I’m in the US and haven’t seen another pipe smoker in the wild since my art school days when my painting professor would smoke his pipe outside during break. That was in 2005? 2006? And I didn't smoke back then.
UK Pipe Smokers....or Lack Thereof
- Thread starter Gregg1980
- Start date
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Oh no im sure it's beautiful. I meant is it worth it pipe smoking if you have to pay 300 percent duty. I guess if friends are bringing it over then its ok. Where there is a will there is a way!
I'm visiting a tourist spot tomorrow. I'll take my camera and go hunting.
It's pretty strict in the UK, but you can still smoke on public streets (for now). The reason you don't smoke in Oxford Cricus or Picadilly is because you'd have to be a complete lunatic and/or a tourist to ever want to go there. If you do go there, you will sure as hell need a smoke to get over it.
greg1980, I urge you to get connected with the pipe club of London. They have monthly meetings at a smoke friendly pub and they have special events from time to time. Incredibly interesting and nice group of gents (and a few ladies) and very welcoming.
As a fellow Brit, I can confirm that pipe smokers are rarer than rocking horse shit; though I was talking to an old fella smoking an old Falcon full of a home made cherry blend fairly recently so we aren’t completely extinct.
when I think back on how my old Grandad and other pipe smokers used to smoke their pipes in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s I can only put it down changes in the smoking landscape. There was a time when people could walk into a butchers with a pipe in and no one would bat an eyelid - I’ve got a vague recollection of being take to the Doctors as a nipper and he was smoking a pipe in his surgery but he could well have been the exception, not the rule, in a quite village surgery?
I find it difficult to find the time to smoke in a similar way - what I mean to say is, my Grandad used to have a “round” of old fellas hair that he would cut every other week so, on pension day (Thursday) we would walk up and down the village, going into people’s houses to cut hair. As far as I remember there was only one house where my grandad didn’t smoke anything and that was Mester Crofts house; he was a carpenter and had wood shavings everywhere so not sure if that was the reason they didn’t smoke?
I do have quite clear memories that just about everyone smoked something back then?
I know, when I go to the pub, the pipe rarely comes on the outing. England is by no means as cold as Alaska or the Yukon in the winter but it’s cold enough to stop you sitting outside the back of a pub and puffing on a pipe for half an hour. I would definitely take it out if we could still smoke inside; that being said, when looking back on smoking in pubs, it was crazy - many’s the time you opened the tap room door and couldn’t see more than 3ft into the low hanging cloud of smoke.
I recall a friends dad would get through a 25g pouch of Mellow Virginia each day, constantly lighting it, having a couple of puffs at it, letting it go out, then relighting it, couple of puffs and let it die out before repeating - he staunchly refused to not smoke in the paper shop when he went in to buy his daily pouch - the pipe was in his mouth, lit or unlit, from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to bed and then he left it on the night stand ready to be picked up the next morning.
With the opportunities to smoke publicly being ever more limited, I guess most of us left keep it for the house, shed or garden?
when I think back on how my old Grandad and other pipe smokers used to smoke their pipes in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s I can only put it down changes in the smoking landscape. There was a time when people could walk into a butchers with a pipe in and no one would bat an eyelid - I’ve got a vague recollection of being take to the Doctors as a nipper and he was smoking a pipe in his surgery but he could well have been the exception, not the rule, in a quite village surgery?
I find it difficult to find the time to smoke in a similar way - what I mean to say is, my Grandad used to have a “round” of old fellas hair that he would cut every other week so, on pension day (Thursday) we would walk up and down the village, going into people’s houses to cut hair. As far as I remember there was only one house where my grandad didn’t smoke anything and that was Mester Crofts house; he was a carpenter and had wood shavings everywhere so not sure if that was the reason they didn’t smoke?
I do have quite clear memories that just about everyone smoked something back then?
I know, when I go to the pub, the pipe rarely comes on the outing. England is by no means as cold as Alaska or the Yukon in the winter but it’s cold enough to stop you sitting outside the back of a pub and puffing on a pipe for half an hour. I would definitely take it out if we could still smoke inside; that being said, when looking back on smoking in pubs, it was crazy - many’s the time you opened the tap room door and couldn’t see more than 3ft into the low hanging cloud of smoke.
I recall a friends dad would get through a 25g pouch of Mellow Virginia each day, constantly lighting it, having a couple of puffs at it, letting it go out, then relighting it, couple of puffs and let it die out before repeating - he staunchly refused to not smoke in the paper shop when he went in to buy his daily pouch - the pipe was in his mouth, lit or unlit, from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to bed and then he left it on the night stand ready to be picked up the next morning.
With the opportunities to smoke publicly being ever more limited, I guess most of us left keep it for the house, shed or garden?
Out of interest, do you pay U.K prices for baccy or Spanish prices? And what’s wrong with Erinmore mixture?!?! ?
When I was growing up everyone smoked a pipe or so it seemed to me. My Father, his brothers, my Uncles. In the Boy Scouts most of the Fathers seemed to smoke a pipe, the Scout Master and my teachers at school. You got to see a huge cross section of society on market day between pipe smokers and those who seem to live with hand rolled cigarette perpetually stuck in the corner of their mouths. I remember at University I was the only pipe smoker, everyone else was into faux working class outrage even though they were the product of some minor private school and daddy was 'something' in the city! These days I don't see that many pipe smokers unless I pitch up at the Florida pipe get togethers organized by Mark, in NY the figure is pretty thin on the ground. I will be interested to see what the U.K looks like upon my return!
Nah, I smoke too. Good to know there's atleast one more smoker in this world!
We pay about 7 pounds for 50 grams of pipe tobacco currently. I get most of mine shipped from Germany though, so I pay about 10 euros per 50 grams, depending on the brand.
Also Erinmore mixture is foul. I think I am in the majority on this position. The flake on the other hand is quite nice, though a little strong.
That’s less than half mainland U.K price. I suppose, if it was more expensive, you could just pop into Spain and buy it cheaper?
Each to their own on the Erinmore front; I like the flake, mainly because it holds memories for me, the mixture is alright but I’ve not bought any in a while so it could be complete dog ? for all I know.
Probably a good thing. If someone was there to smoke a pipe they were doing it for a little peace. Harassing them for photos would be rude even worse if they were unaware that you were doing it.
I smoke outdoors because my wife has health problems which are aggravated by the smoke (she actually likes the smell of most of my tobaccos so no problem smoking if we are out in the open together).
So... ...in the centre of a city with 25m people... ...I've seen 3 other pipe smokers:
- local nutter (bur friendly and harmless - I think) who's more often than not dressed as Super Mario (nope, I don't know why)
- old tramp who smokes a corncob
- and surprisingly a couple of months back a young man(well, definitely <30) smoking a very nice looking Bulldog
er, that's it. Admittedly Sao Paulo covers a huge area so there are probably a few more somewhere; certainly I've seen pipes for sale locally.
Saw one or two in Sydney. Don't think I've seen any in the wild in London but I've not been there since 2018.
So... ...in the centre of a city with 25m people... ...I've seen 3 other pipe smokers:
- local nutter (bur friendly and harmless - I think) who's more often than not dressed as Super Mario (nope, I don't know why)
- old tramp who smokes a corncob
- and surprisingly a couple of months back a young man(well, definitely <30) smoking a very nice looking Bulldog
er, that's it. Admittedly Sao Paulo covers a huge area so there are probably a few more somewhere; certainly I've seen pipes for sale locally.
Saw one or two in Sydney. Don't think I've seen any in the wild in London but I've not been there since 2018.
Ohh if there are some nice looking tobacco shops in your area, next time you post in What Are You Smoking, please show some pics from time to time. I’d love, and I’m sure others too, love seeing places around the world.
Cheers Mate! ??
P.S. They must be smoking over there, I can’t believe with Gawith, there’s no local action. Guess ya need to hunt around for the blokes hanging in the Pipe Pubs...
Here in New Mexico we have alot of fires going on around us. They have signs on the road reading "don't throw cigarettes out your window help prevent wild fires. Yet they were started by controlled burns. Just another thing to blame on Tobacco which had nothing ti do with the fires. Go's to show the bias toward smokers of any kind.Sounds like in the U.S.. I think it's safe to say they are smoking at home to avoid all the anti-smoking harassment.
I guess I have to ask....did the little "Nose Picker" get a good sniff of the tobaccy and what was his reaction?
You should have offered him a chew!
When I lived in Greece I knew three pipe smokers in my neighbourhood, also my boss’s husband smokes a pipe, and there are a handful of semi decent pipe shops (all selling mediocre pipe tobacco though). Other than that, in the wild, maybe saw 5 pipe smokers in Athens over 5-6 years.
In Switzerland on the other hand I see pipe smokers in the wild semi regularly.
In Switzerland on the other hand I see pipe smokers in the wild semi regularly.
Still spot the odd pipe smoker, whenever I'm in town. Nearly always a falcon. Germany is the place to see pipesmokers, especially Berlin. Young, old, they all seemed to be at it.