Questions from a blind newbie

Welcome to the forum. I would guess that a bic lighter would be the easiest way to light a pipe without seeing the flame. I pack a pipe by loading in the tobacco and then sucking in air through the stem, I keep loading to the top, stopping to check the draw at least two or three times, you will soon learn what draw is too restrictive and what is correct, it should draw like a straw though soda, not a straw through a milkshake, but tighter than a straw through air, you will eventually learn what I mean. As to tobaccos, I would start with Dunhill 965, as it will smoke cool and provide a very good flavor and is easy to pack, also it's fairly light on nicotine. Good luck!

If I were blind, I would worry about embers dropping from my pipe, especially when initially lighting the tobacco. My vision is pretty good and I have several shirts and jackets with burns in them. I don't know if it might actually be dangerous or just a nuisance. I know I read somewhere a while back about smoking a pipe blindfolded. It reduced the enjoyment significantly.
As far as a nice "beginner tobacco, I might suggest Mac Baren Amphora Brown. Easy smoking, relatively flavorful and easy to pack.
There are many ways to pack a pipe. I like filling loosely, pushing down with light pressure to about half full, filling again loosely, push that about to half of the remaining bowl and then a third time. Pull air through the packed, unlit bowl should be comfortable. If it isn't, its too tight.

Are you going to be smoking alone? Inside or out?

Now, I only know a few blind people, but usually they don't ask things like this. They either know that they can do a thing or not. I'm not sure any of us can answer your questions well, as I have no idea what you can and cannot do.
Packing a pipe is about the "feel" anyways, as philobeddoe has said. You learn to feel the pressure your assert, and then check it by drawing on the stem. If it feels like you are sucking on a straw of a milkshake, it is too tight. If it is unrestrained, it is too loosely packed. It should feel like you are drawing on a straw with a cola, just a little resistance. This probably makes more sense to a blind person than the rest of us.
As for lighting... have you lit a cigar? You just have to learn to know when it is lit enough for your preferences. Me, I never light the entire surface, because I smoke mine on the verge of going out to get the most flavor. The wider the cherry of fire is in the bowl, the less flavor you have, so I like to just get it going and then maintain that with slow smoking. As for how you should do it... you'll just have to learn what you like and don"t like.
When you suck a little ash in your mouth the bowl is cashed. Ha ha. I would think that the hardest part will be in knowing whether the bowl is still going at all. Sometimes, even though the fire is out, I still get flavor from the bowl. Maybe, this is a good thing for the blind. A bowl will last a lot longer.
As far as tobacco suggestions... what do you like, or expect? Do you want aroma-y aromatics, naturally sweet tobacco flavors, or campfire burning tires body odor latakias? ::

If I suddenly became blind I could manage to continue pipe smoking. I already know how.

If you are reading my reply to blindpiper777, omit the following sentence.

What the fxxx?

I would suggest that a blind pipe smoker, especially a beginner, should always have a 'buddy'.

Either that, or, wear protective clothing, a smoke detector, AND have a fire extinguisher handy.

We are all dependent upon our own sensibilities.

I'd use matches instead of my current lighter to wick to pipe method.

I'd definitely fireproof the immediate area 6' in diameter or more.

My father, God bless his soul, was blinded during WW2. I have two of his pipes, although I've never seen him smoke one when I was a child, but he did smoke cigars everyday up until about five or so years before he passed away. How he did half of the things he managed to do always amazed me and he actually taught me how to do many of the repairs that occasionally need to be done around the house.
As for: 1) Is it possible for blind people to smoke a pipe and enjoy it? - I can't see why not.
2) What is the safest way to light a pipe without vision? - I imagine the same way my father did which was probably sheer determination, and a good dose of stubborness (which he personified in)
4) Are there any tobaccos you can recommend for new smokers? - I normally stay away from recommending tobacco's, but for the time being I would personally avoid any gooey aromatics as they are more often than not a PITA to keep lit.
Best of luck with your new endeavor...

I have an extraordinary blind friend who does all kinds of things that seem impossible for him, including smoking a pipe. He has been a pipe smoker for many years, has an array of pipes, some very high end, briars and Meerschaum. We exchange pipes and tobaccos from time to time. I think he may be an unusual example. He runs for exercise with various partners, has navigated Manhattan with only a cane, has hiked in the mountains with a partner, and taught young people at a location out of his state. He's a composer and musician of contemporary electronic music and plays the sax and guitar, among other instruments, and has had a Guggenheim for his composition. I'm only giving his resume to suggest that he is an over-achiever, to put it in context. But yes, some blind people work out pipe smoking with skill and safety. I might also mention my friend is an ardent cook, really at a high level. So whatever I think of that blind people cannot do, he does with excellence. He observes stuff in locations away from home that I don't. Then he'll take someone's arm to get from place to place in an unfamiliar location and look quite dependent. It makes sense, but he's so self-sufficient it feels like a ruse. So I don't know what particular individual blind people can or cannot do. He's taught me that.

I don't want to sound discouraging but there is nothing safe about setting fire to something a few inches from your face that can litter the immediate area with little burning embers and then sucking on it. I would recommend not starting to smoke. But if you are serious, and this is not a joke, are you completely blind or legally blind? Don't pack your pipe too full, ever! You want the embers to stay put. Start with some supervision, if you can, and work first on getting to know the process and parameters of the packing, safe lighting and safe extinguishing. Smoke slowly otherwise the pipe will get hot and then you are screwed. Get a nice thick briar or cob. Depending on how long you have been blind, and your spacial-motor coordination, these tasks and becoming familiar with them may be easy or difficult. Get some Paladin cherry if you like cherries, or some Sir Walter Raleigh or Carter Hall if you don't. Good luck and don't burn yourself to a cinder. Fire Bad !!

I felt that I should clarify my reasoning for suggesting a Bic lighter over other ignition choices. First, you know where the flame is going to be with a Bic, roughly a half an inch away from your thumb and roughly 3/4" tall, whereas with a match, the flame is constantly moving and changing and climbing up the match towards your fingers, this would add an extra level of difficulty without seeing the flames movement and a Zippo has a rather tall, billowy flame that is less predictable and thus more hazardous without sight of the flame. Second, the Bic will go out when you release your thumb from the button, a Zippo will stay lit until you close the lid and you may inadvertently lay your hand down or onto something flammable, it could then ignite a fire instantly, again without the ability to track the flame this is hazardous. Also, matches need to be blown or shaken out, this can spread burning embers and again, without seeing the embers this is very hazardous. I did not mention torch lighters, because they are really inappropriate for pipe smoking with or without sight, the flame just gets too hot. Good luck and happy puffing!

Philobeddoe

How do you read this forum being blind? Is there something that converts to sound?

Also, matches need to be blown or shaken out, this can spread burning embers and again, without seeing the embers this is very hazardous.

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Aside from the use of a Bic lighter, as you suggested, matches are a safe alternative. The flame is soft and you obviously don't blow or shake out a match while it's by the bowl but after it's taken away from the bowl. My father, who as I previously mentioned was also blind, had a few old lighters but as I recall he seldom used them when and preferred using a match when lighting up a cigar. I have fond memories as a child of him letting me light up a cigar for him whilst taking a few puffs to do so before I handed it to him.
Either way, it's a chancy thing, but in my opinion especially so with a pipe and the ensuing embers that can fall upon ones clothing. Hell, even though I have my eyesight I have more than my share of shirts with tiny holes in them from embers that have fallen from a pipe and from cigarettes (which my father never smoked). Just my observations from having lived with a blind father for many years. :wink:

A while back I noted that when I close my eyes, I can barely tell whether or not I'm smoking. It led me to believe that seeing the clouds of smoke around you is part of the overall aesthetic or experience of pipe smoking. However, I imagine that if you are blind, your other senses are much more finely tuned, so I bet this wouldn't be a problem for you. You could consider inhaling the smoke instead of just tasting with your mouth, as you can supposedly taste it better that way. The health risks of that smoking style are more significant, however.
A good tobacco to start with? Try Autumn Evening by Cornell & Diehl.

However, I imagine that if you are blind, your other senses are much more finely tuned, so I bet this wouldn't be a problem for you.

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Very true.

You could consider inhaling the smoke instead of just tasting with your mouth, as you can supposedly taste it better that way.

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Absolutely not necessary for the very same reason that you already stated. If ones taste is more sensitive and finely tuned then why inhale? Well, that is unless of course one wishes to do so such as myself albeit in a very small way while breath smoking. After all... ones taste is on the tongue and not in the lungs.

I once had a Ferndown pipe that was previously owned by a blind person.
It was pretty burnt around the rim, but he clearly got the job done.

I second the C&D autumn evening. I recently picked up a couple ounces at my local B&M.