You look lousy!!

[louisrmantha]

Hello my fellow pipe smokers, I would like to talk about the tobacco pipe greatest weakness:

“PUBLIC IMAGE”
Simple in the public eye we are: the grandpas, the hillbillies, the seaman and (this is my favourite) the tacky. That’s why the anti-tobacco groups are hinting us the hardest and leave cigars alone. Lock at cigar smokers’ public image: they are the rich, the successful, the elegant and the tough. This has to stop if we want the pipe tobacco industry to survive the next decade. Luckily the pipe tobacco smokers’ public image still has old concept imbedded in it that are favourable for us: we are intellectuals, calm and pipe tobacco smell nice. But we still need a lot of work if we want to change the public perception.
Why should we let the cigar smokers get all the glory? Our pipes are more expensive, there was a lot of care and conception in their creation, pipe tobacco is much more intricate and complex then any cigar or wine and it demands some skill to exercise. In the end we’ll get the shaft if we don’t act now.
Let’s start with your internet image. Toss away those casual photos and avatars, no more baseball cap, t-shirts, blue jeans and checker shirts. Dress-up a bit, put your evening cloths and polish your look. Put a nice scenery behind you like a nice bar, new building, sport car or expensive house. You don’t need to own it or be a regular costumer, it’s just for the looks. If you do video blogs, this is the perfect opportunity to get a larger viewing public. Make yourself look more professional by dress up your filming area a bit, put better lighting, prepare your text a bit and use trendy words like: zen, stylish, buff, doogie, etc... These small efforts will help a lot and give us more glamour.
When in public smoke pipe tobaccos with a pleasant room note and when people stop you to ask about pipe smoking just give the relaxing benefits of our pass-time. People now a day are very stressed and are trying to find ways to get rid of it. Remember, in the public image we are still intellectuals and calm so your words have more weigh. When you’re emptying your pipe in public, do it in a flower pot or next to a tree. If someone asks, just say it’s very green and it enriches the soil. Being green is very trendy.
There are already a lot of people and companies that are currently working on the tobacco pipe image, we just need to give them a helping hand and make this beautiful pass-time more glamorous then cigars and win. It won’t happen over night but we will get there. You’ve already contributed a lot by posting a wealth of information on the internet and all you need to do is polish your image a bit.
Louis Mantha

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Um…………WOW?

"That’s why the anti-tobacco groups are hinting us the hardest and leave cigars alone."

Where have you been hiding? I understand the point you're attempting to make regarding the image of pipe smokers and the bits of humor are well appreciated. But you're flat out wrong.
First off, pipe tobacco has been off the radar for years as the cigarette companies have been slammed with taxes and lest we forget the MSA (master settlement agreement). Cigars are now single handedly covering SCHIP so I have absolutely no clue where you got the idea that cigars are being left alone. These new laws and restrictions are crippling the cigar industry. Only now have legislators looked towards pipe tobacco as a nice little stream of revenue but it came well after cigarettes and after cigars.
Check out my article here for more details: http://pipesmagazine.com/thecigarsoldier/pipe-smoking/hello-world/
Sorry to sound so pissed off but these attitudes can not be allowed to prevail in this day and age. Pipe smokers are chastised no more than any other tobacco user and continuing to segment yourself as better then any other will be the death of our hobby. I HATE cigarettes! That's right, HATE em'. Can't stand the smell of them and the arrogance of those a' holes that leave cigarette butts all over make me want to puke. But they have a right to smoke them just as you have a right to smoke a pipe. They don't help our cause to curtail smoking bans with these careless actions but we do need their support.
I added a post the other day about a junk science article in Parade magazine that was bashing pipe and cigar smoking. Five replies. Yep five. Excuse me but are you fucking kidding me?! No wonder smoking bans pass with little to no opposition. Everyone here sits around pissing and moaning about taxes, bans, pricing and big government but no one wants to do anything about it until the actually have to vote. Apparently what's in your CD player is way more important than speaking out against the anti-smoking establishment even when I spoon feed you link.
Louis, I hope you don’t think I'm picking on you but as someone who devotes countless hours to running a cigar club and website, works part time in a tobacco shop and is one of only two ambassadors for the Cigar Rights of America in the state of Wisconsin, I know the fight we face as tobacco users. Polishing up the image of pipe users is a good thing and I support those efforts, but doing it at the expense of cigars and segregating ourselves will only guarantee a slow and painful death to the tobacco industry as a whole.
I guess this one should have been posted under rants, sorry about the Phil.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Um…………WOW?

"That’s why the anti-tobacco groups are hinting us the hardest and leave cigars alone."

Where have you been hiding? I understand the point you're attempting to make regarding the image of pipe smokers and the bits of humor are well appreciated. But you're flat out wrong.
First off, pipe tobacco has been off the radar for years as the cigarette companies have been slammed with taxes and lest we forget the MSA (master settlement agreement). Cigars are now single handedly covering SCHIP so I have absolutely no clue where you got the idea that cigars are being left alone. These new laws and restrictions are crippling the cigar industry. Only now have legislators looked towards pipe tobacco as a nice little stream of revenue but it came well after cigarettes and after cigars.
Check out my article here for more details: http://pipesmagazine.com/thecigarsoldier/pipe-smoking/hello-world/
Sorry to sound so pissed off but these attitudes can not be allowed to prevail in this day and age. Pipe smokers are chastised no more than any other tobacco user and continuing to segment yourself as better then any other will be the death of our hobby. I HATE cigarettes! That's right, HATE em'. Can't stand the smell of them and the arrogance of those a' holes that leave cigarette butts all over make me want to puke. But they have a right to smoke them just as you have a right to smoke a pipe. They don't help our cause to curtail smoking bans with these careless actions but we do need their support.
I added a post the other day about a junk science article in Parade magazine that was bashing pipe and cigar smoking. Five replies. Yep five. Excuse me but are you fucking kidding me?! No wonder smoking bans pass with little to no opposition. Everyone here sits around pissing and moaning about taxes, bans, pricing and big government but no one wants to do anything about it until the actually have to vote. Apparently what's in your CD player is way more important than speaking out against the anti-smoking establishment even when I spoon feed you link.
Louis, I hope you don’t think I'm picking on you but as someone who devotes countless hours to running a cigar club and website, works part time in a tobacco shop and is one of only two ambassadors for the Cigar Rights of America in the state of Wisconsin, I know the fight we face as tobacco users. Polishing up the image of pipe users is a good thing and I support those efforts, but doing it at the expense of cigars and segregating ourselves will only guarantee a slow and painful death to the tobacco industry as a whole.
I guess this one should have been posted under rants, sorry about the Phil.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Um…………WOW?

"That’s why the anti-tobacco groups are hinting us the hardest and leave cigars alone."

Where have you been hiding? I understand the point you're attempting to make regarding the image of pipe smokers and the bits of humor are well appreciated. But you're flat out wrong.
First off, pipe tobacco has been off the radar for years as the cigarette companies have been slammed with taxes and lest we forget the MSA (master settlement agreement). Cigars are now single handedly covering SCHIP so I have absolutely no clue where you got the idea that cigars are being left alone. These new laws and restrictions are crippling the cigar industry. Only now have legislators looked towards pipe tobacco as a nice little stream of revenue but it came well after cigarettes and after cigars.
Check out my article here for more details: http://pipesmagazine.com/thecigarsoldier/pipe-smoking/hello-world/
Sorry to sound so pissed off but these attitudes can not be allowed to prevail in this day and age. Pipe smokers are chastised no more than any other tobacco user and continuing to segment yourself as better then any other will be the death of our hobby. I HATE cigarettes! That's right, HATE em'. Can't stand the smell of them and the arrogance of those a' holes that leave cigarette butts all over make me want to puke. But they have a right to smoke them just as you have a right to smoke a pipe. They don't help our cause to curtail smoking bans with these careless actions but we do need their support.
I added a post the other day about a junk science article in Parade magazine that was bashing pipe and cigar smoking. Five replies. Yep five. Excuse me but are you fucking kidding me?! No wonder smoking bans pass with little to no opposition. Everyone here sits around pissing and moaning about taxes, bans, pricing and big government but no one wants to do anything about it until the actually have to vote. Apparently what's in your CD player is way more important than speaking out against the anti-smoking establishment even when I spoon feed you link.
Louis, I hope you don’t think I'm picking on you but as someone who devotes countless hours to running a cigar club and website, works part time in a tobacco shop and is one of only two ambassadors for the Cigar Rights of America in the state of Wisconsin, I know the fight we face as tobacco users. Polishing up the image of pipe users is a good thing and I support those efforts, but doing it at the expense of cigars and segregating ourselves will only guarantee a slow and painful death to the tobacco industry as a whole.
I guess this one should have been posted under rants, sorry about the Phil.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Um…………WOW?

"That’s why the anti-tobacco groups are hinting us the hardest and leave cigars alone."

Where have you been hiding? I understand the point you're attempting to make regarding the image of pipe smokers and the bits of humor are well appreciated. But you're flat out wrong.
First off, pipe tobacco has been off the radar for years as the cigarette companies have been slammed with taxes and lest we forget the MSA (master settlement agreement). Cigars are now single handedly covering SCHIP so I have absolutely no clue where you got the idea that cigars are being left alone. These new laws and restrictions are crippling the cigar industry. Only now have legislators looked towards pipe tobacco as a nice little stream of revenue but it came well after cigarettes and after cigars.
Check out my article here for more details: http://pipesmagazine.com/thecigarsoldier/pipe-smoking/hello-world/
Sorry to sound so pissed off but these attitudes can not be allowed to prevail in this day and age. Pipe smokers are chastised no more than any other tobacco user and continuing to segment yourself as better then any other will be the death of our hobby. I HATE cigarettes! That's right, HATE em'. Can't stand the smell of them and the arrogance of those a' holes that leave cigarette butts all over make me want to puke. But they have a right to smoke them just as you have a right to smoke a pipe. They don't help our cause to curtail smoking bans with these careless actions but we do need their support.
I added a post the other day about a junk science article in Parade magazine that was bashing pipe and cigar smoking. Five replies. Yep five. Excuse me but are you fucking kidding me?! No wonder smoking bans pass with little to no opposition. Everyone here sits around pissing and moaning about taxes, bans, pricing and big government but no one wants to do anything about it until the actually have to vote. Apparently what's in your CD player is way more important than speaking out against the anti-smoking establishment even when I spoon feed you link.
Louis, I hope you don’t think I'm picking on you but as someone who devotes countless hours to running a cigar club and website, works part time in a tobacco shop and is one of only two ambassadors for the Cigar Rights of America in the state of Wisconsin, I know the fight we face as tobacco users. Polishing up the image of pipe users is a good thing and I support those efforts, but doing it at the expense of cigars and segregating ourselves will only guarantee a slow and painful death to the tobacco industry as a whole.
I guess this one should have been posted under rants, sorry about the Phil.

 

[jonesing]

no.

 

[louisrmantha]

Interesting point of view! I believed that the tobacco situation between Canada and the USA where similar. I completely understand your frustration and your desire to change things for your pass-time. But if Canadian anti-tobacco law are a preview of future US laws than you have my sympathy. Here are a few stupid, but enforced, restrictions that all tobacco shops and tobacco smokers in Quebec must endure.

-No tobacco products must be seen by the public.

-No singular items can be sold if it’s under 10.00$

-The word pipe, cigar, tobacco and any other word that could be an incentive to smoke are illegal.

-No smoking allowed in a 27 feet radius around any public building. If caught, fist offenders get a 500$ fine, and for repeated offenders 3000$ each time.

-Only the few remaining cigar lounges are allowed to have a smoking clientele, they are not allowed to serve food, they must acquire a certain amount cigar sales if they want to keep their licence and no new cigar lounge can be created.

That’s only to name a few. There are 3 official tobacco shops in Montreal that sales pipe tobacco and the health inspectors are just pounding on them like crazy. They got most of the others and now there are only one family of pipe makers left in Québec, the Blatter. Let’s not forget that we have been taxed on these fine products for ages.

If I decide to act to change something, I’ll be slap down like a junky. Because now our days in the public eye all tobacco products are evil. That’s why I’m trying to change the public image of the pipe smokers and bring it closer to wine tasting.

Regarding the cigar smoker image vs the pipe smoker image. Most of the cigar magazines have well dressed celebrities with their favourite cigar. All we get is a pipe rack and some pipes. It’s not the publishers fault; most pipe smoking celebrities are quite old or dead. In the public eye cigars mean wealth and that image help a lot of pass-time or products to become popular: wine tasting, golf, cars, TV’s, DVD’s , SUVs’, cell phones, etc..

That’s what the pipe smokers should aim for and that the cigar smokers should keep until that bastard child “the cigarette” gets disassociated with us.

Well glad that you shared your point of view.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Louis,

Thanks for understanding that my verbal assault was not directed at you, I’m easily wound up. We’re dealing with many of the same insane laws you are forced to tolerate and if we continue to sit on our collective asses it will only get worse.

Unfortunately the images portrayed in the most popular magazine related to cigars, Cigar Aficionado is not a true representation of real cigar smokers. Bear with me for a few paragraphs on this.
I'm normally not an overly excitable guy when I have to get the mail because it usually consists of bills or adds for shit I'll never buy. The only time there is a ray of light is if I get a new cigar catalog, my Leinie's Lodge newsletter or my issue of The Coconut Telegraph. As a subscriber, I received my issue of Watch Aficionado, err, I mean Cuba Aficionado. No wait; it was Car and Driver Aficionado. Sorry about that guys it was actually Poker Aficionado, yes that was it. What the FUCK?! Could there be another magazine with cigar in the title that has less about cigars in it than an issue of Runners Digest? It's like reading the Robb Report with a footnote about cigars. How the hell do you explain a cigar I've never heard of getting a full page add on the opposite page of its stellar “blind" rating. What a pile of horseshit! The editors of this rag have long backed their decision in May of 2000 to change the cover layout claiming that reducing the font size of the word "Cigar" and accentuating the word "Aficionado" as a purely aesthetic change. They claim that the magazine still has just as much or slightly more about cigars in it even with the makeover. Well boys, a little more than a little is still a little.
CA is not a magazine for lovers of the leaf, it’s for guys that dream of owning their own private jet or cant’ decide which $300,000 car to buy. I wish I had those kinds of problems and every now and then it’s fun to dream. The problem is that this pompas uber rich upper class connotation has been unjustly assigned to anyone that enjoys a premium cigar and this magazine is not helping. It’s flat out wrong. Yes, cigars historically had been portrayed as relegated to the upper class and CA does nothing to squelch that myth. But aside from those assholes that smoke cigars purely for fashion sake, I can honestly tell you the vast majority now do it for the same reason the guys here smoke pipes. Because it’s relaxing and we enjoy it. I will guarantee there are guys on this site that own a single pipe more expensive than many guys annual cigar budget.
Don’t let the false images of a magazine with a small section devoted to cigars be the basis for judging true cigar smokers. We as pipe smokers need to take our pipes in public and be proud of our decision to smoke them and with guys like you Louis, the image can slowly change. Cigars were my first passion and now my fondness for pipes made me realize that both of my hobbies are under assault. I joined the Cigar Rights of America and was elected as an Ambassador for CRA because it’s the only group fighting for the rights of tobacco users. Don’t let the name fool you, just as the NRA fights for more than your right to own rifles, the CRA fights for more than the right to smoke cigars.
I guess in an attempt to sum up my rambling, unless we band together to stop this onslaught, we’ll have no image to worry about. The fight is on and it has nothing to with class warfare or the image of who smokes what, If it’s tobacco it’s all the same to them. I have a desire to get us all on the same page to strengthen our numbers and better our odds in this fight and we need to embrace all Brothers of the Leaf and Brothers of the Briar because we’re all in this together.

 

[cortezattic]

In Bob Tate's timely interview Part 2 of Greg Pease, who outta know, the point is well made:

Greg: Unfortunately, some pipe smokers have been complacent regarding the constant attack on cigarettes and the cigarette industry, and it’s been difficult to get our ranks to rally behind the efforts to preserve our pastime. The fact is, we rely on the cigarette industry. The big tobacco companies make it possible for pipe tobacco producers to get the leaf necessary to do what we do. If Big Tobacco sinks, we’ll be forced to go down with them.

 

[surfmac211]

I have no problem with people wanting to make pipes more eye catching to a new group of people. Its like everything in life your not going to try it until it appeals to you. Why not make an effort in getting different styles of people interested.

 

[pstlpkr]

While I always try to be presentable when I'm in public; I have to admit that some of the most memorable, level headed, and honest pipe smokers I have ever met, wore bib overalls in their pursuit of their daily bread. They also wore ties, and respectable felt hats every day. While plaid shirts, with ties and overalls may seem a humorous image, it wasn't in the least incongruous to these rustic gentlemen. Sad to say.... but that style seems to have fallen by the wayside. They had dignity.

 

[jcsoldit]

There are just as many guys in t-shirts, ball caps, and bibs out and about puffing on cigars as there are on pipes. Sure there are more magazines, and glamour shots of guys with cigars than there are of gentlemen with pipe, but that's a residual of the cigar boom and the cigar company’s marketing budgets. I’m smoke both pipes and cigars, and neither have any impact on what I wear in public. I drive the same car, have the same wife, wear the same suit, shirt, tie, or jeans and ball cap if I so choose. What I’m smoking has no bearing on my appearance whatsoever, in fact I find smoking a pipe to be much cleaner and white shirt friendly.
For me pipe smoking is a passion and a hobby. What I like the most about it is the simple fact that it makes me slowdown, relax, and reflect. I frequent this website because I enjoy the people that participate regularly and the many things we all have in common as well as the things that make us different. So after all of that I’m taking off my suit and putting on a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and cap before lighting up a big bowl mmmmmmmmm.

 

[jonesing]

OK. No one else said it. Actually JC did but quite politely.
I'll be a little more blunt.
Louismantha:
A) This forum is for people who are comfortable with themselves and don't feel the need to put on airs or pretend to be something we're not.
B) The active members of this site include Harvard educated attorneys, business executives, plumbers, other trades people, people persevering to make it in tough times, retirees, younger people, older folks, southerners, northerners, Californians, mid-westerners, Liberals, Conservatives, Americans, Brits, Haitians, and pretty much anything and anyone in between or around these demographics.
C) Despite this broad range of people, we share a common enthusiasm for pipe smoking and the enjoyment of each others virtual company.
D) It's exactly this broad appeal, rather than the stereotypical elitist and eccentric image of pipe smokers, that will make pipe smoking attractive and accessible to those who otherwise wouldn't consider it an option.
E) I think it's too bad if you're not comfortable with who you are. Frankly I believe I would like the guy in the first picture much more than the poser in the second.
F) You're entitled to your opinion and to express it.
G) But make no mistake that I for one do not welcome the opinion and firmly believe it's exactly this kind of pomposity that gives pipe smokers a bad name.
And it's in your honor that I have a new avatar.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh yeah...."doogie".
Man now I feel trendy.

 

[jcsoldit]

Jonesing... well said and thank you. By the way I like your new avatar... it's nice to finally see your whole face, but I always pictured you much taller.

 

[unclearthur]

I happen to wear bibs a whole lot more than any other britches. The reason being that is hurts like hell to have hot scale in your shorts! I do blacksmithing and wood working. I also am a member of a society that recreates the Medieval period so on weekends I often wear 10th century Norse clothing. I smoke my pipes regardless of what I wear or don't wear.

 

[louisrmantha]

Has to be expected, all your commences are sound, rich, correct and a joy to read. This is a one of the pleasures that seems to be liked with pipe smoking, a good intellectual discussion.
Unfortunately for use the public image isn’t this interesting. It’s shallow, judgmental, cruel and unfair. If it looks good they are interested, if it’s mundane they’ll fake interest and if it’s crappie they will ignore it. So is the way of the public eye. So many things good and brilliant things got demolished because they didn’t had the write look at the time.
Let’s take this little anecdote that happened yesterday. Like all of you I have watch the Davidoff Madison avenue video. You all agree that Kevin is god looking chap and he has a great speaking voice.
I’ve remarked that his attire may not have been the most appropriated one for this store. Kevin agreed with me and informed me that all wear are of high quality and that all of the information are written in the credits. Fine by me and we leave it at that.
But the cool reality is that the video camera will never render the high quality clothing and that almost nobody reads the credits. In the public eye, Kevin is just a guy in a polo shirt smoking a pipe trying to be fancy by interviewing the owner of a fancy shop and should at least like when he interviewed Michael Gladis. Like I sad “shallow, judgmental, cruel and unfair.” We all know that’s not true, we all know that Kevin and his team works hard to give us good quality information and a great web site. That the cralty of the public image.
One question that I didn’t answer is, why bother? Like you I don’t care of what other think about me, I don’t like trends, and I don’t care for the public image.
So why?
Simple: Visibility!
To understand the sudden interest in the Public image, I have to go back to when I start smoking the pipe. In 2008 I was just your average once in wild cigar smoker and was curious about pipe smoking, just to add some variety to my smoking. I when to a local shop cheap, varnish Paradis pipe and some Captain black Tobacco and start pipe smoking. Well more a monkey imitation of pipe smoking. The pipe was always over packed, I was over puffing and my pipe was so poorly made that it heated up to the point where the varnish was bubbling. I was tired of getting my mouth burred and the tobacco tasted awful. I was about to quite, but by a stroke of luck I came across the Blatter & Blatter shop.
What a wonderful experience, they where informative, passionate and are willing to teach me everything I needed to become a good pipe smoker. I bought a new pipe, some of their bulk tobacco, pipe cleaners, start practising the 3 step gravity packing and now I can’t imagine myself without this beautiful pass-time. I’ve join a few local pipe smokers and tried to start a local Pipe smoking club and it was unsuccessful. I’ve tried to create a web site to boost the Montrealers enthusiasm toward pipe smoking, unfortunately it’s more complicated than I expected and I put that project a side for now.
Finally I logically analyzed the reasons why the pipe club didn’t work. PUBLIC IMAGE! Not the lack of effort, not the lack enthusiasm and not the lack of work from the group. Just PUBLIC IMAGE! So this is my new mission bring glamour to Pipe Tobacco smoking. This may not please some pipe smokers, but I’m thinking about the people that miss out on our beautiful pass-time, simply because we have a bad public image. It’s a real pain in the ass, but its reality.
P.S. : Please keep writing comments, it’s been a wild since I had such an interesting discussion.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

Louis,

I do agree that the image of pipe smokers is not as “polished” as cigar smokers but I think the consensus of the group here is that we’re all okay with that.
Having said that, I did create and still run a website dedicated to smokers (mainly cigar guys but at least half also smoke pipes) and it IS A LOT of work. But my efforts have not gone unnoticed. I have well over 100 subscribers to my site and 30 plus paid club members. In an attempt to not go off on a self promotional plug, if you're bored feel free to check it out yourself: www.cigarnightonline.com, enough said.
It took a long time to get where we are at because I was only looking for true tobacco enthusiasts, not the fashionably late to the party goers hopping into what was perceived as a fad. Those guys defiantly are not easy to find just as you mentioned. But in time you will find them and this shared passion for our hobby will drive you continue your efforts. It is a hobby, a passion and an enjoyable past time just as building and flying model airplanes might be. Don’t tell me those guys couldn’t use a little sprucing up to help out the image of that hobby. But they all seem just fine with it. Not exactly apples to apples but I think you get my point.
Public perception does play a major role in how our hobby is dealt with but it’s not that it’s pipes or cigars, its smoking. In the land of Bucky Badger it doesn’t matter how fancy I dress up, we still are facing a statewide smoking ban. That is our fight. The challenge to each one of us is to share our passion to those open to learn about it just as you received from the Blatter & Blatter shop. They might be in suits or like Arthur in his overalls but it’s up to us as pipe smokers to show them who we really are. Not who we want to be perceived as.
The image of cigar smokers is like I said, a false image of the true cigar connoisseurs. My site and club numbers are more than enough of a controlled study to verify that, and we are happy to not fit the mold of the mega rich playing golf on exotic courses sipping $300.00 bottles of wine. The last thing I want is to fight that stereotype for being a pipe smoker as well. I commend you for wanting to challenge the public image of who is a pipe smoker but sometimes the shoe fits just right and I’m okay with that.

 

[jonesing]

Here's a link to the blog Greg Pease references in his interview.
It fits here I think.

 

[thecigarsoldier]

It fits perfectly Jonesing. Great article.

 

[soren]

I dont know. Typically when I think of pipe smokers in the public image I think of Sophisticated old Englishment who gather at meetings in a private library to discuss how to control the world politic