Is it the pipe or tobacco that's relaxing?

[barleydog]

Good question. I decided to go back to school to finish a BA in business and my commute is about 20-30 min. I'm not much of an academic person so school stresses me out, especially during mid-terms and finals. I found I am more relaxed if I smoke a bowl before (and after) class. It also makes the trip a bit more enjoyable for me now as most of the commute is traffic related. I very recently picked up the pipe (give or take three months) and have definitely noticed a difference. If it works, I try not to think of the mechanics of the why.

 

[jmatt]

To me it starts with the cellaring. Long after I've "collected" a stash of my favorites, it's the process of opening the cabinet, selecting the blend that fits my mood, selecting the pipe that fits my mood, prepping the tobacco, filling the pipe.
Then for me it's out to my deck, where I love sitting outside, often alone with my thoughts. Once it's dark and my deck is lit with spotlights from above, it's the ethereal nature of the wafting smoke with each new puff. If the humidity supports it, I've blow smoke rings and watch them float away and disintegrate. It is in these moments that I am most relaxed and at ease with the world around me.
I guess in total, my answer is "the process from start to finish."

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Do you think it's the pipe or the tobacco or both?"
I would say both by virtue of the fact that an empty pipe has nothing to offer and neither does a handful of tobacco but no pipe have nothing to offer ::
Put them together then the world is your oyster.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When I smoke my pipe without tobacco... it's just not the same.

 

[smokeyweb]

I smoke both pipes and cigars. Pipe smoking to me is more entertaining, but cigars are more relaxing. Pipe smoking requires a lot more prep time and ritual, whereas cigars are quick to enjoy and require no aftercare. I think the nicotine is a huge part of the relaxation. But, it is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[toobfreak]

an empty pipe has nothing to offer and neither does a handful of tobacco

I don't see how you can get something out of nothing. 0 + 0 does not = 2. The pipe offers great beauty and the promise of reward while the tobacco is the reward.
It isn't that neither has nothing to offer, just that they offer the most when brought together!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Interesting thread! I agree with everything above, but especially Warren.
:D

 

[indianafrank]

The pipe, the tobacco, it's a mindset.
I've chewed on blades of grass, while hiking, or trout fishing. Relaxing!
And like the song says.
"Chewing on a piece of grass

Walking down the road

Tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe?

Some people say this town don't look

Good in snow

You don't care, I know"

 

[jpmcwjr]

'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair

And the days surround your daylight there

Seasons crying no despair

Alligator lizards in the air, in the air

 

[mso489]

No telling from one person to the next. However, I find handling, packing, lighting and tamping a pipe a pleasant ritual that slows down time and enforces a certain relaxed meditative mindset. The tobacco burning gives other sensory signals that encourage relaxation and a flow of thought. So it is both the pipe and the tobacco, as well as the pipe accessories and the ritual activity. I enjoy a tasty cigar and especially like Dominicans, but with a pipe, there is also the after-smoking scooping, pipe cleaner, and polishing, which I think actually enhances the experience with a sense of completion you don't get with cigars. But cigar people may not like pipes at all, so it's personal preference.

 

[jefff]

When I smoke tobacco without a pipe, it;s just not the same.

 

[toobfreak]

I wonder if you take some Lakeland and press it into a plug whether you can make it burn like incense.

 

[josephcross]

As it was mentioned above, you are committed to smoking the cigar once you start it. I find it comforting to know I dont have to smoke the whole bowl if I cant, and it might even taste better once I get back to it. No such luck with cigars. I do find cigars to have the advantage when Im smoking with friends. I can pay attention to what I'm doing as opposed to keeping my pipe burning, though will happily smoke a pipe with friends as well. I love the ritual, different flavours, and the aesthetic of pipe smoking. I have a whole humidor full of sticks waiting to be smoked, but will choose the pipe everytime.

 

[warren]

I've left cigars to burn out. Not often but, it happens. I get busy and let cigarettes die out. Mine do as they don't have the infused paper. Sometimes it's the bother/routine of pipe prep which pushes to a cigar or cigarette. Evening pipes are a different animal. I'm not happy with all the prep crap but, the bowls with a book and port are worth the nuisance at that particular time. Life moves slower in the evening for me.

 

[toobfreak]

I've never had a cigar go out that relit didn't taste worse. They always lose something. I've tried blowing out through the front to get rid of any trapped smoke, cutting off the ash well behind the lit area. Nothing seems to work. I even have a $150 cigar holder that you are supposed to put a cigar in to save it in your vest pocket during mid-smoke so that you can go eat, etc., then relight it later after the meal, but it doesn't work. It's a really really nice cigar holder though.

 

[newbroom]

The process is what I find relaxes me. The process puts me into a more 'receptive' mindset. h/t warren

A lot of the time I'm thoughtlessly spinning my mental wheels on a variety of 'things' and when I begin the procedure of filling, lighting and smoking a pipe, typically, by the time I'm charring, I've become less scattershot in thoughts and focused on that first sweet sip of tasty tobacco.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

On my low-nicotine pure Virginias that I smoke 80% of the day, I do not smoke for relaxation. I keep a pipe burning out of a psychological, physiological, social, habit/addiction. Not one of these times do I strike fire to leaf out of any need to "relax." I will smoke my pipe while riding my bike, or before I start my jog for the day. This is me, but there is not enough nicotine in these to relax me... instead, VaPers act on my body like a stimulant, and do not relax me one bit. I actually get a buzzing feeling in my body. Mark Ryan had said that perique has other chemicals in it that stimulate the way the body uses nicotine. The process of pressing and fermenting actually lowers the nicotine in the leaf, and replaces them with other more complex chemicals. He had also said that a large percentage of people are immune to any affects of perique, so...
But, before I go to bed, I grab a heavy hitter, like Dark Flake, Nightcap, or a twist, and smoking it literally makes my eyelids start to get heavy, and sometimes I have fallen asleep in the middle of a bowl.

And, at times, I will grab a heavy hitter cigar like a GTO Painkiller, or a Kentucky Fire Cure stick, Gurkha Ninja, or another dark wrapped leaf cigar. It has the exact same effect for me of lulling me off.
So, for me it is the tobacco. However, if you are smoking a codger blend or just rummaging through average tobaccos (strength-wise) maybe you are just relying on ritual for your relaxation. At first I thought it was ritual for me also, but as I have delved deeper into my pipe experience, I have shaken off most (if not all) of the rituals. Screw them, for me it is all about the smoke... for me... for someone else it can be anything, ritual, just holding a pipe, or some other aspect of the hobby/habit/addiction.
But, if left to describe what the pipes and tobacco means to me, without having ever read that the forum suggests that pipe smoking is relaxing, the idea of relaxing would probably never come to mind, except on those anxious days where I have got to get my pipe packed and lit before I KILL someone, then dammit, cramming the tobacco, fire, fire, fire, puff puff, ahhhh, no one dies... Other than that, only the highest nicotine tobaccos really bring me to a state close to relaxing. YMMV

 

[deathmetal]

It's not the pipe or the tobacco. It is the crushing of your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women.

 

[monty55]

Most assuredly both, and the mindset, as Warren pointed out.
By the very nature of the hobby, you know before you ever sit down to choose a pipe and the baccy, that your fixing to have a nice relaxing smoke.
And so it is.

 

[kirkland]

In some 45 years of smoking pipes I've found that a specific nicotine level of tobacco gets me right in the zone. And it's a petty fine line. Too litle or two much doesn't cut it. GLP's Rennaissance, Abington and Key Largo seem to do it for me. As does SG's St JF and FVF. Another rare blend is C&D's Night Train, although it's a bit heavy in nic.. but I take it slow. IMO the pipe has nothing to do do with it..or my "mood." It's no secret that nicotine is addicting thus getting that fix has it's relaxation qualities. And personal tolerance comes into play. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not we're all Tobacco Junkies.