The Handlebar Club Forum

My favorite tobacco use to be MASKED DUCK from the Bufflehead shop but new tobacco laws forbid him from shipping out of state so I’m been smoking Top Value Vanilla for now as I sample from all the local small shops. I prefer to smoke a light aromatic in a large bowl.
~ Tom

A straight day with a bent pipe.

Looking good !!!

Stewart

I have always enjoyed smoking the occasional cigar and I've always loved the smell of pipe tobacco. Therefore I've decided to give pipe smoking a go. Do many other members of the forum smoke pipes? What tips would they give to a new pipesmoker in the UK with regard to types of tobacco to try, any other hints or tips that you could pass on.
Thanks, Marc

I have given up smoking since 2002 ..... i have never tried a pipe...i think we do have some pipe smokers here

welcome
ben

I would advise to find a friendly tobacconist who can show you the finer points of packing the bowl tight on the top loose on the bottom, lighting the entire surface of the tobacco, and smoking it slowly to avoid the tongue bite associated with a hot bowl or a bowl smoked too fast.
Take it slow and make it a hobby not a habit. Find some good pure tobacco with out any weird chemical smelling and tasting additives. Don’t smoke more than a few bowls in a day at first and experiment with different pipes. Sizes of bowls and rate of flow make a huge difference and can make any given tobacco less or more enjoyable. Some pipes need to be broken in and taste weird until you build up a good cake of carbon. Other popes need constant maintenance and need to be cleaned after each use or they will taste funny.
Anyone can turn a cigarette or a cigar in to ash but it takes a little bit of knowledge and skill to enjoy a pipe.

Thanks for your advice, I'm looking forward to trying my first pipe of tobacco next weekend.

Hello Marc and welcome,
I totally agree with what Tom says. Pipe smoking is a relaxing and stress relieving hobby, not a habit. I will say on the subject of tobacco try as many as you can, your pet tobacconist should let you have small (say 10-12grm) samples of various loose tobacco to try. I enjoy both aromatic and traditional (english) mixtures depending on how I'm feeling. Just remember not to smoke english or plain blends in a pipe you've used for aromatics and vice versa. Be sympathetic to others and if a particular blend doesn't go down well with those close to you there are hundreds of alternatives, after all it's supposed to be a pleasure, not a way of alienating yourself from friends and family. Good luck and best wishes.
Stu.
ps If I can be of any further help, please just ask.

Thanks for your advice. I have brought a pipe a few weeks ago and have enjoyed my first attempts at pipesmoking. I am enjoying smoking Condor at the moment and like the smell that remains in my moustache after smoking my pipe. Are there any other pipesmoking handlebar members out there?

Hello Marc.

Glad to hear the pipe adventure is going well. I always have a pouch of green packet condor handy. Some people have said it tastes a bit 'soapy', which I suppose it does to a degree but that adds to its uniqueness. Can I recommend McBarrens Scottish blend, it's like Christmas in a tin!

Keep on puffing

All the best, Stu.

Tried looking for some of the McBarrens Scottish blend, but could not find it at my local tobacconist. Looks like I will have to search further afield. What tobaccos do other handlebar club pipesmokers recommend?

Thanks for your help during the year. I have enjoyed taking up and smoking a pipe and hope to meet other handlebar club gentlemen to enjoy a pipe with them in the new year.
Marc

I smoke the occasional pipe. As others have mentioned, smoke it slowly - don't worry if it keeps going out at first. The key is not to let it get too hot - the pipe bowl should always be comfortably warm and never hot. If it gets too hot you risk starting to burn through the wood of the pipe. A pipe is definitely the most difficult of the tobacco hobbies to master.

I also smoke the occasional cigar and I'm a bit of a snuff aficionado too.

We smoke fruits tabacco. Big pipe. Lots of water.

Carrying a pipe is a denger for me.

Pipe smoking is something that I excel at. Some pipes are meant to be smoked slowly but most do just as well to be smoked quickly. Bowl size is up to the discretion of the user. All pipes get hot when smoked vigorously, so great care must be made as not to over heat so not to damage the sensitive oral tissues.