{"id":2662,"date":"2019-03-19T13:01:12","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T13:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/?p=2662"},"modified":"2019-03-19T13:01:12","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T13:01:12","slug":"a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking\/","title":{"rendered":"A Beginner’s Guide to Pipe Smoking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tPipe smoking has been used by cultures all throughout the world, over many centuries, as part of sacred rituals, be they weddings, funerals, or the signing of treaties.\u00a0 First introduced in the French court as medicinal, the hobby soon caught on for the simple relaxing pleasure it brought.\u00a0 Tobacco came to be so valued that in colonial days you could pay your taxes in the state of Virginia in tobacco instead of money.\u00a0 Here at the Gents Blog we often write about cigars<\/a>.\u00a0 In this article, we’ll share a few thoughts on getting started with smoking pipes, which is a great complement to smoking cigars.<\/p>\n

What You’ll Need<\/h4>\n

Many pipes are made of briarwood, a wood renowned for its durability, heat resistance, and appearance.\u00a0 A favorite for beginners, however, is a Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipe.\u00a0 It’s inexpensive and packs a bit of nostalgia with each pull.\u00a0 A straight stem will sit the bowl a bit higher and keep smoke out of your face, but requires a bit more handling and positioning on your part.\u00a0 A curved stem sits easy on the mouth and requires less handling.\u00a0 As with many choices regarding smoking and tobacco, there is no “right” answer.<\/p>\n

You’ll need something to light your pipe with.\u00a0 The overwhelming favorite for many pipe smokers are longer pipe matches, but there are also some lighters specially designed for pipes.\u00a0 A tamping tool, which you use to push down the tobacco into the chamber, is also worth having as well.<\/p>\n

Beginners should trust their noses.\u00a0 If you like the smell and feel of the tobacco, go for it.\u00a0 An ounce or two will be plenty to get you started.<\/p>\n

Technique<\/h4>\n

The most well-known technique is the “three-layer.”\u00a0 Take your tobacco and drop it into the chamber until you’ve reached the top of the bowl.\u00a0 Then tamp the tobacco down to about halfway down the chamber.\u00a0 Repeat this two more times, each time tamping to the three quarters mark, then just below the top of the bowl.\u00a0 The tobacco should be well-packed but also springy.\u00a0 Take a pull to make sure that you’ve packed it well.\u00a0 It should feel somewhere between pulling on a straw in an empty glass and on one in a thick milkshake.<\/p>\n

You’ll give the pipe two lights to get it going.\u00a0 The first will be to create a cake on the top which can then serve as a basis to cradle the second light.\u00a0 On the first lighting, take shorter pulls and make sure the flame is taken in a circular motion around the bowl.\u00a0 The top layer of tobacco should be charred and blackened.\u00a0 Allow this to go out and then gently tamp it down into the bowl.\u00a0 Then relight, this time taking longer, deeper pulls.\u00a0 Depending on how well you have packed it and how big the bowl is, your pipe can last up to an hour or longer.<\/p>\n

Don’t be disheartened if the pipe goes out — even often — in your first smokes.\u00a0 Firstly, it’s an organic substance so if you don’t pull on it it will go out on its own.\u00a0 Relighting it doesn’t ruin the flavor.\u00a0 Secondly, as you learn to pack the pipe better relighting will become less of an issue.\u00a0 Pipe smoking requires practice and patience, which given that it’s all about enjoying a good smoke, should go without saying!<\/p>\n

Pipes, like cigars, are wonderful additions to conversations with friends.\u00a0 Add a glass of your favorite spirit and you have the elements of a memorable evening.<\/p>\n

Do you smoke pipes?\u00a0 Would you consider doing so after reading this article?\u00a0 Share your thoughts in the comments below to get 25% off any tobacco-related purchases at your next visit to one of our clubs.<\/em>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pipe smoking has been used by cultures all throughout the world, over many centuries, as part of sacred rituals, be they weddings, funerals, or the signing of treaties.\u00a0 First introduced…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,5],"tags":[566],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Beginner's Guide to Pipe Smoking - The Gents Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Beginner's Guide to Pipe Smoking - The Gents Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pipe smoking has been used by cultures all throughout the world, over many centuries, as part of sacred rituals, be they weddings, funerals, or the signing of treaties.\u00a0 First introduced...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Gents Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-19T13:01:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/man-nature-forest-hair-smoke-smoking-846926-pxhere.com_.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"678\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gents Place Blogger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gents Place Blogger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.thegentsplace.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-pipe-smoking\/\",\"name\":\"A Beginner's Guide to Pipe Smoking - 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