Any Pipe Smokers?

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I quit smoking 22 years ago, but promised myself that if I made it to age 65 I would take up the pipe again, basically nothing to lose at that point, hehe. Only 11 more years to go.
 
As a gag, my friends bought me a pipe for my 50th birthday. Now I make sure to smoke it every time I'm at their place, which is maybe once or twice a month.

This year - being a big DIYer - I decided to grow tobacco in my garden... a pipe variety called "rose". If this crop works out, I'll have enough tobacco for the rest of my life.
 
I quit cigarettes a little over three months ago after being a moderate/heavy smoker for several years. To help the craving, I smoked a pipe in the evenings before bed. That lasted about a month. Now, I may smoke a bowl on the weekend, but I don't make a habit of it. When I do smoke, I like to mix 1 part Captain Black white pouch with 1 part Half-and-Half and 1 part Carter Hall. It gives a light aromatic flavor in a cool, slow burning mix. All things in moderation.
 
I smoke a pipe a few times a week. I also own about fifteen different pipes made of briar wood. My corn cob pipes smoke very well too. Since the economy went into the dumpster I've cut back a good amount because of the cost of obtaining some of my prized tobacco. I'm mostly an aromatic smoker (besides an occasional foray). I order most of my smoking products from a Chicago company called Iwan Ries. Great selection.
 
Never was much of a smoker.
Did have several pipes and did smoke on rare occasion.
Haven't done so in years, but like Paul246, I've said that
I would likely take up the pipe again after retiring.
One half year to go.
 
I once was a pipe smoker, one or two a week, not inhaling of course. I gave it up about the time I moved to Denver -- for some reason, smoking a pipe there always gave me a "hangover" the next day, and I realized it probably wasn't good for my cats' lungs either. And with the current Nicotine Nazis running everything, you can't smoke in a restaurant, so where's the fun?

While I no longer smoke, I still have quite a stash of pipes, a briar from Peterson, a calabash, and a bunch of briars in different shapes.
 
The parole officer confiscated my pipe....
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Having never smoked, could someone explain to me the subtleties of smoking cigars, pipes etc ?

My Grandad used to smoke rollies and pipes, seemed to have different "techniques" for each, but I never paid a great deal of attention.
 
Never smoked a pipe. Pipe tabacco smells great though. Love the smell. I've smoked cigs for about 5 months of my life, that's it.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Having never smoked, could someone explain to me the subtleties of smoking cigars, pipes etc ?

My Grandad used to smoke rollies and pipes, seemed to have different "techniques" for each, but I never paid a great deal of attention.


I'd love to help, but I was just kidding.
 
had a dutch in-;aw uncle who visited once, smoked a pipe - his teeth were filthy as and indented at the bottom where he rested his pipe _ gross dude!
 
I've never been into cigars. Perhaps the ones I've whiffed have all been cheap, but they smell like burning cat cr*p to me. (Or what I imagine that would be like.)

Pipe tobacco can smell marvelous, chocolatey or sweet, or in the case of the English blends that a lot of people love, can smell like truck tires at Goodyear. It just depends on what you like.

You pack the tobacco into the pipe's bowl, fairly firm, but not so tight that no air can circulate. Light it with a wooden match -- paper matches can leave an aftertaste, and they don't burn as long. Get the top of the tobacco alight and puff a bit -- don't inhale! After a few puffs it'll go out. Pack the tobacco down a bit with a tamping tool, which looks like a big nail, and light it again. Draw easily or puff. If you've packed it right, it should stay lit as long as you puff away. When it does go out, tap it out into an ashtray, let it cool, and clean it with (logically enough) pipe cleaners.

I always got a neat little physiological lift from the tobaccos I smoked. Somehow I never developed the addiction that cigarette smokers do (and believe me, I have the addictive personality), possibly because I didn't inhale the stuff. It's too strong for that anyway.

The pleasure of collecting pipes is another thing entirely. You can admire their polished woods and their shapes and how they fit in your hand even if you don't smoke them anymore. I have one that I've had for more than 20 years on a little wall shelf in my kitchen.
 
What about the filter inside the pipe? How often does it need to be replaced?... every one or two ounces of smoked tobacco?
 
I prefer not to use pipes that have filters, but I believe for the best taste they should be changed after every bowl if infrequently used and perhaps after every few if used frequently.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
What about the filter inside the pipe? How often does it need to be replaced?... every one or two ounces of smoked tobacco?

Oh, yeah, you gotta run out and get a Purolator PureOne in there every other TCI (Tobacco Change Interval)!

I never used pipes with filters; the couple of times I tried them (the Kaywoodie pipes Sears and Walgreens used to sell), they didn't draw well. Again, I smoked only a couple of times a week, and with long periods where I didn't smoke at all, so my pipes never developed much buildup. Cleaning with pipe cleaners and an alcohol-based fluid, both of which are sold in pipe shops, kept them clean.

One thing I read about and tried was to pre-cure a new pipe with brandy. Yep, that's right. I bought a half-pint of Christian Bros. brandy, filled the bowl and let it soak in for a day, then drained it and dried it. The resulting smoke of the first bowl of tobacco didn't seem to taste any different, but it was something fun to try, like pre-filling your oil filter during an oil change.

People always looked askance at me when I pulled out a pipe at a restaurant, but then always told me how great my pipe smoke smelled. Go figure.
 
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