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Pipe
Alex Williams
Posts: 1,515
Does anyone on these forums smoke a pipe? I really would like to get into them but i honestly have no clue where to start. And as another plus my mother actually wants me to smoke a pipe because she loves the smell! Any input is appreciated, happy smokin everyone!
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I even think that Maddy started www.pipe.com just to compete with www.cigar.com
pack it three times. first pack it with the hand of a child. on top of that, pack it with the hand of a mother. last time pack it with the hand of a father.
im not big into a pipe myself but i have one and every now and then i break it out. I find cigars much more social while smoking. less fuss. pipes are good for quiet contemplation.
the goal is to have the tobacco be lose on the bottom and tighter on the top.
When you first get the pipe, you'll crack it if you fill it up immediately. Fill up the bottom 1/3 of the bowl, and smoke that about 10-20 times; then fill up another 1/3 another 10-20 time - after that, you can fill the entire bowl up and smoke however you like. Like a humidor, new pipes need to be seasoned
They make clay pipes, but I wouldn't recommend them - they get too hot to actually hold. Briar is a very nice wood and I've never had a single problem with it, but if you've got the money, I'd recommend Mersham (I probably spelled that wrong) - it's a white wood that turns yellow the more you smoke (some of them become really beautiful after a few years of smoking). Don't buy any pipe that requires a filter in it - those kinds of pipes are cheap and are complete pain in the ass
Lastly, buy some pipe cleaners - if you start getting tar in your mouth or the tobacco becomes bitter, clean that sucker out
If you want to find some nice pipes, Peterson pipes are among the best (can't remember any other names at the moment), but go to here to find a nice selection: http://www.cupojoes.com/
My favorite tobacco is Captain Black (I never met anyone who didn't like the smell of this tobacco - I get compliments from non-smokers all the time) or Borkum Riff (the original and cherry flavors are pretty good)
EDIT - a pipe smoking tip - you need to suck smoke in as well as blow smoke out to keep the pipe lit; any by blowing out, I mean blowing out through the pipe, so after sucking in smoke and exhaling it, you blow a blast of air back into the pipe stem. Unlike a cigar, blowing out helps keep the pipe lit, the smoke fresh, and the experience better. An experienced pipe smoker can keep a full bowl lit for over an hour without re-lighting. But if your pipe goes out, don't be afraid to relight it - so long as you relight it quickly, there won't be any taste difference (if you wait and the ashes go cold, it'll taste disgusting though)
I've been asking the people at the (now far less reputable) store where I buy my pipe tabacco from, why I can't keep it lit for very long. They kept telling me I'm packing it wrong, and they even gave me pampflets and instructions on how to pack, light, and smoke, but blowing back into the pipe was never in anything they gave me or told me... Watson!! you're a genius! I mean Mr. Macro. But seriously, you've just made my day. For over a year now, I've been fighting with my pipe thinking I'm just doig it all wrong, but that makes perfect sense.