Best City for a Pipe Smoker
- Thread starter Jack Ryan Pipes
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I have visited Switzerland and Germany several times. I remember the tobacconists, loaded with good Cuban cigars, well preserved in those humidity control cabinets. Something similar was in Spain in the 80's and 90's.
Although I've never visited myself, I would suggest Saint-Claude, France; the birthplace of the briar pipe.
I was also amazed with the pipe shops in Munich. The selection of pipes, tobaccos, cigars and spirits at Pfeifen Huber was unreal. It’s hard to beat picking up tobaccos and a pipe at a shop like that and finding a good spot at English Gardens to sit down and smoke. Another bonus is the “Huber Munchen” stamp they applied on the bottom of the beautiful Castello sea rock I purchased there.
Cologne also has several good shops.
You would think London would be on the list of the best. Sorry, it's not on my list. A couple of times when I was there I visited several shops which had large selections of pipes and tobaccos. After looking around for a while I asked if they had any Castellos. In every case, not only did they not have any, which I can understand, but they all acted like they never heard of them. Yeah, right! What a bunch of b.s. that was. I'll finish my rant by thanking my great, great grandfather for leaving that town an immigrating to the United States.
You would think London would be on the list of the best. Sorry, it's not on my list. A couple of times when I was there I visited several shops which had large selections of pipes and tobaccos. After looking around for a while I asked if they had any Castellos. In every case, not only did they not have any, which I can understand, but they all acted like they never heard of them. Yeah, right! What a bunch of b.s. that was. I'll finish my rant by thanking my great, great grandfather for leaving that town an immigrating to the United States.
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Yes it does. I bought a Vauen Ranger in the local pipe shop in old town.Cologne also has several good shops.
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Germany definitively is pipe smokers' heaven.
It is that, most definitely. They even have bars where you are still allowed to smoke inside! Along with great food & beer, very civilised.
London is crap for tobacco shops, I won't lie. And I can well believe what you have said about Castello pipes. I was in a tobacconist in Hastings, and asked for Germain's. Bloke told me he didn't carry it because there was no demand for it. Maybe all the tobacconists in England just want to insult everyone's intelligence.Cologne also has several good shops.
You would think London would be on the list of the best. Sorry, it's not on my list. A couple of times when I was there I visited several shops which had large selections of pipes and tobaccos. After looking around for a while I asked if they had any Castellos. In every case, not only did they not have any, which I can understand, but they all acted like they never heard of them. Yeah, right! What a bunch of b.s. that was. I'll finish my rant by thanking my great, great grandfather for leaving that town an immigrating to the United States.
I’d say whatever cities have the most pipe smokers which you could probably extrapolate from the # of B&Ms per capita but it’s more than that. I would think accommodating weather would help boost ratings too. For instance, London couldn’t be - it’s pretty much lousy weather often. Chicago is called the Windy City, so no Chicago. Probably somewhere in Europe (in Italy?) but who knows.
makes sense as the last time I checked Germany has the most pipe smokers per capita. As much as I hate to admit it, might be in part because of the prevalence of filtered pipes. If nothing else makes a new smoker less likely to burn their taste buds off.
I'm pretty much a city kid, suburban raised but always near a metropolis. But my guess would be that smaller towns and cities probably have pockets of pipe smokers that make their own community where it's always welcoming to pipe smoking.
Maybe down there near Myrtle Beach, S.C., where smoking pipes.com is located. I think the larger cities have pretty much regulated smoking. Manhattan still has a real pipe shop or two, and Chicago still has Iwan Ries, but in terms of having a welcoming spirit, big cities don't have that for pipe smoking.
The Lake District in UK is probably tolerant of old fellas with their pipes, being the home to the Lakeland blenders. You probably wouldn't be bothered, and you might even be befriended.
It reminds me of the song from "The Sound of Music," titled if I remember correctly, "Somewhere A Place For Us."
Maybe down there near Myrtle Beach, S.C., where smoking pipes.com is located. I think the larger cities have pretty much regulated smoking. Manhattan still has a real pipe shop or two, and Chicago still has Iwan Ries, but in terms of having a welcoming spirit, big cities don't have that for pipe smoking.
The Lake District in UK is probably tolerant of old fellas with their pipes, being the home to the Lakeland blenders. You probably wouldn't be bothered, and you might even be befriended.
It reminds me of the song from "The Sound of Music," titled if I remember correctly, "Somewhere A Place For Us."
I am starting to think you really are into Castellos. Can't put my finger on why I feel that way, but if I was a betting man I'd wager you had at least three of themCologne also has several good shops.
You would think London would be on the list of the best. Sorry, it's not on my list. A couple of times when I was there I visited several shops which had large selections of pipes and tobaccos. After looking around for a while I asked if they had any Castellos. In every case, not only did they not have any, which I can understand, but they all acted like they never heard of them. Yeah, right! What a bunch of b.s. that was. I'll finish my rant by thanking my great, great grandfather for leaving that town an immigrating to the United States.
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When I was attending a semester at University in Germany I was stunned to learn smoking and drinking coffee in the library on campus was not frowned upon and smoking in bars or on the cafe patios was dead normal. It was divine. I enjoyed that to the maximum because it sure wasn’t allowed in the US !!!
During the 90s and early 2000s I lived in Germany and visited around 100+ towns during a 7 years period and I can remember them amazing pipeshops and pipes till today..Back then everything seemed expensive for myself as a young guy so I never bought a pipe there..I smoked only 2 -3 pipes for the first 24 years of my pipesmoking adventure..I gifted one of my 3 pipes to a guy in 1998..Arriving to the US in 2003 I felt like Germany got a lot more basic freedoms than US...