Pipe tobacco cigarettes - cool idea or just goofy?

[tpicking]

I was just having an email discussion with my sister about how much I enjoy all of my pipe tobaccos, and how many wonderful flavors and aromas there are in the world of pipe tobacco. She's a cigarette smoker who enjoys gourmet foods and coffees, and I told her that I really think she'd really enjoy pipe tobacco more than cigarette smoke. Her response was pretty predictable - she agrees that she would probably like pipe tobacco, but she'd never smoke a pipe because of the stigma of women smoking a pipe. (I'm not at all intending to slight the Pipe Babes, but most women just wouldn't feel comfortable smoking a pipe.)
So it hit me that pipe tobacco could just as easily be rolled into cigarettes. They even make cigarette rolling kits that you can add filters, for people who prefer a filtered smoke.
I know my sister well enough to know that she wouldn't be comfortable with that, either (I haven't gotten a response from her yet, but I know what it'll be), but I started thinking more about the idea.
There are times when smoking a pipe just isn't really practical, and pulling out a pipe 'baccy cigarette would be a lot more convenient. And think about the reaction from people nearby if they saw someone pulling out a cigarette, but instead of nasty cigarette smoke, the aroma of a delicious aromatic pipe tobacco filled the air.
OK, so it wouldn't have the same charm as smoking a pipe, or the same relaxing and flavor enhancing qualities of a good pipe, but it still seems like an easy way to enjoy the flavor and aroma of pipe tobacco in a more convenient form when smoking a pipe just isn't all that practical.
So I decided to bounce the thought off of the forum members here to see what bounces back. Cool idea, or just goofy?

 

[hawk60ce]

Well a lot of RYO tobacco is sold as pipe tobacco so i figure the idea is plausible. Would think it would just burn hot and fast and probably wouldnt have much of a taste.

 

[ace57]

I could see the tax going up on pipe tobacco to what it is on cigarettes if it was sold by a co. and I think that pipe tobacco may be a bit cores to push in a cigarette paper tube. IMO, Keep it in a pipe.

 

[elwin]

I've actually do this, since I'm both a pipe smoker and a cigarette smoker.
There's an upside and a downside to smoking real pipe tobacco in a cigarette form.

As long as the pipe tobacco isn't overly 'stemmy', or extremely coarse cut, you can roll (I actually use and injector type machine) pipe tobacco just fine. You don't want to fill the machine too tightly, or you won't get a good draw. But a little experimenting, and it's works fine.

(On a side note, since these RYO concoctions don't have the 'Fire Stop' process built in to modern cigarettes, they will go out if you don't continue to puff them.)
I remember the first time I lit up one of my RYO's filled with C&D's Autumn Evening at a friends house. I didn't tell her what I had done, but just gently blew a little of the smoke her way. After a minute, she stopped talking, sniffed and said, "What in the HECK is that great smell?" She immediately wanted one to try one.
Now the down side: Most true pipe tobaccos aren't meant to be inhaled.

The physical makeup and chemistry of pipe tobacco aren't quite the same, and some pipe blends can be really harsh if you try to inhale them - even with a filter.
But I will do it from time to time just for a change of pace.

I usually don't inhale them. I just puff and 'snork' them like I would a pipe. And you can get about a 10 minute smoke out of them if you take it easy and don't 'hot box' them. Some of the milder blends can be inhaled - that is, IF you're a cigarette smoker in the first place...
So if you don't mind a little extra experimenting, it can be a fun side note to traditional pipe smoking.

 

[rd02sir]

I'll roll up a cigarette with pipe tobacco sometimes. I find that if its a new blend i'm trying, and since most of my pipes are ghosted with a heavy aro, i can get a purer taste of the new tobacco if rolled into a cigarette. I'll usually do this at least once with a new blend to find better nuances in flavour.

 

[joshwolftree]

makes sense to me but I smoke cigarettes for the nic hit and want to inhale them pipes and thus the tobacco in them are more about the process and the relaxation...but that's just me

 

[nsfisher]

Carter Hall, Dark Birdseye, Kendalls Kentucky, Walnut, Lanes 1-Q, Sir Walter Raliegh etc. can all be hand rolled to make a good smoke.

 

[ejames]

To follow up on what NSfisher said, alot of the OTC tobaccos were originally marketed as pipe and cigarette tobacco.Prince Albert,Half&Half and others.There are some cigarettes being made (American Spirit?) that have perique in them I believe.

 

[cacooper]

American Tobacco Co. did market pipe tobacco cigarettes back in 1964.

They sounded tasty. Wish I could have tried them but I was only 4 years old then.
CACooper

 

[bigmick]

I've done it with OTC burleys. Carter Hall, SWR, Granger and I've used Virginia flake tobacco OGS, PS Navy Flake...works OK, but can be harsh and the burning paper adds a odd flavor. Need to dry the tobacco much more than for use in a pipe.

 

[igloo]

It always strikes me as odd that this casting for cigarette smokers puts them in a caste .

 

[colorduke]

I roll alot of pipe tobacco cigs and take them to work.

 

[foggymountain]

You need to use a shag. I tried rolling some of these (pipe tobacco cigarettes) as a teenager and it doesn't work. The tobacco doesn't burn right for a cigarette and is too strong.

 

[zanthal]

I'm pretty sure this has been done.
Half the appeal for smoking a pipe to me is that I'm not tempted to inhale. I'm well into the heavyweight class, and I need my respiratory system healthy.

 

[kasbah]

Has been done a good deal in the past:

 

[nehemias88]

I thought this was a weird idea once I did light up my first RYO pipe tobacco cig, but it actually proved to be a bit more convenient than a pipe in this bleak winter weather. But i liked it. I rolled up something I call "The Cake Blend" which is something from Sherman's house blends which smells like cake mix. It's not as good in a RYO style than it is in a pipe, I get a nauseous aftertaste of the rice paper in my mouth. Not sure if it's the paper or something else. But it does taint the taste a bit. IMO, pipe tobacco must be enjoyed on a pipe, no matter what the material or conditions.

 

[msandoval858]

Esoterica Dorchester makes a great rolling tobacco. Something I discovered out of pure curiosity on day.
I don't smoke cigs anymore but I still have a lot of rolling papers from when I used to do the RYO thing. Tried on a whim and really enjoyed the smoke.

 

[kennerth]

I have been rolling Frog Morton OTT in rice paper with a filter and have been loving. You get the flavor of the tobacco, a 15 minute smoke, and no clean up. The rice paper leaves no paper smell or taste associated with other papers.
I found that English blends work better than aros in this format. I highly recommend it!

 

[philip]

She agrees that she would probably like pipe tobacco, but she'd never smoke a pipe because of the stigma of women smoking a pipe.

I wouldn't recommend rolling pipe tobacco because I've never met a cigarette smoker who didn't inhale.
Tell your sister that the current Seattle Pipe Club slow smoke champion is a woman.

Check it out.

 

[pipewife]

... There's a stigma about women smoking a pipe ...? Wow, I must be even more out of touch than my son thinks!