An Advanced Beginners Pipe Smoking Guide (Full Version)

Bowlbro

      Here are the pipe-smoking points and problems that I have learned over my modest 3-4 years in the hobby. I've acquired a fair collection of decent quality pipes, 5 of them, and a modest collection of quality pipe tobaccos to choose from.
      Allow me to start with the wisdom of Yoda: "Do or do not; there is no try." With this in mind, let us set a "doing" budget of around 80-100 dollars. If this is not modest enough for you, then make the sacrifices in quality and be prepared when you encounter some of the common problems beginner pipe smokers face.

Pipe Purchasing:

      Get yourself a half decent pipe. A quality grade pipe that is affordable should cost you somewhere between 50-70 dollars. Pipes get quite a bit more expensive and range into the thousands. Find a pipe that has the looks you desire from a reputable company. My beginner pipe company suggestions are Bjarne, Savinelli, Brebbia, and Peterson. However, I would most strongly recommend a Savinelli. Savs are well made and inspected, even though they are produced in a large quantity, and come in an incredible amount of styles that all have simple ID numbers to customize your preferences. Stay away from "drugstore brand" pipes that cost between 10-30 dollars, such as Dr. Grabow; these pipes are OK, but will not give you the changing experience of a better quality pipe. And no matter what pipe you choose, for your first make sure it is either made of briar or block meerschaum. I recommend briar. Filtered or unfiltered comes down to preference; however, cheaper pipes typically have filters, with the exception of Savinelli's Balsa Filters and Brebbia's Rock Maple Inserts.

BONUS/FRUGAL OPTION:

      It is often recommended that a new pipe smoker start with what is called an "estate pipe," essentially a fancy name for “used”. Find one in a brand and shape that appeals to you, clean it (look up pipe sweetening treatment online), and you can skip the step of "breaking in" a pipe, that we'll discuss later.

      As Dr. Jay recommended, go and get yourself pipe cleaners and a pipe tool (a three tooled miracle of the Czech's). You'll need 'em.

Tobacco:

      Get yourself a quality tobacco based on your preferences. In Canada, a brand marketed as Mr. B's suffices. They have decent blends and a variety of aromatic tobaccos. Speaking of which, it is mostly recommended that your first pipe smoke should be an "aromatic blend." This means that the tobacco has been sugared and flavoured to smell like cherries, peaches & cream, rum, maple or even chocolate. The aromatic blends are typically easier to start with for one without previous smoking experience in other forms. For the occasional cigar enthusiast, you could start with a blend of straight tobaccos with no additives. These tend to have more general names.

Breaking in:

      Grab your new pipe, your tobacco, and your pipe tool and revel in the experience you will embark upon.
A new pipe generally needs to be "broken in,” the term used to describe smoking a pipe gradually for a while to eliminate the impurities of taste left by residues from the pipes "birth." This process builds a carbon layer called a “cake” around the inside of your bowl, which protects your pipe against hot embers and gives you a more pleasing smoke. Savinelli pipes come with a coating already on the bowl that essentially eliminates the need for breaking in. Nonetheless, here is the process:
      For your first smoke, pack the bowl about halfway and smoke slowly to the bottom. For your next two to five smokes from that pipe, gradually fill the bowl more and more until you are smoking a full bowl. After you've finished each smoke and you have allowed the pipe to cool down, ream out the majority of the large ash, but leave a little in the bowl, cover the bowl with your palm and shake the left over "dottle" around inside so that it begins to build a cake.

Packing:

      This process is a little bit more dainty and specific; it is also where a lot of beginner’s problems happen. For a full pack, fill the bowl loosely to the top, and even overflowing a bit, with your tobacco. Take your finger or tamper and press down GENTLY on the tobacco until it sits half full in the bowl. Fill it again and tamp a bit more firmly, until the bowl is around 2/3 full. Fill a third time and press firmly, but not hard, so that the tobacco sits nicely just below the rim and still has a "spring" to it when you press it lightly. If you have not done the process right, DUMP IT OUT AND START OVER. Your pipe will be a pain in your rear if you never master this technique.

Lighting:

      Don't, for the love of holiness, use a lighter. Not only does it make your smoke taste funny for the first few puffs, it also scorches your tobacco and destroys the delicate flavours and scents you want to discover. Use a match: light it, let it burn for a bit, and then slowly rotate the flame around the circumference of your bowl, puffing gently with your mouth, the way you've seen it in the movies, until a button of red appears. At this point, some tobacco may have sprung out. That's ok, this isn't the real deal. Take the flat tamper section of your tool and press out the button of red you just made. That's right, put out your light and do it again the same way. This ensures an even, long lasting burn. Don't get pissed if your pipe doesn't stay lit, it'll go out often. Keep it chill and relight.

Smoking:

      This is the reward for your efforts. Puff gently, taste the tobacco, and KEEP IT SLOW. If you smoke too fast, you smoke too hot and you can burn your tongue and lose the flavours you're looking for. Develop a rhythm that works for you, your pipe, and your blend. Enjoy the taste and the funny sensation. Relax. Depending on your bowl size and smoking speed, this process could take up to an hour, or even more for large pipes.

Cleaning:
      Allow your pipe to cool down for a couple of hours, use the little reamer/spoon tool to scoop out the ash from the bowl. Take a pipe cleaner and run it through the stem (the part you put in your mouth) and shank (the wood part the stem fits in), look into your bowl and see if the pipe cleaner is coming out of the draw hole. Move it back and forth, repeating with more pipe cleaners until they come out clean. Bend the end of a pipe cleaner in half and twizzle it around inside the bowl, picking up the loose, small particles of ash. Take the stem out of the shank and clean up any gunk there. Put the stem back in the shank and allow the pipe to rest for at least 24-36 hours.

Where to buy:

      I use three resources, Sheffield & Sons in Langley, the internet and the U.S.A. Find a reason to go over the border for 48 hours or more and you can bring back a ton of tobacco at ridiculously low prices, in comparison to Canada. I'm all for supporting our own economy, which is why I try to buy my supplies (pipe cleaners, tools, buffing compounds, cigars, humidifier solution, etc) from local businesses, but frankly, I don't care too much for spending $25/ounce for low quality tobacco, when I could get the same amount of premium for $6, 30minutes and a passport flash away.

Discovery:
      Pipe smoking is all about discovery. Finding what blends taste better at different times, in different pipes, with different adult beverages (protip: beer and pipe smoking burns), and with different friends. Explore the world of your palate through the medium of tobacco.