No rules or requirements

[WVOldFart]

Pipe smoking should be more popular since there are no rules or requirements involved in doing it. You can smoke a cheap pipe or an inexpensive one, a quality tobacco or dog shit, dry or moist, packed tight or light, puff hard or sip, one pipe or many, stockpile tobacco or not.....it goes on and on, because pipe smoking has no rules. That's not to say that there may be a better way of doing things, but that is an individualize and personal decision. The enjoyment we get in pipe smoking is attained because we do it the way we want to. This is an age where "You can't tell me what to do!" attitude persists. In pipe smoking, you just enjoy what and how you want to do it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm not sure how to respond. I keep looking for a question or a prompt in your post.
I am not sure I agree with it being a "don't tell me what to do age", but sure.
I think most people just don't have the time to set down for a couple of hours to smoke. That, and it's the hardest form of tobacco use. Cigars, you don't even have to have a brain to smoke those. Just light it up and hope it doesn't run a canoe on ya.
Pipe smoking, I'd have to say that the majority of people start by buying a cheap pipe and some aromatic tobacco, go home, scorch the shit out of their mouth, and throw the damned pipe away. This is why I never give any possible newbies anything to get them started. Let them make the decision to invest in the hobby. They will be way more likely to stick with it through the pain. There is a steep curve to this. And, you have to be dedicated. I can give someone all sorts of stuff, but if they aren't invested/dedicated to seeing it through. I'd just be wasting my money and time.

Also, I am glad that there aren't more pipesmokers. If every damned scoundrel on the street was smoking a pipe, I wouldn't be interested. You guys can go out and recruit new pipe smokers. Go get 'em tigers!!!

 

[STP]

I find it to be more of a hobby than a habit. One theory could be that many don’t want to invest in the fundamentals of the craft.

 

[WVOldFart]

I'm not sure how to respond. I keep looking for a question or a prompt in your post.
I am not sure I agree with it being a "don't tell me what to do age", but sure.
I think most people just don't have the time to set down for a couple of hours to smoke. That, and it's the hardest form to tobacco use. Cigars, you don't even have to have a brain to smoke those. Just light it up and hope it doesn't run a canoe on ya.
Pipe smoking, I'd have to say that the majority of people start by buying a cheap pipe and some aromatic tobacco, go home, scorch the shit out of their mouth, and throw the damned pipe away. This is why I never give any possible newbies anything to get them started. Let them make the decision to invest in the hobby. They will be way more likely to stick with it through the pain. There is a steep curve to this. And, you have to be dedicated. I can give someone all sorts of stuff, but if they aren't invested/dedicated to seeing it through. I'd just be wasting my money and time.

Also, I am glad that there aren't more pipesmokers. If every damned scoundrel on the street was smoking a pipe, I wouldn't be interested. You guys can go out and recruit new pipe smokers. Go get 'em tigers!!!

I agree. We are a small club. I never smoked cigarettes, because everyone was smoking cigarettes. If everybody just had to have something, then I didn't want it. I wanted to be my own person. We are a small group (less than 2% of the population) and I'm glad. As for helping others start pipe smoking, it's like I tell my wife "Everyone is entitled to make their own mistakes".

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I will say that I have benefitted from suggestions and information gathered from many on this forum. I didn't see it as a rule to follow, but rather, wisdom gleaned.

I do agree for me it is a hobby, not an addiction.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Pipe smoking should be more popular since there are no rules or requirements involved in doing it. You can smoke a cheap pipe or an inexpensive one, a quality tobacco or dog shit, dry or moist, packed tight or light, puff hard or sip, one pipe or many, stockpile tobacco or not.....it goes on and on, because pipe smoking has no rules. That's not to say that there may be a better way of doing things, but that is an individualize and personal decision. The enjoyment we get in pipe smoking is attained because we do it the way we want to. This is an age where "You can't tell me what to do!" attitude persists. In pipe smoking, you just enjoy what and how you want to do it.

I don't know if you've fully thought out your thesis before pontificating...

Of all the forms of tobacco, pipe smoking probably has the most requirements: pipe, tobacco, tamper, lighter, pipe rest, can of soda... But I digress to comedy.

By the same notion, there are no rules to cooking either. I mean... If you want to make it edible, that's a different question. Sure, you can cut off a corner of a plug and stuff it directly into your pipe and light the whole thing with a cigar torch...

 

[WVOldFart]

I will say that I have benefitted from suggestions and information gathered from many on this forum. I didn't see it as a rule to follow, but rather, wisdom gleaned.

I do agree for me it is a hobby, not an addiction.

Exactly, suggestions and information gathered can help us make decisions in our smoking experience, but we don't have to do them. Whatever way we do it, if we enjoy it, then it is the correct way to do it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

but we don't have to do them. Whatever way we do it, if we enjoy it, then it is the correct way to do it.

Hmmmm... yes, I agree, there are no "rules." But, I wouldn't say that there aren't any "rules" to riding a horse either, but if you don't keep your feet in the stirrups, center your gravity in your seat, or understand what the horse has been trained to respond to, you're going to end up on the ground or worse.
But, there are less rules to cigarettes or cigars.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I am reminded of the saying, a fool and his money is soon separated. He might say there are no rules and can do as I please. That's true. Another saying goes, "well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my own decisions".

Personally, I prefer to learn, adapt,and survive, but not as a rule, but as wisdom acquired.

I would check to make sure I'm not just rebellious.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There are a number of practices, standards, rules or whatever you wish to call them that need to be followed to properly enjoy a pipe. No one will hold a gun to your head if you ignore them, you'll simply be cheating yourself out of the full enjoyment of pipe smoking.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah, "best practices" comes to mind as a good term, not rules.

And you don't have to peg it as either a hobby or an addiction. For many it's just something we do.

 

[mso489]

Pipe smoking is sort of like the arts. People are attracted to it because there are no rules, but as they develop their pipe smoking, they cultivate all kinds of preferences and dogmas that amount to their own rules. And we tend to think less of anyone who doesn't think like us. Ah, humanity. But yes, it's enjoyable to do it my way, the way it must be done.

 

[gervais]

I wish my wife had "no rules" in the bedroom ?

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Pipe smoking is sort of like the arts. People are attracted to it because there are no rules, but as they develop their pipe smoking, they cultivate all kinds of preferences and dogmas that amount to their own rules. And we tend to think less of anyone who doesn't think like us. Ah, humanity. But yes, it's enjoyable to do it my way, the way it must be done.

Always appreciate your perspectives

 

[WVOldFart]

Pipe smoking is sort of like the arts. People are attracted to it because there are no rules, but as they develop their pipe smoking, they cultivate all kinds of preferences and dogmas that amount to their own rules. And we tend to think less of anyone who doesn't think like us. Ah, humanity. But yes, it's enjoyable to do it my way, the way it must be done.

That's exactly what I'm saying. Thanks mso489. I have seen people smoke like a steam locomotive with no doubt a hot tongue and a tired mouth, but they love what they're doing.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That's exactly what I'm saying. Thanks mso489. I have seen people smoke like a steam locomotive with no doubt a hot tongue and a tired mouth, but they love what they're doing.

Until they take a sip of a cold drink afterwards. Ha ha!

 

[warren]

Many here have addressed the no rules over the years, including myself. There are, as pointed out above, certain techniques which make the experience enjoyable. Having a source of fire is nearly a requirement. You can get by without it as long as you have a friend nearby with a source of flame. In nearly all cases one's pipe should have a channel for moving the smoke from the bowl to the mouth. And ... fourth.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

At my former home I had a soap stone stove and an endless supply of seasoned red oak. I could have said I there were no rules. Well, it depends. Do you want to stay warm? The concepts of no rules can be rather stupid.

 

[jpmcwjr]

As a rule, here on the forum there are often differing ideas as to what a word means specifically. "Rules" is one such.

You must put some tobacco in the bigger opening. Trying to stuff the stem is a tough task. Then you need to place enough heat to the tobacco to ignite it, and have enough breath to draw the smoke at least once. Then you can say you have smoked a pipe.

 

[Streeper541]

I don't know how accurate the statement is per se, but but I heard recently is that Pipe Smokers only account for about 1% of total tobacco users.

If that is indeed the case, then it makes me ever so grateful to have access to the products that we do.