Puffing The Briar

or the cob

Published on May 7, 2006 By MasonM In Blogging

As some may know, I have been struggling to quit smoking cigarettes for some time now. So far I've not been very successful at this endevour, especially now that I have returned to the road. Recently I took up pipe smoking in an effort to reduce the number of cigarettes I smoke each day and perhaps eventually supplant them altogether.

There is something...different...about smoking a pipe. One can't just pull a pipe out of one's pocket and light up without thought. A pipe must be carefully filled, packing the bowl just right so that the tobacco burns properly without going out quickly or over heating the bowl. Then one must light the bowl so that the entire top is properly charred, then lightly tamp down this char and relight the bowl for smoking.

Pipe smoking is a different experience. As one doesn't (shouldn't) actually inhale the smoke it's far easier on the lungs and it becomes more about flavor and experience than simply feeding the nicotine habit. Depending on the tobacco used, one still gets nicotine in varying amounts. Some tobaccos, Prince Albert for example (my personal choice), deliver quite a jolt of nicotine, while others like the aromatics deliver less.

I've found that there is a lot to learn about pipe smoking. It's actually quite complex and as much art as science. The different kinds of pipes, ranging from the corn cob pipes that sell for a few dollars to the exotic briars and meershaums that can sell in the hundreds of dollars, all have different smoking charactoristics and affect how the smoke tastes. And of course there is such a wide range of pipe tobaccos.

For now at least, my tastes are on the simpler side. I have a reasonably priced bent briar which smokes pretty well and a couple of corn cob pipes which actually smoke much better than one would imagine. The corn cobs are especially suited to the burley tobacco that I currently prefer and are quite pleasant to smoke.

There are several accessories that one must have to smoke a pipe. A pipe tamper, a reamer, a bowl scraper, a tobacco pouch, pipe cleaners, pipe sweetener, a good pipe lighter or pipe matches. I have a tool which combines the tamper, reamer, and scraper into a simgle unit. And being as the nature of my occupation requires mobility I have a small leather bag in which to carry my pipes and accessories instead of the more traditional pipe stand.

Smoking a pipe is quite relaxing and is far removed from the habitual smoking of cigarettes. There is just something "different" about it. An aesthetic quality that one just doesn't get with cigarettes. I can easily understand why some people become passionate pipe collectors and connoisseurs.

One type of pipe I especially like is perhaps less than practical but there is just something about it I really like. It's called a Churchwarden, and I intend to purchase one when funds allow. Below is the particular Churchwarden I want. It's 15" long.

Oh well, everyone needs a hobby.

Comments

Moderateman

on May 07, 2006

I am having the hardest time trying to picture you smoking a pipe..

MasonM

on May 07, 2006

Hmmm, I can't imagine why. I used to smoke a pipe in my early 20s but never really got the hang of it and wound up dissatisfied with it. Now I've made a point of actually learning the finer points which really changes the experience.

Moderateman

on May 07, 2006

2 by Masons
Sunday, May 07, 2006

Hmmm, I can't imagine why

sarcasm right?

MasonM

on May 07, 2006

MasonM

on May 07, 2006

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