New to the Pipe Scene

[karam]

My fiance and I are interested in learning all the inns and outs to this lifestyle. So any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My first question would be. Is it better to have multiple pipes for the different flavor tobacco ? Also is it Better to use matches or lighter and would a Regular lighter be better then a torch lighter?

It's not a lifestyle, there are people who smoke tobacco in a pipe, often in parallel to cigars and more rarely cigarettes. I mean I don't believe anyone here defines themselves as a "pipe smoker" the same way one would define themselves as a Christian, a capitalist/socialist, vegetarian etc in that there's no life outlook and action associated with smoking a pipe. It's not a job either. Also a "piper" is a musician, and "pipping" is something you do in the kitchen with patisserie or in a construction site with concrete

It's better to have a few dedicated pipes, I'd say 5 as a minimum. It sounded as absurd to me when I started as it may sound to you, but in time you'll find it makes sense, and the 5 quickly become 25 or more pipes!

As for lighters, I can't be bothered with matches or fancy lighters, I buy the big Bic lighters in sleeves of 20 at a time, can't stand Zippos overall.

As for tobaccos, it's always good to get a feel for the big names/archetypes of each blend type, a good start would be:

• Peterson Nightcap for Latakia
• Peterson DeLuxeNavyRolls for Virginia/Perique
• MacBaren Old Dark Fired for Dark Fired Kentucky
• MacBaren Vanilla (Classic) for vanilla
• MacBaren Capstan blue for pure Virginia
• If you are American check out some Cornel & Diehl burleys for burley, though I am not a big fan of burley
  • generally the tobacco selection in the US is different from Europe, not better or worse, just different (and much cheaper)

You'll find your way around from there, there are tens of genres, and tens to hundreds of good to great tobaccos under each genre. Also check out this thread to get up to speed with a bit of the jargon: Terminology :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/terminology.33/

 

[RookieGuy]

To continue with what @karam was saying about genres, it gets tricky at first. Within the different genres is a whole wide range of flavors and tastes. Just because you don't care for, say, Peter Stokkebye Proper English doesn't mean you don't like English blends. Stokkebye has another two offerings and most other labels have a few each. So at the end of the day you might be wading through several hundred different English blends from 3 different websites, all different from each other.

It's a little like music in these respects. Just because you don't like Metallica doesn't mean you don't like classic metal, Ozzy continues to blow your mind. And with genre crossover. Is/was Nickleback pop or rock? You can make a good argument either way, but that doesn't matter. It comes down to can I jam to this or not.

So that leads into this. Along with pipes, cleaners, and other pipe smoking paraphernalia, it'd behoove you to pick up a case of canning jars and a Sharpie marker. If a blend doesn't do it for you right now, that's fine. Jar it up, write what's on it and when you put it in the jar, and hide it away for a few months. It's not a guarantee you'll love it, but sometimes a little aging does wonderful things for tobacco. Some blends need time to cure/ mature/age. Sometimes our palate isn't ready for this just yet, we need time to cure/ mature/ age.

At the end of the day, smoking a pipe is the supreme YMMV past time. If you're enjoying what you're doing, you're doing it right. JimInks is not the authority of what's a good tobacco for your pipe, Chasingembers isn't the authority of technique, and I'm just a guy on the internet giving partially unsolicited advice. Enjoy your journey!

 

[Charlie718]

I tamp and drive also but I use my finger so I go by feel not sight and keep my eyes on the road

 

[bullet08]

OK. Everyone has an opinion or two. And these days and ages, it's important for a man to take a stand. No more doing the "right" crap.

1. 31 or more pipes. This is necessary so you can have at least 1 fresh pipe a day every month!
2. Zippo only! Are you a red blooded American or what?
3. Aromatics? Do you wear bra?
4. Dedicated pipes. Yes, for tobacco only. Don't put weed in briar. That's for commies.
5. Matches? Enough said.

Live large! Smile!

 

[Kissel bixby]

Car= I cuff my hand 3/4 curve around and closed fingers, pinky and ring holding bowl and middle to thumb above. Think trying to light a cig in wind except hand is by your face. This prevents/reduces flying ash and most importantly your eyes. I have a jeep, put top down and can do this driving to work. Hand get a little hot, hold fingers a little higher. Bic to lite at a light. Pack on top of steering wheel with finger. Tamp very frequently to keep ash tight.

 

[Kissel bixby]

Another angle

 

[Kissel bixby]

Looks uncomfortable but with left side armrest itsbok

 

[Charlie718]

I hold a pipe like that often, I think I picked it up from some old western. Maybe it was Lee Van Cleef but I can’t remember lol.

 

[jpmcwjr]

My fiance and I are interested in learning all the inns and outs to this lifestyle. So any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My first question would be. Is it better to have multiple pipes for the different flavor tobacco ? Also is it Better to use matches or lighter and would a Regular lighter be better then a torch lighter?

Lifestyle? Hobby? Only if it is so for you.
Many folks here are just pipe smokers, not "pipers" or interested in lifestyles.

A few pipes are better than one, but I don't smoke aromatics or Lakelands, so not concerned with ghosting.

I use matches, soft flame butanes, Zippos, and a torch. Each has its own place and time depending on conditions. Torches are to be avoided by beginners or folks with careless tendencies.

 

[mikebjrtx]

I don’t understand what we’re voting on. Anything or everything?