I have been a pipe smoker, off and on, for the better part of the last decade. In the early part of that 10-year period, I had a pipe in my hand most every evening. I spent many hours online, chatting with other pipe smokers, burning bowl after bowl of different blends, steeping myself in the culture of the briar.
There's an interesting congruity between pipe smoking and the computer. I always enjoyed puffing and clicking, having the monitor occasionally obscured by smoke, letting go of the mouse on occasions when I needed to tamp. Around '02 or '03, I was active on #alt.smokers.pipes, an IRC (chat) channel on the Undernet, even serving as an operator for a little while. Wasted a lot of hours online and met a lot of interesting pipe smokers there. Pipe smokers are generally good people. In the normal course of life and all its comings and goings, you just don't run into many pipe smokers anymore. They're still out there. You just have to go and find them.
On the recommendation of some friends on ASP, I once tried a blend I'd heard great things about: Haddo's Delight. I ordered a tin and fired it up that first evening after it arrived. Fifteen minutes into what would normally be a 30-minute burn, the room started spinning. I thought, Surely this will pass. It didn't. (The room did stop spinning, but it was about 20 minutes after my pipe was cool.) I had never experienced that with any other pipe tobacco I had smoked, and haven't since then either. I ended up sending it to one of the guys on ASP that liked it and moved on to other, less intense, tobacco experiences.
My pipe smoking has tapered off quite a bit in recent years. I usually experience a resurgence in the winter months, especially when there is a firm chill in the air. Pipe smoking seems a perfect fit on a wintry eve with a fire in the fireplace and a chill in the air.
I haven't bought a new pipe in quite some time. I've only recently bought some new blends, but they seem to last me forever, given my diminished consumption. The biggest challenge now is keeping it hydrated and smokable. When I started buying tobacco in bulk, I bought some jars--the glass kind with the rubber seal around the glass lid. They keep the tobacco moist, especially if you put a slice of apple in there. One of the jars I've labeled "Kitchen Sink". Kitchen Sink is where I dump my small amounts of tobacco, what's left at the bottom of a tin after most is gone. Kitchen Sink is an ever-changing blend that would be totally impossible to recreate, even with a lot of well-funded scientific research. There were a few young fellows that used to come over and smoke a pipe with me. They all liked Kitchen Sink. It's a nice, mild blend with a decent, mysterious taste. There is also an appeal in its transient nature. Each bowl you smoke could be the last one just like that, because next time it might be different. Right now, I'm puffing on some Kitchen Sink in my Peterson (shown here). It's my favorite pipe. Welcome back, Old Man Winter.
Five years ago I almost bought my first pipe. I was working at a quaint tobacconist's shop in Leesburg, VA. But I was attending a no smoking, no drinking college, and I didn't make much money. I was going to buy a cheap $20 pipe but a couple of the wise old fellows there told me to wait for the right pipe and buy one worth buying. Well, my life took some unexpected turns and tobacco has been a relatively small part of my life since then. But every once in a while something would remind me of my grandfather's pipe smoke, and I would think, "one of these days I'll find the right pipe." My housemate just bought a pipe about a month ago, and he has been smoking it about twice or three times a week. Between his experimenting and this post, I have decided I am in a good spot to go find my pipe. So Mr. Bongo, do you have any pointers for pipe-shopping?
ReplyDeletePHC wouldn't let you smoke on campus? How gauche. My grandfather was a pipe smoker, too. My first pipe was one of his old ones. I'd get one good pipe to begin. Don't waste your money on a basket pipe (That's the $20 pipes you were talking about, usually gathered in a basket on the countertop). Decent pipes can start as low as $40. I've never paid more than $60 for a pipe myself. $250-300 is not unusual for a really good pipe. One of the best smoking pipes is about $6--a corncob pipe, which you can sometimes find at Walgreen's. Not as esthetically pleasing, but a good smoker.Buy one pipe to start. If you end up smoking more than once every few days, then you might consider a second pipe. Pipes need to dry out between smokes, and that usually takes 2-3 days, so regular smokers need several pipes in rotation. If you have a good pipe shop in town, go there first. Skip over the basket pipes. Tell them you want to look at a decent pipe--nothing fancy--just a basic, good smoker. Also, I'd steer away from any of their bulk tobaccos. They are usually infused with humectants so they don't dry out (propylene glycol, aka PG). They usually have too much PG, which makes the tobacco burn funny and accumulates a lot of moisture (pipe goo) in the bowl. My experience has shown me that bulk blends are not that good a bargain because you end up dumping the last half of the bowl when it gets nasty. Find a good tinned tobacco to start. I'd recommend MacBaren's Vanilla Cream for a start, or Peterson's Sunset Breeze. Those are pleasant smokes that have a nice room note (the smell they give off when burning, usually unnoticeable by the smoker). Tins can dry out, so I wouldn't suggest buying more than one or two at a time. The good ones usually range in price from $15-20, and you can get quite a few smokes from a single tin. I've done a lot of business with cupojoes.com, an online pipe/tobacco retailer. They have a vast assortment of pipes, so it may be a bit overwhelming. I have also bought several pipes on eBay. A good briar pipe maintains value if it is taken care of.Did I cover it all?
ReplyDeleteI loved it when you first started smoking because I was obsessed with C. S. Lewis and Tolkein at that point, and I could more easily pretend that I was their best friend and the youngest member of the Inklings.
ReplyDelete@Bongo5 - I do think so! I am going to a smoke shop tonight, if they are still open, so I'm reviewing your comment here in preparation. Thanks. You will see the fruits of my shopping, I hope, soon.
ReplyDelete@Bongo5 - I got it finally. I know, two months later. The back burner of my mind doesn't always work well. But I got it. It's a $65 briar pipe. Kinda squat and straight. I have no idea how to describe it properly but you'll see it. I haven't been able to use it yet, but when I do I'll post pictures on the JGBallard account. Thanks so much for your help. I actually got some of the Sunset Breeze you recommended, too. I am so enthusiastic about having my first pipe. It was destined to happen eventually. :) If you have any care tips, I promise to apply them diligently.
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