A Guide To Pipe Tobacco
In last week’s blog we gave you an overview on tobacco pipes, so this week we wanted to take a look at what goes in them. Our focus in the store is certainly on cigars, but we do carry some pipe tobacco if you are interested. Here’s a quick look at pipe tobacco.
Similar to cigars, pipe tobacco is to be savored for its taste and aroma, not just a quick nicotine fix like in cigarettes. One draw to pipe tobacco is that the smoker can experiment and blend various tobaccos and create his (or her) own unique blend that suits them perfectly.
Pipe tobacco is usually very moist, and needs to be kept in an airtight environment, such as a sealed bag or canister. If pipe tobacco is too dry, it will burn quickly and too hot, resulting in an undesirable smoke and possibly even damage the pipe.
Most pipe tobacco is in coarse ‘shredded’ form, but you can also find it pressed into patties that you cut slices from. There is a learned art to packing your pipe properly, because you want the tobacco to stay lit, but you don’t want to choke the draw completely. It will take some tinkering with a pipe tool to get the hang of it, but pipe smoking rewards that attention to the ritual.
As you smoke your pipe, you will build up a cake of ashes and sugars on the walls of the bowl, which will season the pipe and break it in. This process will also lend subtle flavors to future smokes, as well.
Pipe smoking, just like cigar smoking, isn’t for everyone. It has its own pace and requires an attention to the process that may not appeal to everyone in our modern fast-paced world. But for the right person, who wants a more reflective, ritualistic smoke, a pipe may be the perfect answer. If you’re curious about pipes, stop into our store and take a look at the few we have in stock.