What's a Pipe That "Smokes Good"?

[SpookedPiper]

A good smoking pipe is one that brings you more joy than pain. It's as much the pipe as it is the setting and mindset of when you are smoking the pipe. There's a period of relaxation and owning the moment were things just feel right..thats what makes is a good smoker for me.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Straight, 1/8 bend, 1/4, 1/2, Hungarian: All smoke* the same. Preferences, however, may vary.

* All other things being equal, which is rare.

 

[warren]

If the smoker does everything correctly at the beginning, a good pipe will deliver a good smoke. And, if one's stars are in alignment (Your mind is in a good, settled place.) a good pipe will deliver a great smoking experience. Always! It's not a "good" pipe is it doesn't.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I am finding that the ratio of good to bad smokes is improving all the time, and pipes that I thought were a little "meh" are actually good smokers. For the record, I have 11 cobs, 1 MM hardwood, and one briar. I like em all, and already love a few.

Love them as well.

 

[kurtbob]

Love them as well.

View attachment 5772

Y’all are my boys!

 

[UncleRasta]

Love them as well.

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I like these pipes exceedingly

 

[Parsimonious Piper]

On a whim a year ago I bought a cheap Lucienne for $30, mostly because I’d never heard of them. From what I can find online, it’s either walnut or pecan rather than briar. Terribly drilled. I had to drill out the shank and stem just to get a cleaner through it…barely. The stem is slightly bent, so I was afraid to drill too far. Now with patience I can get a bristled cleaner through if it’s disassembled. Has a nice large bowl, but even with the ”fix” the draw is nowhere near open. For the life of me I couldn’t keep it lit. Then a month back I pulled it down for one more try and packed it with C&D’s Star of the East flake, a 50% Latakia. Unbelievably, it was a near perfect bowl. Now it’s dedicated to large cut and flake Lats (too ghosted for anything else) and is a reliably good smoker.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of being too stubborn (and cheap) to toss the pipe, and finding something the dang thing’s good for.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I like these pipes exceedingly

Ah, I see what you did there!

 

[Jef]

If your pipe stem was used by Jethro Tull to record Aqualung, it may not be a good smoker.

LMAO !!! ??

Jef

 

[Worknman]

Ive also always wondered about this idea of a good smoke based upon a particular pipe. Ive never understood people who talk about a pipe not smoking good for the first 50 smokes then all of a sudden it turns into a dream pipe. As long as it doesn't gurgle, get clogged too often, or have too strict/loose of a draw then its a good pipe IMO.

 

[WebsterDitty]

The AK-47 of my pipe collection.

Pretty, it’s not. The pipes’ ugly Oom Paul design like the floppy bent ear of a basset hound rests on my beard - an added arm rest for the times when I’m mouth weary and my clenched kisser needs a break.

Having been dropped several times the metal on its army mount is far from cylindrical. Kitchen plastic wrap forms a thin layer on the end of the mouthpiece - the now tight seal to shank is so sensitive that the air of a hummingbirds wing placed at the bit would be enough to send billows of smoke from it’s massive bowl.

And the mouthpiece. No matter how many bubblegum chews I give that black acrylic snake, it still shines with nary a scratch.

But here’s the magic. Whatever tobacco I pack it with, from codger thumb loose to three pinch full tight it gives an easy soda pop draw that stays as cool as a fall breeze. It’s bowl giving just enough warmth, telling you - I got this. Just sit back and relax. Draw deep or draw soft - it’s all the same rich deep flavor, never ever a hint of ash.

So what’s a pipe that “smokes good”? For me, that’s easy.
My fake Russian Kalashnikov.

 

[Mr.Mike]

For me it's a few things. Number one is how well the airway is drilled so it doesn't gurgle like a hookah. Another is how long it takes to break in. Some new pipes break in in a few months, done years, some never do. Every piece of briar has its own characteristics.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hmmmm. I have no pipe that hasn't broken in, no pipe that smokes poorly. Range from a first bowl magic to up to 40-50 smokes. Most a dozen bowls and they're fine. Then there are the estates (aka used), a few of which needed de-ghosting, but most of which were fine out of the blocks after a hot water flush.

And, webster, are you a copy writer for a marketing division? That's some paean!

 

[hobie1dog]

For me it's a pipe that has a medium to medium open draw.

 

[perryny]

Another is how long it takes to break in. Some new pipes break in in a few months, done years, some never do. Every piece of briar has its own characteristics.

It's statements like this that prompted me to start this thread.

Forgive me, but I have absolutely no idea what this means.

Unless you've got some JimInks tasting skills, I can't imagine your tobacco will taste much different whether you're smoking it out of a clean pipe for the 3rd time or the 30th.

 

[warren]

I never keep a poor smoking pipe for a month, much less "years." If I'm not getting good bowls after a few smokes, out it goes. I don't have the patience nor, the time left, to screw around with poor performing pipes. But, most pipes I buy, in person, across a counter, smoke very well after a couple of bowls. I give them a fairly sever inspection before purchase so I don't have to mess with bad pits, poor fit, cracks, etc.

 

[Worknman]

It's statements like this that prompted me to start this thread.

Forgive me, but I have absolutely no idea what this means.

Unless you've got some JimInks tasting skills, I can't imagine your tobacco will taste much different whether you're smoking it out of a clean pipe for the 3rd time or the 30th.

I here you. I mean, what is "broken in" pipe anyway? One that has some cake buildup?

 

[warren]

"Broken in"? It's a pipe which delivers a great smoke, feels right, etc. All very subjective. Some demand cake, others shun it. Some use honey or other coatings. Others warn against such.

I'll iterate, smoking a pipe is a personal event. There is no one way to load a pipe, smoke a pipe, care for a pipe, or even select a pipe. Many here think there is something arcane (gotta know the secret handshake), about the pipe, something mystical, ethereal. The briar pipe is simply a dead piece of wood constructed so as to deliver deliver nicotine and other chemicals into ones body. Cobs, meerschaums and pipes of other materials all have but the one function. Now, some pipe smokers thoroughly enjoy gifting their pipes with magical properties. Some feel smarter. Others more handsome. A few smokers are sure the pipe improves their mental health, sexual proficiency, ability to ... well, fill in the blank.

New smokers are treated to a all sorts of conflicting information and suggestions. Each of us can pretty much only offer up what we learn from our experiences and prejudices. And, each new smoker can only blaze his own trail to success. Perhaps with a nod or two to some bit of information or a suggestion he may stumble onto here.

I doubt what I consider a great smoking experience wouldn tickle the fancy of many other denizens here.

 

[Mr.Mike]

It's statements like this that prompted me to start this thread.

Forgive me, but I have absolutely no idea what this means.

Unless you've got some JimInks tasting skills, I can't imagine your tobacco will taste much different whether you're smoking it out of a clean pipe for the 3rd time or the 30th.

I totally understand where your coming from. I've been smoking about 10 years and my pallette didn't really go anywhere for the first 5 years. Then, slowly I started tasting things that I used to think were regurgitated opinions of pretentious people. Being a natural material, briar has impurities that can be nuanced by an experienced pallette, and they can take a little time to work out of the briar, or a long time. For me the taste is acrid, similar to trying to smoke that last bit of dottle.

 

[kurtbob]

"Broken in"? It's a pipe which delivers a great smoke, feels right, etc. All very subjective. Some demand cake, others shun it. Some use honey or other coatings. Others warn against such.

I'll iterate, smoking a pipe is a personal event. There is no one way to load a pipe, smoke a pipe, care for a pipe, or even select a pipe. Many here think there is something arcane (gotta know the secret handshake), about the pipe, something mystical, ethereal. The briar pipe is simply a dead piece of wood constructed so as to deliver deliver nicotine and other chemicals into ones body. Cobs, meerschaums and pipes of other materials all have but the one function. Now, some pipe smokers thoroughly enjoy gifting their pipes with magical properties. Some feel smarter. Others more handsome. A few smokers are sure the pipe improves their mental health, sexual proficiency, ability to ... well, fill in the blank.

New smokers are treated to a all sorts of conflicting information and suggestions. Each of us can pretty much only offer up what we learn from our experiences and prejudices. And, each new smoker can only blaze his own trail to success. Perhaps with a nod or two to some bit of information or a suggestion he may stumble onto here.

I doubt what I consider a great smoking experience wouldn tickle the fancy of many other denizens here.

I agree 100%. I had no one to teach me anything about pipe smoking. Started 5 yrs ago with some cobs. No forums, no YouTube, nothing. Learned on my own terms and yes killed a few pipes! Now because I did it myself, man did I learn a lot. Now, never get tongue bite no matter what I choose to smoke or what I smoke it in, very few relights. I can figure out what I need to do real quick to make it enjoyable. Like anything in life worth learning, try, fail, learn and adapt!