This is from a guy called Whalehead King on another forum. He posted this when a mod saw fit to make it a sticky: "didn't copyright it, so tack it up wherever you think it will do the most good. Share and share alike. That is what pipe smoking is about."
So here it is. It is superb.
"Find a pipe you like, and find a tobacco you like. Learn how to make them work together in a way that works for you. You don't have to smoke the same pipe and the same tobacco every bowl, but find a pairing of the two that you can reliably make sing. You will never regret it.
Smoking a pipe should be a pleasure, not an exercise. It does take practice to learn how to smoke pleasurably. In the beginning, we all experiment, and there is a learning curve. With experience, we know from the feel of the tobacco and the shape of the bowl and the stem, how to pack and enjoy a smoke when we encounter something new. None of us was born with this technique. We learned it, and it has brought us many hours of contemplative joy, come what may.
There are no rules. If you like your technique and routine, you have nothing to be ashamed of. If you smoke a pipe, you are in good company no matter how you go about it. Everyone is different. My routine would make many people cringe, but it works for me. I'm an OTC man who uses inexpensive pipes. I can enjoy a confectionary tobacco in a fine pipe, but my lifestyle tacks in another direction. There is room in this world for every personality and style. Only the most foolish snob will snub someone smoking a cob, and only a stick-in-the-mud refuses to appreciate fine tobacco over his or her habitual Granger.
Experiment. You won't know what you like unless you try it all. Life is a moveable feast, and pipe smoking is an aromatic one. I am not referring to aromatic tobaccos. Every tobacco has a pleasant room note. You won't know what you don't like until you try it, and you won't know what you do like until you try it. Keep an open mind. Resist everything but the temptation to try a new pipe or a new blend. There are worse sins in the world, as long as they don't turn into a compulsive acquisition disorder that lands you in bankruptcy court. If you are wearing a barrel and suspenders because of all the tins you cellared, or to have a complete collection of Falcons arranged by make and model on a shelf, you weren't experimenting, you were hoarding.
Pipe smokers, as a rule, are gentlemen and gentlewomen. Don't be afraid to ask questions of fellow piper smokers. We are usually happy to share what we have learned works for us. Avoiding tongue bite and cleaning a pipe right are learned skills we all go through. Being a good citizen of the pipe smoking world is a light responsibility we take seriously. It may be redundant to share techniques time and again, but it is never boring. We steward a pastime into the future, regardless of jurisdiction. There is no need to rely on personal trial-and-error when people are happy to share handy tips. There are no stupid questions if someone else can give you a ready answer. Never be ashamed of anything you don't know. You will know it tomorrow, and you will politely and generously share what you know when someone asks you.
A tobacco that has been around forever, has been around forever for a reason. Somebody is buying it, and smoking it, on a regular basis. We all have our preferences. That doesn't mean someone else's tastes are wrong. Give every tobacco its due respect. Treat it well, and it will treat you well. If it isn't for you, that doesn't mean it doesn't suit someone else's tastes. It's a big world, and there is room for everyone in the pipe smoking community. It is a community of gentlemen and gentlewomen who appreciate one of the finest things life has to offer.
Smoking a pipe teaches that patience is its own reward. Be kind. Sip gently. Give as much back as your pipe has given to you."
So here it is. It is superb.
"Find a pipe you like, and find a tobacco you like. Learn how to make them work together in a way that works for you. You don't have to smoke the same pipe and the same tobacco every bowl, but find a pairing of the two that you can reliably make sing. You will never regret it.
Smoking a pipe should be a pleasure, not an exercise. It does take practice to learn how to smoke pleasurably. In the beginning, we all experiment, and there is a learning curve. With experience, we know from the feel of the tobacco and the shape of the bowl and the stem, how to pack and enjoy a smoke when we encounter something new. None of us was born with this technique. We learned it, and it has brought us many hours of contemplative joy, come what may.
There are no rules. If you like your technique and routine, you have nothing to be ashamed of. If you smoke a pipe, you are in good company no matter how you go about it. Everyone is different. My routine would make many people cringe, but it works for me. I'm an OTC man who uses inexpensive pipes. I can enjoy a confectionary tobacco in a fine pipe, but my lifestyle tacks in another direction. There is room in this world for every personality and style. Only the most foolish snob will snub someone smoking a cob, and only a stick-in-the-mud refuses to appreciate fine tobacco over his or her habitual Granger.
Experiment. You won't know what you like unless you try it all. Life is a moveable feast, and pipe smoking is an aromatic one. I am not referring to aromatic tobaccos. Every tobacco has a pleasant room note. You won't know what you don't like until you try it, and you won't know what you do like until you try it. Keep an open mind. Resist everything but the temptation to try a new pipe or a new blend. There are worse sins in the world, as long as they don't turn into a compulsive acquisition disorder that lands you in bankruptcy court. If you are wearing a barrel and suspenders because of all the tins you cellared, or to have a complete collection of Falcons arranged by make and model on a shelf, you weren't experimenting, you were hoarding.
Pipe smokers, as a rule, are gentlemen and gentlewomen. Don't be afraid to ask questions of fellow piper smokers. We are usually happy to share what we have learned works for us. Avoiding tongue bite and cleaning a pipe right are learned skills we all go through. Being a good citizen of the pipe smoking world is a light responsibility we take seriously. It may be redundant to share techniques time and again, but it is never boring. We steward a pastime into the future, regardless of jurisdiction. There is no need to rely on personal trial-and-error when people are happy to share handy tips. There are no stupid questions if someone else can give you a ready answer. Never be ashamed of anything you don't know. You will know it tomorrow, and you will politely and generously share what you know when someone asks you.
A tobacco that has been around forever, has been around forever for a reason. Somebody is buying it, and smoking it, on a regular basis. We all have our preferences. That doesn't mean someone else's tastes are wrong. Give every tobacco its due respect. Treat it well, and it will treat you well. If it isn't for you, that doesn't mean it doesn't suit someone else's tastes. It's a big world, and there is room for everyone in the pipe smoking community. It is a community of gentlemen and gentlewomen who appreciate one of the finest things life has to offer.
Smoking a pipe teaches that patience is its own reward. Be kind. Sip gently. Give as much back as your pipe has given to you."
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