Pipe smoking, a lost art.

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Not a pipe smoker, but I found this in a box of my grandfathers old stuff. It's made out of some type of plastic-clay and apparently someone in the 60's took the time to knit a particularly hideous looking covering for the base of the pipe. The bowl in it is about 2' inches deep.

100_4598.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerschaum
 
Fellow pipe smoker here. Have a meerschaum churchwarden and a cob at home, and a briar at work. The crisp Fall weather always makes me want to smoke my pipes. That and LoTR.
 
Not a pipe smoker, but I found this in a box of my grandfathers old stuff. It's made out of some type of plastic-clay and apparently someone in the 60's took the time to knit a particularly hideous looking covering for the base of the pipe. The bowl in it is about 2' inches deep.

Nice meerschaum pipe.
I think that's a Greek helmet from the design ... the style and forehead decoration, the swirl design on the side. Maybe Greek Corinthian.

I wonder if it’s meant to be a character from Greek mythology such as Ares or Hades.
Ares was often depicted clean-shaven - sometimes in a crested helmet and sometimes uncrested.
 
Yes strange. I started smoking a pipe last year (26yrs old) I did for a few months then it started to warm up outside. I haven't went back to it yet. I just checked my tobacco a few months back still very fresh. Now after reading this thread imma sit outside, because its cool here in the midwest, and smoke a nice pipe. Thanks Dan.
 
And while I’m on this little swing fest ... here’s another piece from Sun Valley Serenade ... Chattanooga Choo Choo

Seriously swingin hard. Turn this up and fullscreen too. It don't get no cooler than this ...

btw that guy at the beginning and elsewhere is a very young Milton Berle (I know, I know ... I say that like everyone knows who the hell I’m talking about ... just humor me ;-)

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V2aj0zhXlLA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Somehow I missed this post the other day Jacob.

Ha! I was going to post Chattanooga Choo Choo after your post on Kalamazoo. Love that song!

Enjoy reading all the post on this thread. I had no idea so many people still smoked pipes. The cool weather is soon coming; I think I'll have to buy a can of my favorite McBarens Virginia no. 1.

If I remember correctly, it&#8217;s been quite a few years since I've had a tin of the stuff. A light smoke, the tobacco is very sweet, almost molasses smelling. I'll have to break out my coolest smoking pipe because if I remember correctly, this stuff tend to burn hot and can singe your mouth if smoked to quickly. But it is good!


macbaren-virginia-1-pipe-tobacco.jpg


Edit: Just ordered a tin. 14.95, not bad but shipping was 9 bucks!
 
Somehow I missed this post the other day Jacob.

Ha! I was going to post Chattanooga Choo Choo after your post on Kalamazoo. Love that song!

Enjoy reading all the post on this thread. I had no idea so many people still smoked pipes. The cool weather is soon coming; I think I'll have to buy a can of my favorite McBarens Virginia no. 1.

If I remember correctly, it’s been quite a few years since I've had a tin of the stuff. A light smoke, the tobacco is very sweet, almost molasses smelling. I'll have to break out my coolest smoking pipe because if I remember correctly, this stuff tend to burn hot and can singe your mouth if smoked to quickly. But it is good!


View attachment 76340

I've a tin of that. Aged for a year and it mellows out very nicely.
 
Where does everybody buy tins of quality pipe tobacco? There are some "smoke shops" around here that sell discount cigarettes and have some jars of bulk but the attendant seldom knows anything about the blends.
 
I just finished ordering from http://pipesmagazine.com/

They have flat rate shipping for 9 dollars which is good if buying a lot of tobacco but pretty steep for just a tin. I ordered anyway. That tin will probably last me for a very long time.

There are quite a few online smoke places.
 
Yes that must be what I remember. It has a very "country' aroma to it. I was thinking of something earthy and sweet like feed grain which I think molasses is sometimes used in.
 
Most cigar shops carry bulk pipe tobacco. Personally I buy in 1oz or 1/2oz increments till i find one i enjoy. I haven't had my pipe out in a couple of years though. I'll have to dust it off soon. I really enjoy a nice aromatic smoke.
 
I haven't smoked a pipe in what seems like forever, but I have to agree that you can't beat it. The smell is what I love the most. I know I'm not the only one, but does anyone else smoke their pipe while reading? I used to love sitting outside with either my hookah or pipe and some candles or a lantern to read a book...I think I might even do that soon with Palmer's book and a bottle of Yuengling or Woodchuck, till I get my stockpile going that is.

Also, what is all of your preferred method of ignition?
 
I haven't smoked a pipe in what seems like forever, but I have to agree that you can't beat it. The smell is what I love the most. I know I'm not the only one, but does anyone else smoke their pipe while reading? I used to love sitting outside with either my hookah or pipe and some candles or a lantern to read a book...I think I might even do that soon with Palmer's book and a bottle of Yuengling or Woodchuck, till I get my stockpile going that is.

Also, what is all of your preferred method of ignition?

Zippo pipe lighter.
 
Got into pipe smoking a year or so ago (25yrs) because cigars make me nauseous but I do enjoy the camaraderie of a good smoking session from time to time. Good buddy also got into pipes but he has since moved away.

Got a nice, relatively cheap Savinelli churchwarden and a 25 dollar Kaywoodie that is actually my favorite. Still learning my technique etc so the metal stinger in the Kaywoodie helps keep moisture out of my mouth! Very close to springing for a Boswell pipe though as I drool over those every time they go on sale.

Definitely prefer a zippo pipe lighter, but don't mind matches as it's not hard to get a pipe lit!

Any tips for getting a good pack?
 
Got into pipe smoking a year or so ago (25yrs) because cigars make me nauseous but I do enjoy the camaraderie of a good smoking session from time to time. Good buddy also got into pipes but he has since moved away.

Got a nice, relatively cheap Savinelli churchwarden and a 25 dollar Kaywoodie that is actually my favorite. Still learning my technique etc so the metal stinger in the Kaywoodie helps keep moisture out of my mouth! Very close to springing for a Boswell pipe though as I drool over those every time they go on sale.

Definitely prefer a zippo pipe lighter, but don't mind matches as it's not hard to get a pipe lit!

Any tips for getting a good pack?

Rule of thirds.

First third pack like a child.

Second third pack like a woman.

Third third pack like a man.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Rule of thirds.

First third pack like a child.

Second third pack like a woman.

Third third pack like a man.

I've seen that and tried it but I guess I don't understand. Wouldn't packing hard on the top layer compress everything underneath?
 
I've seen that and tried it but I guess I don't understand. Wouldn't packing hard on the top layer compress everything underneath?

Only for this guy.

muscle+man.jpg


You want a hard packed crust so it will stay lit. You want it looser down through the bowl so it will draw right.

Too tight and it's like sucking through pumice. Too loose and it just burns hot.
 
So? As tight as possible without a tight draw? I struggle with pack.

Hardest part for me, when learning, was to avoid a "pinch and pack". Packing a pipe should be a relaxed process. Using your fingers only to drizzle the tobacco into the bowl as you pack.

Also, even with the ready rubbed tins. I get a much better pack if I take the time to rub out all the tobacco as soon as I open the tin. Without, I'd often get too many packed clumps that don't draw.
 
I need to get on YouTube.

IMO, it's impossible to say there is any one, definitive, way to pack a pipe because every tobacco is different (some very dry, some rather moist, some dry but "gummy", etc...) and every pipe is different. You have to practice with 1 pipe to get the method down and adjust from there between pipes and tobaccos.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
IMO, it's impossible to say there is any one, definitive, way to pack a pipe because every tobacco is different (some very dry, some rather moist, some dry but "gummy", etc...) and every pipe is different. You have to practice with 1 pipe to get the method down and adjust from there between pipes and tobaccos.

That's probably the best advice I didn't want to hear.
 
Smoked some of the tobacco I grew last year, last night.

Mild but extremely pleasant. Probably should have shredded it more like spaghetti, but it works.
 
http://jimscigarandpipe.info/frank.html

Give this a try jeep. It works very well but always felt too loose for me early on (when I'd smoke doing yardwork the bowl seemed to finish way too soon).

Now, with a tighter pack, it feels like they take forever to smoke. i may have to revisit this myself to find a happy medium.
 
Smoked some of the tobacco I grew last year, last night.

Mild but extremely pleasant. Probably should have shredded it more like spaghetti, but it works.

I dug all my kit out (keep it all in a cream cracker tin) and planned to have a bowl too.

Laid my head down and that was as far as all that got.
 
My dad smoked a pipe for 40+ years. He was a master at it. Made everything look easy. I know he had a tamper at one time but he must have lost it and just used a nail. His choice of iginition was regular old paper matches. He would "drizzle" the tobacco into the pipe, tamp it down and fire it up with one match, sometimes two if it was very windy, and then he'd keep it going till the tobacco was gone. It was rare to see him (when not at work) without a pipe sticking out of his mouth, lit or not.


I've used everything but a flame thrower to fire my briar. The trick seems to be a good pack like GMB talks about. Tobacco that is not to moist or dry. Then for me anyway, burn the top layer, tamp it down, fire back up and it burns pretty well after that, might need one or to more applications of fire.

Looking forward to the McBarens I ordered yesterday. Should be here by the weekend after next.

Do any of you guys use pipe sweetner?
 
I'm brewing this afternoon when I get home from work, and I think I might have to dig out the Churchwarden that I spent all last winter seasoning. I guess I'm a cool weather smoker too!! Thanks for the tips about packing. I struggle with that too
 
Do any of you guys use pipe sweetner?

151 Rum for deep cleaning stems and bowls as needed (rare). Everclear if the pipe goes foul (happened once).

I've collected enough pipes that I would devote 1 pipe to each type of tobacco and would only deep clean it between tobacco changes.
 
I've just recently started doing the cigar thing again after smoking them early on in college. Pipes intrigue me but I don't know that SWMBO would appreciate me acquiring another smoking habit. At my last job I worked with a guy in his mid 20's and he was a pipe smoker. He'd sometimes bring some tobacco into work if he was off for a pipe night after and I really enjoyed the aroma. My father used to smoke a pipe way back before I was born but unfortunately in the multiple moves that have occurred since I was a kid, the pipes have gone missing or I would probably take ownership of them.

If you are in the downtown Chicago area and looking for pipes/cigars and related paraphernalia I would recommend looking up Iwan Ries. It's a couple blocks from where I work and they have loads of cigars and pipes/pipe tobacco. My pipe smoking friend I mentioned earlier was pretty impressed with the pipe section of the store. They also do internet orders if you fancy...
 
I've just recently started doing the cigar thing again after smoking them early on in college. Pipes intrigue me but I don't know that SWMBO would appreciate me acquiring another smoking habit. At my last job I worked with a guy in his mid 20's and he was a pipe smoker. He'd sometimes bring some tobacco into work if he was off for a pipe night after and I really enjoyed the aroma. My father used to smoke a pipe way back before I was born but unfortunately in the multiple moves that have occurred since I was a kid, the pipes have gone missing or I would probably take ownership of them.

If you are in the downtown Chicago area and looking for pipes/cigars and related paraphernalia I would recommend looking up Iwan Ries. It's a couple blocks from where I work and they have loads of cigars and pipes/pipe tobacco. My pipe smoking friend I mentioned earlier was pretty impressed with the pipe section of the store. They also do internet orders if you fancy...

A good basket pipe can be had for the price of a decent cigar. It doesn't "have" to cost a fortune but, as with anything, it can if you let it.

Some of my favotite pipes are Dr Grabow drug store briars.
 
I don't know if it is the cooling weather, this thread or both but I'm really craving a good pipe smoking evening on the front porch.

I have a few Dr Grabows as well. They are thick walled ones and smoke fairly cool.

My favorite two pipes are a straight square bolwed drugstore pipe (one of my dad's old pipes and very well broken in) and a.. I think it's a Savinelli. I'm going to have to break into the pipe cabinet tonight and start dusting them off. The Savinelli looks like this one. Very light and cool smoke. pipes-cigars-tobacco_2227_424581557.gif
 
A good basket pipe can be had for the price of a decent cigar. It doesn't "have" to cost a fortune but, as with anything, it can if you let it.

Some of my favotite pipes are Dr Grabow drug store briars.

Yea, cost is a part of the consideration, but SWMBO has had a zero tolerance policy to all things smoking. It took me some doing to convince her that me smoking the occasional cigar wouldn't turn me into a chimney so I think I'll leave the pipes to another time.

If and when I do give it a try I'm definitely not going to lay out mega bucks on a pipe.
 
I don't know if it is the cooling weather, this thread or both but I'm really craving a good pipe smoking evening on the front porch.

I have a few Dr Grabows as well. They are thick walled ones and smoke fairly cool.

My favorite two pipes are a straight square bolwed drugstore pipe (one of my dad's old pipes and very well broken in) and a.. I think it's a Savinelli. I'm going to have to break into the pipe cabinet tonight and start dusting them off. The Savinelli looks like this one. Very light and cool smoke. View attachment 76415

My Lorenzo Spitfire is by far my most enjoyable pipe to date as far as quality of smoke, best draw, ergonomics, and bowl seasoning.

CIMG1399__71974_zoom.JPG
 
Yea, cost is a part of the consideration, but SWMBO has had a zero tolerance policy to all things smoking. It took me some doing to convince her that me smoking the occasional cigar wouldn't turn me into a chimney so I think I'll leave the pipes to another time.

If and when I do give it a try I'm definitely not going to lay out mega bucks on a pipe.

I feel ya', my wife detests smoking (despite being a smoker when we dated :drunk:). So, I smoke my pipes outside. Usually in teh garage.

Used to be a thing for me to smoke a bowl while brewing. Sort of like the cigar ritual many have.
 
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