Thread: Pipes?

Two of my four pipes are Stanwell: one Golden Danish rusticated and one rusticated HCA churchwarden. I enjoy them both. But I use them more for Virginias, and keep my Dr. Grabow cheap-o for aromatics.

Ctufano, I also use a Zippo--not even a pipe lighter, just the old classic. But with a lighter of that design, you have to be careful not to let the flame singe the edge of the bowl, is all. And hey, once you get comfortable with the pipe, those college kids will think you're a professor.

I promised to look up the book I learned from--it was Carl Weber's The Pleasures of Pipe Smoking. Apparently it's out of print but there are lots of used copies available. I have some other books on pipes and pipe smoking as well--no doubt also OP--but Weber's was a classic and was my best source of information. Of course that was long before the Internet, but I still find I like to curl up with a book sometimes and learn about a subject that way.

Ctufano mentioned http://pipes.priss.org/howto.php, which I'd forgotten about--that's from The Professor's Pipe Page, which is a great site. When you start trying out tobaccos, check out his many reviews. I've found my way to several of my favorites through the Professor.

If you are wanting to give pipe smoking a try but are not sure if its something you will want to stick with get yourself a missouri meerschaum corn cob pipe.
They can be had from between 5 bucks to just shy of 10 bucks. It has been recommended to start with aromatic tobacco but this is going to be more of a preference thing. I enjoy some various aromatics but usually stick along the lines of a black calvadash.

There are several great online stores such as

www.smokingpipes.com
www.pipesandcigars.com

that offer a large selection of tobacco in small quantities or bulk. One nice thing about them is they also have several sampler packs where you'll get 4-11 different flavors in a 1oz-2oz per flavor size. Its a good way to test out some different blends or aromatics to find something that suits your particular tastes.

Pipe smoking is alot like shaving, it takes a little time to perfect things like the filling of the bowl to actually smoking the pipe but once you get the hang of it, its truly a relaxing enjoyable experiance.

Its hard to beat some vintage Balkan Sobranie in a 1957 Dunhill 120.

I like 9mm filters or Savinelli's system. 9mm's are hard to get by in US. They are more popular in Europe. I have a few Petersons, DBs and, of course, Savinellis. I do not know of a forum for tobacco pipes similar to this one. On the other hand I look for tobacco reviews in TobaccoReviews.com: Index. I have found the site very helpful for my travels through smokeland.

I am only 17 years old now, but the day I turn 18 I'm off to buy a pipe! Only a few more months. I was thinking of getting a Savinelli, they seem inexpensive but not quite cheap.

Interesting topic I haven't gotten to read the whole thing. I'm an avid pipe smoker sometimes, english blends. I have a "Savory argyll" or something. Basically I understand that brand is Dunhill pipes that didn't quite meet the standards to be a full blown one. Interestingly, I paid $25 for mine, I went in the store one day and they had the Dunhill version of my pipe for $600.. I looked at it and for the life of me couldn't tell the difference other than I think mine is slightly prettier (is a darker stain).

Anyway, I have a related question. I bought a brand-spanking-new house and I don't really want to smoke inside for fear that stuff will get smelly. I do love the smell of tobacco, but I'm afraid that it could hurt resale value (this is not my "forever" house for sure). I don't yet have a deck or convenient place to smoke outside, and besides it's been in the 90's here so it's not all that attractive anyway. Are there any sorts of filters or anything I can get that will keep the smell from permeating my house??

I've seen some products that look like chambers, and they claim to make any pipe smokeless, but I'm not sure about removing the scent.

My first thought is to leave a room unfurnished for the time being, and put in some window fans set to exhaust. Or, if you have a small bathroom, that would be an option as well; tile won't hold the smell. Just be sure you remove the towels.

In my opinion it seems that the residual smell of pipe tobacco smoke is not bad as cigarettes. Cigarettes may spoil houses because their smell is more lingering and accumulative. Also when unattended they can burn surfaces or carpets.

As for my place, I believe that it all depends on what blend I smoke. And then it eventually goes away.

Maybe the factors to consider are tobacco blend, ventilation and the frequency of smoking. English blends are more powerful and can linger for longer.

I love English blends as well. Nonetheless, outside at 90 degrees invites me for a summer blend like a sweet Virginia or Virginia-Perique mixture. It may be as enjoyable as an English blend in a cooler climate. Enjoy.

Been smoking a pipe steady for over 40 yrs now. I have over 70 pipes. Our local pipe club is having a pipe show in November which will be the same weekend and Riegel's Pipe and Tobacco Shop's annual smoking contest. This will be one of the only midwest pipe shows that smoking is still allowed. The Chicago and Columbus Ohio shows now have to be smoke free because of statewide nanny anti-smoking laws. See our club website, www.tsptc.org for details. My favorite pipe site is Christian Pipe Smokers BTW. I use the same name and avatar on both. Happy pipe smoking!