involved in smoking the thing? What's a good brand of pipe tobacco? Are there online resources for this that I've missed? Hints or tips in maintaining the pipe? Basically, I need a tobacco pipe 101. Thanks in advance!
I'm looking to get a pipe to smoke from so I can be a classy gent and get all the honies. The only problem is I have no idea where to start. What kind of pipe should I get? Are there any special tools involved in smoking the thing? What's a good brand of pipe tobacco? Are there online resources for this that I've missed? Hints or tips in maintaining the pipe? Basically, I need a tobacco pipe 101. Thanks in advance!
cogell on
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Bubbles don't have that wonderful pipe tobacco aroma! And while bubble pipes are classy as all get out, I'd still like to have a tobacco pipe that I can smoke on every once and a while.
A pipe tool is probably a good idea to get if you plan on smoking more than once since you will have to clean the pipe after smoking it. Remember to be patient and careful smoking your pipe the first twenty or so times so that the layer of choal builds up neatly inside it.
If you plan on smoking every day, buy more than one pipe. Six pipes is a good number usually. Also, visit a proper tobacco store if you plan on buying a pipe, more often than not they've got beginners packages that will do just fine.
Always smoke your pipe to the bottom.
My dad only ever had the one, aside from a meerschaum one he kept for special occasions.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
He had one pipe he smoked, and another two I think for decoration. Kinda wish I could remember what the brand of tobacco was.. all I remember was that it came in a white pouch with a big black circle and gold lines along the edge.
Please pardon my unhelpful nostalgia.
If I were ever to smoke, I probably would get a pipe if only to have something to occupy myself with that wasn't a cigarette.
My grandfathers both smoked pipe, so I always associate my earlier memories of them with that sweet pipe tobacco smell. Sometimes an older gentleman will walk around smoking a pipe on campus, and I'll spend my day following him for that smell.
I'll be hitting an Up in Smoke today to see what they recommend. Thanks a lot guys!
If you intend to smoke a pipe regularly, the first few weeks can be very harsh. Your mouth needs to get used to the high PH that your saliva will be at due to the smoke. It can make your stomach very upset and give you fairly bad heart burn. Also, when storing your pipe, make sure to have it laying with the stem upward. This allows moisture to run from the stem into your bowl, where it will evaporate more readily. A good pipe should only be smoked two-three times a day to keep it fresh. The more you smoke it, the more moisture will build up in the stem and the bowl. It gets kind of gross when you pull from a pipe and get really sour saliva back in your mouth from smoking it too much. Never move the stem from the pipe while it is warm. This wears the fit down between the stem and the pipe. When removing the stem to clean, rotate it in one direction only (IE: Always turn clockwise). This also helps retain the fit of the stem. Most tobacconists carry their own type of pipe tobacco, usually flavored/blended in house. Ask for an aromatic blend, and they will usually give you a variety of options. Non-aromatic blends are usually very heavy smokes, and not for novice pipe smokers.
As for brands: If your local tobacconist doesn't have their own variety of pipe tobacco, try Dunhill out. It is a commonly carried tobacco, and their aromatics are decent. However, nothing beats a fresh sack of handmade aromatic tobacco.
Pipe tamper:
!!!!▓▓▓▓▓Gravy?▓▓▓▓▓!!!!!!
!!!!!!▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓!!!!!!!!!
of doom
Since when do teenagers deem what is cool amongst the population? I am not a teenager and I don't smoke but I would be tempted to try some real tobacco out of a nice pipe. The tobacco in ciggs is terrible but from what I understand good pipe tobacco isn't nearly as bad.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Most tobacconists blend cigarette tobacco just like they do with pipe tobacco. For example, the tobacconist in my town buys all of his tobacco pesticide free from Virginia. While it is still awful for you, it isn't as bad as any big name brand like Camel or Marlboro, which contains chemicals to preserve the tobacco, flavoring agents, and even chemicals to keep the cigarette ignited (tobacco usually self-extinguishes fairly quickly).
Shogun Streams Vidya
ok ok... maybe I should have said "when did Paris Hilton start smoking a pipe"
I'm actually thinking that this is a good idea since I like smoking on occasion. But is it really all that different than smoking a cigar?
!!!!▓▓▓▓▓Gravy?▓▓▓▓▓!!!!!!
!!!!!!▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓!!!!!!!!!
of doom
Dunhill, Middleton (apple), and Paladin are all decent companies.
When I did smoke pipe, I didn't usually smoke anything commercial, though.
For the record, I'm not doing this to be "cool". Most teenagers here are smoking cigarettes, which smell awful and sting the nose. Pipe tobacco smells wonderful, and is enjoyed by many people, including those who don't smoke. Bottom line is it looks relaxing, smells wonderful, and can be cheaper than cigarettes (basis for this is a pack a day: $28 a week, $112 a month, and so on)
I really appreciate all the help and advice you guys have given me. I picked out a pipe I liked, got some cleaners and a tool, and am now looking for a brand of tobacco. Aromatics are being recommended a lot, but are there certain blends/flavors I should be looking for as a newbie?
I used to enjoy a pipe now and then in college, I cant even remember the kind of wood, though I still have it somewhere. When I got it, it was almost tan with just a hint of cherry. After being seasoned and smoked consistantly, it turned into a dark lustrous red, and the base into almost a black cherry.
The pipe tool is extremely handy for many things, being part pocket knife, part scraper and part long pokey thing. Haven't smoked it in a long time, but I put it in safekeeping. I liked Captain Black I think at the time, but I remember trying all sorts of different ones. There really is an art to packing and smoking it, getting the draw and heat just right. Good times.
Since you're just starting out, I'll give you some recommendations for tobaccos to try. I'm not a big Virginia tobacco fan (it tastes too much cigarettes like to me) so I can't say too much there, but I do like English and Va/Per (Virginia and Perique) blends:
- Dunhill's Night Cap- A really strong English, so it is very smokey, pretty high in nicotine too.
- A&C Peterson's Escudo- This is a Va/Per, Virginia and Perique mix. Kind of figgy and sweet because of the Virginia and spicy because of the Perique.
- Dunhill's My Mixture 965- Haven't had too much of it, but it is a very good solid English blend.
- Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe- An Oriental Blend, so it is fairly spicy, but good. They say nicotine isn't high in it, but I was knocked down on my ass by it.
- McClelland's Frog Morton- This is an English and aromatic mix, so it is a nice one to get started on.
- Boswell's Christmas Cookie, Dutch Treat, Raspberry Cream- These are really, really good aromatics. You can only get them online here.
- Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream- This is an alright aromatic. Tastes good, smells good. It has a problem with tongue bite, as most Mac Baren's (Mac Biten's, as they're known) do. Advice for dealing with bite later.
- Mac Baren's Virginia No 1- The only Virginia I smoke. It bites, and can punish you if you smoke fast, but it is a very sweet and pure tobacco.
These are some basics that a lot of people try as they start out. If you want to look at some reviews of these tobaccos, check out Tobacco Reviews.Now for tongue bite: It depends on the person. I am one of those people that has the body chemistry that doesn't get bitten often, so I don't worry that much, but here are some tricks since you probably aren't like me.
I would go into loading a pipe, but everybody does it different. Search youtube for the Frank Method (you don't have to be as anal as him though) or do the clasic "Hand of the baby, hand of the mother, hand of the father" layering method. the goal is to have a draw that isn't too hard and isn't too easy. If it feels like a straw with a drink, then you're peachy. If it doesn't, unload and start again.
I remember this old guy that worked at the liquor store who would smoke his pipe outside every hour. It always smelled really good. The thing is, once you went inside and were face to face with him, the side of his lip where his pipe would rest was bumpy, calloused, and brown. Also, a few of the teeth on that side were brown and falling out...nice guy, though.
I used to be under the impression that pipe smoking wasn't as bad for you, similar to smoking a cigar (since maybe you don't actually inhale it). Just be careful man, tobacco is still tobacco!
water spirals the wrong way out the sink
I think it is because smoking gives you vitamins.
if so, go to sooner fashion mall, go to the smoke shop out front of sears and ask them these exact questions. they'll help you out.
I've had a pipe for quite a while now (about 10 years), but rarely smoke it now. In fact, I haven't even touched it for about 5 years now. The main reason is my wife always bitches about it, how it's still dangerous (we both quit smoking cigarettes in 2001). I did enjoy it occasionally, and would like to still, but I'd rather not if it's going to greatly increase my cancer risk.
Also, is it better to keep tobacco fairly fresh, or does it keep fairly well?
I don't know if there is any higher risk of cancer with different tobaccos, I know that drugstore tobacco like Prince Albert and Captain Black are chock full of chemicals to help preserve them/keep them moist, so there might be something that makes them more dangerous than something that relies on a tin to keep it moist. Aromatics also have more chemicals added for flavour, so take that as you will. One can buy a pipe tobacco that is absolutely pure with no additives, but I can't remember what it is called.
Filter pipes (Numerous kinds of filters: charcoal, paper, balsa wood, rock maple wood) are very common in Europe, but I honestly can't tell you if they do anything to lower the risk of cancer.
If the pipe tobacco is kept in something airtight then it keeps very well, from experience, aged tobacco is even better than non-aged. It should be in a mason jar or unopened tin for that to work though. Here is an FAQ about aging pipe tobacco.
The best beginner's guide has been and still is the FAQ for ASP (alt.smokers.pipes). It's available here. They also maintain a program which supplies worthy beginner's with free pipes and tobacco. I started with one, myself.
A decent pipe which will serve you well will be about $40, new. However, you can find good deals on old estate pipes, especially at places with little idea of how to value them, like antiques shops. If you intend to smoke regularly, you should consider collecting a cycle of pipes, so that you never have to smoke any one pipe more than once a day. A pipe should rest for a while before being smoked again. Clay and meerschaum are an exception, and can be smoked every few hours. Aside from that, most collectors like to dedicate a single pipe to certain styles of tobacco, or even to a single blend.
To add a little bias, I prefer G.L. Pease tobacco blends and my father's pipes.
Stanwell makes good beginner's pipes, though, and this store is the best on the Internet for general supplies. The Newegg of pipe smoking, so to speak.
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