Pipe Smoking 101
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Sunday 10th October 2010- Pipe choices, blends and tools.
- Packing and lighting your pipe.
- Caring for your pipe.
Recently SharpMan.com has received numerous e-mails from SharpMen curious about the how-tos of pipe smoking. Had enough of the passé cigar-smoking craze? Check out this SharpToys primer on the basics:
Pipe Basics
To understand the world of pipes and their varieties, it helps to know a few general terms for the different parts of a pipe. The vessel in which you pack the tobacco is called the bowl. The shaft extends from under the bowl to the joint where the pipe can be taken apart. The tip of the pipe is called the mouthpiece and it is divided into the stem and bit.
Pipe Choices
Pipes come in many different shapes and materials. Common materials include briar (made from the woody root or stem of a brier plant), clay, glass and corn. Briar is by far the most common material used, while corn is the least expensive and may be the best bet for the infrequent pipe smoker.
The basic pipe shape is one with a straight stem — no curves or bends. Smokers who prefer this type of pipe like the fact that saliva will not seep into the stem as easily as with a bent pipe. On the other hand, other smokers complain that this type of pipe design is heavier against your teeth, and therefore uncomfortable.
A bent pipe is exactly as it suggests: one that has a bend in the shape in varying degrees of curve (think Sherlock Holmes). Generally, bent pipes are more ergonomic (designed to mimic the shape of the user’s mouth and hands) than straight pipes and are lighter to hold in the mouth, although the saliva problem is something you'll need to get used to.
Within the basic "straight" and "bent" categories you’ll find seemingly endless variations. Some of the most popular shapes include the billiard, Dublin, apple, Canadian, Oom-Paul, bulldog, prince, Woodstock and poker.
Tobacco Blends
Tobacco blends can be easily broken down into three categories.
English blends. English blends are typified by the use of latakia, an ingredient that produces a strong and smoky flavor and perique, which lends a strong, peppery aroma. Perique tobacco is only grown in certain restricted areas of Louisiana. Generally, English blends do not contain artificial additives.
Aromatic blends. Flavors are added to these blends to give them a specific taste and a more pleasant odor. Common flavors are vanilla, chocolate, various berries, fruit or nut, rum or whiskey.
Virginia blends. Virginia blends are often the mildest tobacco, and they age well (long shelf life). These blends are usually pressed and sold in flakes.
Choosing your tobacco is half the fun. Most smoke shops will allow you to have a seat and enjoy a small sample. Choose what tastes and smells good to you. When buying online, consider trying Tobaccomkt.com's samplers before you commit to a full tin.
Tools for Pipe Smoking
Once you've chosen your pipe and tobacco, there are still a few things you will need before you can get started:
Matches or lighter. Matches are the cheapest and probably the easiest to use. Make sure you get wooden ones, as paper matches produce an adverse taste. Wooden matches also tend to burn longer than thin paper matches.
If you choose a lighter, look for those specifically designed for use with a pipe — they’ll be a lot easier on your thumb. A particularly good pipe lighter is the wind-proof Zippo Pipe Lighter.
Pipe tool. You'll also need a tool to "tamp" (gently pack) down the tobacco as you light it and occasionally as you smoke, and a tool that lets you loosen tobacco that is too tightly packed or left in the bowl when you’re done. The Czech Pipe Tool is a particularly popular multi-tool for this purpose. Some tools may have a "reamer" included, a tool used for loosening or cutting your tobacco. If your pipe tool doesn’t include a reamer, check out the Savinelli Fits All Reamer.
Pipe cleaners. Cleaning your pipe regularly is essential. The easiest way to do this is with pipe cleaners — yes, the same ones you may have used for art projects at camp. Tinder Box.com offers a variety of different types, but you may find that the bristle ones are probably the best. Many pipe smokers periodically use pipe sweetener to clean out their pipes and maintain a "sweet" taste.
A second pipe. If you're serious about your pipe smoking, then you'll need more than one. Why? After a smoke, pipes need to cool down before you can light them up again. A second pipe allows smokers to pick up a pipe again while their first pipe cools down.
Packing and Lighting Your Pipe
Step One: Pack. Pack the tobacco into the bowl in small pinches — one at a time. Only fill your bowl about a half or a third full. Do not pack too tightly or too loosely, as you will need to drawn air through the tobacco. If you find that you’ve packed your tobacco too tightly, you can use your reamer to loosen it.
Step Two: Light. Light your match or lighter and apply the flame to the tobacco horizontally, rather than straight down into it, puffing and moving the match or lighter around in a circular motion until the tobacco is lit.
Step Three: Tamp. Once lit, the tobacco will begin to rise in the bowl. Take the tamper part of your tool and tamp (or gently pack) the tobacco down gently, puffing as you tamp. The tobacco will begin to burn towards the bottom of the bowl, which is what you want.
Step Four: Relight. It is not unusual for a pipe to go out. To relight, simply tamp down the tobacco and begin again. If it keeps going out, you may have packed the tobacco too tightly. Use the reamer to loosen it — not too loosely, though, or you will end up with "tongue bite." Tongue bite occurs when the tobacco is too loosely packed into the bowl, allowing smoke to flow too freely and the smoker to suck in too much, burning his tongue.
SharpMan Tip: Smoke all the tobacco in the bowl. Tamp any remaining tobacco and re-light it. This will help form a "cake" in the bowl, which will absorb moisture and give you a drier and untimely better smoke.
Caring for Your Pipe
Removing ash. Avoid banging your pipe. This may seem like the logical way to empty it, but banging your pipe on the edge of an ashtray or other hard surface will damage it in the long run. Instead, grasp the bottom of the bowl, turn it over and tap it lightly with your hand to remove the ash.
Between smokes. Immediately after smoking, run a pipe cleaner through the stem down to the bowl to remove any moisture. Let your pipe cool down before your next smoke. A cool pipe is infinitely better for enjoying flavor.
Cleaning. You will probably only need to thoroughly clean out your pipe about once a month. Remove the bit and stem from the shank and clean with a pipe cleaner and some pipe sweetener. If the cake is quite thick, use a reamer to cut it back to an even thickness (never use a knife for this).
This article last updated on Sunday 10th October 2010