Quote from: KevinP on January 16, 2011, 01:22:38 AM
As you smoke a briar pipe, a cake begins to form inside the bowl. You want this. First of all, it protects the pipe. Briar is one of the most (if not the most) fire-resistant woods, but it can still burn. The cake protects that from happening. Cakes can also add to the flavour of each bowl of tobacco, making them smoother. When you first buy a pipe, there is generally no cake and in these circumstances, the pipe tends to burn hotter, resulting in a burning sensation on your tongue, so they need to be smoked several times first. (There are a few tricks, like coating the inside of the bowl with honey before the first smoke, which will carmalize and get the cake going.) However, you don't want a cake that is too thick or it might crack the pipe. That's what those pipe tools/reamers are for. It takes a lot of smokes before this happens though, and considerably longer if you have several (or more) pipes.
This is only true with briar. Meerschaum does not need any break-in, and, in fact, you want to make sure that a cake doesn't develop. Clay also needs no break in. Clay pipes give you the most neutral flavour (tobacco blenders use them to test new blends) but tend to smoke so hot that you can't touch them while smoking. They also break easily and aren't expected to last a lifetime. (Though the double-glazed ones circumvent these issues with a degree of success.)
My favourites? Well I really like the Jacono I bought (above), but as that was a bit over US$200 for their lowest grade pipe, I'm not going to steer you towards them. I prefer the so-called Italian renissance pipes such as Caminetto and Ascorti. (Do a Google image search on either name plus the word pipe).
To a large extent, the price difference in pipes is a matter of the craftsmanship and the quality of the briar and not a reflection on the smokabiliy of the pipe. By quality of the briar I mean the pattern of the grain. A perfect straight grain, and especially one by a name pipemaker, will be costly because such pipes are rare and aesthetically pleasing. I held one in my hand the other day, a Dunhill, that had a four-digit price tag. It was beautiful, but it would smoke as well as most any other pipe. The pattern of grain doesn't matter one bit in terms of how well it smokes; what does matter, however, is that the entire wooden part of the pipe has some grain. Any blank spots will, soner or later, burn right through. You needn't worry about this with a Savenlli. The other difference between a cheap pipe and a high- or mid-grade is that cheaper pipes might have pits (tiny holes, probably where the briar root hit a rock) or putty fills (some pipemakers leave the pits exposed, others fill with putty); neither is very appealing and either could also result in burn-out.
Any other questions, just ask. You also might find a bit of help in youtube: lots of people have posted how-to videos for newbies there, and I sincerely wish I had had this resource when I started. Pipes don't come with instruction manuals.
What kind of tobacco have you tried? (And perhaps we should start a new thread?)
Quote from: KevinP on January 16, 2011, 01:22:38 AM
What kind of tobacco have you tried?
I tried some MacBaren and Larsen. I really like the Larsen. Some sweet flavors (they are called "Sweet aromatic" and "Mellow & Tasty).
Henk
Quote from: Henk on January 16, 2011, 05:24:59 AM
I tried some MacBaren and Larsen. I really like the Larsen. Some sweet flavors (they are called "Sweet aromatic" and "Mellow & Tasty).
I see. What form of cancer are you going for? Pharynx, salivary gland, larynx, or maybe just the classic lung cancer?
Ok, I might better stop. :D 8)
Edifying Thoughts of a Tobacco Smoker
Whene'er I take my pipe and stuff it
And smoke to pass the time away
My thoughts, as I sit there and puff it,
Dwell on a picture sad and grey:
It teaches me that very like
Am I myself unto my pipe.
Like me this pipe, so fragrant burning,
Is made of naught but earthen clay;
To earth I too shall be returning,
And cannot halt my slow decay.
My well used pipe, now cracked and
broken,
Of mortal life is but a token.
No stain, the pipe's hue yet doth darken;
It remains white. Thus do I know
That when to death's call I must harken
My body, too, all pale will grow.
To black beneath the sod 'twill turn,
Likewise the pipe, if oft it burn.
Or when the pipe is fairly glowing,
Behold then instantaneously,
The smoke off into thin air going,
'Til naught but ash is left to see.
Man's fame likewise away will burn
And unto dust his body turn.
How oft it happens when one's smoking,
The tamper's missing from it's shelf,
And one goes with one's finger poking
Into the bowl and burns oneself.
If in the pipe such pain doth dwell
How hot must be the pains of Hell!
Thus o'er my pipe in contemplation
Of such things - I can constantly
Indulge in fruitful meditation,
And so, puffing contentedly,
On land, at sea, at home, abroad,
I smoke my pipe and worship God.
Quote Johann Sebastian Bach - 1725 (1685-1750)
From: The Second Little Clavier Book For Anna
Magdalena Bach
Quote from: Scarpia on January 16, 2011, 06:37:48 AM
I see. What form of cancer are you going for? Pharynx, salivary gland, larynx, or maybe just the classic lung cancer?
And even if it rots your teeth completely away before it kills you, you can still continue on your quest!
(http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/ModernMechanix/2-1929/false_teeth_pipe.jpg)
Why smoke? ???
Because it makes you appear thin, attractive and thoughtful, obviously.
Quote from: Corey on January 16, 2011, 07:36:34 PM
Because it makes you appear thin, attractive and thoughtful, obviously.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31cEB-jMgcL.jpg)
Here's the Perl version of that poem, John:
Quote#!/usr/bin/perl
#Whene'er I take my pipe and stuff it
#and smoke to pass the time away
#my thoughts as I sit here and puff it,
#Dwell on a picture sad and grey
#It teaches me that very like
#Am I myself unto my pipe
if ($I{hold} = my $pipe){true}
&smoke; sub smoke {sleep 5;}
my $thoughts; while($I{puff} = my $pipe)
{@Thoughts = "A picture","Sad","Grey";}
$I = "learn that as"; $one=$one;
$I = my $pipe;
#Like me, this pipe so fragrant burning
#Is made of naught but earth and clay;
#To earth I too shall be returning.
#It falls and, ere I'd think to say,
#it breaks in two before my eyes;
#In store for me a like fate lies.
$pipe{smell} = "fragrant burning";
$pipe = 0+$earth.$clay;
$me = 0+$earth.$clay;
$soon; $earth = $me;
$pipe{acceleration} = (9.8)."m/s**";
$pipe = split //; my $eyes;
if ((@date=localtime(time))and($date[5]>200)){$me = $m.$e;}
#No stain the pipe's hue yet doth darken;
#It remains white. Thus do I know
#That when to death's call I must harken
#My body, too, all pale will grow.
#To black beneath the sod 'twill turn,
#Likewise the pipe, if oft it burn.
[download]
$stain=-0x111111;
$pipe{color}=0xFFFFFF;
if(($I eq "Dead")&&($I eq "Buried in sod"))
{for(0..9){$body{color}-=$stain;}
while($body{color}>0x000000){$body{color}+=$stain;}}
if (1){for (0..$pipe{times_smoked}/10) {$pipe{color}-=$stain;}}
#Or when the pipe is fairly glowing,
#Behold them instantaniously,
#The smoke off into thin air going,
#Till naught but ash is left to see.
#Man's frame likewise away will burn
#And unto dust his body turn.
while(($pipe{color} eq "orange")&&($pipe{luminosity} >= 1))
{$observe; sleep 0;
$thin_air = "The smoke";
$thin_air = (0)."ash";
$body{man}=$thin_air=(0)."ash";
$body{man} != "ash";
$body{man} = "dust";
}
#How oft it hapens when one is smoking:
#The stopper's missing from the shelf,
#And one goes with one's finger poking
#Into the bowl and burns oneself.
#If in the pipe such pain doth dwell,
#How hot must be the pains of Hell.
if (($date[0]>0)&&($date[0]<50)&&($smoke))
{$stopper{location} = "!shelf";
push @bowl, $ones{finger};
print "Ouch!\n"}
if($pain{pipe}=2)
{for(1..256){$pain{Hell}=$pain{pipe}*=$pain{Hell};}}
#Thus o'er my pipe, in contemplation
#of such things, I can constantly
#indulge in fruitful meditation,
#And so, puffing contentedly,
#On land, on sea, at home, abroad,
#I smoke my pipe and worship God.
while($I){($smoke) and ($think);}
@thoughts = "Death","Hell","Pipes"; if (1)
{$meditation{fruitful}="indulge";}
$I{puff}="content";
if(((my $locale = "On land") || ($locale = "At sea"))
||((my $locale = "At home") || ($locale = "Abroad")))
{$I; &smoke; (my $pipe) and ($worship = 1*1*1);}
Quote from: Szykniej on January 17, 2011, 04:17:33 AM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31cEB-jMgcL.jpg)
Exactly! ;D
For those of you who like to roll your own, like I do, Old Holborn is one of the tastiest, most aromatic tobaccos that you can buy. I mix it with Drum. It's pipe tobacco for roll-your-own smokers. And all you anti-smoker Puritans out there can all go jump in a lake.
Quote from: Greg on January 16, 2011, 05:49:48 PM
Why smoke? ???
Because it´s the most relaxing thing to do. The pleasure can be very great, it works on your mind, sometimes the pipe fails however.
Henk
Somebody familiar with Chacom pipes?
I got out of it a few years ago and sold some beautiful handmade pipes. I'll never have such nice pipes again now that I'm supporting a family and I really regret it. I'm getting back into the hobby and starting out with a cheap Tsuge and a nice 60s Kriswill I bought at an online auction. Those and a cob. I love Virginia flake tobacco. Anyone else here into the hobby? I never liked Danish pipes before but recently I've been starting to appreciate the amazing artistry of Lars Ivarsson and other pipe geniuses from bygone eras.
Quote from: milk on September 21, 2022, 10:21:09 PM
I got out of it a few years ago and sold some beautiful handmade pipes. I'll never have such nice pipes again now that I'm supporting a family and I really regret it. I'm getting back into the hobby and starting out with a cheap Tsuge and a nice 60s Kriswill I bought at an online auction. Those and a cob. I love Virginia flake tobacco. Anyone else here into the hobby? I never liked Danish pipes before but recently I've been starting to appreciate the amazing artistry of Lars Ivarsson and other pipe geniuses from bygone eras.
Yeah, I've been known to dabble. Hence my profile pic. I lean more toward Latakia or Balkans rather than Virginias, with Navy flakes as a second line. G L Pease features pretty heavily in my cellar, and lots of Cornell and Diehl. As for pipes, I have lots of Petersons in the collection (big fan of my Sherlock Holmes Milverton and Lestrade), along with Morgan Bones and Nording freehand.
I find a pipe, a single origin ground, black coffee, a book, and classical music to be decent bedfellows. Not in bed, however! My wife tends to poke me at this time of year to pull them out, as they do have a positive association with the whole hygge thing. This evening has been a mix of Bothy Flake and Solani Aged Burley Flake in a custom built bent apple from a British pipe maker, Northern Briars. Wife has been reading while I piddle on the internet reading various theology blogs and we both listen to Tribulation, a Swedish metal band that is a new discovery for us both. A bit of a cross between Helltrain and old school Gothenburg death metal similar to Dark Tranquility that falls under the category of Death and Roll.
Pleasant way to pass a Saturday night, tbh.
Quote from: foxandpeng on October 08, 2022, 12:47:45 PM
Yeah, I've been known to dabble. Hence my profile pic. I lean more toward Latakia or Balkans rather than Virginias, with Navy flakes as a second line. G L Pease features pretty heavily in my cellar, and lots of Cornell and Diehl. As for pipes, I have lots of Petersons in the collection (big fan of my Sherlock Holmes Milverton and Lestrade), along with Morgan Bones and Nording freehand.
I find a pipe, a single origin ground, black coffee, a book, and classical music to be decent bedfellows. Not in bed, however! My wife tends to poke me at this time of year to pull them out, as they do have a positive association with the whole hygge thing. This evening has been a mix of Bothy Flake and Solani Aged Burley Flake in a custom built bent apple from a British pipe maker, Northern Briars. Wife has been reading while I piddle on the internet reading various theology blogs and we both listen to Tribulation, a Swedish metal band that is a new discovery for us both. A bit of a cross between Helltrain and old school Gothenburg death metal similar to Dark Tranquility that falls under the category of Death and Roll.
Pleasant way to pass a Saturday night, tbh.
The only trouble is that I can't smoke in the house (my wife and small children wouldn't like it). I just bought a house a couple of years ago and recently started again. The last few weeks I've been puffing on my stoop well after dark. Today I thought i'd ask the neighbor (in my broken Japanese) if it bothered him and he had a bad reaction. He kept asking me if it were only tobacco and then said they he didn't like it either way. Now what? I've got to go somewhere or take a walk to do it. The whole interaction stressed me out.
I used to smoke a pipe. My brother asked for one for Christmas but didn't get on with at all. However, my 14-year-old-self loved it. Of course, I was not allowed one until I was 18. I smoked my pipe throughout my university time and beyond. Now I am banned (at least in the house).
I used to smoke 'Clan' a Dutch, baby-beginners tobacco which is very aromatic. Then I moved on the hard-core stull like the Balkan Sobranie Mixture;D
Quote from: vandermolen on October 09, 2022, 01:22:45 AM
I used to smoke a pipe. My brother asked for one for Christmas but didn't get on with at all. However, my 14-year-old-self loved it. Of course, I was not allowed one until I was 18. I smoked my pipe throughout my university time and beyond. Now I am banned (at least in the house).
I used to smoke 'Clan' a Dutch, baby-beginners tobacco which is very aromatic. Then I moved on the hard-core stull like the Balkan Sobranie Mixture;D
I think I've convinced my wife to lift the ban in my office. I love pipes too much. I've been smoking Virginia-s. I can't yet get into Balkan and Latikias. But maybe I will.
:o :o :o :o
I really cannot understand that people still smoke...." I love pipes too much" = I'm addicted....
Latakia was an acquired taste for me. But I acquired it in a big way.
Quote from: KevinP on October 09, 2022, 05:30:15 AM
Latakia was an acquired taste for me. But I acquired it in a big way.
Can you describe the taste? One thing I always worried about was whether I needed to dedicate a pipe to it because I think the one time a tried it - it struck me as being radically different from a virginia-based tobacco so I figured a lingering taste would clash.
First time I tried it (early on, when I had otherwise only known American aromatics), I thought the tobacco had gone bad. I couldn't believe it people actually smoked this crap.
I bought a few more blends with it, completely innocent because this was the pre-information age 1980s when you often didn't know what you were buying until you opened your purchase in your car. Eventually it grew on me.
This was when Syrian latakia was still around. That has a taste comparable to campfire. I don't think Cyprian latakia quite does. The latter is bolder and sharper.
Many pipe smokers do have dedicated pipes for lat blends.
Ah, Clan. I remember that. Hehe.I also remember Balkan Sobranie which was a particular favourite. There are several matched blends out there now that seek to recreate it, so all good.
I don't dabble that often as it has always been a hobby rather than a habit, but enjoy it very much when I do. I tend to indulge only in the study, but when I do, I invariably find that my wife will come and sit in there and read. Even when it is a really potent Latakia blend 😁
Here I am with baby (now 34) and pipe.
The lower picture is of myself and my brother visiting the home of Sibelius in Finland in 2013:
(//)
Quote from: vandermolen on October 09, 2022, 01:27:53 PM
Here I am with baby (now 34) and pipe.
The lower picture is of myself and my brother visiting the home of Sibelius in Finland in 2013:
(//)
What a handsome chap. You are clearly a man of refined tastes. I envy your Sibelius visit!
Quote from: vandermolen on October 09, 2022, 01:27:53 PM
Here I am with baby (now 34) and pipe.
The lower picture is of myself and my brother visiting the home of Sibelius in Finland in 2013:
(//)
Looking smart w/pipe. So my kids are going to grow up?
Quote from: pjme on October 09, 2022, 03:28:24 AM
:o :o :o :o
I really cannot understand that people still smoke...." I love pipes too much" = I'm addicted....
Recently only 1 small bowl a day - about 10 minutes. I think I'll actually make it just on the weekends now. We've a small house; everything is small in Japan. It really is more of a hobby than an addiction. I love the pipes as objects but can't enjoy them much if I don't use them at least a little. My neighbor is a Japanese salaryman. When I asked him if he minded me sitting out at night and having a smoke he said, "Japanese don't smoke pipes." I don't know how many times I've heard Japanese people say that phrase to me since I've lived here. I should have showed him the Ivarsson on Japan Yahoo Auction going for 30,000$. Meanwhile the streets are littered w/cigarette butts in Japan.
Japan has as much of a pipe-smoking culture as many other countries.
Although this goes against what most people think, I fully believe that we're in the golden age of pipe smoking and that there are more 'pipe smokers' now than before; it's just that we've been driven underground. And for the record, I support non-smokers' rights (despite some of them are total jerks about them).
This video explains it. Also why I put 'pipe smokers' in inverted commas.
https://youtu.be/-RT_oMkHePM
Quote from: KevinP on October 09, 2022, 04:19:09 PM
Japan has as much of a pipe-smoking culture as many other countries.
Although this goes against what most people think, I fully believe that we're in the golden age of pipe smoking and that there are more 'pipe smokers' now than before; it's just that we've been driven underground. And for the record, I support non-smokers' rights (despite some of them are total jerks about them).
This video explains it. Also why I put 'pipe smokers' in inverted commas.
https://youtu.be/-RT_oMkHePM
I fully agree though I'll have to watch later. I hope my neighbor appreciates me asking though I don't think he did. I don't think he understands it at all. But Japan is a cigarette country, maybe the only developed country wherein there are no laws against smoking in restaurants and bars or even littering. I'm constantly complaining; it's disgusting. I'll check the video. Japanese on the auction sites love those pipes and spend a lot on the pricey ones.
Quote from: foxandpeng on October 09, 2022, 01:45:31 PM
What a handsome chap. You are clearly a man of refined tastes. I envy your Sibelius visit!
HAHAHA Thank you Danny ;D
Quote from: KevinP on October 09, 2022, 04:19:09 PM
Japan has as much of a pipe-smoking culture as many other countries.
Although this goes against what most people think, I fully believe that we're in the golden age of pipe smoking and that there are more 'pipe smokers' now than before; it's just that we've been driven underground. And for the record, I support non-smokers' rights (despite some of them are total jerks about them).
This video explains it. Also why I put 'pipe smokers' in inverted commas.
https://youtu.be/-RT_oMkHePM
Agreed across the board.
Quote from: KevinP on October 09, 2022, 04:19:09 PM
Japan has as much of a pipe-smoking culture as many other countries.
Although this goes against what most people think, I fully believe that we're in the golden age of pipe smoking and that there are more 'pipe smokers' now than before; it's just that we've been driven underground. And for the record, I support non-smokers' rights (despite some of them are total jerks about them).
This video explains it. Also why I put 'pipe smokers' in inverted commas.
https://youtu.be/-RT_oMkHePM
Rewatched this excellent video today. I really couldn't agree more.
Opened a tine of Small Batch Carolina Red Flake today. My goodness, this is good stuff. I picked up several tins despite having only a growing appreciation for Virginia tobaccos, and am so glad I did. Red Virginias really are a different beast to the dark and yellow, aren't they? If I remember correctly, SG English Summer Flake or Autumn Flake have a similar taste profile, albeit less pronounced and deep. Both, I think. Thankfully I have a good number of tins of those ageing also. Fairly strong, though, for me at least.
Am I correct? If so, I finally understand the fuss about straight virginias. Only 30 years late!
The tin description is 9 lines long! "Deep, rich and earthy, with undertones of dried cranberries, orchard grass and citrus". Very much so!
Virginias took me a while too as they reminded me of cigarettes, which I've never appreciated. I tend to prefer them pressed (whether in flake or rubbed-out), though there are some good ribbons about there. Hal O'the Wynd would be my first choice.
But actually it's burleys that I've only recently acquired a taste for, and for kind of a funny reason.
Many pipe smokers buy a new pipe with the intention of dedicating it to flakes, latakia, whatever. I've never followed this. When I buy a new pipe, I smoke every kind of tobacco in it. Sometimes, a certain combination clicks. When that happens, then the pipe becomes dedicated to that genre or even that particular blend. However, some pipes just never find a match and remain general smokers. On a few occasions, they find their match late in life, like when a 70s Caminetto I bought in the 80s found its companion tobacco around 2011, and now I can't smoke anything else in it.
So a couple years ago, I bought a Jacono pawn. (I collect Jaconos.) Turns out its match is burleys, and not being a big burley guy (pun intended), it took a while before I ever put a burley in it. But I love the pipe, as a smoker and aesthetically, so I was happy to find the combination and, smoking it more, eventually got the knack.
Quote from: KevinP on October 14, 2022, 05:12:32 PM
Virginias took me a while too as they reminded me of cigarettes, which I've never appreciated. I tend to prefer them pressed (whether in flake or rubbed-out), though there are some good ribbons about there. Hal O'the Wynd would be my first choice.
But actually it's burleys that I've only recently acquired a taste for, and for kind of a funny reason.
Many pipe smokers buy a new pipe with the intention of dedicating it to flakes, latakia, whatever. I've never followed this. When I buy a new pipe, I smoke every kind of tobacco in it. Sometimes, a certain combination clicks. When that happens, then the pipe becomes dedicated to that genre or even that particular blend. However, some pipes just never find a match and remain general smokers. On a few occasions, they find their match late in life, like when a 70s Caminetto I bought in the 80s found its companion tobacco around 2011, and now I can't smoke anything else in it.
So a couple years ago, I bought a Jacono pawn. (I collect Jaconos.) Turns out its match is burleys, and not being a big burley guy (pun intended), it took a while before I ever put a burley in it. But I love the pipe, as a smoker and aesthetically, so I was happy to find the combination and, smoking it more, eventually got the knack.
Good to hear your journey 😊
Quote from: KevinP on October 14, 2022, 05:12:32 PM
Virginias took me a while too as they reminded me of cigarettes, which I've never appreciated. I tend to prefer them pressed (whether in flake or rubbed-out), though there are some good ribbons about there. Hal O'the Wynd would be my first choice.
But actually it's burleys that I've only recently acquired a taste for, and for kind of a funny reason.
Many pipe smokers buy a new pipe with the intention of dedicating it to flakes, latakia, whatever. I've never followed this. When I buy a new pipe, I smoke every kind of tobacco in it. Sometimes, a certain combination clicks. When that happens, then the pipe becomes dedicated to that genre or even that particular blend. However, some pipes just never find a match and remain general smokers. On a few occasions, they find their match late in life, like when a 70s Caminetto I bought in the 80s found its companion tobacco around 2011, and now I can't smoke anything else in it.
So a couple years ago, I bought a Jacono pawn. (I collect Jaconos.) Turns out its match is burleys, and not being a big burley guy (pun intended), it took a while before I ever put a burley in it. But I love the pipe, as a smoker and aesthetically, so I was happy to find the combination and, smoking it more, eventually got the knack.
I still need to find my way into these other kinds of tobacco. I love virginias like Full Virginia Flake. Recently, I've wanted to try very high quality aromatic just because my wife is allowing me to smoke in my office inside. I tried Peterson's Connoisseurs Choice which I found isn't overly flavored. But I still want to give Burleys and some Latikias a try. They're so different though.
Collecting pipes is an addiction as well. Bidding on old ones and refurbishing them is a lot of fun as a hobby. From cheap old Kaywoodies to chasing some of those beautiful Danish ones floating around these auctions in Japan, I find it to be a worthy pastime.