There you have it. By the way, those are two of my three Van Hoople paintings in the background. Here, along the Colorado River in my Fortress of Solitude.
Different pipes for different tobaccos, Myth?
- Thread starter Mury
- Start date
There you have it. By the way, those are two of my three Van Hoople paintings in the background. Here, along the Colorado River in my Fortress of Solitude.
No.
- Born in Chicago, sources vary slightly on the year—1934 or 1936. He studied fine arts at the University of Texas before attending the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, California.
- Professional Path: Hoople apprenticed under scenic designer Cecil B. DeMille (likely a reference to the filmmaker's influence in Hollywood set design). He worked as a set painter in the art department at Paramount Studios, contributing to film productions. Later, he transitioned to fine art, creating works exclusively for galleries like Hillside Gallery in Los Angeles. Some accounts describe him as a "California artist" due to his time in LA, though he was Chicago-born.
I have only been smoking pipes seriously for a few years, but I have noticed VaBurs and VaPers are much better in cobs. Burleys work better for me in stacked briars. Just my .02. You're mileage may vary. I have also noticed VAs taste better In the afternoon once my taste buds have fully acclimated to the day.
I jump from blend to blend and pipe to pipe so if there's a difference I don't really have a frame of reference - just enjoy it for what it is at the time.
I prefer smaller diameter, deepish bowls for Va’s and VaPers and slightly larger diameter bowls for English/ Balkans, but I don’t strictly stick to that rule.
I have preferences concerning pipes, tobacco blends, cuts, tamping technique etc etc etc...but most of the time I am smoking what I have open in the pipe I left closest to where I am when I want to smoke.
Tamping could be a 'scoop shove' if I have dirty hands, or it could be all precision methodical with a little sprinkling of rubbed out kindling on top...
I don't think they are 'myths' to be busted so much as just one persons inclinations are sometimes assumed/spouted/repeated as generic rules.
Tamping could be a 'scoop shove' if I have dirty hands, or it could be all precision methodical with a little sprinkling of rubbed out kindling on top...
I don't think they are 'myths' to be busted so much as just one persons inclinations are sometimes assumed/spouted/repeated as generic rules.
The only opinion I have is that smaller bowls smoke shag cut best, but other than that I think it’s just personal preference. Most of my pipes are bulldogs and what I appoint them to is completely arbitrary.
Since my pipe collection is a little outrageous, I do have some pipes that are dedicated to specific blends, but for the most part, I have pipes that are dedicated to a blend type. E.g. I use a pipe only for straight VAs, and another for balkans, another one for VaPers, etc.
I do have quite a few different types of pipes dedicated to blend types (e.g., multiple pipes to smoke straight VAs out of) because what I have found is that some pipes will impact the taste of the blend. For example, how wide the bowl is, how deep, churchwarden vs. not, etc. All those variables, to me, seem to impact my smoking experience, so I play around with stuff and note down when I have an exceptional smoke so that I may use that pipe more often.
I do have quite a few different types of pipes dedicated to blend types (e.g., multiple pipes to smoke straight VAs out of) because what I have found is that some pipes will impact the taste of the blend. For example, how wide the bowl is, how deep, churchwarden vs. not, etc. All those variables, to me, seem to impact my smoking experience, so I play around with stuff and note down when I have an exceptional smoke so that I may use that pipe more often.