In Praise of Small Chambered Pipes

[Sjmiller CPG]

Have three 303s. Love them.

 

[bullet08]

When I first started pipe smoking, all my pipes were Peterson XL. Even after completing my Sherlock Holmes series, I stayed with more of large to medium chambers. This suited me fine since I smoked mostly English/Balkan. But with flakes, larger chambers were just taking too long to finish. So started getting smaller pipes with narrow diameter. It did solve flake smoking issues with time. But I do find pipes with large chamber with wider diameter gives better overall flavor from most blends. Even not so complex blends. Although, with less complex blends, it's not exactly better flavor, but more of same result as narrow diameter.

 

[Hillcrest]

Peterson has made several variations on the 302 over time, and I believe the 35x20 size is the most common. So I’m not saying you’re wrong by any stretch, just that they’ve varied quite a bit over time. My 2s and 302 don’t give the impression of being the same shape, even though Peterson shape charts list them as Deluxe/Standard equivalents.

The one on the far right is 302/3 -17x35mm. Center is Erica (XL Hand Made)22x50+mm. Left is Irish Second XL339S 19x38mm.

 

[Chalaw87]

+1 for smaller pipes. Ive definitely gravitated towards smaller bowl sizes. Also, OP's point on extending smoking time with different cuts is a great recommendation.

 

[AroEnglish]

I definitely prefer small pipes, especially with shag cuts and English blends. I wish there were more English and/or Balkan shags.

What are the ones that are out there?

 

[kcghost]

Small pipes have their uses particularly when you have short time to smoke, and you usually throw away any extra tobacco in the pipe.

 

[canucklehead]

What are the ones that are out there?

Pretty much just the Esoterica ones.

 

[ThermionicScott]

It's funny -- even in this thread, a lot of the chamber dimensions being thrown around make me think "well, maybe if I had plenty of time on my hands."

My interest in smaller pipes goes back to my early days of pipe smoking in college, when I wanted something a little nicer and different when tagging along with my buddies on cigarette breaks. This little unbranded briar is about 4-1/4" long, with a conical chamber 5/8" wide by slightly under 1" deep. My scale tells me it weighs about 0.6 oz.



Despite its size, it doesn't seem to have been meant as a toy. It's drilled nicely and I've had tasty smokes with a variety of blends. It's fast becoming my go-to for simple cube cut blends, as they make it easy to fill, I get plenty of flavor, I'm not fretting about tasting 11 different varietals at once, the slow burn provides for a long smoke, and the cool-burning cubes pose less of a threat to the thin walls.

P.S. The only real caveat to this pipe is that I need to pay attention to cake buildup, lest the chamber become way too small!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't find my small pipes smoke any faster than my giant ones. I have pipes that range from .5" to 1" wide. It is the ratio of width of chamber to the depth that makes the difference.

Sure, you can hotbox a small pipe, but you can also hotbox a larger pipe also.

What I mean is... take a pipe that is 1" wide by 1.5" deep. It will smoke just as fast or slow as a pipe that is .5" by .75 deep, or one that is .75" by 1.15" deep. Ratios...

I love small pipes for various reasons, but not necessarily for shorter smokes. If I don't have time for a full smoke, I just don't... or I just load a pipe and stop when time is out, and finish later.

 

[anotherbob]

Every once in a while, I like to say something good about smaller-chambered pipes, though usually I weave these comments into other people's threads. Most of my pipes are medium sized Group 4'ish with chambers of appropriate size. And I certainly have a few biggies for long deliberative smokes, or extended intermittent smokes over a day or two. But for some purposes, a small pipe can be just what you need. Here's how:

If you simply want a short smoke to fit into a schedule; if you are in a situation where you want to sample a number of blends, you can even take several small pipes along. If you want to take the measure of a notoriously strong and/or high nic blend or single leaf, this is a way to stick your toe in the water without throwing up. if you need an especially small pipe to travel with, backpack or carry on, it's perfect.

In fact, if you want to keep the pipe small, but extend the smoke, you can get a standard length smoke in a small pipe by choosing cuts like flake, coin, plug, or rope. For some reason, these solid forms retain more moisture and burn somewhat longer than ribbon, shag, and other loose tobaccos, even after you rub them out. So you always have that flexibility if you are using only smaller pipes.

And of course, for clenching a pipe as you walk or work, a lighter weight small pipe can save your teeth and jaw and just be more comfortable.

Apparently Peterson has considered the small pipe market and launched its new "Junior Series" of pipes under an ounce in weight in a half dozen or so shapes. Rossi has carried a series of smaller pipes for some time, its Piccolo series. And Peterson itself used to have small canted billiards in their Belgique series.

So here's to small pipes, if you'd like to make a niche on your rack for one or two, they may earn their keep.

I think if I could smoke like people could in the past any time and any where I would not have the pipes I have but a slew of smaller chambered pipes and a few larger ones. I find too a lot of blends from that time period the codger blends so called are great but get kind of the sameish and boring when in a longer smoke (just my opinion, they're not horrible but the sweet spot seems to be a shorter smoke) compared to the fancier ones.

 

[MCJ]

Like some others above, I also prefer smaller pipes. That has steered me in large part towards older English pipes. Also really like the Peterson Short series. Not only do smaller pipes feel better in my hand, but I tend to smoke slower and savor a smaller bowl of tobacco more than a larger bowl (I tend to "over puff" my way to try to power thru bowls any larger than a Dunhill size 4; I much prefer a bowl size equivalent to a Dunhill size 2 or 3). Also, following on from this, I find that I smoke a smaller bowl much drier than a large one with little/no dottle when done.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I think if I could smoke like people could in the past any time and any where I would not have the pipes I have but a slew of smaller chambered pipes and a few larger ones. I find too a lot of blends from that time period the codger blends so called are great but get kind of the sameish and boring when in a longer smoke (just my opinion, they're not horrible but the sweet spot seems to be a shorter smoke) compared to the fancier ones.

I don't think codger blends are examples of the blends men would have smoked when pipes were really small. I think of those teeny tiny clay pipes the sailors had for smoking those tough and rugged burleys that men of the open sea would have smoked. Not, carter Hall or Prince Albert... which to me the codger blends are just aromatics.

 

[LeafErikson]

I exclusively smoke smaller to medium sized pipes. Between .7-.8 inches in width and 1-1.5 inches in depth.

 

[Hillcrest]

I don't think codger blends are examples of the blends men would have smoked when pipes were really small. I think of those teeny tiny clay pipes the sailors had for smoking those tough and rugged burleys that men of the open sea would have smoked. Not, carter Hall or Prince Albert... which to me the codger blends are just aromatics.

Guys like this:

 

[tirefire]

Pretty much just the Esoterica ones.

Arango Balkan Supreme seems to be a fine-ribbon cut . . .

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I find small pipes, especially the ones with narrower bowls, really bring out the best in non-Latakia orientals.

 

[OzPiper]

Apparently Peterson has considered the small pipe market and launched its new "Junior Series" of pipes under an ounce in weight in a half dozen or so shapes.
And Peterson itself used to have small canted billiards in their Belgique series.

The Peterson "Junior" series is a re-launch. There were a couple of NOS on EBay just last week

I had a Pete Belgique and Calabash as well as a group 2 bent billiard which I gave away a few years ago, regrettably.

I had just gotten back to smoking pipes after years of cigars and was used to 45-60+ mins smokes and gave away most of my smaller pipes.
I find now that my preference is to have a couple of bowls lasting @30 mins each, rather than a lengthy smoke.

The majority of my old Britwoods are group 3-4s

 

[Briar Lee]

I’m smoking Autumn Evening in a small eight paneled Marxman, and no billionaire with a super yacht and a space plane will savor a better smoke in a finer pipe this evening.

The joy of pipe smoking is a twenty five dollar Marxman and an eleven dollar can of tobacco provide the best of their kind in this planet at any price.

 

[MCJ]

I’m smoking Autumn Evening in a small eight paneled Marxman, and no billionaire with a super yacht and a space plane will savor a better smoke in a finer pipe this evening.

The joy of pipe smoking is a twenty five dollar Marxman and an eleven dollar can of tobacco provide the best of their kind in this planet at any price.

x2. The simple pleasures are definitely the best...

 

[Chasing Embers]

A big no for me, I can't close my hands enough to hold them.