Pipe Smoking 101

Things you will need: A pipe (two if you can afford it), tobacco, tamper (ask for a Czech pipe tool),matches/lighter and a pack of pipe cleaners.

For your first pipe I would strongly recommend a corncob pipe. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they are cheap so if you find you don't enjoy the experience you haven't spent too much money. Secondly, you will want to try more than one tobacco. A cob pipe will not pick up on the ghosts of tobaccos past as much as a pipe made from briar. Another good and cheap alternative is a clay pipe. But they are very fragile and easily broken. If you are able buy two pipes do as you should never  smoke a pipe whilst it is still hot.

Tobacco is always down to personal taste. Many people start out smoking 'aromatic' blends. These are tobaccos that have had a flavouring added such as cherry or whiskey. I myself started out smoking these but very quickly with the help of a good tobacconist broke that habit. Some that are spoken highly of in the pipe community are Mac Baren's 'Vanilla Cream Loose Cut' and 'Erinmore Mixture'. Sometimes you can find the latter in pouches in the supermarket if you are very lucky. I will put some web addresses of good online tobacconists who will most certainly stock both these brands and many more.

If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with a good tobacconist I'm sure they will give you some good advice. If not then all is not lost there are some very good supermarket brands. The princeps inter pares of these is St. Bruno. A wonderful blend of Virginia and Kentucky tobaccos with a light flavouring of lakeland heather. It comes in two forms 'Ready Rubbed' and 'Flake'. Ask for the ready rubbed. Flakes require some preparation before smoking and it is best I think to leave that for another day. St. Bruno does pack quite a nicotine punch so if you are getting off cigarettes this is a good one. The two others you might like to try are 'Condor Ready Rubbed' and 'Mellow Virginia'. These are both in a similar vein to St. Bruno but are milder both in nicotine and flavour.

There are acres of print and hours of film on the web on how to fill your pipe. Various methods can be deployed to achieve the best results possible. I subscribe to a simpler way of doing things. Imagine if you will that you are trying to put a tiny mouse in your pipe. If you jam him in there you will kill him and you will be sad. If you do not apply enough pressure your little friend will up and run away.So what you need to do is apply gentle pressure to fit him in. Too much and we know what will happen. So using  your index finger push the tobacco into the bowl of the pipe. Don't try and fill the bowl in one go. Each time you push tobacco in lift the pipe to your mouth and draw to make sure you have a good flow of air. Then turn the bowl of your pipe upside down. If the tobacco falls out imagine your little friend running away. If the tobacco says in and there is a good draw with not too much resistance then you should be fine.

I use both matches and a ligher to fire up my pipe. Believe it or not there is some scientific evidence to show that matches are a superior way to light a pipe. But when you are starting out a lighter is a better bet as you will more than likely need to re-light the pipe a number of times. When you look at the ashtray full of spent matches you may lose heart and give up after the first bowl. The effect you want is an even light across the bowl. The best way to achieve this is to move the lighter clockwise around the tobacco. Remember you are not trying to set fire to your pipe so try to avoid the rim of the bowl as much as is possible. Puff gentle away as you do this. Two or three turns round the bowl should have the tobacco alight.

This is where you deploy the tamper.  The best of these and the cheapest is known as a Czech pipe tool. Again if you have a good tobacconist they will no doubt have these. I use one all the time. I have an expensive Dunhill tamper which cost nearly £40. It sits in my pipe cabinet gathering dust.

 As you have applied the first light you will notice that the tobacco in the bowl has expandid. Take the flattened end of the tamper and with great care and gentleness push down the tobacco. It must be remembered that you are not loading a canon but tamping a pipe. You will know if you have tamped too hard as you will find it difficult to draw smoke through the pipe. Then apply your lighter to the bowl of the pipe again. Take two or three deep puffs then again a gentle application of the tamper.

By now you are smoking your first bowl. There are a few tips to make this a more pleasurable experience. I would not recommend inhaling the smoke. Though I strongly believe that the right way to enjoy your pipe smoking is your way most people do not inhale the smoke. Pipe tobacco is much stronger than cigarette tobacco. You will find yourself turning green and coughing up your lungs if you do. Like cigars pipe smoking is as much about enjoying the taste of the tobacco as it is nicotine.

Another important tip whilst enjoying your first bowl is not to puff too hard and too much. If you do the smoke will become very hot and your tongue will feel as though it had been hit with a steak tenderiser covered in chilli sauce. When puffing think of it as a gentle kiss on a lovers ear.

Happy Smoking!

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