Advice to a new pipe smoker

I frequently receive letters like the one immediately below. Today, I decided to answer here on the blog.

Hello Neill!   

I am 18 years old and I have been smoking a pipe for about 6 months now. Do you have any good all around advice for a youngster like me?

I currently own a few Briar Pipes that I bought from a tobacconist that were mainly “house” pipes and I also own a Lorenzo Spitfire.  I guess you would say they are a good beginner’s pipe. I recently purchased a couple of Bjarne pipes. From what I understand those are decent pipes for the money. Is that true? I hear that Savinelli are good pipes as well. What would be some other good pipes that are affordable, yet can be placed up their with the big dogs of the pipe world?     

I am also a big English blend freak, as are most young pipe smokers once they are introduced. I like Dunhill Early Morning Pipe rather well.  I detest most aromatic blends, due to they seem to make my pipe bitter and I just don’t enjoy the flavors, I guess.

What would be some good English Blends to try? I hear that Boswell North Woods and Stokkebye Balkan Supreme are good.

Thanks for all you do!

Elijah

First off, thank you Elijah for your membership  and for your letter – and for the idea of occasionally answering letters I get in the context of my blog as opposed to a private email. I’ve gotten so many letters like yours that there is clearly an interest in having some answers to questions like yours.

Your questions seem very informed for a young pipe smoker who is new to the hobby. Just your knowledge of pipe and tobacco brands indicate that your are asking some good questions, reading, and or paying attention. That – in and of itself – will help you make a good start with your pipes. Let’s start with your questions, now.

Click to read more ...

Running from the Nicotine Monster

Most of us pipe smokers have experienced that nauseous, head-spinning experience that accompanies an over-strong nicotine hit. It’s a horrible feeling that can take hours to fully dissipate. When I have been struggling in its green claws, I’ve wondered why I smoke a pipe and, indeed, if I ever will again. I gush all sorts of prayers and promised in this state: “Please God, help me get over this quickly and I promise….”

The prospects of getting tobacco head go up for those of us who are adventurous in trying new tobaccos, especially given that many blenders do not disclose the component tobaccos that comprise a blend. Speaking personally, I find that I am generally – but not always – safe with English blends and with Virginias. Burleys, on the other hand, will cold-cock me if I’m not careful. It doesn’t take much, either, for me to feel burley’s effects on my system.

The whole tobacco-head thing is complicated further by the fact that flavor-intensity and nicotine-intensity are unrelated. In flavor terms, burley is comparatively mild but is higher in nicotine than other tobaccos. Latakia is comparatively more flavor-intense than other tobaccos, but light in the nicotine department.

The problem with nicotine is that you can’t judge its intensity by taste. By the time you start feeling its presence, it can be too late.

Because I want to do everything possible to avoid tobacco head, I’ve spent a lot of time researching the chemistry of various tobacco varieties. Fortunately, there is a significant body of research findings that were created by professional chemists employed by major tobacco companies. These chemists wrote and presented papers at various industry conferences.

Click to read more ...

Uncle Sin

Thanksgiving is always a wonderful experience in my family as it is in so many other families. In many ways, it is my favorite holiday because it focuses me on gratitude, something that always improves my disposition and outlook.

This Thanksgiving has been especially good, due in no small part to my nephew, Alex, coming down from New York to join Wendy and me for the weekend. My younger brother Tom’s son, Alex is in his junior year at West Point where he is studying international relations.

Alex was last here during his plebe year. During that visit, he asked me to help him acquire cigars for a traditional dinner held at the academy during the Christmas season. Every year, the plebes are given this task and – like other assignments – they had better not screw up. So, I bought him a good travel humidor and the requisite number of Padron Anniversarios . If a Roan is going to be giving his company cigars; he’s going to make sure the experience is a good one. His table loved ‘em. That’s the way it should be.

Earlier this week, before he came down, Alex let me know that he wanted to give the pipe a try while he was here. Needless to say, I was delighted. Wendy, on the other hand, was mortified.

Click to read more ...

Best Friends

My first good pipe was a Sasieni four dot bent billiard – a Viscount Lascelles. I bought that pipe almost forty years ago, and it has remained a favorite. And not just for sentimental reasons.

In my early pipe-smoking years, I added a modest number of good pipes to my racks: several Charatans, a Savinelli churchwarden, five Preben Holms, a couple of Dunhills, and several Comoys. Some of these pipes were better than others, initially, but all of them came around eventually. Several of my pipes cost more, were better looking, and were more impressive than the Sasieni, but none shouldered it aside when it came to being a savory pipe.

Charatan DiplomatThe Charatans, in particular, cost more but were tougher to break in. My favorite of the Charatans – a Diplomat – initially delivered harsh overtones, no matter what was smoked in it. It finally yielded, becoming a go-to pipe in which I smoked Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. It, too, has a permanent place on my rack.

A somewhat small sandblasted Savinelli churchwarden likewise grew into one of my favorite Virginia smokers, but nothing ever overtook my Viscount Lascelles in terms of a pipe that delivered a superior experience.

Some pipes are just better than others. Some are truly superb. Everything works better – the taste, draw, hand-feel, and look. It’s a wonderful thing to have a pipe like this.

I haven’t found it easy to predict which pipes will eventually rise to favorite status. That relationship comes only with time and use. We can know when we buy a pipe that we love how it looks and we like how it feels in the hand. By smoking it, we can discover its comfort in mouth and whether it delivers a cool, dry smoke. Without smoking it awhile, however, I can’t know whether it will bloom into one of those pipes that endows its smoke with extra measures of pleasure.

Click to read more ...

Function and Form

While dimensions of quality seem patently obvious to me, I’m amazed by the number of pipe-smoking friends who can’t describe in functional terms what they want from a pipe nor why they like what they like. It is as if they buy what they think is attractive to them then stop there.

Certainly, we all buy pipes that we think are beautiful or that attract our eye. But, there is more to enjoying the pipe-smoking experience than looking at and appreciating the pipe as an object. There is using it and coming to love it for its usefulness. Many of the old-timers I know among pipe-smokers appreciate pipes like they they appreciate women; looks take a back seat to likability and compatibility.

Standing Apple by Viktor YashtylovThe longer I smoke a pipe, the more I care about the quality of the experience the pipe offers me. A wonderful smoker that is also easy to use and amenable to one’s smoking habits becomes a treasure. When such a pipe is beautiful, it is certainly a bonus. But, I would never trade away a great smoker for a mediocre smoker that just happened to please my eye. Function matters to me.

Click to read more ...