1---
2title: "On smoking a pipe"
3description: Why I started smoking a pipe, what my first experience was like, and why I continue to
4author: Amolith
5date: 2020-04-05T21:38:07-04:00
6draft: false
7cover: /assets/pngs/pipe.png
8categories:
9 - Pipe Smoking
10tags:
11 - Personal
12 - Missouri Meerschaum
13 - Indian Summer
14 - Lord of the Rings
15---
16
17The Lord of the Rings is one the greatest book series I have ever read
18as well as one of my favourite movie trilogies; when I was younger, I
19watched them so often that I knew *almost* exactly where all the scenes
20were in the timeline and could quote a fair few of the lines verbatim :wink:
21Pipe smoking was very prominent throughout, from the hobbits to the
22humans to the dwarves, and I was always intrigued by it. In my second
23year of high school/college,[^1] I took a public speaking course and
24decided to do my persuasive speech on the topic; my purpose was not to
25convince people *to* smoke a pipe, rather that they shouldn't judge pipe
26smokers as harshly. In conducting my research, I ended up wanting to try
27it for myself.
28
29Another influence was likely my grandfather. I don't remember it
30*particularly* well other than a few scattered images here and there but
31I do know he smoked everything from cigarettes to cigars, cigarillos,
32and pipes. A few days ago, my grandmother commented on my pipe stand and
33said he had had one very similar before his stroke.[^2]
34
35Shortly after my 18th birthday, I ordered [my first corn cob
36pipe](https://corncobpipe.com/missouri-pride-corncob-pipe.html) from
37[Missouri Meerschaum](https://corncobpipe.com/) and ended up falling in
38love. I went to my local tobacconist and asked what he recommended for
39someone who was just getting into it. He suggested two blends I think
40they created in-house; one was an aromatic[^3] called *Indian Summer*
41and the other was an English[^3] which I've forgotten the name of.
42
43The first one I tried was Indian Summer as people typically start with
44an aromatic. It's sort of like drinking beer before brandy (I've never
45had brandy so I don't know what it actually tastes like); the former is
46palatable to most while the latter is an acquired taste. The flavour was
47a little odd but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The English on the other hand
48. . . suffice it to say[^4] that my palate hadn't (and still hasn't)
49developed that far. When I open the jar, my nose is assaulted with a
50smell reminiscent of burning rubber; it's very sharp and acrid. Other
51than smelling it and promptly deciding to leave it for another day, that
52blend has stayed in the same jar since I made the purchase.
53
54The pipe I started with, the [Missouri
55Pride,](https://corncobpipe.com/missouri-pride-corncob-pipe.html) is one
56that pretty much every podcast, blog post, and tutorial recommends.
57There's no reason to pay over $100 for an artisan pipe when you can get
58a feel for the hobby spending less than $15 including tobacco, tamper,
59and pipe cleaners. It wasn't a *stellar* experience but I would
60certainly recommend it to anyone that's curious; corn cob pipes are the
61best way to see if you'll enjoy the activity. In addition, many pipe
62smokers still buy cobs because of their low price. You can take one out
63with you and, if you drop and break it, you're really not out that much.
64My [Emerald](https://corncobpipe.com/the-emerald-corn-cob-pipe) is
65supposed to get here sometime tomorrow (I know that website is down at
66the moment; I'll edit this and add a picture or two once the pipe
67arrives).
68
69One of my favourite aspects of smoking a pipe is the "ritual" associated
70with it. You pick which pipe you're in the mood for, select the tobacco,
71go through the stages of packing the bowl, striking the "false
72light",[^5] letting it go out, tamping it down again, striking the "true
73light", and then, finally, sitting back to enjoy the flavour whilst
74reading a good book. It's one of the most relaxing hobbies I've ever
75had. Another aspect I appreciate is the *rich* history and tradition
76associated with pipe smoking. I may discuss this further in another post
77but, for now, I'll say that tradition and history are *incredibly*
78important to me.[^6]
79
80[^1]: I attended an Early College; I was taking college courses *instead
81 of* some high school courses yet getting credit for both. I ended up
82 going to high school for five years and coming out with three
83 Associate Degrees.
84[^2]: When I was 7 or 8, he had a severe stroke due to a blood clot
85 likely caused by how often he smoked. He spent the next 9 years
86 paralysed on his left side and wheelchair-bound.
87[^3]: You can read about the different styles and flavours of pipe
88 tobacco at the [Pipedia](https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_Tobaccos), a
89 fantastic resource on pipe smoking.
90[^4]:
91 [Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/suffice-it-to-say):
92 "It is enough to say this and no more, as in *Suffice it to say that
93 the judge was furious when the invitation was withdrawn.*"
94[^5]: When you're lighting a pipe, you first put the flame to the
95 tobacco and move it around the bowl trying to evenly "toast" it, all
96 the while drawing the flame down further by sucking as you would on
97 a straw (*not* inhaling). After doing this for 15-20 seconds, you
98 stop and let the flame die. The tobacco will fluff up from the heat
99 (like when lighting any other fire with tinder) so you tamp it back
100 down. The next time you light it, it will stay lit. This is the
101 "true light".
102[^6]: Because this is my blog and I don't have to conform to any
103 academic standards, I'm ending it here. Goodbye and thanks for
104 reading :grin: