I can see the appeal of pipe smoking. I've long enjoyed cigars, but I have a friend that would like me to try pipe smoking. I'm interested, but I lack a solid background in pipe smoking. I have several questions, that, rather than diving in to a website devoted to that, I'd query the experts here.
1) What type of pipe or pipes should I buy? I've heard people mention the excellent value proposition of some 'used' pipes of various names where the quality if far superior to new pipes. What is a cost effective 'entry-level' pipe. Since I don't know much about the advantages/disadvantages of different pipe shapes, what is a good option to start with.
I would disagree. The problem with a Used pipe is that you never know what its previous owner did to it. Unless you're getting one from me, or someone like me that you know really understands pipes and would obviously have taken tremendous care of his pipes, you're likely to inherit a pipe with problems, and as a newbie you don't have the skill to be able to judge if its going to be good or bad. Usually you won't get a decent saving compared to the other options I'm going to highlite for you.
What I recommend for a beginner are any of the following:
a) If you really want to make a go of it, and know that you are serious about taking up pipe smoking, I would suggest that you get yourself one of certain select brands of relatively cheaper pipes; most cheap pipes (including pretty well all wooden pipes under $50) are going to be junk; but there are many good brands of pipes that make decently nice pipes for between $60-90. This seems expensive, but for something that's going to potentially last you the rest of your life is you take care of it, its not that big an investment. There are also very expensive pipes that sell for the $100-300 range, and stupid-expensive pipes that sell in the $300-2000+ ranges. The former are usually worth it, and most of my pipes are in that middle range; the latter are almost never worth it, you're paying for a diminishing return of flavor and mostly playing for the prettiness of the pipe or more often just for the brand name.
But let's say you want to start out with a cheaper end briar wood pipe. I would strongly recommend any of these three brands:
-First and foremost, Ben Wade; particularly the Ben Wade "Ruby" series; these cost between $60-85 and are amazing; both of mine smoke as good or better than other pipes I bought for four times as much.
-Second, Stanwell. Stanwell makes a ton of pipes in the $75-100 range, in a variety of often-lovely shapes, and I have NEVER bought a stanwell that smokes badly. I've given lots of mine away over the years to new smokers who are friends of mine, but still have 5 in my active collection. They're great and usually pretty easy to find at good tobacconists. Pretty much any series of Stanwell is recommended .
-Third, Lorenzetti. These are difficult to find in the U.S., much easier to find in Canada; but there are places in the US that sell them, albeit I've noticed at a slightly higher cost. I would recommend the "borgo", "tempesta" or "solitario" series, but there are also some cheaper series (named after roman emperors) that are ok too. The three I named above usually range in the $80-150 range; while the cheapies range in the $60-85 price category. Lorenzettis are spectacular pipes; and of the series I've named above, I own and smoke 10 of these, making them the largest single brand of my collection.
b) You could also get a meerschaum pipe; these are not briar wood but made out of a kind of mineral. They're normally white when bought (though as you smoke them they become a kind of golden yellowish colour; some are also pre-yellowed, which is also fine) and they can either be smooth or carved in various shapes, often in the form of heads of animals or historical figures. Stay away from the really little ones, as they're harder to smoke effectively.
Meerschaum is an excellent substance to smoke tobacco in, as it acts as a kind of natural filter of some of the harshness or dampness of tobaccos and you get a really nice smooth smoke out of them. Don't get a meerschaum for less than about $60; they can go into the price range of hundreds of dollars for very big ones; and ones that are smooth are often ironically more expensive because they're usually higher-quality mineral than the ones that get carved.
The one huge drawback of Meerschaums is that they are very fragile; they can easily break, which is why they come in little carrying cases that look like violin cases shaped to fit the pipe. You have to be very cautious when you smoke the pipe never to drop it, tap it against anything at all, or be too rough with it in general; and always to put it somewhere save that its not going get dropped, hit, crushed, or sat upon. I've owned a lot of meerschaums over the years and broken all but two of them.
c) For a very very cheap beginners option, as I said above, you do not want to buy a briar (or any other kind of wood) pipe for less than $50. They're junk.
However, what you could buy is a corncob pipe! These, contrary to what you might imagine, actually smoke really great; way better than what the aforementioned cheapass pipes would smoke. They're delicious, and come in a few shapes. Try to get a good sized one (again, not the teeny-tiny ones you see sometimes, which are more for smoking something other than tobacco); but do not get the "macarthur" type corncob, which is thin and ridiculously tall (because its very very hard to keep lit). And if I would recommend a brand it'd be from the "Missouri Meerschaum" company, which are known for making the very best corncobs in the world and come in a variety of shapes. They only cost around $10-20 dollars!
The downside of corncobs? They will undoubtedly burn out; unlike a good quality briar pipe which can last for decades and decades if you take care of it, a corncob will typically end up burning out (either getting totally soured or literally ending up with a hole in it) within a few months of purchase. So these are pipes you enjoy for only a time, before moving on.
My recommendation to you would be to get yourself a Ben Wade, Stanwell or Lorenzetti for your first pipe, AND get yourself a Missouri Meerschaum corncob (there are several shapes you could get, the "great dane egg" or "general", "country gentleman" or "diplomat" are all good shapes for a corncob). That way you have two pipes to start with; one (the briar pipe) that you'd smoke no more than once a day; and the other, the corncob, which would be your back up pipe to abuse a bit and smoke as much as you wanted, or try out new flavours with.
2) My friend has mentioned 'impregnating' a virgin pipe with any number of possible solutions, from honey to different spirits (brandy, maybe?). Is there an advantage to this? If so, what preferred substance do you have. Does it only work on a 'virgin pipe', or if I do buy a used pipe, would this be recommended?
No! Don't do any of this. At best, its useless. At worst, its harmful to the pipe. Using alcohol on a brand new pipe could cause it to overdry and crack the wood if the pipe is already very dry, and using honey will clog the grain so that it won't breathe properly.
The best way to "cure" a new pipe is by smoking it, full bowls, from top to bottom (though it doesn't have to be all in one sitting), but smoking it nice and SLOW and gentle. Letting it rest for a while if it starts to feel too hot ("too hot" being when it hurts to hold it in your hand), but making sure to smoke it all the way to the bottom (so that you get a full and even layer of ash). When its done, use your pipe tool to spread the ash around the bowl as evenly as you can (like you're coating the inside of the bowl with your ash) then tap out the excess (when you do, you'll see that a layer of ash stays in, clinging evenly to the bowl). Then let it sit for an hour or two before cleaning it with a pipe cleaner.
Do this the first three or four times that you smoke the pipe, and it'll be fully cured, and then you can just smoke it regularly and worry a little less about being slow or smoking it all the way down.
That's it. That's all you need to do.
3) I'm familiar with cigar smoking and have the appropriate accouterments. However, what is the preferred method of lighting a pipe? Is match lighting greatly preferred? What are the advantages/disadvantages of a torch lighter?
If by a "torch lighter" you mean one that looks like a little acetylene torch, you should UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES USE THAT on your pipe; it can literally burn a hole in your pipe.
The best way to light the pipe is with matches; ideally slightly long matches that you let burn till the chemicals on the tip are burnt through. Once you have lit the top once and the whole top layer of the pipe bowl is burnt, you can use an ordinary butane or zippo lighter if you need relighting, or keep using matches.
The other things you need with a pipe are a pipe tool (a simple one with three implements: a tamper, a poker and a little spoon), and pipe cleaners. One thing that's essential to the health of your pipes is that at the end of each day you clean out your smoked pipes, emptying the tobacco residue, taking them apart, and cleaning the stem and bowl with your pipe cleaner. It takes seconds to do and avoids huge disasters of pipes being ruined (soured) by old tobacco residue left in them.
Fortunately, there is a pretty good place for all one's smoking needs in Knoxville
http://smokystobacco.com/
I know they'll be able to help me with anything, but I want to be able to ask intelligent questions.
Thanks for any suggestions.
The store looks good, but their website unfortunately doesn't seem to show what actual pipes they carry, not even the brands. Hopefully, they'll have some of those I mentioned here.
I don't know any of their bulk tobaccos (probably house blends) but from the tins I might recommend to you the Early Morning Pipe as a truly excellent light tobacco that's a good choice for beginners who are serious enough not to want some kind of cherry-flavoured bullshit, but are actually looking for a tobacco that tastes like tobacco.
Dunhill 965 is also spectacular, slightly stronger but so delicious.
Or if you want something that's a different kind of strong, try Escudo Navy deluxe. It comes in little coin-shaped flakes that you have to rub apart with your fingers a bit before putting into the bowl; make sure if you get this one you smoke it after eating and not on an empty stomach.
RPGPundit