All about pipes and tobacco

The pipe and the tobacco

Some pipe smokers have only one pipe and always smoke the same kind of tobacco. These pipe smokers are cheating themselves for many exciting experiences that the pipe smoke can give. On the one hand, there is a big difference between how a particular tobacco tastes in different pipes, and on the other, pipe tobacco is probably one of the enjoyment that offers the greatest taste variations. So why cheat yourself for new experiences in everyday life?

The pipe

Pipes are many things. Just try to look inside at a well -stocked tobacco shop. Here you will probably find a wide selection, ranging from the humble maize pipe to a thief, to exclusive handmade pipes for several thousand dollars. And a large selection between these two extremes. Most are probably made from the type of wood used worldwide for pipe making, namely Bruyere. Bruyere is the term for the root tuber of a heather bush - Erica Arborea - which grows all the way around the Mediterranean. It has been used for centuries to make pipes, because of its resilience to heat and its (sometimes) beautiful year -round. But even though the pipes, basically, are made of the same material, they offer great variations. Eg. There may well be a difference in how two identical pipes taste with the same tobacco, even though the pipes are of the same model and come from the same factory. It lies in the fact that wood is a natural material, so there can be a big difference in the hardness of the tree, the content of flavors, etc., depending on where it has grown, under what conditions and how long the bush has been allowed to grow before it had to let life to turn into a number of pipes. The processing for the finished pipe also has some significance for the taste. The wood may be treated in different ways (boiling, drying, oil treatment etc.), but the mechanical machining also has an impact. The size of the tobacco chamber, the thickness of the wood, the diameter and design of the smoke channel, the design of the tip, etc. are all things that affect the flavor of the pipe. Here, a skilled pipe maker can really perfect the function of the pipe to the extreme. So it's not just the look you pay extra for when pipes are handmade, as opposed to machine -made. Pipes are also made from materials other than bruyers. Maize pipes have probably become acquainted with most. It is traditionally a cheap pipe that is not intended to last long. However, it has some charm, adding tobacco a rounder and more sweet taste that many appreciate. Merskum is another popular material for pipe making. These are the ones that most often, completely white pipes with colored mouthpieces. The better of the kind is also supplied in a specially adapted case where they can be stored in a safe way. It is a very good idea, as the foam is a fragile material that is easily scratched, dirty or even can stain at a little hard -handed treatment. On the other hand, you get a very special smoking experience on such a pipe. It gives, largely, no oak taste, so here you get the perfectly clean tobacco taste. In addition, if it is smoked regularly and for a long time, the pipe will take color from the tobacco, so that over time it changes color from white to brown/black. It has a very special charm to see his foam pipe slowly change the look over the years.

Tobacco

Tobacco is just some dried leaves in nice wrapping, many would say. It is, to some extent also right, but just like with grapes, there are many different species of the tobacco plant, and they can be treated in many different ways before becoming the final product. The flavor variation is even greater in the world of tobacco than in the wine. This is to some extent, to some extent, the fact that tobacco likes to add different flavors to create a very specific result. After all, it is only allowed to a lesser extent with wine, to finish now. This ultimately means that the variation in the tobacco committee is huge. This is where it will be really exciting. Knowledge of whiskey claims that a whiskey exists for all tastes. This statement in particular applies to pipe tobacco. Pipe tobacco spans a very wide flavor spectrum. There are completely (almost) clean tobacco, which are made of only a few tobacco types, within the same taste area, and hardly flavored with foreign flavors. On the other hand, they may be heat -treated or pressed to a greater or lesser extent, to produce different flavor elements. This group of tobacco is typically mixed by either Virginia or Burleyto tobacco. This group of tobacco all has a space scent that most people can accept, or even really appreciate. Then there is the group that you call mixture. They are traditionally also made of clean tobacco, but here you have mixed tobacco from different flavors together, so that with the "clean goods" you have spicy the mixture. The traditional spice tobacco is latakia, orient and perique, as well as a few more. Mixtures often produces a smoke that many wrinkles on the nose. Probably mostly because it is unfamiliar. Eg. the scent of a Latakia mixture can be reminiscent of the smell of tarred ropes. The last group of tobacco I want to mention are the ones we call the aromatic. Common to these is that they are to a greater or lesser extent added to different foreign flavors. Often, however, these have an extremely natural origin, e.g. vanilla, cocoa, licorice, fruit extracts, etc. This addition means that both the taste and the smoke in the room are clearly characterized by these fabrics. They will typically taste and smell pretty sweet, whereas the tobacco flavor and scent itself are completely or partially gone. Some appreciate this, while others, in extreme cases, are directly disgusted. These tobacco are especially popular in Germany and the US, smaller in Denmark.

Tobacco in the pipe

As you can understand from the above, there are plenty of opportunities for different flavors. Many different pipes and tobacco to choose from, and many options for smoking different tobacco in different pipes. It may seem incomprehensible. Therefore, a good tobacco shop, with competent service, is very worthwhile for the pipe smoker. The tobacco retailer will be able to direct you in the right direction. For example, do you have. Tried a particular tobacco, but looking for something that is a little sweeter or a little more full of taste, he will know what to try. However, there are a few rules of thumb to observe when it comes to choosing a pipe model for a particular tobacco type. Eg. Tastes a pure tobacco, e.g. is VirginaLake, usually best in a pipe with strong walls and a not too wide tobacco chamber. A latakiamixture is often lured to most flavors in a pipe with low and wide chamber, preferably with slightly thin walls, while the aromatic tobacco usually performs best in pipes with wide and high chamber, and with great thickness. However, these guidelines are only indicative. I usually try a new pipe with different tobacco types at first to find the optimal combination. At times, it ends up with a completely different combination than I had imagined when the pipe was purchased.

Pipe smoking for beginners

Another aspect of pipe smoking is probably what discourages most, namely that it is a little cumbersome. The pipe must be kept properly, to do its best. And to hold is to clean. Sour pipes are worse than no pipes! This means That you have to have more pipes to change with. They must be allowed to rest between the stops. Next, it requires Pipe cleaners. The tip and the smoke channel should be kept as clean as possible. This means that after each stop, the tobacco chamber is completely emptied of ash and tobacco residue. When the pipe has become cold, the tip and smoke duct should be thoroughly cleaned with one or more pipe cleaners. A little alcohol or special cleaning fluid can be a help, especially if you smoke a tobacco that grease a lot in the pipe. Eventually, the coke stroke in the tobacco chamber must be kept down. However, this should only be done at intervals. Depending on which tobacco you smoke, it is probably after 10-50 stop tobacco. An old rule says that when the coke stroke has reached a thickness of 1-2 mm, it's time to cut it out. Pipe cutters Available in many different designs and at many different prices, but they do not have to cost a fortune to work well.

With these simple advice, there is the basis for many good times in the company of the pipe, and the amount of different experiences you decide for yourself.

Good smoke!

Reproduced with permission from IB Fagerlund, Nordic Tobacco College - which also has a formidable website for pipe smokers here http://www.n-t.dk/

We've only made a few edits to make reading easier!