Hey timmay,
I've been through this a number of times before with a number of different newbies who wanted to "learn the gentle art of pipe smoking", so I'm gonna send you an email that I recently sent to a friend of mine who had the same problems as you. Hope it helps, and let me know how it goes. We've got to accumulate new brethren if we are to survive, so its worth retaining every new member I can. So here goes:
First of all there is a lot to pipe smoking. Its not as casual as a
cigarette, but it is the perfect substitute if, like me and many
others, you can not abandon Lady Nicotine fully, but wish to live a
full life and yet still enjoy the act of smoking (minus the lung
cancer, etc....).
So, the first thing to note is who among men did smoke a pipe, and
most importantly how long did they live. I attach to this email a PDF
illustrating a series of important men (and women) who were adherent
pipe smokers, along with their biographies. This will tell you that
you stand in good company should you decide to take up the briar and
leaf.
Secondly, pipe smokers are a literary lot, and do spend a lot of time
reading, as the pipe is the perfect accompaniment to a good book. And
indeed there are a number of literary guides to pipe smoking. Several
that are a must read include:
In Search of Pipe Dreams by Rick Newcombe
Confessions of a Pipeman ... An irreverent guide for today's
pipe-smoking man Gary B. Schrier and Marty Pulvers
The Pipe Smoker's Tobacco Book by Robert F. Winans
The Ultimate Pipe Book by Richard Carleton Hacker
Also, there is a brilliant magazine for the pipeman called "Pipes and
Tobacco" and back issues are available for under $10. A great rag to
get caught up on things pipe related. Also, perusing through these
issues, you really to garner the understanding that the pipe itself is
a work of art, and is one of the driving forces behind smoking a pipe.
Their website is: http://www.pt-magazine.com/. I have most of their
back issues.
I also enclose a PDF of my own pipe collection to give you an idea of
their cost etc. There are many, many CHOICES in pipeland, not the
least of which is the style of pipe, the makers and of course what you
put into it - the type of tobacco. I will try to recap some of this
wisdom in this email.
The absolutely best site on the net to enter the work of pipes is
smokingpipes.com. Their coverage is magnificant and exhaustive,
brilliantly illustrated and great service. Their website is:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/. Not only do they sell everything you
will ever need, but they illustrate each pipe fully. Check this site
out and study it in detail. It is the BEST place to go. I study this
site for hours...get on their mailing list to get the newsletter.
As to the make of the pipe, the best of the best, in my opinion, and
is what I collect, are pipes from the Dunhill company (London,
England). New ones go for $350 - $650+. Estate pipes, that is used
pipes, which are cleaved and sanitized, are around $200 to $400+. I
refer here only to Dunhills. Of course, you can pick up great smokers
for under $100 (see below).
As to style of pipe again there are a multitude of choices. For the
beginner the best pipes are the straight pipes in such styles as
Billiards, Bulldogs, Apples, Pots and Chimneys. These are the easiest
to clean during and after the smoke, which usually lasts 30 min to an
hour or more. Bent pipes are more prone to difficulties and should be
avoided. Bents go by quarters, halfs and full bents.
This is the bare minimum that you will need to get started, all
available at smokingpipes.com:
1. A pipe, preferably 7 or more (eventually), as you need to let pipes
rest after a smoke and need others in your daily rotation.
2. A pipe tamper or two to tamp down the tobacco during the smoke.
These are usually sold as a "pipe tool" with a poker.
3. A butane lighter such as the "Oldboy" made by Corona plus flints, and butane.
4. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pipe cleaners. Don't worry they're cheap.
5. A bottle of 150 proof, palatable grain alcohol. Buy "Everclear", a
grain alcohol available in liquor stores. Don't drink the stuff, as it
is very strong, and it'll kill you. The bottle has all sorts of
warnings. You will dip the pipe cleaner in the alcohol, and use it to
ream you pipe after every smoke to clean the bit, shank and bowl. Each
cleaning takes 2 or 3 pipe cleaners, using both ends. The last one is
used dry. Then the pipe is placed, bowl down to dry.
6. A pipe ashtray with a cork in the middle for tapping you pipe clean.
7. A nice pipe rack for when you get several pipes. You'll see that
this hobby can become all consuming, and the beauty of the pipes will
propel you to want to acquire many.
8. Tobacco to smoke....
What to smoke? Now that's where the choices become intensely profound.
The good news is that they are relatively cheap, and many are great.
You will find that tobaccos blends are like wines, with many
varieties, types etc. Learning tobaccos is like learning wines. The
difference between a cigarette and a pipe is like the difference
between a Coke and pricey French wines. Also many pipe tobacco blends
come out of micro-blenders, like micro-breweries for beers.
Investigating the various tobacco blends is the pipeman's life long
pursuit.
The best micro-blender today is without doubt G.L. Pease. He has a
number of outstanding blends. His website is:
http://www.glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/, from which he runs a blog called
Briar and Leaf Chronicles. Check it out. But all of his tobaccos can
be gotten from smokingpipes.com.
There are essentially three types of tobacco for pipes:
1. Aromatics (e.g., Burley tobacco or Cavendish tobacco cased with
Cherry, Vanilla, Chocolates, Licorice, etc.)
2. Virginia Perique Blends (very sweet aged Virginia tobaccos with the
condiment tobacco Perique).
3. English Blends (a mixture of Virginias, Perique, and Orientals)
Most serious pipemen avoid Aromatics, as they tend to smoke wet and
hot. The tobacco used is the cheapest (e.g., Burley and Cavendish)
because the casing is the flavor that is sold to the smoker. The
second two types are what most stick to, as they have no additives and
the sweetness and flavor are all naturally derived from the tobacco
(e.g., Virginias, Periques, and Orientals).
A great website for reviewing the thousands of choices re: pipe
tobaccos is http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/. My alias on this review
site is "Kashmir".
I smoke the following tobaccos on a regular basis:
WESTMINSTER
Type: English
Blender: GL Pease
Tin Description: The very essence of the traditional English mixture;
rich, elegant, refined, and exquisitely balanced. New World red
Virginias are enhanced with a gentle caress of bright leaf, then
lavishly seasoned with rich oriental tobaccos and generous measures of
noble Cyprus mountain Latakia. Westminster is a satisfying blend,
presenting layers of flavor to delight the senses and develop in the
bowl. A perfect everyday English mixture. Full-bodied.
HADDO'S DELIGHT
Type: Virginia Perique Blend
Blender: GL Pease
Tin Description: Haddo's Delight is a stout blend of several Virginia
tobaccos with a generous measure of long-cut perique. Unflavored Green
River black Cavendish and a little air-cured white burley ribbon
provide fullness, body, and a bit of extra strength. Finally, an
exclusive process darkens and marries the mixture, and gives the blend
a subtle tin aroma of cocoa and dried fruit. The flavor is full on the
palate, earthy, slightly sweet and intriguingly piquant, with
overtones of figs and raisins. A wonderful blend for the perique
lover!
ESCUDO NAVY DELUX
Type: Virginia Perique Blend
Blender: Peter Stokkeby
Tin Description: A combination of full bodied Virginia from North
Carolina and Virginia blended with Perique from Louisiana are the
cornerstones in Escudo. The blend is pressed and matured before it is
spun and cut into coins. This process ensures the unique character of
Escudo. The only continuously produced tobacco since the 1840s.
CAPTAIN BLACK, White Label
Type: Aromatic (Vanilla and Licorice)
Blender: Lane Limited
Tin Description: Rich Black Cavendish tobaccos, mild delightfully aromatic.
What I would do is go to smokingpipes.com, buy several cheap pipes
from Stanwell, Brebbia or Peterson for under a $100 each, and 2 ounce
cans of the following: GL Pease's WESTMINSTER, for an English, ESCUDO
to sample a Virgina Perique blend and some Captain Black (White Label)
for an aromatic. This last one can be bought locally at any tobacco
store. Try the one in Madison. You will also need the other
accoutrements mentioned above to get you started. Pipe smoking is a
more involved process, as compared to cigarettes. But the reward is
far greater.
Once you get started, call me up and we can get together and I can
show you a number of things to get going. Like how to pack the pipe,
drawing the smoke etc. These are things that can be learned
empirically but take time and effort. For packing the pipe, what you
use is the Frank Method. Fill the bow to the brim, and tamp side with
finder to settle the tobacco in. Then, with only very slight pressure
press down with finger. Repeat two more times, the thid and last
pressing down firmly. The idea is that the tobacco at the bottom is
packed much looser than the tobacco at the top. The first light is
called the "charing light" and simply is designed to produce some
slight ash on the top of the bowl. Pull in several times to create
this ash. Then, with the tamper, tamp down the tobacco. Now the real
light comes to start the smoke. The most important thing to remember
is that the slower you smoke, the cooler the smoke and the more
nuanced the flavors of the smoke. The worst one can do is to puff
rapidly, generate a lot of heat, which will result in a smoke with NO
flavor, and a burned buccal cavity to boot, called "tongue bite". So
this is called the "Gentle Art of Pipe Smoking". Pipe competitions are
held in which the goal is "who finished last not first". That is, who
can smoke the slowest, a single bowl of 3g of tobacco, without the
pipe going out. The world record is some three hours.
Anyways, let me know if all of this helps.
