How Many Pipes?

[BarrelProof]

It seems like the answer is, "Just one more..."

But, in all seriousness, is there a basic core amount of pipes you'd suggest for a new piper to have in order to have enough in a rotation to enjoy various types of tobaccos? I'm reading a lot about ghosting and folks who devote specific pipes to specific types of tobacco. I even see, in some of the new pipe threads, where folks will say I got this pipe to smoke "xxx tobacco."

I only have one pipe right now while I'm waiting on a few others to get here. The ones that are coming will all be new and I'd like to go ahead and dedicate each of them to a specific style, if necessary. However, I don't know what's okay to smoke in the same pipe, what shouldn't be smoked in the same pipe, what would benefit from its own pipe, etc.

It seems like this might not even be necessary; however, with multiple new pipes in route, I figure I'd poll the audience to see if there's any value in dedicating some of these new pipes to specific blends, and if, in doing so, I should avoid others in the same pipes...

Hopefully I'm articulating this well.

 

[seanv]

Some swear by it, others dont. Best advice is to experiment and see what works for you.

I keep pipes for Virginia's, vapers, english, balkan, Lakeland and aromatics. That is what best suits my taste. I will break my own rules from time to time and it hasn't killed me yet

 

[adui]

I started with one pipe. My collection grew more out of a want for more pies just because than any rotation concern. That said, I do try to rotate them though I cant say I have specific pipes for specific blends. But then I only have 7 or 8 that I smoke. The others are 1. a mini cob that isn't worth taking the time to pack (just too small and unwieldy) And 2) one I made that is for sale. (Mods feel free to delete if that isn't appropriate to say here)

 

[coming to_falling too]

I have pipes I smoke Virginias in, pipes for latakia/ English/ Balkans, one pipe I have dedicated to Ennerdale flake which will be a lakeland dedicated pipe. I think what you'll hear is to just figure what works best for you. I have quite a few cobs because they're inexpensive and they smoke great. I have I think 9 briars that are for sure dedicated to different styles of blends.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Your three biggest ghosting offenders are going to be lakelands, aromatics, and anything with Latakia in it.

I dedicate most of my pipes and have 5 or 6 for each blend type. Latakia pipes, VA pipes, Vaper pipes, Burley based pipes, Aro pipes, Lakeland pipes, and a few “anything goes except lakelands” pipes.

And then there are my cobs, which are mostly anything pipes but I have a couple I only smoke VA/Vapers or only latakia blends in and a couple for lakelands.

I also have a few pipes dedicated to only one blend, which is purely ceremonial.

Really I wouldn’t worry too much about anything in the VA/Va/per or burley world ghosting too much unless its heavily topped.

You’ll get a bunch of different answers here, from smoke anything in anything to dedicating the shit out of the whole collection. Really I’d say you don’t “need” any more than a couple for VA or burley based, a couple for latakia blends, and a couple for aros.

I put need in quotes because calling dedicating pipes in the first place a “need” is a stretch, haha. All anyone really “needs”, truly, is one cob. As @didimauw so altruistically proved to us all, you can smoke for $5 a year spent on pipes if you really had to.

unless you smoke lakelands, then you will want to dedicate those pipes as lakelands ghost like a MF.

Cobs are your friend if you are still figuring it all out. At 5 bucks a pop you can experiment with them like crazy and see how you feel about it.

 

[kcghost]

I just separate them into English pipes and VaPer pipes. Should I decide to get into Lakelands I'll separate that out.

 

[BarrelProof]

I have pipes I smoke Virginias in, pipes for latakia/ English/ Balkans, one pipe I have dedicated to Ennerdale flake which will be a lakeland dedicated pipe. I think what you'll hear is to just figure what works best for you. I have quite a few cobs because they're inexpensive and they smoke great. I have I think 9 briars that are for sure dedicated to different styles of blends.

I figured that would be the case, and that's what I'm really starting to enjoy about this. Being able to do it 'my way,' even though I don't know what 'my way' is, yet. I've found that as long as enjoyment is the guiding light, there's not really a wrong way to do it, and that's the best part of smoking a pipe, I think.

That said, it is nice to see how others are doing things as a way to mimic those who are more experienced, creating a bit of a short cut to finding my own groove.

Since I have a hopelessly addictive personality and know there are going to be countless pipes in my future, the idea of assigning specific blends to specific pipes was a way to add more enjoyment to the rotation, while also creating somewhat of a forced exposure to various blends. For example, if I have 5 pipes in my rotation and I adhere to that rotation, if each is assigned to a different style, when its number is called, I have to sample something from that style.

Some people like the less restrictive approach, and I both understand and appreciate that. I find enjoyment in cataloging my hobbies, having data gathered to support future decisions, and using it as a source of reflection on the past. As fun as it has been to sit out back and have a bowl while the sun is going down, it's been (nearly) equally as enjoyable to create a spreadsheet to track my tobacco purchasing. Therefore, it's not unreasonable for me that the idea of categorizing pipes and assigning blends to each of them is equally exciting.

 

[Scarlet claw]

If i like it i buy it.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I figured that would be the case, and that's what I'm really starting to enjoy about this. Being able to do it 'my way,' even though I don't know what 'my way' is, yet. I've found that as long as enjoyment is the guiding light, there's not really a wrong way to do it, and that's the best part of smoking a pipe, I think.

That said, it is nice to see how others are doing things as a way to mimic those who are more experienced, creating a bit of a short cut to finding my own groove.

Since I have a hopelessly addictive personality and know there are going to be countless pipes in my future, the idea of assigning specific blends to specific pipes was a way to add more enjoyment to the rotation, while also creating somewhat of a forced exposure to various blends. For example, if I have 5 pipes in my rotation and I adhere to that rotation, if each is assigned to a different style, when its number is called, I have to sample something from that style.

Some people like the less restrictive approach, and I both understand and appreciate that. I find enjoyment in cataloging my hobbies, having data gathered to support future decisions, and using it as a source of reflection on the past. As fun as it has been to sit out back and have a bowl while the sun is going down, it's been (nearly) equally as enjoyable to create a spreadsheet to track my tobacco purchasing. Therefore, it's not unreasonable for me that the idea of categorizing pipes and assigning blends to each of them is equally exciting.

It is part of the fun for many, no doubt. Myself included. I think you’ll find yourself doing the opposite soon though, picking a blend to smoke first, in order to narrow down your selection as far as what pipe to use, hahaha.

 

[coming to_falling too]

I figured that would be the case, and that's what I'm really starting to enjoy about this. Being able to do it 'my way,' even though I don't know what 'my way' is, yet. I've found that as long as enjoyment is the guiding light, there's not really a wrong way to do it, and that's the best part of smoking a pipe, I think.

That said, it is nice to see how others are doing things as a way to mimic those who are more experienced, creating a bit of a short cut to finding my own groove.

Since I have a hopelessly addictive personality and know there are going to be countless pipes in my future, the idea of assigning specific blends to specific pipes was a way to add more enjoyment to the rotation, while also creating somewhat of a forced exposure to various blends. For example, if I have 5 pipes in my rotation and I adhere to that rotation, if each is assigned to a different style, when its number is called, I have to sample something from that style.

Some people like the less restrictive approach, and I both understand and appreciate that. I find enjoyment in cataloging my hobbies, having data gathered to support future decisions, and using it as a source of reflection on the past. As fun as it has been to sit out back and have a bowl while the sun is going down, it's been (nearly) equally as enjoyable to create a spreadsheet to track my tobacco purchasing. Therefore, it's not unreasonable for me that the idea of categorizing pipes and assigning blends to each of them is equally exciting.

That's where a lot of my enjoyment has come from, figuring out how I want to do it. I'm still quite new at pipe smoking, but it's provided much enjoyment and has enriched my life very much. Switching from cigarettes to the pipe has been one of the best decisions I've made in a long time, next to my decision to quit using drugs. The pipe has a very special place in my life right now, and I'm sure it will continue to be beneficial to me.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Your three biggest ghosting offenders are going to be lakelands, aromatics, and anything with Latakia in it.

And deertongue.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Most of my pipes are genre specific, many are blend specific.

 

[Gecko]

Obviously you can never have enough pipes

So far I've grouped my pipes into three groups. One for blends with latakia. One for unflavoured/pure blends and one for aromatic blends. More groups (e.g. for Lakeland blends etc) will be added, if not so as to have an excuse to buy more pipes.

Experiment and find what suits your preferences.

 

[trouttimes]

I guess I'm not as dialed in as others here. I smoke what I grab and as often as I like with very little cleaning in between. I can't tell a "ghost" in any of them. I don't smoke Lakelands but I'm not even sure I would know one if I did. My father and my grandpa smoked one pipe continuously until they burned it out and then got another. With that said...I have MANY pipes to smoke. It's more which one suits my mood at the time. That's just my two cents.

 

[BarrelProof]

It is part of the fun for many, no doubt. Myself included. I think you’ll find yourself doing the opposite soon though, picking a blend to smoke first, in order to narrow down your selection as far as what pipe to use, hahaha.

I'm genuinely excited for that day to come. Right now, I'm effectively drinking from the firehose. The choices are so vast that it's pretty overwhelming for the newcomer. I've truly appreciated all of the information and personal recommendations on this website and feel like I've learned a lot more and that I'm more in tune with smoking a pipe, this time around.

I'm also shooting for quality over quantity, now. Even though I'm just getting back into it, I have always really liked Boswell's pipes. I know these don't necessarily represent the highest quality of pipes available; but, I've checked their website thousands of times over the last dozen years just window shopping, and their styles have always really appealed to me. While I have stocked up on an ample supply of cobs for the exact reasons you've mentioned above, I do think I'll be purchasing higher quality (for my budget, anyways: $100 - $200) pipes from the outset, this time around. I don't (know enough to) have anything against less expensive pipes, it's just that if the name of the game is enjoyment, it makes me happier to look at a rack full of pipes that I truly consider works of art than a rack full of pipes that was filled simply to fill a rack full of pipes, if that makes sense. It's in this light that I seek to add method to the madness.

I'm not sure why, but this go-round with pipe smoking feels differently. It feels like it's here to stay, now, so I want to start picking up a few pipes that really fit my eye. This thread is an effort to add some structure to the buying process.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Obviously you can never have enough pipes

There now. Went from over 180 last year down to 42.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think Virginia blends are the most delicate. I mostly smoke Virginias and a good number of my pipes are dedicated to that blend. I do not smoke anything else in those pipes. I smoke the rare Aro in a cob. I also dedicate pipes to VaPer, VaBur and VaOr. I'm not a Latakia fan but I have 2 or 3 pipes I smoke Latakia blends in when the urge hits me.

 

[BarrelProof]

I guess I'm not as dialed in as others here. I smoke what I grab and as often as I like with very little cleaning in between. I can't tell a "ghost" in any of them. I don't smoke Lakelands but I'm not even sure I would know one if I did. My father and my grandpa smoked one pipe continuously until they burned it out and then got another. With that said...I have MANY pipes to smoke. It's more which one suits my mood at the time. That's just my two cents.

And that's what I'm starting to really appreciate. It seems like, in spite of some generally accepted 'correct ways' to do certain things, there is really a ton of room for interpretation on how everyone carries out his own process. At the end of the day, it seems like carving out a bit of time to focus on relaxing and enjoying the moment is paramount. I'm certainly no authority on this subject and don't intend to sound that way; but, it seems to me that the general consensus is that the end justifies the means in this hobby. As long as you are enjoying it, it's not overly important as to how you arrived at the enjoyment. There's room to learn and grow and folks who are willing to offer advice, and it would appear that there are most definitely 'better' ways to do things that are acquired through time and experience. However, and I fall squarely into this category, one can arrive at the (perceived) same level of bliss in spite of the proverbial ignorance, and it's not only accepted, it's applauded.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of down the nose snobbery in this community. Rather, a group of folks who enjoy the same hobby and who are glad to see others participating. It's refreshing, honestly.

 

[Gecko]

There now. Went from over 180 last year down to 42.

And a enviable 42 from what I've seen in your pictures

Sorry, I should have phrased that differently. What I meant was that you can always easily find a reason to buy another pipe if you want to, which many of us do.

 

[didimauw]

I could live, and usually do, with just one. However ghosting is real. I only smoke Burley blends so it doesn't matter to me.

I whittled down from 20+ to 9, and will be bringing it down to at Max 4.