Comments on: Pipe Smoking Tips & Tricks

By: PipeNoob

PipeNoob — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:36:12 +0000

I’ve actually spoken with a gentleman that works at a fine tobacco shop near me, who also happens to be an experienced pipe smoker. His recommendations were all in line with this guide, including beginners starting with an aromatic blend. I’ve been thinking about picking up a pipe and dropping cigar smoking; it seems more pleasurable. My next stop in there will be to purchase a pipe and give it a go. Great guide!

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:33:31 +0000

I am 20 and starting smoking a pipe when i was 16 and have smoked off and on over the past 3 years and have always been facinated by the pipe. I started with Captain Black and i really like the flavor and have recently found that Middleton’s Cherry blend is a good smoke but i have the hardest time keeping it lit. I just ran across your website and am thinking im packing it wrong. I usually end up with half a bowl unsmoked cause it goes out or gets too hot and starts biting. I use a Dr. Grabow Omega carved bowl bent stem and love the way it fits my face and sits in my mouth. I used to have a Dr. Grabow Grand Duke with a smooth bowl and found that carved bowls burn cooler. I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting a Peterson Hans Christenson Churchwarden set with a regular stem for smoking round town but thats alot of money to me for a pipe. I was wondering if anyone has used one…..I really like the pipe but my fiance hates me smoking so I do it while shes gone but I think I will really miss it…

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:01:47 +0000

Hi Folks,

Many thanks for this article and to everyone who posted in this forum. The advice and depth of experience offered has been invaluable as I take the plung into Pipe Smoking.

I’ve been a smoker for 30 years now, cigarettes first off then 5 years ago switched to cigars in an effort to cut down on my habit. Now in order to cut down further I’m moving to pipe smoking - I don’t want to quit, ever. I think life is to be enjoyed while you can and for me that means taking pleasure 3 or 4 times a day with a good book, a coffee and a smoke in peaceful surroundings.

I opted for the Missouri Corn Cob, as recommended, and went for a Viginia and Burley blend (Gold Block by Ogden’s of Liverpool). It took me a couple of times to get the packing right (still have to relight 2 or 3 times but what the heck it extends the quiet time) and I do have difficulty not inhaling (but getting better) but I must say I much prefer the pipe now and am slowly weening myself off cigars. The smells and taste are truely a pleasure. But the biggest boon of this switch has been the approval received from my wife, she loves the smell too and has finally stopped encouraging the kids to hassle me to quite smoking.

Thank you one and all.

By: James

James — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:15:32 +0000

David, did you ever figure this problem out with smoking your Falcon pipe? I picked up a Falcon pipe used. When I draw through the pipe, hardly any air flows down through the bowl. I could barely light the tobacco and it wouldn’t stay lit. Do you have any suggestions based on your experience?

By: Clay

Clay — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:53:41 +0000

if you are looking for a good churchwarden pipe have i got a website for you. Go to http://www.theknarlyknot.com they are based out of the Texas renassance festival but are willing to ship your product to you. I currently own two of there hand carved churchwardens and i couldnt be happier with my purchase. Just tell them Clay sent you.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:24:47 +0000

I’m new to pipe smoking and I just bought a Dr. Grabow Omega. I can’t get the stem off. It seems pretty tight. I’m sure I could get it off if I really exerted some pressure but I don’t want to break it. Should I just pull really hard or try to twist it out?

By: pipeman

pipeman — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:43:23 +0000

One thing I haven’t noticed in these posts is keeping up good oral hygene practices if you smoke a pipe. Like any hobby that ‘leaves a residue’, cleaning up afterward is part of it. If you build wooden boats for a hobby, you don’t walk around covered in sawdust and smelling of polyester resin, so if you smoke a pipe there’s no reason to have brown teeth, a yellow moustache and a tobacco “hum” that precedes you by twenty paces. A quick brush of the teeth or a piece of chlorophyll gum and a face wash after a pipeload gives a couple benefits: if there is any risk from the residues, it is greatly reduced by minimizing the contact-to-skin time; and if there’s any resistance from those close to you (emotionally AND physically) this will also reduce that as well.
Happy guilt-free puffing!

By: pipeman

pipeman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:39:45 +0000

In Scotland they almost always have their scotch with a splash of plain spring water (no fizzy soda, no ice please!), so that’s how I learned to enjoy it. They said that drinking it ‘neat’ numbs the palate.
To start off with, try a nice blended scotch like Teachers. A good single malt to start with is Glenmorangie (rhymes with “Orange-y”). But whatever you drink and smoke, make sure you do what YOU like, never mind the rest of us!

By: pipeman

pipeman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:31:10 +0000

Well said, sir!
Relaxation is all about the ritual, and that’s a lot of the attraction to the pipe. I always look forward to my 45 minutes or so at the end of the day (I’m a 1 pipe a day man)when I can choose the pipe, lay out the tobacco (smelling the aroma the whole time -mmm)packing, lighting and finally enjoying the sweet cool beginning smoke, the nuttier middle of the bowl smoke, and finally the tangy final 1/3 to the end.
You can’t beat it.

By: pipeman

pipeman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:17:47 +0000

Hi all, it’s great to see a forum with such a fine common interest (without the odd wacko comments of course!)
I have a plain bent stem Dr Grabow and a corncob “Missouri Meercham”, and love them both, cheap as they are. The tips on packing and lighting are really helpful here- it’s added about 10 minutes to my ‘bowl time’, and using smaller puffs to ‘just keep it going’ is a great way to keep the smoke cooler.
My Dad smoked a pipe, and he would never use a metal scraper in it- he always sharpened the end of a soft stick or a Popcicle stick to scrape it when needed - and a twig with a burl end on it would be the tamper. Sais that if you scratched the Briar it could cause a hotspot and burn-thru.
Keep sharing your comments and just ignore the idiots-don’t even reply to them!
50 yrs old and going strong in Phoenix…