If You're Not Located in the United States, Please...

[plateauguy]

Six, This is a great post! I'm really enjoying the input from everyone.
It's beginning to look like everyone is feeling the long arm of the no-smoking busybodies - some more than others. My sympathies to all that have to paid such horrible prices.

 

[numbersix]

Thanks everyone for your input - fascinating and informative.

sometimes you can blow the dust from the tins they have on the shelves

lol! And thanks Bill for the prices too - very interesting. You're paying about twice what we pay in the states.

Six, This is a great post! I'm really enjoying the input from everyone.

Thanks!

 

[brdavidson]

Well to all the Canadian brethren, you are more than welcome to come on out to Oshawa to one of our pipe club meetings. Visitors are always welcome. It ain't the Ritz Carleton but it's is a friendly bunch of guys smoking and swapping stories. As a matter of fact any member here is welcome to attend, the sights of oshawa are....... how shall I say it......... mundane at best, but Toronto is only 30 minutes down the road.

 

[jdto]

I am in Toronto and my experience has been pretty good. I get curiosity about my pipes when I smoke in public and I've managed to find a few patios in the warm season where I can smoke my pipe. I am a member of the Downtown Toronto Pipe Club and we've got a bar that hosts Buying locally is just not economically viable, though I do buy the odd tin from the B&M around the corner from the office. I actually work a couple of minutes from Julius Vesz' shop, but I haven't walked over there (my wallet trembles at the thought).

 

[tanless1]

Nicuragua sounds very tempting.

 

[phil22]

Spud, thanks for the invite. I am planning on being there the first 2 weeks in January. Planning on bringing the whole crew - there are seven of us. i will send you any special dietary requirements later. :mrgreen:

 

[micdabutcher]

I live in Kelmscott, Western Australia and I have only seen 1 other pipe smoker in my area and I think he was passing through. Tobacco is very expensive here and there is only 4 brands to choose from. Plenty of cigarettes though if that's your poison. Tobacco is extremely expensive here and the federal government have just announced that they will be increasing tobacco tax by 12.5% per year for the next 4 years of they are re-elected. A massive tax grab as the reasoning doesn't stack up and is being attacked by the media. Cigarette smoking ifs pretty much banned everywhere including things like 20 metres from shopping centre entries, in cars that have kids in them(fair enough too), some beaches and our capital city's main mall (Hay Street mall). I do love it here though.

Mic

 

[hfearly]

increasing tobacco tax by 12.5% per year for the next 4

That's completely nuts. Wouldn't that make tobacco more expensive than Gold per Gram?!

 

[numbersix]

That's completely nuts.

+1
Craziness!

 

[spud]

Must be nice living in a democracy as slaves paying exorbitant taxes to your owners, the state.

 

[jdto]

Well to all the Canadian brethren, you are more than welcome to come on out to Oshawa to one of our pipe club meetings.

Thanks, I just might have to hop the GO train one of these days and do that.

 

[ahpui]

I stay in Singapore so here goes...
What's it like to be a pipe smoker in your country?

Don't think you want to know...
Do you know other pipe smokers in your area?

NO, never seen one...
Is tobacco easy to obtain? Is it expensive?

McB ~USD40 for a 50g tin. Davidoff ~USD55 for a 50g tin. What you think?
Are pipe smoking laws excessively restrictive where you are?

You can't smoke anywhere except when no one is looking.... well, almost as bad.
Do you have a B&M (brick & mortar) or do you purchase from the U.S. online?

Online. With the B&M price like I mention, I rather get tax. BTW, any tobacco is tax at ~USD260/kg

 

[moriarty]

I am living in Singapore too. I don't think it's as bad as all that. They're rather draconian about cigarettes (it is illegal to smoke cigarettes that are not purchased in Singapore, for tax reasons), but otherwise it's no worse than in Europe. Tobacco taxes are similar to the UK, higher than the US but far less than Australia. I can't complain too much as Singapore is a tax haven and income taxes are extremely low. Like Europe you can only smoke outdoors or in designated places, but at least the airport here has plenty of smoking areas inside. That's pretty rare around the world these days.
I don't buy my pipe tobacco here. I suspect the high prices are as much to do with low volume as they are due to tax. There is obviously far more choice buying online too, and for all of these reasons that is what I do.
I too have never seen someone else smoking a pipe here, but after reading the last post I now know I'm not the only one. Actually there are a few pipe shops here, including a couple with some very high end stock like the Dunhill limited editions. I can't imagine they sell many. And they are a bit more expensive than buying online from overseas.
I don't encounter any negative reactions when I smoke my pipe in public - not that I would care. Actually people are usually very curious about it and want to hear about pipe smoking. They typically have never seen or heard of it before.
That has been my experience, anyway. Singapore is a wonderful place to live, by the way. One of the best cities in the world.

 

[cigrmaster]

Wow, I feel for all you guys in countries that are trying to tax tobacco out of existence. I see it happening in certain states here in the US so I believe it will only be a matter of time when were are in the same boat.

 

[drwatson]

World tobacco ban! Its acoming fellas!

 

[jlmdoval]

Hello there, I am reviving this post partially because I like to share experiences and partially as a manifest against some nefarious over-taxation and banning laws from here! I live in Brazil and in order to have an easy and tranquil life in here you must first of all have a deep knowledge about its formation as a country and obey, for more crazy as it may gets, to our duties and taxation laws (do not try to get into arguments with a functional illiterate person, i.e. most of our customs and public agencies employees).
What's it like to be a pipe smoker in your country?

A: Pipe smoking is a thing from the past, such as a pocket watch (which I have a small collection). There are some resilient pipe smokers here and there, but newcomers to the hobby are scarce.
Do you know other pipe smokers in your area?

A: ex-pipe smokers I do know some. Current pipe smokers, just myself.
Is tobacco easy to obtain? Is it expensive?

A: You are not allowed to import tobacco. I always manage to smuggle one ore two tins while travelling abroad. In Brazil, you can by from online tobacco shops for outrageous prices (US$ 40/tin for a regular Pete's brand) but that is what you pay when your country takes protective actions towards its internal market. Capt. Black, Borkum Riff and Davidoff are the only international blends to venture here.
Are pipe smoking laws excessively restrictive where you are?

A: We are treated like cigarette smokers, which annoys me. A ban was approved regarding flavoured tobacco (aromatics) and its commercialization will be deemed illegal from January 2014 hence. I am stocking up some of my favourite blends. You may smoke inside your property, on the streets and beaches. Enclosed areas and public parks are forbidden to smokers.
Do you have a B&M (brick & mortar) or do you purchase from the U.S. online?

A: I have bought most of my pipes abroad, from UK and USA. Again, no tobacco is allowed to be imported.
A hint: Do not smoke outdoors for you will be mistaken as a drug addicted (marijuana or crack mainly).
Regards!

 

[numbersix]

Thanks for the post JLM. Very interesting to hear what it's like there.
May I ask where in Brazil are you? I have a long time pen pal from Vitória da Conquista (he's now living in Europe).

 

[jlmdoval]

Hey Six,
Vitória da Conquista is in a northern state than mine, called Bahia. I am from São Paulo state, city of Guaratinguetá.
Regards,

 

[numbersix]

jlmdoval - that's cool - good to know another Brazilian.

The strangest thing for this Brit to comprehend is how you can buy tobacco online across state boundaries and thus avoid tax. Weird.

Yeah - it is a bit weird I suppose. Unfortunately all that is changing and soon we will be in the same boat as you folks.

 

[Wellington]

Saskatchewan, Canada
Tons of people smoke here, smoking a cigarette in public is completely normal (by public I mean outside buildings/walking on sidewalks etc). I have never seen anyone get offended or frustrated with it. In the small town where I grew up I'd say at least a third of the population smoked (I can say that because the town has a couple hundred people). Taxes are very high and overall prices are very high, as in you can spend over $16 on a 25 pack of cigarettes depending on the brand, doesn't seem to stop people for smoking.

No smoking in public buildings or within a few metres of public buildings, though I have never seen the within so many metres rule enforced. I have never seen someone smoke a pipe in public in the city here, very uncommon in Saskatchewan, at least publicly.