Any Pipe Smokers Out There?

[analog_kidd]

I recently picked up a pipe and a blend called Wife's Delight from Leaf and Ale in Knoxville. I like the blend, it is fairly mild and aromatic. My wife really does like it too (to smell, not smoke ).

I was wondering if any other TGO folks enjoy a pipe, and if so, what blends do you recommend? I saw that Leaf and Ale has a sample pack with eight of their most popular blends. May stop by and pick one of those up just to get some variety.

[Bassoneer]

I've got some of the same tobacco from Leaf & Ale. However, my issue is that I like the way cigars taste (although some say the smell bad) and find the pipes to be hot and don't really like the way they taste (although most say they smell great). I only have one cheap pipe that I bought to try and am not sure I like it. I love cigars, but they can be quite pricey. I probably smoke about one cigar a month out on my deck...very relaxing. Some of my best memories of my grandfather were of him smoking his pipe...after he passed away I got his old car to drive for a while as a teenager - it smelled like his pipe and every day when I got into the car I thought of him. B

[Defender]

Double post.

Edited August 24, 2011 by barewoolf

[Defender]

I smoke pipes, though not as much as I used to...I have a small collection of a 30 or so, everything from cheapies to high end ones. I have a $30 Lorenzo that smokes every bit as good as the $600 Julius Vesz that I picked up in a moment of financial weakness. I've noticed that many pipe tobacconists blend their own tobacco, so I'm always experimenting. A good standby that I can find anywhere is Palladin Black Cherry. Smooth, no bite and smells wonderful. In these days of cigar and cigarrette intolerance, I find that many people are not only more accepting of pipe smoke, but some even like it. I used to go to Tobacco Road when it was in Harding Mall, and then Uptowns in Green Hills, but now usually go to the Cigar Club in Rivergate.

Edited August 24, 2011 by barewoolf

[analog_kidd]

Thanks for the Palladin recommendation. I'll try to pick up a pouch of that. I'm looking for something that I can buy locally without having to go all the way downtown to get it. We have a couple of "tobacco" shops here in town, but it seems like they all specialize in cigarettes. My dad used to smoke a pipe when I was a kid. I remember him having Borkum Riff and Capt. Black, and maybe a few others.

[Guest bkelm18]

I really tried to enjoy pipes but I could never get them to burn right. I'm a cigar fiend though.

[analog_kidd]

Yeah, I'm having that problem too. I hold the pipe in one hand and the lighter in the other the whole time I'm smoking it. Actually I found it stays lit a bit better if I pack it in real good, even though the guy at the shop said don't do it.

[Guest bkelm18]

Yeah, I'm having that problem too. I hold the pipe in one hand and the lighter in the other the whole time I'm smoking it. Actually I found it stays lit a bit better if I pack it in real good, even though the guy at the shop said don't do it.

Yeah I heard the whole gamut of pack it tight, pack it loose, this and that. I understand pipes need to be seasoned and build up a good layer of "char" or whatever it's called, but I couldn't stick with it long enough to get to that point. I LOVE how pipes smell and they taste pretty good as well, but it's too much work for something you're supposed to relax with.

[Raoul]

Not to offend anyone, but have you ever watched a pipe smoker? Seems to me they spend all their time packing and lighting and tamping and dumping and filling and packing and tamping and lighting and tamping and dumping....

[eapking]

Used to be, way back in the day. I like the smell a lot better than the taste. That goes for a lot of things...funny that way.

[Guest Red5]

I love pipe smoking. I'm usually on the back porch 4-5 nights in a week.

It does take some trial and error though to learn how to do it well and get past the point that it's more trouble than pleasure. Once you learn what to do (and more importantly not to do) your pipe will smoke cool and easy. Most of my bowls will last about an hour and rarely need more than 3 or 4 relights.

Last week I was looking for a new pipe and decided instead to try to make one.

Before....

After.....

[Defender]

Looks like a good job on that pipe!

Ive often wanted to try that...I did buy one in Gatlinburg several years ago that was handcarved but not finished...the idea was to either finish it yourself, or let the natural oils of you hands and fingers finish it over time...I just smoked it, and it eventually turned out beautifully.

As far as pipes being too much trouble, well, for me anyway, the whole ritual thingie of loading tamping lighting relighting etc is all a part of it. I use the 3-2-1 method for packing and once I got the hang of that it usually also lasts an hour or so per bowl. And I also found that I like the old fashioned strike anywhere matches way better than a lighter, although I do own a Zippo pipe lighter and a couple good butanes. I keep a double fist sized flat bottomed rock on the table next to my recliner next to my tobacco ashtray for striking. My ashtray (not really for ashes) is a wooden bowl, made for walnuts, that I removed the cracker tool holder and replaced with a pipe cork...works great, looks great, and holds my backy pouch, matches, a pipe or 3, and a couple tampers and tools, etc..

[Ramjo]

I love pipe smoking. I'm usually on the back porch 4-5 nights in a week.

Last week I was looking for a new pipe and decided instead to try to make one.

Before....

After.....

I would buy this! Ever think of having a side job???

[Guest FiddleDog]

I used to manage the Uptown smoke shop around a decade ago. Still love smoking my pipes. Always seem to go back to my stanwell sandblasts. Can not be beaten for the price. Packing a pipe can be challenging. think of it the same way you would build a fire. loose on the bottom and tighter toward the top of the bowl. I used to recommending that people fill the bowl loosely to the top, tamp it around 1/2 way down, fill again, tamp a quarter of the way down - it should be ready to go then. Sometimes putting a pipe cleaner in the stem/shank while you're packing it can save you a headache down the road.

If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend the Escudo...finest tobacco in the world, in my opinion.

[Guest bkelm18]

Yeah I tried the whole 2 or 3 step tamping process. I just couldn't get it to stay lit. I had to re-light so much it was ruining the flavor.

[analog_kidd]

Fiddledog, I'll give your method a try the next time I light up. Thanks for that tip.

I was reading that certain types of lighters are too hot. Is a standard Bic lighter appropriate? I was thinking of picking up a Zippo this weekend. I like them because they seem nostalgic, and they just have more character than a plain lighter. Something about the sound they make when you snap one closed just seems so cool.

[Jasongar8]

Before....

After.....

I know nothing about pipes, but that is a beautiful piece of work.

[Guest Red5]

Is a standard Bic lighter appropriate? I was thinking of picking up a Zippo this weekend. I like them because they seem nostalgic, and they just have more character than a plain lighter. Something about the sound they make when you snap one closed just seems so cool.

Bics work fine. If you go with the Zippo, get one with the pipe insert like this.

The standard wind screen tends to scorch the top of your bowl. You can taste the fuel just a bit while the flame is on but it goes away quickly. This is a big problem for some but I'm ok with it. I agree that they have more character than about any other. Plain old kitchen matches are great also.

I know nothing about pipes, but that is a beautiful piece of work.

Thanks, I was pretty happy with it as a first try. I'm going to order a couple more blocks this weekend.

[Guest bkelm18]

Bics work fine. If you go with the Zippo, get one with the pipe insert like this.

I actually had that exact lighter and a nice Peterson pipe that I had the misfortune of getting stolen out of my Jeep. That didn't help my motivation to learn to smoke a pipe.