Pipe smoking, a lost art.

I'm glad to see that this place woke up! A big thanks and cheers to Dan for starting this thread!

I can't tell what that bag of baccy says, either. Let us know if you find out EHV.

I've been trying to add more pipes to my collection, but they sure can be expensive. For that reason I've been buying some cheep cobs and hardwoods, so I can at least smoke more often. I've actually been considering checking out some antique shops to see if I can score a couple estate pipes that I can restore. Being a wood worker by trade I think restoring old pipes would be right up my alley. I'd also like to start making them, which I really hope to try out this year.

Stauffbier said:

I'm glad to see that this place woke up! A big thanks and cheers to Dan for starting this thread!

I can't tell what that bag of baccy says, either. Let us know if you find out EHV.

I've been trying to add more pipes to my collection, but they sure can be expensive. For that reason I've been buying some cheep cobs and hardwoods, so I can at least smoke more often. I've actually been considering checking out some antique shops to see if I can score a couple estate pipes that I can restore. Being a wood worker by trade I think restoring old pipes would be right up my alley. I'd also like to start making them, which I really hope to try out this year.

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Ahemmm Mike, if you ever start making pipes and getting rich from it I want a percentage..

Man, I had one two many tonight +

Just my opinion Mike, but I think you are a very creative and talented wood person. I hope you do make some pipes. If they are anything like your beers and cider then they will be first rate.

I still think you ought to open a brewery after tasting some of your brews/cider.

Dan said:

Ahemmm Mike, if you ever start making pipes and getting rich from it I want a percentage..

Man, I had one two many tonight +

Just my opinion Mike, but I think you are a very creative and talented wood person. I hope you do make some pipes. If they are anything like your beers and cider then they will be first rate.

I still think you ought to open a brewery after tasting some of your brews/cider.

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Thanks Dan! You're too kind brother!

If I start making pipes you can bet there will be a special one in the mail just for you.

I would indeed like to start my own brewery, but after giving it much thought I've decided that I would rather keep it as a hobby. I think it would lose it's luster if it became a fulltime job. I say that now, but if the opportunity came up.... who knows?!

^I understand, Mike. That all makes a lot of sense. Maybe we should both stick to our daytiime jobs and let brewing be our hobby..

Love ya brother

Danny

I just got started smoking a pipe. I've been a cigar smoker for quite a few years and enjoy 2 or 3 a week. (mostly weekends, especially when brewing.) Well, the darn things have gotten so expensive I decided to pick up a Dr. Grabow pipe and a tin of Davidoff Royalty tobacco. To see if that could quench my tobacco craving, without breaking the bank. Well, for the price of those two combined, I'd probably only get about 5 cigars of what I like to smoke. And quite frankly, I'm hooked.

Anyways, doing some research, I've found it's not a good idea to smoke the same briar pipe over and over and especially without giving it a day or two to dry out. So, I'm looking for suggestions here for that next step up in a pipe. I'd definitely like to stay in the $50 - $80 range, but there are so many pipes out there, even with some research, it's almost like a crap shoot.

Does anyone have any suggestions for good smoking pipes in that range, as well as some other tobaccos to try. Again, there are so many tobaccos out there, it's kind of like throwing darts blindfolded to figure out what to try. I do like the Royalty a lot, but it's a little on the light side compared to the cigars I usually like to smoke. I would like something with a little more backbone to it.

Just as a note, some of my favorite cigars are La Gloria Cubana, Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur and Punch Grand Cru.

Clonefan94 said:

I just got started smoking a pipe. I've been a cigar smoker for quite a few years and enjoy 2 or 3 a week. (mostly weekends, especially when brewing.) Well, the darn things have gotten so expensive I decided to pick up a Dr. Grabow pipe and a tin of Davidoff Royalty tobacco. To see if that could quench my tobacco craving, without breaking the bank. Well, for the price of those two combined, I'd probably only get about 5 cigars of what I like to smoke. And quite frankly, I'm hooked.

Anyways, doing some research, I've found it's not a good idea to smoke the same briar pipe over and over and especially without giving it a day or two to dry out. So, I'm looking for suggestions here for that next step up in a pipe. I'd definitely like to stay in the $50 - $80 range, but there are so many pipes out there, even with some research, it's almost like a crap shoot.

Does anyone have any suggestions for good smoking pipes in that range, as well as some other tobaccos to try. Again, there are so many tobaccos out there, it's kind of like throwing darts blindfolded to figure out what to try. I do like the Royalty a lot, but it's a little on the light side compared to the cigars I usually like to smoke. I would like something with a little more backbone to it.

Just as a note, some of my favorite cigars are La Gloria Cubana, Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur and Punch Grand Cru.

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I've been smoking pipes for almost 2 years, and I'm still doing the blind dart throwing myself. I just read up on the tobacco I'm interested in, and if it sounds good to me I order it. 99% of the time I like them.

As far as the pipes go, yes you need to let them rest in between smokes. A day will do, but a few days is even better. There are a lot of options out there. Check out Smokingpipes.com if you haven't already. I actually ordered a couple cobs and a hardwood from them recently, so I could rest them longer between smokes. Most of the ones I got were in the $5 range. I don't mind smoking out of cheaper pipes or cobs one bit. They actually smoke really nice. I also have a couple nice pipes that I paid about $80 each on. I used to have a Dr. Grabow, which I really liked. It smoked really nice. I accidentally broke it, though.

I'm not sure what type of tobacco you like. I like both aromatics and English blends. A little tip.. Don't mix those two styles in your pipe. Reserve pipes just for aromatics and others just for English blends.

Cheers, and sweet smokes!

You can find some decent pipes on sale at cigars international. I got a kaywoodie and sanvelli pipe from them

Very well said, Mike.

In response to Clonefan94,

I have 5 or six Dr Grabows in my collection and they smoke nicely. They come with a filter and I'm not against that, sometimes is quite nice. But I usually remove the filter.

Pipe collecting can become a very expensive hobby. Most of the pipes I've paid for are drug store Graybows or from a pipe shop in the $50-$90 dollar range. I do have my dad's collection and my uncles as well. Dad, was always a moderate type person, my uncle went extravegant on his pipes. Know what? Dad had some good cheap smoker's and my uncle had some good expensive ones. It's not so much about the cost of a pipe, it's about how they are broken in and handled thereafter. Don't get me wrong. A very thin walled pipe and short stem will nearly never give you a cool smoke... But drugstore graybows are a good place to start.

My favorite is a Perterson Pipe I bought, in all places, a mall in Qatar. I have since bit through the stem and need to have it repaired. Pipes are somthing that become personal choice. Collectors will pay crazy money for a pipe work of art and never even smoke it. Pipe smokers are people of reasonabilty. It sort of goes with the idea of smoking a pipe. No need to pay a billion bucks on the perfect pipe. Figure out what makes a pipe smoke well (technique included) and just enjoy.

I recommend a burley viginnia blend for you. Drugstore blends such as Prince Albert is not a bad tobacco to start with. It smokes cool and is pretty tasty. If you have a tobbacco shop nearby. Just experiment. Like Stauffbier says, don't mix aromatic and english in the same pipe. Corn cob pipes are pretty cheap and probably just aboutthe best smokers around. They don't need broken in and they smoke cool.ipe:

Thanks for the responses, I guess I'll just have to start throwing darts. I really couldn't tell you if I like aromatics or not, I haven't smoked any. I know with cigars I never really liked anything that had vanilla or cherry in it. But I felt it was because those were usually your cheaper cigars and they had kind of a medicine tinge to them, more than what real vanilla or cherry tasted like. Usually when I smoke, it's when I get a chance to sit and enjoy a more robust beer or whiskey. So the tobacco would have to hold up to that.

Again, thanks for the resonses.

I just found this thread and I am "stoked". I used to manage a tobacco shop and had access to a lot of great pipes and tobacco, and cigars. Man do I miss that. I got to smoke a pipe everyday and get paid to do it, and occasionally get some work done. All the pipe tobacco I could smoke and a weekly cigar on the house. I'm going to go back and look at this thread, hopefully everybody is posting pictures of their pipes.

I would suggest getting a cheap pipe as your tester pipe. I use a corn cob for this. This allows you to try different tobaccos

diodeart said:

I just found this thread and I am "stoked". I used to manage a tobacco shop and had access to a lot of great pipes and tobacco, and cigars. Man do I miss that. I got to smoke a pipe everyday and get paid to do it, and occasionally get some work done. All the pipe tobacco I could smoke and a weekly cigar on the house. I'm going to go back and look at this thread, hopefully everybody is posting pictures of their pipes.

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This is a pretty good thread. I hope you enjoy it! ipe:

Dan said:

Sorry these pics are so big.

A few pics of my pipes and pipe stuff.

The Sherlock Holmes pipe case. I inherited from my dad. Inside are some of my pipes and ones inherited from Dad and my uncle.

[/IMG]

Opened up.

I really need to clean these old pipes up and start using them again.

The white one on the bottom is my uncle's old meerschaum. He had a calabash but I don't know where it is right now. He literally chewed through the tip of the stem and the little bit of white you see at the top of it is a band aid holding it on. For real, a band aid! I've never smoked it. This pipe has not had tobacco in it in 20 years and it still smells sweet.

A Danish pipe. I can't make out the makers name anymore. I think the letters shrunk over the years. I made that little pipe stand, had a few of them and gave away to friends over time.

The next couple photos are of a pipe rack I made around 15 years ago. Holds 9 pipes and there is some storage area for tobacco, pipe cleaners, matches, etc. The wood I believe is maple, I don't remember.

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Thanks for sharing! Its so nice to see some well crafted pipes. I always thought pipes were little works of art.

Shooter said:

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.

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Thanks for the pics! your collection is awesome. Its nice to see all those tins too.

Youu are welcome. Those old pipes and the pipe racks are from better days. Thank you for the reminder friend. Truly! ipe:.

Smoking some Mississippi rain from a trade with brewhooligan

sent from the aftermath of the most boring Superbowl and commercials

Hit a mini jackpot over the weekend. My Father-in-law heard I had started smoking a pipe from my wife. So, he dropped off his old pipes. I've known the guy for over 20 years and have never seen him smoke a pipe, so these have been sitting around for quite a while. A lot of cleaning to do, but my guess is they are all decent pipes. The guy never bought anything on the cheap.

Congrats Clonefan94. Those do indeed look like some nice pipes. Very nice!

EDIT: The pipe on the bottom, I think it is called a "Canadian", must have been one of his favorite pipes. Stem lookes well worked over and there's a real nice carbon layer build-up in the bowl. I'd smoke that one first!

I like the one in the left. Congrats!!!! I only have 1 pipe but an looking into starting to make my own.


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BadDeacon said:

I like the one in the left. Congrats!!!! I only have 1 pipe but an looking into starting to make my own.


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Yeah, that one on the left is my favorite so far as well. I have big ol meathooks for hands, so it's a great size. It's one of the few that I can read the mark, it's a Sasieni Mayfair, made in England, with a 60 on it. From what I can read, most were made in Denmark, and a couple were made in England, including the Sasieni.

3 of them have the bits broken off still in the shaft, So, I've got to get them out and then find some new bits

A good pipe shop, if you can find one these days will help you with that. There are a few online places as well. Best of luck. Enjoy those pipes, they are much like brewing; patience, good equipment, and quality ingredients are the key to enjoyment. EDIT: You could probably throw temp control in there as well. A pipe smoked to fast will burn your tongue and ruin the flavor of the tobacco.

The Danes sure know their tobaccy! Enjoy those bowls and keep them up. One day hand them off to some other poor ole schmoe.

I have my grandfathers old pipe but never smoke it. One day if my son ever shows interest in pipe smoking, he'll learn on it while I buy him a good one. I have one daily pipe I enjoy while going to work in the morning. It's a semi-warden.

Again, congrats! And god bless Dan for this thread!


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This is indeed a great thread Dan. You the piper over on Puff too?
Taking another break from garage cleaning to enjoy a smoke. C&D Bow Legged Bear in a Meetschaum Patriot.

Thankyou EHV! ipe:

I'm happy you found this thread. Lot of wonderful people here as well great pictures of pipes, tobacco and some reveiws.

Sorry not the piper over on Puff.

Cheers!

Dan

PS.. love the Cob!!!

Meant to add this to this thread, but stumbled on a more recent one.

just picked this up this past week and got it in the mail. Really loving these selections so far.

Just dragged my pipes out of hibernation, its been 20 years and boy am I ready to smoke some pipe weed. I missed this pastime so much.
So I'm looking to buy some tins and have been to Smokingpipes.com, which is great. I'll Probably pull the trigger soon. I have a question about the sealed tins on ebay. Each seller states that the value of tin exceeds the value of the tobacco and that the tobacco is not meant to be smoked. Is this just the seller getting around some ATF rules? I'm pretty sure I get that they are saying this with a wink and a nudge. I just don't want to jump back into it with some spoiled tobacco. Thanks to whoever for answering.

I'd definitely say it's the wink and nudge route. Just see if you can verify a production date.


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BadDeacon said:

The Danes sure know their tobaccy! Enjoy those bowls and keep them up. One day hand them off to some other poor ole schmoe.

I have my grandfathers old pipe but never smoke it. One day if my son ever shows interest in pipe smoking, he'll learn on it while I buy him a good one. I have one daily pipe I enjoy while going to work in the morning. It's a semi-warden.

Again, congrats! And god bless Dan for this thread!


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What is your daily pipe? I'm not sure if the trend now is multiple pipes or not. It didn't seem to me my dad didn't put a whole lot of thought into pipe rotation. He usually smoked one pipe for days, weeks, months, and then moved on.

NO idea how he did that without the pipe fouling. But even though he was a daily pipe smoker when he was not at work there seemed to be a pipe in his mouth most always. He wasn't always smoking it.

I truly don't get it. But that was my dad. Always a pipe clenched between his teeth. I could never pull that off. haha

I finally found a place online that sells my favorite pipe blend: Presbyterian Mixture. Great price at $10.56 per tin.

This is a nice medium strength blend without casing (it's an English Blend so there is not sweetening or flavoring) and with a small amount of Latakia. I haven't opened the first tin yet, but tomorrow, Oh tomorrow. I hope this batch lines up with my memory of it.

cluckk said:

I finally found a place online that sells my favorite pipe blend: Presbyterian Mixture. Great price at $10.56 per tin.

This is a nice medium strength blend without casing (it's an English Blend so there is not sweetening or flavoring) and with a small amount of Latakia. I haven't opened the first tin yet, but tomorrow, Oh tomorrow. I hope this batch lines up with my memory of it.

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Yep, me too. Sometimes it does and other times it doesn't. Funny how we all remember the best and forget the rest.

Ouch! I'm not trying to be downer. I suppose you will enjoy this once again. If it's okay to give advice; I'd suggest if it isn't exactly what you remember, then let the tobacco sit awhile and try again..

On the other hand, if you pack a bowl, and smoke a smoke you love -SCORE!
Dan

Couldn't decide what I want tonight for a smoke; cigar or a pipe. I decided for the pipe and smoking some Midnight Smoke which is an all Black Cavendish. Very mellow and a great room note.

The Presbyterian Mixture was excellent. It was almost exactly as I remember. It packs easily, smokes on the cool side (little if any tongue bite) and gives a nice full smoke, with a nice room note. It also remains lit or puffs back up easily.

cluckk

I think you've intrigued me with the Presbyterian mix. Going to order a tin soon. BTW, do you smoke it in a churchwarden by chance?

I talked to my local tobacconist about the disclaimers on sealed tobacco tins, so I'll be ordering some aged tobacco soon. He mentioned that tobacco used to be grown in Minnesota. I'm going to give it a shot, and see if i have any luck curing it. Also going to order some presbyterian mix.

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I love all the props Presbyterian mix is getting here lately. It is by far my favorite blend.

diodeart said:

I talked to my local tobacconist about the disclaimers on sealed tobacco tins, so I'll be ordering some aged tobacco soon. He mentioned that tobacco used to be grown in Minnesota. I'm going to give it a shot, and see if i have any luck curing it. Also going to order some presbyterian mix.

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What am I missing about disclaimers and aged tobacco? I'm gonna try to grow a little in my garden this year too. I'm in KY.


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For anyone near Newtown, CT, Buddha Cigar is selling some great blends at 50% if you buy 3 or more tins. Very good stuff, I got these for $20.


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Smoking a pipe is like fishing - patience...

n240sxguy said:

What am I missing about disclaimers and aged tobacco? I'm gonna try to grow a little in my garden this year too. I'm in KY.


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Sorry, that wasn't very clear. On Ebay tins of tobacco are sold with disclaimers that state the tobacco is not meant to be smoked, that they are selling the tins for the collection value. It seems to be a way to work around ATF rules. I probably wouldn't smoke the antique tobacco, but the newer aged stuff, why not.

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n240sxguy said:

What am I missing about disclaimers and aged tobacco? I'm gonna try to grow a little in my garden this year too. I'm in KY.


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I bet in KY you'll have better luck than in Minnesota. I think the aging is the tricky part. I'm looking into it. I'll probably have to wait till June for our effing snow to melt.

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