Since pipes are more niche and quite rare, I imagine that there are also fewer guides or communities that pass rules along. Most pipe smokers probably learned their practices through trial and error. We’ve done our best to curate all the information that we could find and put it into one easy place for people to use.
There are several varieties of Virginias, but all are characterized a relatively high sugar content. Virginias are often used as the base tobacco in blends, but they are smoked “straight” as well. Straight Virginias undergo changes in flavor as they age, similar to fine wines. Lighter in body than Oriental blends, they have a subtle complexity of flavor that makes them a favorite of many experienced smokers. However, a step is added to the curing process in which the leaves are fire-cured over a fire of aromatic herbs. The leaf colour is black and the tobacco has a very strong aromatic and smoked taste.
Plug tobacco is maintained in its pressed block form and sold in small blocks. The plug will be sliced into thin flakes by the smoker and then prepared in a similar fashion to flake tobacco. It is considered that plug tobacco holds its flavor better than rubbed or flake Pipe Tobacco in Bags tobacco. Generally it is rubbed out with the fingers and palms until it is loose enough to pack. It can also be crumbled or simply folded and stuffed into a pipe. Some people also prefer to dice up very coarse tobaccos before using them, making them easier to pack.
A naphtha fueled lighter should also be allowed to burn a few seconds to get rid of stray naphtha vapors that could give a foul taste to the smoke. When a flame has been produced, it is then moved in circles above the rim of the bowl while the smoker puffs to draw the flame down and light the tobacco. Packing method and humidity can affect how often a pipe must be relit. The specifically American style of pipes made from corncobs are cheap and effective, even if some regard them as inelegant.
Calabash gourds have long made prized pipes, but they are labour-intensive and, today, quite expensive. Because of this expense, pipes with bodies made of wood instead of gourd, but with the same classic shape, are sold as calabashes. Both wood and gourd pipes are functionally the same . They consist of a downward curve that ends with an upcurve where the bowl sits.
A cake of ash eventually develops inside the bowl. This is generally considered desirable for controlling overall heat. However, if it becomes too thick, it may expand faster than the bowl of the pipe itself when heated, cracking the bowl. Before reaching this point, it needs to be scraped down with a reamer.
Although designs for cigars, they’re an excellent option as they come in different sizes. Many pipe enthusiasts may baulk at using plastic for storing pipe tobacco, especially during a long period of time. After all, loose tobacco will stain it over time and cheap plastic contains toxins or odours that can damage your collection.
Many years ago i bought a tobacco mixture named “Creole Cavendish” from the ” Epitome ” tobacco shop located in New Orleans . Heavy aros last a max of 1-2 yrs but most other tobacs last 15+ yrs as long as they are stored in a dark cool/room temp place shoe box under bed is fine. R.C. Hamlin has written an excellent article called Tobacco, worth the wait. If you have a copy of this article and would be willing to have us post it here, and/or link to it, please E-mail me at This last country, in fact, accounts for much of the world’s VA production.