Top Ten Holiday Gifts to Please the Piper
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Kevin Godbee - Nov 17, 2014
- 8 min read
E. Roberts
Like it or not, the holidays start earlier every year. Now that I’ve officially entered my Grumpy Old Man period, this serves as an opportunity for me to interject, "Bah, humbug!" immediately after Halloween, perhaps even on the same night. Don’t even get me started on the holiday music. On the bright side, it also means retailers offer substantial incentives to kickstart the seasonal spending spree, so in the interest of pragmatism, this holiday wish list is offered in a timely fashion.
Pipe enthusiasts are actually a cinch to shop for, being the type of hobbyist for whom reason is often a distant memory when confronted with, say, an unsmoked 1922 Dunhill with pristine first-run nomenclature to be had for a song–say, the mortgage, or the kids’ college fund. We’re passionate in our way with these silly stumps of burning wood or clay, and our loved ones hopefully love us for these quirks. Of course, the glaringly obvious gift is a pipe–we could always use just one more, and even the cheapest pipe becomes priceless to the recipient when gifted. We can also be very particular about our pipes, though, so suffice it to say you’ll have to do your own research into their likes and dislikes if you plan on gifting a pipe to that special someone. But pipes alone aren’t the only thing the piper in your life would appreciate; let’s look at a few more holiday options, and please add your suggestions to the comments section for more great gift ideas!
Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor. –William Cowper
1 First, go for the obvious choice: tobacco. It’s a no-brainer, clearly. What piper wouldn’t love more tobacco? Helping a friend stock their cellar with several tins of their favorite blend, or perhaps seeking out that peculiar hard-to-find blend like Semois, Tambolaka, or Penzance, is a treat that every pipe lover will appreciate. Maybe you can expand their palate with a variety pack of blends–ask a local tobacconist for a selection from their stock, or try one of the packaged samplers of tins from blenders like Cornell & Diehl, Peterson, or Hearth & Home. Additionally, many blenders offer limited-time holiday mixtures–classics like McClelland’s Christmas Cheer and Peterson’s Holiday are always tops on my list. And if you’re a piper too, trying new blends together is a wonderful gift to share during the holiday festivities. Don’t forget some Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes–they make perfect stocking stuffers for sampling.
5 generations of Escudo for the 12 days of Christmas.
2 If you want to take the game up a notch, surprise them with a vintage tin of their favorite tobacco. Fans of blends that have been around for a good long while, and there are quite a few of those brands, would certainly cherish a tin of tobacco that might be as old and wise as they are. Good tobacco changes over time, and often in wonderful ways that simply cannot be replicated. Vintage prices can exceed current values by orders of magnitude, and thus it makes a perfect gift of extravagance for a loved one. This suggestion comes with a caveat, however–the vintage tin market can be intimidating for the uninitiated; it is suggested for folks with some experience in pipes or the antiques and auction markets, preferably both. Several sponsors and esteemed members of the PipesMagazine.com community are established consignors and retailers with vintage stock, and can take the guesswork out of the equation for neophytes–join the forum discussions and get to know them!
3 Now where to store those vintage tins? For a great utilitarian gift, think cellaring supplies. If you’re here reading this, it’s a safe bet that the piper in your life has already contracted the condition known as TAD, or Tobacco Acquisition Disorder. For modest collections, a nice cabinet or end table makes a perfect storage solution and can be found readily; for extensive collections, additional wings on the house may be in order (I’m looking at you, Peck). Other supplies like hermetically sealable jars, watertight plastic storage bins, desiccants, and Mylar bags all make surefire gifts as well. Toss in a few bundles of pipe cleaners to wrap it all up!
4 Speaking of vintage, a fun, funky or purely functional pipe stand or rack will make them smile. There’s a good chance that if the piper in your life has more than one pipe, she’s already running out of places to put them. She’ll certainly appreciate another stand or rack; aside from their obvious utility, they can be artful accessories in their own right. If you feel like splurging, luxury brands like Dunhill offer choices that retain a good resale value, or some auction site surfing can net you a bargain on a vintage piece. Options range from very basic wooden furniture aesthetics to clever and whimsical creations in a variety of materials like ceramic, metal and plastic. Whatever the choice, your piper will know you’re thinking of them.
5 A really nice tamper is something he’ll remember with every smoke. While the average piper is always equipped with a tamper, whether it be a Czech tool or a pipe nail, or anything convenient at hand (say, a forefinger, pen, or Chapstick tube), having a really nice tamper to show off at the local tobacconist or pipe club meeting is a modest treasure that will make him smile every time he uses it. As with many of the suggestions, you can spend as much or as little as you wish on a quality tamper, from a tenner up to hundreds for precious metals and brand names.
6 A leather gentleman’s valet. Regular readers will recognize the recurring prop that often appears in my articles here at PipesMagazine.com. It’s a classic accessory item for its intended use of collecting the stuffs from our pockets at the end of the day, but repurposed as a stylish tobacco preparation tray is where it really shines. I tend to take my time and enjoy the preparation of tobacco, whether it’s a plug that needs slicing, a flake that needs rubbing, or simply a slightly moist Cavendish that needs a little airtime to dry. When preparing to visit the Chicago pipe show, I felt that carrying my trusty paper plate around wasn’t an ideal tool for the job, and so looked to a folding leather change tray that would be easy to carry along with my 5-pipe pouch, provide a place to prepare my tobacco at leisure, and look a bit classy in the process. It also serves as a built-in pipe stand, and neatly keeps my other accessories at hand–tamper, cleaners, and matches all nestle comfortably and don’t wander off. For a modest expenditure in the $20-$30 range, it’s the perfect all-rounder gift.
Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him. -John Locke
7 Pipesters always enjoy a good book. With a little searching, you can find a number of tomes dedicated either directly or indirectly toward the gentle art of smoking. There are fantastic small-press offerings by the likes of pipe world luminaries Gary Schrier, Fred Hanna, or Rick Newcombe, names that should be quite familiar to any savvy piper. Selections I’d recommend from my own library include Smoke: A Global History of Smoking, by Sander Gilman and Xun Zhou, and Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization, by Iain Gately; both superbly informative reads and, in the case of Smoke, a wonderfully illustrated coffee table book. And let us not forget the English language’s most notable pipe smokers, Sherlock Holmes and Mark Twain.
The quintessential gift that keeps on giving.
8 For a year’s worth of reading material, consider a gift subscription to the North American Society of Pipe Collectors. In addition to publishing both a printed and digital monthly newsletter, The Pipe Collector, the NASPC supports and promotes the art of pipe smoking with pipe clubs and events throughout the nation and all year long. Besides supporting our noble pastime, members are afforded attractive discounts at many retailers, which they’ll further appreciate year-round.
9 This one’s from my own wish list: a thick, cozy wool sweater. Just as nothing imprints on the memory like a particular smell, nothing captures the essence of pipe tobacco like a wool sweater. Unlike cigarette tobacco, which leaves an unpleasant acrid odor, pipe tobaccos, particularly aromatics, leave behind an aroma that is nostalgic, warm, and comforting. There’s something to be said for the faint aroma clinging to clothing–for the non-smokers there’s even pipe tobacco scented colognes and perfumes, as if its attractiveness were ever in doubt.
A little Alfons Mucha number I’ve had my eye on.
10 Alternatively, one may rather wish to mitigate the effects of smoke–so why not try a Lampe Berger? A common topic of conversation amongst pipers is how to cohabitate with non-enjoyers, and a common symptom in couples with an uneven number of smokers is that one is relegated to a basement room, the garage or even farther afield to enjoy their tobacco. I’ve had amazing success using a Lampe Berger; it’s a small catalytic lamp that burns a fuel of fragrance and alcohol at a very low temperature. It also releases ozone as a by-product, and will clear a room of any odors in very short order. Once used to sterilize hospital rooms, they can be had as very basic models in the thirty-dollar range, up to hundreds of dollars for antique or luxury brand names.
Written by Kevin Godbee
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When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. It was only because I was both perseverent, and fortunate to have a local shop staffed with knowledgeable people, that I’ve been able to enjoy the experience ever since. At least mostly… How many fledgeling pipe smokers have simply given up on an enjoyable pastime because of similar early mis-starts? Fortunately, today, it’s not hard to find helpful guidance at the press of a key or ten. But, at the same time, not all roads lead to Valhalla, and sometimes the advice offered might well be labeled with, “Here be dragons.” The other day, I came across a short video on-line in which a well-meaning tobacconist suggested packing a bowl of an “English” mixture “nice and tight.” Perhaps somewhat ironically, I was smoking, or trying to smoke a bowl that I’d filled on auto-pilot, packed too tightly, and not only was having the devil of a time trying to keep it lit, I really wasn’t enjoying the acrid smoke the tobacco issued during the brief periods in which it was actually burning. “No, no, NO!” I found myself muttering at my pipe, and at the figure on the screen, my protests joined by the guttural growling noises that sometimes accompany my discontent. Defiantly, I grabbed a pipe nail, shoveled out the dense, asbestos-like clog from the bowl, swabbed out the shank with a pipe cleaner, more out of habit than need since I hadn’t actually smoked enough of the mass to foul the shank, and started over, this time paying proper attention to what I was doing. (For as long as I’ve been doing this, I still screw it all up sometimes.) Much better. This got me thinking about a couple things that are so important to the maximal enjoyment of our pipes, yet not often enough discussed, namely how different tobaccos respond to variations in filling density, and moisture content; two separate but related parameters. Once I’d been shown the proper way to fill the bowl, or at least a proper way, everything had changed for me. I also began drying my tobacco down as a matter of course. Suddenly, there was greater cooperation between leaf and flame, the smoke was rich and flavorful, and it burned mostly to the bottom of the bowl with few relights. Given that, at the time, I smoked latakia mixtures almost exclusively, there didn’t seem to be a reason to explore beyond my “new” approach. It wasn’t until my attention turned in the direction of Virginia blends that I had to look a bit deeper. The same technique that worked so well for me with latakia mixtures resulted in bland, and often harsh smokes with Virginias. I attributed this to the tobaccos, convincing myself that I just didn’t like the stuff. At one of our pipe club meetings, I was talking with a friend who smoked Three Nuns exclusively. When he offered me a bowl. I thanked him, and told him that I just didn’t seem to get along well with Virginias, that they weren’t for me. “Maybe it’s the way you pack them. Here, let me fill your pipe for you.” I watched as he rubbed out a few coins to fine ribbons, moister than I was then accustomed to, and filled the bowl carefully in stages, pressing it tighter than I would have. 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Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 603. Our featured interview tonight is with Rick Newcombe. Rick is a well-known author of several pipe books, and he is currently working on his third book. He is a prominent collector of Danish pipes, and vintage tobaccos. He has traveled the world visiting pipe makers, and learning their different techniques. He is also the founder and chairman of Creators Syndicate, which currently represents more than 200 writers and artists. At the top of the show we’ll have a Pipe Smoking 101 segment discussing best pipe shapes and sizes that are best suited to certain types of tobacco.
OOh, I like the idea of the gentleman’s valet. Very cool, I think it’s getting added to my wish list.
How about the girl in the sweater??
Great suggestions! And the illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment to well written article. Ho! Ho! Ho!
@ Pylorns – the leather valet was certainly one of my better ideas, and I’ve given them as gifts to piper friends who’ve appreciated them equally as much. Easily my top pick from the entire list. Try it, you’ll love it!
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@ kcghost – I hear Kate Moss is single again, give her a call 😛
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@ Cortez – thanks as always! Happy Holidays bud.
Good suggestions.
Yeah the valet is a great idea.
I have developed an appreciation for pipes over the last few years and have recently thought of starting a collection of my own. This wonderful article certainly puts me in the mood for it 🙂