The pipe - a thing of the past ?

[mso489]

Right now, pipe smoking seems to be rebounding just a little, so that it is a specialized interest. It's hard to find a comparison, but maybe like making your own ice cream or turning pots on a wheel. In about 1980, I think it took a real plunge. At some point Dunhill re-did its major store as a clothing and luxury boutique with few or no pipes at all. So will pipe smoking hang on as a small band of devotees? Or will it slowly fade as essentially a historical re-enactment when it is done at all? It could attach to some other trend among people, some group taking it up as an adjunct to some other cultural trend unforeseeable. I think it will remain somewhere in the larger picture, but how prominently, I find hard to guess. In my hometown of Park Ridge in suburban Chicago, we had the Park Ridge Pipe Shop for about 30 years. It started as a shop catering to middle aged men. Somewhere in the very early 1970's, it became instead a hangout for counter culture teenagers and young adults, and it remained in that role, right next door to the city hall by the way, until it closed in the mid- or late 1980's as I recall. It always had an elegant inventory of up-scale pipe and custom blending of bulk tobacco. My dad was an inveterate pipe smoker, but it was too fussy for him. I wasn't into pipes, or had moved elsewhere, at the time the shop was in business. The hippy thing didn't appeal to me; I was a non-conformist, but they looked like conformists of a different stripe to me. So I was never part of that scene, which has now faded into history.

 

[drwatson]

Here I my Ohio I have seen about three I past year. But everytime I go to a B&M they run out quick. But I would be willing to bet that there are more in hiding.

 

[derfargin]

I don't see many individuals smoking pipes in Atlanta. I was sitting on I-75 on my way home in the incredibly shitty traffic that we have here, and was smoking my pipe(my only consolation for having to deal with all the cars) and I saw a guy pass me and he was smoking a pipe. I tried my best to catch up with him, just to give him the ol "solidarity" wave but he stayed a good 4 cars in front of me.
I really enjoy meeting people from the forums for bowls from time to time. Great sharing tobacco with like minded enthusiasts. Thus far I've met up with people in NJ, and AZ and my home state of GA. I'm trying to get out to Birmingham to The Briary for a pipe club meeting, but it's tough finding time these days.

 

[haroldt]

Yes, pipe smoking is old-fashioned. It's an indulgence from a by-gone age. And that is precisely what draws me to it. Smoking a pipe is a statement of taste, a rejection of the joyless and mass-produced engineering of addiction that is the cigarette. It's an enjoyment of the slower, the more refined, the ritual as opposed to the habit. It's single malt instead of cheap vodka. It's quality versus quantity. It's mindful appreciation instead of a quick fix.
And that is why I like it.

Well said fearsclave.
And if I might add. Cigarettes... they are easy to smoke; lite and go. Cigars... same principle, but take a more money and a bit a research.
But a pipe! A pipe take more time to understand, to master. Add to that all the ins/outs to learn about the wide variety of tobaccos. It can be over whelming. I would guess this has a lot to why there are so few pipers. And oh, some of us are self conscious of how we look with a pipe in our mouth.
And of course add to all of this the social BS about smoking. I dislike the smell of cigarettes and am glad smoking is not allowed in restaurants; but not in parks, and other large out door areas?? The gov't is way to big these days. But that a whole different topic.

 

[haroldt]

The hippy thing didn't appeal to me

mso489 - funny... you look like a hippy!!! :~)

 

[jpmcwjr]

I was interested in the Illinois connection, hippy or not, mso. (I tried to be one, but failed). Where in Illinois? I grew up in Dwight, 80 Miles SSW of Chicago.

 

[papajoe]

Not many pipe smokers in my city either. Haifa is the 3rd biggest city in Israel and in the last 18 month saw only one pipe smoker. Also tried to open a group for pipe smokers in Israel on FB , only 2 people showed interest in almost a year. I think that’s so sad .

 

[carver]

Yes, pipe smoking is old-fashioned. It's an indulgence from a by-gone age. And that is precisely what draws me to it. Smoking a pipe is a statement of taste, a rejection of the joyless and mass-produced engineering of addiction that is the cigarette. It's an enjoyment of the slower, the more refined, the ritual as opposed to the habit. It's single malt instead of cheap vodka. It's quality versus quantity. It's mindful appreciation instead of a quick fix.

Very well said fearsclave !!

I totally agree. Especially the bit comparing with cigarettes !! Although I was addicted to cigarette for many years, I enjoyed smoking a pipe so much more!

I feel I connect to something deeper more rooted.

 

[jvnshr]

You guys should come to the country where I live in. You are lucky to see 2-3 pipe smokers in a year. I am 29 years old and I have seen 3 pipe smokers in my country throughout my whole life I was a kid when I saw a pipe smoker for the first time, he was an old guy hitting his pipe against a wooden wall to clean it, I always thought that was the way of cleaning it. Another one was a middle aged man in a wedding ceremony. The last one is a friend I know, he quit cigarette smoking and took pipe smoking instead and inhales the pipe smoke which I don't like at all. Cigar smoking increased a little bit recently, but those who smoke cigars don't smoke just because they enjoy it, but to look cool. Interestingly, lots of people used to smoke tobacco in the past here. Thus, the breakfast word literally translated as pipeunder (under the pipe - in pre-pipe meaning), people used to smoke a lot, so to prevent the damage caused by tobacco they used to eat before smoking. Same things goes with the coffee in Turkey, breakfast is called coffeeunder literally (under the coffee - in pre-coffee meaning), they drank lots of coffee, so to prevent the damage caused by coffee to an empty stomach they used to have some snacks before drinking coffee.

Yes, pipe smoking is old-fashioned. It's an indulgence from a by-gone age. And that is precisely what draws me to it. Smoking a pipe is a statement of taste, a rejection of the joyless and mass-produced engineering of addiction that is the cigarette. It's an enjoyment of the slower, the more refined, the ritual as opposed to the habit. It's single malt instead of cheap vodka. It's quality versus quantity. It's mindful appreciation instead of a quick fix.
And that is why I like it.

totally agree with that. because of the taxes, cigarette prices are really low compared to USA or European countries, so people tend to smoke cigarettes more than anything else here.

 

[jkrug]

Interesting observation and one I've not thought much about until now. Come to think of it I haven't seen a single pipe smoker in my town in all the years I've lived there. ::

 

[shawnofthedead]

It shouldn't be a thing of the past, nowadays tobacco is viewed as something dangerous and harmful, all thanks to the infamous cigarettes, but people need to realise that there is a sensible and (dare I say it) correct way to enjoy tobacco, that is via pipes and cigars.

 

[seagullplayer]

I got a neighbor and a BIL that are pipe smokers.
I don't know any "strangers" that smoke a pipe.
But I do see inventory moving off the shelf at the store, so somebody must be.
I suspect there are more closet pipers than we think.

 

[butsushin]

redpanda,
I am from Hungary where pipe smoking was and is a "thing".... although you do not see much people in the capital smoking one of them.... we have a pipe factory, some local (mostly unknown) carvers and local online community around the hobby
but as for Cyprus...? I am frequently there and Yiannos Kokkinos is a great great carver (Kokkinos pipes...) I have several of his pipes and love every one of them. http://kokkinospipes.weebly.com/ They do have a pipe club that meets on Saturdays in Larnaca...
Contact him he is a very nice guy and will surely introduce you to the rest of the bunch

 

[deathmetal]

The hippy thing didn't appeal to me; I was a non-conformist, but they looked like conformists of a different stripe to me.

Excellent observation. If you ask me, the hippies were hipsters cloning the beatniks.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I suspect there are more closet pipers than we think.

There many, many guys who just smoke their pipe in front of the TV at night. As a pipe club we try to drag these guys out to join us. And, I suspect there are many guys who buy a pipe and a baggie of an aromatic, go home, burn their tongues and toss it all into a drawer. Same as guitars, buy one, try to play it, hurt their fingers, toss it in a closet. If everyone who has a piano in their home or walked out of a music store with a guitar became an actual musician, we might actually have better music to choose from now-a-days.

 

[deathmetal]

In about 1980, I think it took a real plunge.

About the same time everything sped up, a great urgency toward progress or industry in lieu of anything else to do.

And, I suspect there are many guys who buy a pipe and a baggie of an aromatic, go home, burn their tongues and toss it all into a drawer. Same as guitars, buy one, try to play it, hurt their fingers, toss it in a closet.

I concur. Then again, those who forge on are driven; the others may have found the challenges insufficient or too great.
It would be great if some of the online pipe/tobacco vendors would put together Advocacy Packs. A cob pipe, a bundle of pipe cleaners, a pipe nail, and a few .25oz samples of their house blends. Most people would pay $10 to help a friend or acquaintance find a comforting activity suitable for doing alone, as much of our lives are spent in this world.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It would be great if some of the online pipe/tobacco vendors would put together Advocacy Packs. A cob pipe, a bundle of pipe cleaners, a pipe nail, and a few .25oz samples of their house blends. Most people would pay $10 to help a friend or acquaintance find a comforting activity suitable for doing alone, as much of our lives are spent in this world.

Just in spending time setting in a B&M smoking lounge and watching people bring buddies in to get them started, I don't think that works. Human nature. They have to want to. Want to enough to make an investment. Would giving someone a crappy $20 guitar make them a future guitar player? There is a slight possibility. But, those street kids who save up sweat, blood, and tears to purchase their first guitars are usually the kids that are driven enough to master it. Same with pipes. If they are driven enough to shell out some bucks to get started on their own, they are more likely candidates for continuing. I have seen so many first timers come in with buddies, buy a cob and a bag of tobacco and fall off the map. In fact, I have never seen someone who started off with a free cob and an enthusiastic buddy buying the stuff for him come back into the store. It's just too easy, too easy to toss it and buy a cigar. People that want the easy way usually prefer cigars anyway.

That's just my opinion based on what I've seen.

If you want someone to join you, give him hoops to jump through. Like a fraternity. Those guys don;t want people to join, and yet every year million of guys beg to be humiliated to become a frat boy. Best thing we can do to get more pipe smokers, let them see us smoke our pipes, and push them away, like they aren't worthy when they start wanting to more info. Just send them here to this forum, and we can start the hazing process, ha ha.

 

[deathmetal]

But, those street kids who save up sweat, blood, and tears to purchase their first guitars are usually the kids that are driven enough to master it.

In my experience, there are great musicians of both types. What really makes the difference is understanding of music through an appreciation of it.

 

[brudnod]

Hell, in the DC area, you are hard pressed to find a cigarette smoker! The laws and prejudices are just too strong. I am a solitary smoker and probably will always be that way.

 

[mso489]

Picking up the thread here, pipe smoking kits aimed at beginners probably serve a purpose, but I think buying the individual items including the tobacco is a really good education on pipe smoking. A person ought to focus on that pipe, the different options, the filters or not, the shapes, bent or straight, brands, pricing, and not just have something handed to them. Or if buying just a cob to start, to look at that in all its dimensions. And the pipe cleaners, and the pipe tool. I can appreciate in certain situations -- living seventy miles from a pipe shop, or being too busy to extensively review online retailers -- where a starter kit would make having a smoke possible. But when a beginner can select their own "kit," it moves them along in a way a packaged kit may not. In more limiting situations, like sending a pipe to a serviceman or woman in a remote duty station, a kit might well be perfect.