Pipe smoking, a lost art.

That's IT!! I'm getting a pipe!

I am smoking my own drug store blend tonight accompanied with 2 fingers of 23 year Ron Zacapa Sistema Solera. And looking up the backside of a Laura Croft game toon.

The blend is equal parts Price Albert, Half and Half, and Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic plus 2 parts Captain Black White. It's actually a really good smoke!

I call it "Half Black Prince Raleigh".

I opted out of buying new tins of Blue Note or Dunhill. You've already seen what I have in bags. Instead I decided I'll just rehydrate (done) what I have and smoke those until they are gone this time. Then I'll decide if it's time to put the pipes back away for a bit or buy something new.

The game room smells amazing tho'. It's hard not to get a taste for a pipe when you suck in the note of that room.

Not smoking tonight but feeling nostalgic. I wasn't even born when these first four songs were made but enjoy them very much. I was thinking about starting a new thread and posting the music there, but figure I'll take a chance and just post a couple of my favorites here.

The last one I'm posting is sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Brudda Iz. I was alive then, think he was younger than me. He passed away a few years back.

Brudda Iz, was a great man and brought some beautiful music to this world. I wish I would have had the chance to meet him. His music is very moving and full of life.

One of my favorites is his "Somwhere Over the Rainbow". A meledy of Somewhere over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World.




One of my favorite Louie Armstrong songs and was sung by Brudda Iz who combined it with Somewhere over the Rainbow. Here's "What a Wonderful World", by Louie Arstrong. Might look for the Brudda Iz version and put it here too.


Brudda Iz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Stop smoking your pipes and go to sleep

Just go on youtube and type in Alf Garnet on "Smoking and Drinking" that will cheer you up (If you like British Humour)

So I bought a pipe on Friday and a pouch of tobacco. They wouldn't let me buy anything flavoured, and instead said I shoudl start out with a "mellow blend". Well this mellow blend just tastes like cigarette tobacco (gross) and does not smell nice like the pipes I've smelled old men smoking before.

Should I just buy a different tobacco, like backwoods or something? I need a better "starters" blend I guess - so what's something you'd recommend to a child looking to smoke their first pipe? That'd probably be what I'm looking for...

Paulster, when I bought my pipe a couple years ago, I did so from a tobacconist near my college. He made his own blends and everything. Look for something vanilla-y. Those have been the best tasting and smelling, from one novice to another.

Dan - My brother has actually started turning pipes on our lathe, made me a featherweight one that I have yet to break in. Waiting for a nice fall day to sit under a tree at our family property in Western Wisconsin. If you are interested in buying a pipe hand-turned here in the States with Olive-wood, let me know. I'm sure we could work something out.

paulster2626 said:

So I bought a pipe on Friday and a pouch of tobacco. They wouldn't let me buy anything flavoured, and instead said I shoudl start out with a "mellow blend". Well this mellow blend just tastes like cigarette tobacco (gross) and does not smell nice like the pipes I've smelled old men smoking before.

Should I just buy a different tobacco, like backwoods or something? I need a better "starters" blend I guess - so what's something you'd recommend to a child looking to smoke their first pipe? That'd probably be what I'm looking for...

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Wouldn't let you buy anything flavored? What's the name of the store, Pipe Nazi?

1.)The majority of "flavored" tobaccos I've heard of were the "cherry", "vanilla", "Liquer/Spirits (ie Bourbon, etc..)" varieties and they aren't so much a flavor as the are a familiar aroma. Sort of like "flavored" incense. Make sense? However, some tobaccos are flavored with liquers to lend them some familar taste and to enhance the sweetness.

2.)I only suggest a child smoke cigarillos. Easier to light. Easier to hide. Offered with flavors.

3.)What pipe did you buy?

4.)I'd have suggested a mellow blend too.

5.)I'd also suggest you smoke a mellow blend through until you've built a nice char (seasoned) on the inside of the bowl as the oils/liquers of the cheaper "flavored" blends could easily taint the pipe and make it taste off no matter what you smoke in it.

6.)For an aromatic smoke look for tobacco blends with Latakia, Perique, Cavendish, or "oriental" (Turkish) in them.

7.)No offense intended, just an FYI to bear in mind. a.)Pipes are like cigars wherein the smoke is not meant to be inhaled. You can of course but ... b.)Pipes are meant to be "puffed" on gently and smoothly. Puff too fast and the bowl gets hot, puff too slow and it goes out. c.)Some tobacco's are very "wet" or "oily" and create a rather bitter ooze that can be drawn through and into the mouth. If you experience this it means you are either puffing too fast or the tobacco is too wet. You can leave the tobacco open to let it air dry.

8.)Some "ready rubbed" tin tobacco's need to be rubbed out more to loosen them up and make for easier pipe loading. "Rubbing out" means separating the strands after they've been pressed into a tin. Get a big bowl, take a pinch or two at a time, and rub the tobacco in your palms letting it fall into the bowl. Plan on having something other than the original tin to keep the rubbed tobacco in as it will doubtfully all fit back in.

9.)It is very rare to see a nicotine content listed on pipe tobacco. However, the niocotine content does vary wildly between leaf types, and brands. Pipe smoking is not so much about the nicotine (especially if you don't inhale)as it is the enjoyment of smoke and aroma.

10.)Take care of your pipe and it will last forever. Clean it after each use and it will never taint. A cork "thumper" will help. It is used to tap your pipe against to knock the ash out. Here is a nice write up on cleaning and care of a pipe. http://www.smokingpipes.com/information/howto/cleaning.cfm

.....was gonna post something.....but Gila knocked the ball out of the park!!!!

Nice post man.

Cool thanks. It was just a cheap pipe ($35) to start with. Maybe that's why they insisted I get the regular tobacco - to season it with. Makes sense now.

Wife isn't keen on the whole "taking up smoking" thing so smelling like cigarettes isn't the best idea. Figured I could get it to pass by having a nice aroma instead. Weird cause she doesn't care about cigars, but who ever thought women made sense anyway? Also I know not to inhale! Man I'd probably pass out if I did that.

I'll give it another go this week and see how it all works out before trying an aroma tobacco. Eventually I'd like to obtain a church warden so I can pull it out on the sailboat one evening and impress all the old men with my mad gandalf-like skillz.

paulster2626 said:

Cool thanks. It was just a cheap pipe ($35) to start with. Maybe that's why they insisted I get the regular tobacco - to season it with. Makes sense now.

Wife isn't keen on the whole "taking up smoking" thing so smelling like cigarettes isn't the best idea. Figured I could get it to pass by having a nice aroma instead. Weird cause she doesn't care about cigars, but who ever thought women made sense anyway? Also I know not to inhale! Man I'd probably pass out if I did that.

I'll give it another go this week and see how it all works out before trying an aroma tobacco. Eventually I'd like to obtain a church warden so I can pull it out on the sailboat one evening and impress all the old men with my mad gandalf-like skillz.

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For this, a mellow tasing aromatic blend would be fine so long as you stay away from the flavored blends as they use oils or liquers to obtain the edge. As I said before, a blend with Latakia, Perique, Cavendish, or Turkish will give an auditorium level of aroma without any of the bowl tainting additives since they tend to be pure leaf varied only by curing and fermenting processes.

Here is a nice run-down on a variety of things tobacco including cut and leaf type as well as some indictaions of what to expect of each.

http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Tobaccos#Aromatics

cheezydemon3 said:

here is my savinelli.

View attachment 76576

I light the pipe til its burning I then light it again around the edge, sucking in a good draw.

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That pipe is one of two Savinelli 320 shapes I own. It's a sharp looking pipe.

These pictures, represent, but a small fraction of my pipe and tobacco collection...sigh! Not included are various tins and jars of tobacco, a number of meerschaum pipes and several other briars.

And here I thought I was a hoarder with my dozen baggies.

I caved. Bought a tin of Blue Note, Balkin Sasieni, and DaVinci In Fumo E Verita.

Never have had the last two.

Shooter said:

That pipe is one of two Savinelli 320 shapes I own. It's a sharp looking pipe.

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Thanks! I like it too.

Bah. Took a chance with the Balkan. Couldn't get the tin open at store to take a whiff. Compared to the highly fruity aromas of the other two, this one smeel like the inside of a wet chimney flue. Hope it smokes better than it smells in the tin. Definitely going to be an outdoors smoke.

How long does it usually take to smoke a bowl? Also I cannot grow a beard or moustache - am I still allowed to partake in the fine art of piping?

paulster2626 said:

How long does it usually take to smoke a bowl? Also I cannot grow a beard or moustache - am I still allowed to partake in the fine art of piping?

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Takes me about an hour. Unless I am doing something, like yard work. Then it seems the bowl is gone in 20 minutes. When I am just sitting and smoking, I'll often (gasp) let the pipe rest for an hour or two, or the rest of the day, and finish it off the next day.

paulster2626 said:

How long does it usually take to smoke a bowl? Also I cannot grow a beard or moustache - am I still allowed to partake in the fine art of piping?

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.....is this a serious comment???? How do you NOT grow one? I effing hate shaving but have to. What's your secret??

GMB, thanks for all the great information!

Shooter, I'm in awe of your collection of pipes and tobacco!!

Paulster, don't worry about the facial hair thing for smoking. But how do you brew beer without a beard?

GilaMinumBeer said:

Takes me about an hour. Unless I am doing something, like yard work. Then it seems the bowl is gone in 20 minutes. When I am just sitting and smoking, I'll often (gasp) let the pipe rest for an hour or two, or the rest of the day, and finish it off the next day.

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I've found letting the pipe set in the bowl for a day or two sometimes helps the tobacco burn better. I suppose in that case the tobacco was to moist to begin with.

Sounds similar to how some cigars actually get better (IMHO) when you leave them out for a day.

Dan said:

I've found letting the pipe set in the bowl for a day or two sometimes helps the tobacco burn better. I suppose in that case the tobacco was to moist to begin with.

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CreamyGoodness said:

Sounds similar to how some cigars actually get better (IMHO) when you leave them out for a day.

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Resting the pipe with the tobacco in does concentrate the flavors deeper in the bowl. I am just not familar with how EAC the pipe smokers are in here with regard to keeping tobacco in pipe after it has been smoked on.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Resting the pipe with the tobacco in does concentrate the flavors deeper in the bowl. I am just not familar with how EAC the pipe smokers are in here with regard to keeping tobacco in pipe after it has been smoked on.

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Ha ha.. I almost didn't mention it. But to be honest I am guilty of leaving tobacco in the bowl many times.

Dan said:

Shooter, I'm in awe of your collection of pipes and tobacco!!

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It's actually not nearly as large as some of the collections I've seen. I have over thirty pipes in my collection at the moment with two more meerschaums on the way, along with at least one more I'm looking at purchasing in the next month or so.

cheezydemon3 said:

.....is this a serious comment???? How do you NOT grow one? I effing hate shaving but have to. What's your secret??

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Comes in all patchy and terrible looking.

This is over 3 weeks:




...terrible.

I don't know! Johnny Depp's stache and beard are pretty scraggly, but he works it.

sorry you aren't happy with it!

Welp, the Frank method is a smashing success. Sitting on my patio puffing away as I type. Nothing fancy, just some Walgreens Vanilla Tobacco. I need to get myself some good stuff and see what I'm missing. In general, what are people's opinions on the loose jars of tobacco seen in cigar/pipe shops?

And, if we're posting beard pictures, here's mine at its height of greatness. I was studying abroad and I burned out my beard trimmer in an Australian outlet (woops) and decided to grow my beard out until my parents came to visit. About 3 months. Picked it out for this picture:

rifraf said:

Welp, the Frank method is a smashing success. Sitting on my patio puffing away as I type. Nothing fancy, just some Walgreens Vanilla Tobacco. I need to get myself some good stuff and see what I'm missing. In general, what are people's opinions on the loose jars of tobacco seen in cigar/pipe shops?

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Frank method?

Method of packing a pipe. Linked to a couple pages in. Good set of 3 videos on YouTube. First time trying it, pretty good so far.

Pimp my beard? Here ya go. I'm pretty sure it has been longer one other time. I'm thinking I might let it go through the new year.

rifraf said:

In general, what are people's opinions on the loose jars of tobacco seen in cigar/pipe shops?

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They are perfectly fine. I have had some really amazing tobacco from the bulk jars. My only issue is that I like to read reviews based on what I am in the mood for at the time. So, I buy tins.

The jars of bulk are really a much better deal.

Ace_Club said:

Frank method?

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I suggested trying the Frank Method of pipe loading to those having issues.

Subscribed

I'm a cigar man myself these days (quit cigarettes a quite a few years ago) but my dad always smoked a partially metal pipe that looked a bit like this:
http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=205

I haven't seen anybody comment on this stye of pipe in this thread. Is there anything good/bad about this kind of pipe?

Ravenshead said:

I'm a cigar man myself these days (quit cigarettes a quite a few years ago) but my dad always smoked a partially metal pipe that looked a bit like this:
http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=205

I haven't seen anybody comment on this stye of pipe in this thread. Is there anything good/bad about this kind of pipe?

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Never seen anything like it.

Smoked some of the DaVinci. A very nice, cool smoke, with mellow hints of sweetness. The room note, out of this world!

Been loving me some Frog Morton, especially On the Town

Ravenshead said:

I'm a cigar man myself these days (quit cigarettes a quite a few years ago) but my dad always smoked a partially metal pipe that looked a bit like this:
http://www.smokingmetal.co.uk/pipe.php?page=205

I haven't seen anybody comment on this stye of pipe in this thread. Is there anything good/bad about this kind of pipe?

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Looks similar to a Kirsten pipe. The Kirsten pipe is designed to trap excess moisture in a specially designed chamber. I plan on getting one eventually, but they are currently sourcing a new vendor for parts.

Never heard of that particular pipe, but there are a fair number of metal pipe brands around.

Ordered a pipe, tobacco, cleaners, and a tool!
I've gotta do this!