cavman138 said:
I had no idea pipe smoking was that involved.
Man, and I didn't even touch on tobaccos yet! 8)
It's as involved as you want it to be. For me, I'm a guy who enjoys procedure, routine, details, etc. Hence I find pleasure in the tactility of maintaining and smoking my pipes.
Once you have a tobacco that you regularly smoke, it's nice to devote one (or more) of you pipes to only that tobacco, or to only that
type of tobacco. Briarwood absorbs the aroma of what you smoke through it, so having a seasoned pipe is nice, and if you were to smoke something else through it you'd find subtle hints of your regular tobacco throughout the new stuff. My favorite "daily smoke" is Captain Black Cherry (red pouch) or Royal (blue pouch). Captain Black Cherry is largely burly, with a nice blend of cherry Cavendish. My pops used to smoke Captain Black Cherry, and I came around to it eventually, but definitely see his like for that flavor. The Royal is lighter, with hints of vanilla and other spices, I enjoy it, but it's a second to the Cherry. My handmade Tim West, smooth bulldog, and at least one corncob are dedicated to these two tobaccos, although they occasionally see other aromatic tobaccos. The professor has turned into a lighter use pipe for me, so it's the usual pick when I get a new aromatic.
As Virginia and English tobaccos are more, hmm, Earthy, natural, or woodsy blends (not being subject to the sweet sugar-curing process of aromatic tobacco), it's best to have a pipe (or pipes) devoted to just those types of tobacco. I like the bulldog style a lot (easy to work and smoke with this type of "hands-free" pipe), so my twin rough bulldog took to this task. There's usually at least one corncob in my collection as a second for Virginia and English tobaccos as well. I haven't settled on one single 'non-Cavendish' tobacco, so these pipes usually see 3-4 different blends.
Most people don't realize that a pipe, being made of a porous material, takes on moisture, heat, and oils/tar from the tobacco. So it's best to let a pipe completely cool before smoking an additional bowl from it. Sure you can smoke 2-3 bowls in a row from the same pipe (been there, done that), but the temperature and flavor of each progressive bowl without proper cooling and cleaning will be worse. By having more pipes within the rotation, you can keep the consistency of flavor, temperature, or overall 'quality' of smoke the same. I like to have a minimum of 3-4 hours between bowls in the same pipe, even then I can tell the difference from something that hasn't been smoked since the day before.
I put a lot of stock in the validity of my last quote about smoking becoming and automatic process for a lot of people. If you take the time to enjoy what you're doing, not simply be a creature of careless habit, you'll more enjoy what your doing, as well as your smoking while doing it. When I go hang out at the bar with my friends, over at their houses, or camping/fishing and whatnot, I take great care in what pipes and tobaccos I take with me. What I smoke while I'm doing something is as important as the act of doing it.
Probably one of the most enjoyable things I hear people say about pipes, or when they see me smoking mine (as it seems that a lot of people smoke, but few care to smoke cigars, and even fewer pipes), is how they remember their father or grandfather smoking, or how the smell reminds them of something they used to do with their family member. It's nostalgia and character, which doesn't come in a pack of Camels or Marlborough Reds. I've always fancied myself as a classic gentleman, and smoking a pipe for pleasure has always seemed a way to connect with times when smoking and life were more glamorous than the monotony and automation of modern day. And more importantly, I've had many a lady sachet across the room to start a conversation shortly after I strike a match and light a pipe than I ever had with anything before. That alone should be reason to at least try pipe smoking at least once in you lifetime. :wink:
