What is Appealing about Pipe Smoking?

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brandaves

Can't Leave
Jan 5, 2020
347
2,661
Kentucky
I love tobacco/nicotine is what initially drew me to the pipe. I was dipping a lot and worked in a job where I wasn't permitted to while on the job. I would get pretty agitated by the end of the day and my nic cravings were seriously having a negative impact on my home and work life. I read somewhere that pipes delivered nicotine without the need to inhale and users often reported a drop off in nic cravings when compared to other nic delivery systems (cigs, dip, etc.). This was enough to get me on board. Before long pipes became my exclusive tobacco outlet. This very quickly brought about a much deeper dive into tobacco and pipes. I began to see pipes as art and to weigh that with their function. I wanted pieces that not only caught my eye but felt nice in the hand and smoked wonderfully. Trying new blends became an obsession. I love the taste of tobacco. Closing my eyes on the retrohale and picking out the character that each condiment tobacco is adding to a blend. Pipes allow me meaningful time with myself. I will often bird watch while piping and I seem to see things that I just don't notice without a pipe. The smell of Virginia tobacco that lingers on my hands and body after a smoke is incredible. The natural caramel, vanilla, Graham cracker sweetness that sticks to you is just pure nostalgia. I can close my eyes and be back on my great grandfather's porch in Kentucky...thats a pretty magical thing.
 

johnscs

Might Stick Around
May 23, 2009
87
90
Title edited for caps and brevity.

ChatGPT:

People find different things appealing about pipe smoking, and it can vary from person to person. Here are some common reasons why people enjoy pipe smoking:

  1. Flavor and aroma: Pipe tobacco comes in many different flavors and blends, and smokers can enjoy the different aromas and tastes of the tobacco. Some people enjoy the complexity of different flavors and enjoy trying new blends.
  2. Relaxation: Pipe smoking can be a way to relax and unwind after a long day. The ritual of packing and lighting a pipe, then sitting down to enjoy it, can be a calming and meditative experience for some people.
  3. Socialization: Pipe smoking can be a social activity, and many people enjoy sharing a smoke with friends or family members. It can be a way to connect with others who share a similar interest in pipes and tobacco.
  4. Aesthetics: Some people find the look and feel of a pipe to be appealing. Pipes come in many different styles and materials, and some people enjoy collecting and displaying them.
  5. Nostalgia: Pipe smoking has a long history, and some people enjoy the nostalgia associated with smoking a pipe. It can be a way to connect with past generations and historical traditions.
For an AI that hasn't actually experienced the pleasure of smoking a pipe (or anything else, for that matter), ChatGPT pretty well captures how I'd answer the prompt. As a few others have added, smoking a pipe offers the benefit of modest nic intake (assuming the smoker inhales only minimally) without the likelihood of addiction. Before I tried a pipe for the first time, a primary attraction was the prospect of smoking without inhaling. A less consequential but still appealing aspect of pipe smoking is that pipes and pipe tobacco were reasonably accessible to me as a teenager (I could easily borrow an older family member's pipe and a bowl of tobacco, and it was almost no trouble to buy a pipe and pipe tobacco of my own when I got bold enough to try).
 
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Scottmi

Lifer
Oct 15, 2022
3,063
40,848
Orcas, WA
For an AI that hasn't actually experienced the pleasure of smoking a pipe (or anything else, for that matter), ChatGPT pretty well captures how I'd answer the prompt. As a few others have added, smoking a pipe offers the benefit of modest nic intake (assuming the smoker inhales only minimally) without the likelihood of addiction. Before I tried a pipe for the first time, a primary attraction was the prospect of smoking without inhaling.
Amen. Yet I can still feel like a sailor just back to shore with a full bowl of Royal Yacht, and I am learning the joys of the retrohale. Also, Nic ain't the bad guy it's been made out to be, methinks. All the other crap one inhales (when one inhales) is what does one in.
 

Raebo

Lurker
Feb 18, 2023
7
23
Edmonton Alberta Canada
The past no longer exists, the future is a negative egoic illusion.
The unconscious thinking 🤔 mind is repetitive mental noise and is highly destructive. (Monkey Brain)
Pipe smoking keeps me focused on the "Now" the present conscious mind.
The power of living in the "Now" is our pathway to becoming spiritually aware.'
Quieting the mind while being stoically still in the silence of the "Now" while pipe smoking is transformative and enlightening.
Be the watcher, the witness of your conscious presence.
 
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sham

(theSHAMOO)
May 20, 2022
111
378
Charlotte, NC
The past no longer exists, the future is a negative egoic illusion.
The unconscious thinking 🤔 mind is repetitive mental noise and is highly destructive. (Monkey Brain)
Pipe smoking keeps me focused on the "Now" the present conscious mind.
The power of living in the "Now" is our pathway to becoming spiritually aware.'
Quieting the mind while being stoically still in the silence of the "Now" while pipe smoking is transformative and enlightening.
Be the watcher, the witness of your conscious presence.
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SBC

Lifer
Oct 6, 2021
1,518
7,240
NE Wisconsin
I think it's worth pointing out that we aren't born with a desire for smoke, like we're born with a desire for food and drink. So, smoking is an acquired desire.

This means that we can differentiate between the questions, "Why did you acquire the desire at the beginning?" and "What is that desire now?"

In my case, I acquired the desire at the beginning because I admired Tokien and Lewis. That may be silly, but I'm not alone in that silliness.

As for the shape that the desire took, after awhile -- well, as for many of you, it became multi-facted:
  • I grew an affection for the pipes themselves. These little bits of functional art are compelling to accumulate.

  • I acquired a taste for certain sorts of tobacco, and I enjoy their flavors.

  • The little rituals inolved in pipe smoking, like all good rituals, give a certain organic rhythm to the mind and body that we humans tend to flourish in.

  • I do find that I relax on multiple levels when I have a pipe. This may be due in part to the ritual, in part to the breathing cadence, in part to sitting down and focusing on something simple for a block of time, and in part to the nicotine (although I don't like heavy-N, it may be that smaller amounts are influencing my relaxation more than I realize).
But although many of us have similar reasons to KEEP pipe smoking, many of us have different reasons that we STARTED pipe smoking.