Pipe smokers?

So with my clothes, car and house generally reeking of ass (American Spirit cigarettes), and with curiosity getting the better of me, I've been thinking lately about switching to a pipe of some kind. We have a regular customer at the liquor store I work at, and his pipe smoke tends to waft around, but not offensively like regular cigarettes. (In fact, it smells amazing...)

So for the pipe smokers on here:

-Do you/your significant other(s) complain about the smell?

-Any good blends you can toss my way? There's 2 excellent tobacco shops here in town, so the selection is pretty good.

-Any suggestions on where to start pipe-wise (i.e. brands, styles, etc)?

Grazi in advance.

If you are looking to jump in. Pick up an H.I.S. pipe. It is an italian make in the 30 $ range. A good pipe really will really will effect having a sour smoke or otherwise unpleasent experience. Learn fast to keep your tongue away from the mouth piece. You will learn why.. If you are after that pleasent creme nose. Ask for their "aromatic" blends! Salute!

underground and under the influence

Also to start the pipe off right. Pack half way. Sprinkling a bit, tamping down repeat. And smoke to the knee ( the bend )completely! Do this tge first 3 times to condition the pipe. Then 75% etc. Helps build the protective layer of ask inside. Also buy pipe cleaners. A few bags. Gotra clean it everytime you use it and if the tobacco is wet stick one in while smoking to relieve moisture. NEVER SEPARATE MOUTH PIECE WHILE HOT!!

underground and under the influence

scrambledegg81 said:

-Does your significant other complain about the smell? Yes

-Any good blends you can toss my way? There's 2 excellent tobacco shops here in town, so the selection is pretty good. Blue Note

-Any suggestions on where to start pipe-wise (i.e. brands, styles, etc)? My favorites range from a cheap $5.00 basket pipe to a $45 Splitfire Italian to a gurguling church warden. Best I can say is buy and try.

Grazi in advance.

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Gezundheight.

Just bear in mind that the room note while the tobacco is burning is signifigantly different than the aroma left behind a day or two later.

Couple Things:

The nicotine available in pipe tobacco, will rarely rival cigs, especially your American Spirits. Some English blends will come close, but to bystanders and an un-initiated nose, will smell as bad as cigs.

The pleasant smelling tobaccos, the so called aromatic blends, Lane Ltd. being the most prolific brand. You will often find Lane tobacco, sold in bulk and rebranded as a "house" brand in most well stocked tobacco stores. I happen to enjoy RLP-6 (vanilla-ish smelling) and Verry Cherry. Ask the owner if he has Lane Tobaccos, and if he is honest he can point you to his re-named, RLP-6. Which I think is a fine starting blend.

Avoid most drugstore brands, like Captain Black et cetera. But believe it or not, Prince Albert is still enjoyable. Enjoyable to smoke, not to second-handsmoke however.

As for a first pipe, if you take any of my advice take this: Buy a corn cob pipe. Buy several, they are cheap. It is generally agreed that they smoke well, require no break in period, and if you muck it up smoking a disgusting tobacco, no hard feelings when you have to toss it. If you decide pipe smoking is for you, then upgrade to a real briar pipe. But lets face it, pipes are ALOT of work and most people end up giving it up.

If you must have a briar pipe, Savinelli, a respected pipe maker, sell their Naturals line. Basically they are pipes that were cosmetically damaged and deemed unable to fetch >$100 price. So they are sold unfinished, for less than $50. A great value.

Good luck and remember: At one point the Surgeon General found that pipe smokers have a longer life than non-smokers due to the apparent stress reduction of the habbit. Enjoy.

I've done away with it and went to vaping with my e-cig.. Its also has alot of pipe and cigar blends that taste close to the real thing but without the stench attached to everything I own.. My kids love me for it and when in the car with them I'll throw in some gummy bear or bubblegum etc e-juice and they try to call out what it is befor the other..lol

edmanster said:

I've done away with it and went to vaping with my e-cig.. Its also has alot of pipe and cigar blends that taste close to the real thing but without the stench attached to everything I own.. My kids love me for it and when in the car with them I'll throw in some gummy bear or bubblegum etc e-juice and they try to call out what it is befor the other..lol

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Making smoking a game for children...that's clever lol

TheMan said:

Making smoking a game for children...that's clever lol

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Yeah, the oldest does wave it out of her way when I'm on the couch but I think it's mainly because it's getting in the way of the tv..

edmanster said:

Yeah, the oldest does wave it out of her way when I'm on the couch but I think it's mainly because it's getting in the way of the tv..

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Sounds like you need to invent another game for that situation...

Who can read daddy the score of the game through the smoke? Winner gets a can of spam!!!

TheMan said:

Sounds like you need to invent another game for that situation...

Who can read daddy the score of the game through the smoke? Winner gets a can of spam!!!

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Lmao....
Edit: it would actually be...

Who can read daddy the score of the game through the water vapor?

The older ones do know it's not smoke but the younger 2 still call it smoking...

If you want to just try it out, try a two dollar corn cob and see what the smoke shop has for blends.

edmanster said:

I've done away with it and went to vaping with my e-cig.. Its also has alot of pipe and cigar blends that taste close to the real thing but without the stench attached to everything I own.. My kids love me for it and when in the car with them I'll throw in some gummy bear or bubblegum etc e-juice and they try to call out what it is befor the other..lol

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I tried Blu's for a few weeks...humongous waste of cash and time spent researching. Damn things never did anything for me.

And thanks for the advice, all. <3

scrambledegg81 said:

So for the pipe smokers on here:

-Do you/your significant other(s) complain about the smell?

-Any good blends you can toss my way? There's 2 excellent tobacco shops here in town, so the selection is pretty good.

-Any suggestions on where to start pipe-wise (i.e. brands, styles, etc)?

Grazi in advance.

Click to expand...

When I smoked a pipe (been a few years since I quit), my GF actually enjoyed the smell, she used to love going with me to the tobacconists shop & sticking her nose in all the jars. She liked it when I smoked a pipe, especially a cherry blend.

I was quite fond of John Kent #3 & #7, You might enjoy Danish plumcake, and there were a couple of house cherry blends that were pretty tasty. I also liked a couple of bright & burley Virginia blends, and once in a while a turkish blend.
Most tobacconists will have house blends & most will let you try a bowl to see if you like it.

You can usually tell whether you'll like the flavour just from smelling it, so be sure to stick your nose in every jar & ask to sample. You'll also need a pipe, I'd say start with a fairly inexpensive pipe, that way if you decide it's not for you, you're not out much money; and if you decide to stick with it, you'll eventually move on to a better & more expensive pipe.

You should be able to get a decent starter pipe for about $20. Don't start with Meerschaum, save those for when you're really getting into it.
I had a briar bowl & it lasted me several years, loved it. I think I spent about $30 for it. You'll need a pipe tool, pipe cleaners, a pouch and/or pipecase if you travel with it, and I'd suggest a small humidor to keep your tobacco in.

As enjoyable as pipe smoking was for me, it just didn't give me the nicotine fix I need & I'd still fire up a Marlboro after a pipe.
Hope that helps. Regards, GF.

Great advice so far. I've been smoking a pipe for a couple years now & love it. I have found that I prefer non-aromatic tobaccos. The aromatics ones never seem to taste as good as they smell. YMMV.

I have also had good luck picking up used (estate) pipes off ebay & cleaning them up. The other cheap option is pick up a couple corn cobs, they're cheap & they smoke well.

Carry on.

Hmm, not much to add. Corn cobs work great to start. Virginia blends tend to hit me more with nicotine. I was never a cigarette smoker before. So, I don't really care for too much nicotine. I smoke Virginia blends in small bowl pipes. Aromatics smell nice in the jar and to the people around you and often don't taste like they smell. Although, there are some exceptions that I thoroughly enjoy. I love English/latakia blends, but their smoky quality is not for everyone. As a cigarette smoker you might be well suited to a drugstore blend like Prince Albert or Carter Hall. Both basic, but good tobaccos. As far as briar pipes, I've actually had pretty good luck with Dr. Grabows. For a nicer briar pipe, I'm a BIG fan of Savinelli.

Oh, and commonsenseman started me down this pipe slope about a year ago. I'm still not sure if I should thank him or curse him!

I have a "Pipes By Lorenzo" that I love. I got it for $45. It is a churchwarden (very long stem), but is bent twice so that the bowl sits down below my jaw. My starter pipe was a $25 semi churchwarden. Those long stems give nice cool smoke. While I have tried other pipes, I keep coming back to the churchwardens.

I smoke a house blend from my pipe shop. I smoke a tobacco that has been heavily wood smoked that they call "staghorn", and I really enjoy it. Try some house tobaccos, smell each of the jars, ask to try a little bit of each. Be gentle with your pipe and take the time to break it in right. Even buy two cheap pipes so that you can alternate while breaking them in and smoke more.

My wife loves the room smell of any of my tobacco, but I still need to brush my teeth or chew some gum if I'm going to get any lovin'.

Once you've decided pipe smoking is for you, look into a nice "estate pipe"

http://www.boswellpipes.com/


I highly suggest their Dutch Treat... They make great pipes as well. Super nice people.

I smoke about once a week and every time I brew. I am definately an amatuer and bought a pipe at a drug store a couple of years ago for about $20. I obviously don't know what I'm doing because I only change the pipe filter and I've never cleaned it. I guess I better learn how to do that. I also have trouble keeping it lit, any secrets? It seems to burn out halfway and there is unburned tobacco in the bottom when I dump it.

nyer said:

I smoke about once a week and every time I brew. I am definately an amatuer and bought a pipe at a drug store a couple of years ago for about $20. I obviously don't know what I'm doing because I only change the pipe filter and I've never cleaned it. I guess I better learn how to do that. I also have trouble keeping it lit, any secrets? It seems to burn out halfway and there is unburned tobacco in the bottom when I dump it.

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Drying out your tobacco prior to smoking a bowl makes a HUGE difference in how well it stays lit, & keeps you from getting as much tongue-bite. If you're smoking cheap drug store tobacco (like Captain Black) it's probably full of PG (Propylene Glycol) so it will take forever to dry out & may be difficult to smoke no-matter what you do. Otherwise, if it's high quality tobacco I just set a bowl's worth next to my laptop fan for 10 minutes before I smoke it.

Another thing to consider is how often/how hard you draw on the pipe. A good way to keep yourself from pushing it too much is to "sip" on the pipe every few seconds. Don't puff just to keep it going, that can make it burn harsh & hot. If it goes out, re-light it, no biggie.

The last thing is your pipe-filling-technique. If it's too tightly filled, it will not allow enough air flow & will frequently go out. Too loose & it also won't stay lit. It needs just the right amount of resistance. Unfortunately, the best way to learn what works is trial & error, sometimes a long & painful process.

commonsenseman said:

Drying out your tobacco prior to smoking a bowl makes a HUGE difference in how well it stays lit, & keeps you from getting as much tongue-bite. If you're smoking cheap drug store tobacco (like Captain Black) it's probably full of PG (Propylene Glycol) so it will take forever to dry out & may be difficult to smoke no-matter what you do. Otherwise, if it's high quality tobacco I just set a bowl's worth next to my laptop fan for 10 minutes before I smoke it.

Another thing to consider is how often/how hard you draw on the pipe. A good way to keep yourself from pushing it too much is to "sip" on the pipe every few seconds. Don't puff just to keep it going, that can make it burn harsh & hot. If it goes out, re-light it, no biggie.

The last thing is your pipe-filling-technique. If it's too tightly filled, it will not allow enough air flow & will frequently go out. Too loose & it also won't stay lit. It needs just the right amount of resistance. Unfortunately, the best way to learn what works is trial & error, sometimes a long & painful process.

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What about cleaning? If I have never cleaned it is it not worth doing now? Is there more than poking:cross: it with a pipe cleaner?

Well, running a pipe cleaner through after (or before) each bowl makes a huge difference, that's all I do most of the time. For a deep cleaning use a spirit (I use scotch because I love it) along with the pipe cleaners to really get it clean. Cotton swabs or cotton balls with just a little bit of scotch on them work great for the bowl. Be careful not to get any on the finish though as I've been told it will ruin it. Then run a dry pipe cleaner through at the end to get any excess moiture out & give it a day or so to dry.

Yep, pipe cleaner after every bowl, through the stem and shank and then around the inside of the bowl. Haven't had to hit anything with an alcohol cleaning yet, but soon probably.

As for packing the pipe, I found I was packing too tight and also found it was better to use my finger to pack the pipe as I could more easily gauge how tight it was. This along, with drying, an occasional tamp and damping the bowl with my fingers have all improved my relight times greatly.

Hmm, I wonder what I should fire up tonight?

My favorite two tobaccos to smoke:

Half and Half, available at any drugstore. It's half burley, and half bright Virginia tobaccos. Absolutely clouds of smoke, great mouthfeel, good flavor. Plus the aroma in the room is wonderful.

I had a tobacconist blend me a simple recipe:
.25 oz Mild Turkish
.35 oz C. Latakia
.25 oz Light ribbon Virginia
.25 oz Black Cavendish, unsweetened.
This home blend was wonderful.

I also look in antique stores for pipes. Usually, you can pick them up for a few bucks, clean them, and as Revvy says, "Then Bob's your uncle."