We will not describe all types of pipes, so as not to confuse you even more. Instead, we use the experience and recommendations of people who are well versed in this issue.

Another thing is smoking mixtures, which are very different from each other in taste, smell, strength, and cutting method. We will teach you how to determine the optimal composition for yourself.

So, we read, remember and go to the store, knowing exactly how to choose a smoking pipe and tobacco.

Form

• It is easier to smoke and maintain a straight pipe with a long smoke channel and a short mouthpiece.
• Curved types, the so-called bents, are more convenient to hold in the teeth, but they are not easy to clean, and defects are quite common here. If you can’t afford an expensive pipe from a craftsman, be prepared that you may get one that’s drilled crookedly. Therefore, it is still better to buy direct.

How will you hold it - in your hand or between your teeth, that is, in a chair in front of the fireplace or on the go? In the first case, take a longer and heavier one, in the second - a small, but not too short, and light one.

Material

Usually heather, bog oak (morta), meerschaum, corn cobs, pumpkin necks and clay.

Pipes made from fruit trees are often found on sale, most often cherry or pear, birch, oak and others. They cost a little, look attractive, but are not at all suitable for this purpose. They burn out, collect moisture, which enters the mouth during smoking along with ash and resins, and the aroma of tobacco is converted into disgusting smoke.

And a completely unusable material is plastic. Suffice it to say that along with the already harmful nicotine, you will inhale a whole range of synthetic compounds that are deadly to your health.

Camera size

The duration of combustion and the taste of tobacco depend on it. Start with the golden mean - width 20 mm, depth 35-40 mm.

These are universal chambers that are suitable for both strong and soft, aromatic mixtures. In the future, when you decide on your favorite variety, you can focus on it the next time you buy a pipe.

Bowl walls

Thick walls provide slow smoking, if you don't already know, cool smoke, won't burn your hand.

Thin ones are suitable for professionals and “dental” smokers.

However, we would advise starting immediately with thin-walled ones in order to quickly master the process.

Filter

It can be paper (least quality), charcoal or balsa.

The filter is an optional and, according to some reviews, even an extra part of the tube, affecting the taste and complicating cleaning.

On the other hand, the filter protects the tongue from being burned by tobacco liquid, and the lungs from excess nicotine.

Appearance

• The most affordable pipes are rusticated pipes, which are great for beginners.
• Blast products look original and are also inexpensive.
• But the most valuable are smooth pipes, not factory ones, but original ones.

How much does a tube cost

If you have a small budget, it is better to buy one made at a factory, but not the first one you come across, but after studying several copies. For a more or less high-quality one you will have to pay about $50.

If you want to immediately receive a high-quality and beautiful product, give preference to handmade work, but from a reputable craftsman. It will cost an order of magnitude more.

Accessories

When going to the store to buy a pipe and tobacco, do not forget about other necessary things:

• Cleaners - needed for cleaning the pipe;
• tamper – a device for compacting tobacco in the chamber;
• the stand is a very convenient thing that allows you to free your hands during a long smoking process and protects the pipe from falling on its side;
• keys and knives for removing carbon deposits from the bowl;
• a special pipe lighter or regular wooden matches.

Smoking mixtures for pipes

Take a look at any tobacco store and you will be surprised at the abundance presented. It’s quite difficult for a beginner to understand them; in addition, let’s not forget about the difference in tastes.

When choosing tobacco for your pipe for the first time, you can trust the advice of the seller or the experience of a friend, but it is better to purchase a couple of different packages at once to draw your own conclusions.

Often, smoking tobacco is a mixture of several varieties, where the base is always Burley, Virginia, or a combination of them, plus other components that act as seasonings. After cooking and aging, and often pressing and heating, a wide variety of flavor combinations are obtained.

Virginia

From the name it is clear that its homeland is the USA, namely the states of Virginia and Carolina. Depending on the duration of processing and aging, it can be dark - very rich and aromatic, or light - weak, soft, with expressive fruity tones.

Burley

Grown in the same States, Mexico and Ukraine. It completely lacks sweetness, but the aromas of caramel, chocolate and nuts are captured. Due to its ability to absorb additives, it is usually sold flavored.

Kentucky Burley is a little different - it is usually dried over coals, after which it turns out to be a rather strong tobacco with a smoky taste. Unlike the classic one, it is used only as an additional component in the tobacco mix.

Cavendish

This is not a variety, but a special treatment of the two indicated types of tobacco. After prolonged fermentation, they are mixed with molasses, resulting in a mild taste and thick aroma. Dark Cavendish differs from the rest in its special spicy tones.

It is not used in its pure form.

Latakia

Grows in Syria and Cyprus. The entire bush, along with the stem, is processed. It is also dried over charcoal, after which the tobacco develops notes of grass, wood, fire and a deep thick taste.

Included in most known mixtures.

Perique

Another American representative and, perhaps, one of the most expensive species.

The leaves are fermented in barrels for at least a year. The result is a very strong, spicy tobacco with a peppery taste. Such a vigorous combination fully explains why Perique in mixtures is no more than 2-3%.

Group of Oriental tobaccos

This includes dozens of species grown in Greece, Turkey and Macedonia. These are small, very dry, aromatic leaves containing large quantities of nicotine and sugar. They do not end up in tobacco packages separately, but mixed with each other.

Tobacco cutting type

Affects the convenience of filling the tube, the intensity and temperature of combustion, as well as the shelf life of the mixture.

• Ribbon cut, divided into Shag - fine transverse cutting, ensuring uniform burning and dry, hot smoke; and on Fine Cut - medium ribbons that are easy to stuff into the pipe, giving a smooth burn and cool smoke;
• Flake – tobacco pressed and cut into thin pieces; has a rich taste; convenient for stuffing;
• Wild Cut - different cuts in a mixture - juicy varieties - thinly, dry varieties - in wider strips; uniform slow burning;

In my mind I painted images of courageous heroes - I don’t know. One way or another, the pipe attracted me to it. And every time, before I started, I read the existing materials and every time, except the last one, the “horror stories” about the terribly complex and incredibly responsible rituals of smoking a new pipe and other delights that accompany pipe smoking scared me away. If I knew even a tenth of what I know now, everything would be much simpler...

To give you an idea of ​​how much you can trust my words, I will say that my pipe smoking experience at the time I started working on this unique FAQ was seven years. Of course, there are a lot of people who are much more experienced than me, but my words are not based on a systematization of what I read, but on specific, personal experience. So, let's get started.

First, let's find out what is a tube and how does it work?

"Classical" anatomy of briar and meerschaum pipes includes a mouthpiece and a stammel (chubuk and bowl). The most popular materials used in the manufacture of mouthpieces are acrylic and ebonite, but there are also mouthpieces made of wood, horn, and amber.

In the mouthpiece you can highlight mouthpiece And axle. In the filter tubes in the trunnion of the mouthpiece there is chamber for replaceable filters. However, it is worth emphasizing that careful adjustment of the mouthpiece trunnion and mortise in the shank is one of the determining factors for high-quality and dry pipe smoking. And in filter tubes this factor is absent as a class.

Internal structure of the Stammel - this is a smoke channel and a tobacco chamber. At first glance, everything is simple, but the quality of combination and execution of these parts of the pipe determines how the pipe will smoke. This is called tube engineering. The smoke channel should exit exactly to the center of the bottom of the tobacco chamber without any displacement either vertically or horizontally. Otherwise, the tobacco will burn unevenly and the pipe will not finish smoking completely. You can check the alignment of the channels with a pipe cleaner by inserting it from the mouthpiece side into the assembled pipe - it should pass through the pipe without effort and exit into the tobacco chamber of the pipe. The diameter of the smoke channel in the chimney should not be too narrow or too wide. It is believed that the optimal bore diameter is 4-4.2 mm, but on factory tubes it is usually somewhat narrower. I can only note that in the seven years that I have been smoking a pipe, I have neither the need nor the desire to measure the diameter of the channel, much less change it. However, when purchasing, you should pay attention to the pairing of the smoke channels of the mouthpiece and the pipe, especially when choosing curved pipes. If the fitting is not done well enough, the pipe will become damp when smoking, and the mouthpiece may whistle.

Questions “how to choose a smoking pipe” and “what is the right pipe” - some of the most pressing questions at the initial stage. I chose my first pipe very simply - I just went and bought it. It was an inexpensive bent apple briar with no filter and a small chamber. Despite the fact that before purchasing I gleaned a lot of useful information from various sources, my purchase was still influenced by an important factor - I had to choose from what was in the store and fit into my budget.

2.1. Budget for the first handset

We are all different and each of us develops a different attitude towards things and objects. Some people can afford an expensive handset without thinking about the price; for others, the issue of budget is quite acute. There is an opinion among people that it is better to buy cheap from expensive than expensive from cheap, and I am inclined to agree with this. You should buy a handset from the price category that is acceptable to you. Plus a little more. But, again, what this “plus” is equal to in monetary terms is up to you to decide. The only thing that can be said for sure here is The pipe must be briar. If for some reason you cannot purchase a briar pipe, then it makes sense to postpone the purchase for a while. Why? I'll try to explain.

Pipes made from fruit trees themselves are not durable; pear, cherry, etc. wood does not have the properties of briar, including such an important property as resistance to temperature influences. A short-lived thing, with rare exceptions, cannot be expensive and therefore investing expensive labor into an inexpensive thing is simply impractical. This means that technically such pipes will never be performed at the proper level and will literally be a double-edged sword. It seems to me that this alone is enough not to take offers to purchase such smoking pipes seriously. And the question of the taste of such pipes does not even arise here.

The appeal of meerschaum pipes lies in only one thing - counts, that they can be smoked several times in a row without damaging the pipe. Let's try to understand this “without damage” word by word. What is "damage" to a tube in this context? What can happen to a briar pipe if you smoke it several times in a row? In addition to the fact that the walls of the tobacco chamber may burn, the pipe will lose its taste. The foam cannot burn, as well as lose the taste, which it simply does not have. In addition, a wooden pipe has a certain charm, the absence of which when you first get acquainted with the pipe can lead to disappointment.

I want to focus a little attention on this "counts" - I do not have enough experience with meerschaum smoking pipes and for a long time I myself was captive of the myth that meerschaum can be smoked several times in a row. However, one of my good friends says that meerschaum pipes need a longer rest period, than briar. These are the words of an experienced pipe smoker and a good person, and I have no doubt at all about his experience or his words.

“...Look what happens to foam if you don’t let it rest: Foam is a hygroscopic material, readily absorbing moisture, like a sponge. After smoking, the pipe becomes saturated with moisture and if you do not allow the pipe to rest, it will begin to heat up due to the accumulated moisture - the same effect as holding a hot frying pan with a wet rag.”

Tubes made of ceramics, metal and other materials - these are more decorative things than utilitarian ones.
Summarizing what has been said, we conclude: the handset is worth buying for the maximum price that you can afford to pay, plus a little more. And it must be a briar pipe.

2.2. Purchase. How to choose a smoking pipe?

After we have more or less decided on the purchase budget, it’s time to talk about the details that you should pay attention to, both when buying your first pipe, and when buying smoking pipes in general.

The first pipe has a very important role to play - its qualities will largely determine whether you continue to smoke a pipe or whether, disappointed, you quit. And if you are on a budget, there are a number of details that you should pay special attention to.

Tube shape

There are a large number of pipe shapes and indirectly, of course, the shape of the pipe affects smoking, but at the first stage you can limit yourself to the “like/dislike” criterion when choosing the shape of the pipe. However, some shapes dictate a certain internal arrangement of the pipes, such as conical tobacco chambers, where the chambers taper towards the bottom. Such pipes require a little more attention when smoking, so when buying your first pipe, you should make do with shapes with a classic cylindrical tobacco chamber.

Straight or curved

Despite the fact that curved tubes look especially attractive at the initial stage, I would recommend purchasing a straight or slightly curved tube as your first tube. Tubes with a slight bend are easier to hold in your teeth than straight ones, and straight tubes are easier to clean. The bend of the tubes hides pitfalls and the greater the bend of the tube, the smaller the angle between the smoke. channel and the adjacent wall of the bowl. Strongly curved tubes have smoke in part of the wall at the entrance. The channel into the tobacco chamber is very thin and it is quite easy to burn through it. In the future, this can lead to uneven combustion of tobacco due to uneven draft and, as a result, uneven heat distribution, which sooner or later will lead to burning of the walls of the tobacco chamber. So it makes sense to leave the purchase of highly curved tubes until you gain experience.

Slightly curved and straight pipes are great for your first introduction to the world of pipe smoking.

With or without filter

In fact, this is one of the most controversial issues and, in covering this issue, I will rely on my own experience. My first pipe was a pipe without a filter. Then it happened by chance and it turned out to be luck. Why? A significant part of people begin their acquaintance with tobacco with flavored mixtures. And I was no exception here. Flavored tobacco blends, especially in the lower price range, are often flavored with less than natural ingredients. Such mixtures may leave an uncomfortable sensation on the tongue. The filter smoothes out the taste and hides it a little. It also affects the manifestations of discomfort on the tongue. On the one hand, this is good. On the other hand, it lowers your threshold for sensitivity to the combustion temperature of tobacco. Thus, to avoid burning your tongue, you will inevitably have to smoke a pipe without a filter cooler than a pipe with a filter. Thanks to this “Brazilian system,” my first pipe was smoked well and avoided any possible suffering, and I quickly developed the desired smoking tempo. So for the first snorkel I would recommend a snorkel without a filter.

Finish: smooth, sandblast, rust

By and large, the finish of a pipe is an aesthetic component and the finish does not affect the quality of smoking. So here you can be guided by your own taste when choosing. However, among inexpensive pipes there are often pipes coated with varnish - they are best avoided. Although at the first stage I had a varnished pipe and I don’t see anything catastrophic in purchasing it. By the time I began to perceive the taste of pipes, I had already smoked other pipes, but while the varnished pipe was in circulation, I did not feel the taste of the pipe well enough to feel the influence of the varnish on it.

You can often find sandpits and putties on budget pipes with a smooth natural finish. And although they do not have a big impact on smoking (if not cross-cutting), their presence can be considered hack work. Such tubes should go under the blast. Expensive and handmade pipes should not have them at all.

Brands

It's hard to recommend any specific brand; new tubes in the $100-$250 range are roughly similar in quality. It is important that it is a more or less well-known brand and it is better to avoid NoName pipes.

New or used

There is nothing wrong with buying estate pipes. Buying and exchanging smoking pipes among pipe smokers is common. If you trust the seller, if you like the pipe, if you have no preconceptions about used items, then why not? Often, when purchasing such tubes, you can save a little, this is important when you are short on funds. However, the “right of the first night” is also an important factor when purchasing your first pipe, and here your own “I” will serve as the best advisor.

Purchase

Directly in the store, determine a circle of pipes that are interesting to you from three to five pieces. Turn them in your hands, feel how they fit in your hand, take a closer look at the uniformity of the finish. Feel the weight of the pipes - the lighter the pipe, the better the briar from which it is made, and the easier it is to hold in your teeth. Take a closer look at the pairing of the mouthpiece and shank- they must match completely and there should be no protrusions. Disassemble the tubes rotating the mouthpiece clockwise - Mouthpieces should not fall out and should not be too tight. Mouthpiece trunnions must fit well and the mouthpieces should be unscrewed with some, but not excessive, force. Try to draw air through the mouthpiece on the assembled tube - the air should flow freely and silently. If you hear a whistle, it means moisture will accumulate inside.

If you are inspecting filter tubes, ask for one filter and check that it fits in the filter chamber - it shouldn't hang out and should click into place with a slight click. A new dry filter should be removed without much effort; it should be remembered that after smoking the filter swells a little due to humidity and if its fit is too tight, then when removed it may tear and removing the residue will not be very difficult, but still with such regularity procedure, the joy of shopping will be replaced by disappointment.

Pay special attention to inspecting the smoke outlet. channel from the shank into the tobacco chamber - the groove from the drill should come out right in the center bottom of the tobacco chamber. There should be no displacements either vertically or horizontally. In other words, the output is smoke. The channel should not stick out above the bottom, should not be buried in the bottom, should not go either to the right or to the left from the center of the bottom of the tobacco chamber.

Check the alignment of the smoke. channels of the mouthpiece and shank by inserting a brush from the side of the mouthpiece - it should freely pass through the entire tube and exit into the center of the tobacco chamber. In places where the brush clings, condensation will accumulate.

Often pipes in a store are stored in a display case and often in the open rays of the sun. This can cause damage to the ebonite pipe mouthpieces; they may begin to oxidize and change color. If the pipes you are choosing from have ebonite mouthpieces, pay attention to their color - it should be smooth, black, without bleaching.

So, by the method of exceptions, you will only have one tube in your hands.

Purchase from an online store.

If you are going to buy your first / or first / handset in an online store, then you should choose trusted stores that value their authority. There are not many of them. Since you will have to choose a tube based on a photograph, make sure that you have a correct idea of ​​the size of the tube. Good stores pay special attention to indicating all dimensions of the pipe: length, weight, dimensions of the tobacco chamber, the presence or absence of a filter, etc. Print the photo at a scale of 1:1 and take a closer look. Stores that care about their reputation conduct double selection of pipes. The first is when products are selected from the supplier and the second is before shipping to the buyer. So when purchasing a smoking pipe remotely, it is more important to pay attention to the choice of store.

It is better to postpone shopping on eBay and from unfamiliar sellers until you have a clear idea of ​​what to watch, where to watch and how to watch.

What else?

In addition to the handset, you will need to buy some accessories for it. First of all, a set of pipe cleaners. Their choice is not too large and the most popular are the “Big Ben” sets for 100 ruffs per package and the “Tobacco Shop” hard ones for 200 pieces per package. These are the brushes I use. The first ones are a little softer and collect moisture well. The second ones are tougher, they are good for cleaning the tobacco chamber after smoking.

You will also need a “tee” - an awl, a spoon and a tamper in one set. At the initial stage, the only thing you will need from this set is a tamper for trampling tobacco. We'll talk more about this later when we touch on where these items are used.

If you decide to buy a tube with a filter, you will need to buy filters of the appropriate diameter. Most pipes in Russian stores are made with a filter chamber diameter of 9 mm; the range of filters for such pipes is relatively wide. At one time I used Stanwell carbon filters and Savinelli balsa filters.

You can light your pipe with either matches or a lighter. No special matches are required, and if everything is clear with them, then pipe lighters are a separate and rather large line of accessories for the pipe. The choice here is incredibly large - from budget plastic to gold, stone-decorated exhibits. The peculiarity of pipe lighters is that the flame burns at an angle to the lighter. This helps protect your fingers from burns. Do not be distracted by turbo lighters - they can damage the pipe. Nowadays I prefer to use silicon lighters, as my experience has shown that they last longer than piezo lighters. Although I used matches for a long time - I saw their special charm in this. A simple folding stand for a pipe and a case would also come in handy if you smoke a pipe not only at home.

3. Is there “correct tobacco”? How to choose tobacco?

Tobacco, tobacco, tobacco... It all started with him, everything rests on him, and everything can end with him. Many people come to pipe smoking through the aromas of tobacco that they once felt somewhere. Most, but not all, begin their journey with flavored blends and chances are that when you made the decision to purchase a pipe, you had an idea of ​​what exactly you wanted to taste from your pipe. Isn’t it nice when clouds of aromatic smoke spread throughout the room, spreading the pleasant smells of vanilla, wild cherries or freshly roasted coffee to its corners? People around you turn in your direction and nod their heads respectfully: oh, this man knows a lot about good tobacco...

So what is the right tobacco?

It's simple. The right tobacco tobacco that you like. Here and now. When choosing both your first tobacco and subsequent ones, be guided by your own taste and your own desires. Want to try cherries? Try it! Do you want to amaze others with the pleasant aroma of vanilla? Forward! Do you think that tobacco should not have added aromas? It is your right! A huge number of good unflavored blends are waiting for you.
On the modern Russian market there is a considerable number of tobacco mixtures for almost every taste. The choice may not be easy, but no one but yourself can tell you which mixture to choose. Some stores may provide you with samples - open pouches, by smelling which you can imagine the nature of the mixture. But more often you have to choose at random.

Remember that a pipe is not a hookah, and good pipe tobacco is tobacco first and foremost, and then everything else. If you are choosing a flavored tobacco mixture, then remember that the aroma of the tobacco itself must be distinguished behind the introduced aroma. And this aroma should be pleasant. The more powerful the aromatization, the worse, most often, the raw tobacco used to create these mixtures. You shouldn’t chase cheap tobacco, since most often it’s not tobacco, but technology. Pipe tobacco must retain its moisture and you should be careful when purchasing tobacco in plastic pouches - this tobacco is not intended for long-term storage and may end up dry.

When choosing tobacco, there is no need to rush anywhere, You should not buy dozens of mixtures, because most of them may have the sad fate of becoming a remedy for fighting moths in your wardrobes. Tobacco is a huge and fascinating world, try to learn how to smoke the purchased tobacco mixture to the end. If you don’t like tobacco, then before you put it aside, try to fully understand what exactly you don’t like about this tobacco. This will help you gain experience faster and help you avoid similar repetitions in the future, saving both time and money.

Over time you will learn to navigate in the tobacco assortment, knowledge about the manufacturers and the components of the tobacco mixture will help you get a general idea of ​​the mixture before purchasing it. But that will come later, but for now, when choosing the first mixture, be guided by your own taste and your own ideas about what the aroma should be like, pouring out of your pipe when smoking.

4. Smoking a pipe

So you purchased your first pipe, accessories for it, and chose tobacco. All this splendor lies in front of you, pleases the eye and pleases your pride. You did everything right and this makes your soul even warmer. What to do next with all this?

4.1. How to fill a smoking pipe

The root of evil for most problems associated with pipe smoking is This is the wrong padding. Packing that is too loose allows air to pass through at a higher speed when puffing, while packing that is too tight increases the force of the puffs themselves. Both cases lead to an increase in the smoking temperature, which, in turn, can lead to the formation of burnouts. Not to mention the fact that smoking a pipe goes from being a pleasure to a pursuit.

If you feel you lack experience, then first you should follow a number of simple rules:

• Make sure the tobacco has normal moisture content. To do this, squeeze a pinch of tobacco between your fingers - after releasing, the tobacco should smoothly straighten. If the tobacco crumbles and immediately falls apart, it is too dry. If the pinch remains compressed, then the moisture content of the tobacco is too high. It is better not to stuff such tobacco into a pipe.
• Before filling the pipe, thoroughly, but not into dust, mash the tobacco until you obtain fractions of the same size.
• Pour tobacco into the bowl to the top edge and press it over the entire surface to 1/3 of the bowl. Pour in the tobacco again and press it down to about the middle of the tube. Pour the tobacco again to the top of the bowl and press it down, leaving a gap of about 5 mm from the top of the bowl.
• When adding tobacco for the second and third time, periodically monitor your cravings. Once filled, the tube should pull with only a small amount of force, and the force is similar to that of drinking juice through a straw. Do not forget that during smoking, tobacco expands and, at first glance, the filling “a little denser than usual” can ultimately lead to a loss of cravings altogether.
• If you doubt whether the filling is correct, it is better to empty the tobacco completely and fill the pipe again.
• Always fill your pipe with as much tobacco as you intend to smoke.

All this seems complicated and too time-consuming only at first glance. A little experience and the question “How to fill a pipe?” it will no longer bother you - you can do it with your eyes closed and in any position.

The method I use now for stuffing a pipe, not much different from the previous one, but allows you to achieve a more uniform placement of tobacco in the bowl:

• First, I knead the tobacco in the same way until homogeneous fractions are obtained. I draw attention again to this point because this point often goes unnoticed. Uniform warming up of the tobacco will allow the tobacco to lie evenly in the bowl, without the formation of voids, to burn evenly and without the occurrence of pinpoint hot spots. So this point is quite important when preparing tobacco for packing and smoking.
• In the same way, I pour tobacco into the bowl to the top and, lightly tapping the bowl, let the tobacco settle evenly in it.
• Then I take a pinch of tobacco, equal in volume to about half or even 2/3 of the bowl, and use it to crush the tobacco poured into the bowl. A pinch of tobacco should not be squeezed tightly with your fingers; the tobacco in your hand should be somewhat “airy”.
• Having inserted the tobacco plug into the bowl, I begin to gradually crush the tobacco with my thumbs from the edges of the bowl to the center. Not with one press at once, but with light movements in a circle. By the way the tobacco springs under your fingers, you can understand how dense the filling is. If it is too dense, then the excess tobacco protruding above the bowl can be removed at any time. There is no need to knock all the tobacco out of the bowl and start all over again. With experience, you will understand how tobacco behaves under your fingers and how to interpret its elasticity, but until this moment, control the craving by sipping air through the mouthpiece.
• The surface of the tobacco stuffed into the pipe should deviate from the top edge of the bowl by 4-5 mm - when smoking, the upper layers of tobacco rise and when stuffed under the edge of the bowl, burning tobacco can scorch the edges of the bowl or even spill out of the pipe.

Essentially, this method is a cross between the Frank method, air-cushion tube stuffing, and three-hand stuffing. What are the benefits of this method? It does not have the disadvantage that is inherent in the “three-handed” method - it does not have density boundaries in the packing. At those moments when in the first method we trample the tobacco first to one third, then again and again, dense areas are formed on the surfaces of the pressed boundaries. Very often in these places the tube goes out. It's not scary, but if it can be avoided, then it makes sense to try? When stuffing in this way, the density of the tobacco gradually decreases downwards, which minimizes the appearance of coked “cakes” of half-burnt tobacco at the bottom.

I understand that at the initial stage you want to know the exact numbers: what to take, how much to take, how and with what force to trample, but, alas, there are no such recipes. Different tobacco is stuffed in different ways, you can also say: the way you mash the tobacco is how it will smoke.

It is also worth noting that tobacco expands during smoking and can become saturated with moisture at the bottom of the bowl. This is especially true for tobacco stuffed into a tube from a freshly opened can. It would be a good idea to leave some margin in the density of the packing, so as not to lose cravings while smoking.

A properly filled tube stretches easily, without much effort. The closest comparison I've seen is sipping juice through a straw. With a similar effort, air should be drawn from a properly filled smoking pipe.

4.2. How to light a pipe

The ritual of preparing the pipe for smoking is completed and it is time to begin the smoking process. Now we will need the tamper, which we talked about above, as well as matches or a lighter and, of course, a properly filled tobacco pipe. Lighting a pipe is one of the most unpleasant procedures for a pipe - during the moments of smoking, the temperature in the tobacco chamber reaches its maximum. No, of course, when smoking you can achieve much higher temperatures by setting such a goal, but we will not consider such situations.

The fact that the moments of smoking can become unpleasant for the pipe does not mean at all that you should tremble over the pipe, covered in a perspiration of cold sweat. No. Simple accuracy and attention is enough. Do not try to light your pipe the first time and at any cost try to finish it completely from the first lighting. This doesn't make any sense.

With the first lighting we lift a heap of tobacco from the surface. In fact, this is the meaning and purpose of the first passage of fire over the surface of the tobacco. Bring a lit match or lighter to the tobacco, holding the flame 2-3 mm above the surface of the tobacco, and begin to move it over the tobacco, taking short and light puffs. Start smoking from the center and move in a spiral to the edges of the tobacco chamber. However, when approaching the edges, be careful and careful - the fire should not touch the briar. Light and brief touches of fire to the briar will not cause much harm, but the edges may darken and the appearance of the pipe will lose its attractiveness. When lighting, you should not draw in much air, trying to draw the fire deep into the tobacco; the fire should only touch the surface, lifting particles of tobacco during the first pass. Four to five seconds is usually enough for the first pass.

Now we take the tamper in our hands and, taking the tube out of our mouth, without making any effort we crush the rearing tobacco. The tamper's own weight is enough to perform this operation, and there is no need to make efforts to level the surface of the tobacco with the tamper. After this, just like the first time, we pass the fire over the surface of the tobacco, taking short, light and not sharp puffs - the tobacco begins to engage. Next, without removing the pipe from my mouth, holding the bowl with one hand, I pass the tamper, which I hold in my other hand, over the surface of the tobacco. When taking short puffs, I slightly crush the tobacco also in a spiral and crush it with the tamper’s own weight or with a little force. With very little.

I’ll try to illustrate my actions with words: I cover the smoked tobacco with the heel of the tamper and take 2-3 short puffs. This allows you to slightly increase the combustion area. And here there is no need to make sudden movements, everything is done smoothly, calmly and without rushing.

If after such a pass the tobacco still goes out, it’s okay. After these steps, from the third lighting, the tobacco comes out smoothly and over the entire surface. There is no need to limit yourself to one, two or three approaches to lighting - we are not in competition. Our task is to smoke the tobacco evenly and over the entire surface. Light up as many times as you need to achieve this goal. Just avoid prolonged exposure to temperature on the surface of the tobacco and the walls of the tobacco chamber. If you are unable to smoke two or three times, simply increase the pause between bringing the fire to the tobacco. Don't let the briar get too hot.

OK it's all over Now. The pipe is lit and fragrant smoke pours from the bowl. Congratulations, we have finally reached the very beginning! :)

4.3. How to smoke a pipe

Smoke temperature

It’s not for nothing that people came up with the term “cool smoking” - the pipe should not heat up when smoking. No matter how absurd it may sound, it is true. Our task is not to smoke a pipe, but to maintain the smoldering of tobacco. Puffs should not be frequent and they should not be sharp. They can be long, but you need to inhale the smoke slowly and at the same time your cheeks should certainly not be drawn in from the effort. Everything should be smooth and calm. There's no rush. Pay attention to the temperature of the smoke pouring from the mouthpiece onto your tongue - you should not feel it. If you feel the heat of the smoke, you should moderate the pace. And certainly smoke should not leave an unpleasant sensation on the tongue, much less burn it. Some tobaccos (and most often these are flavored tobacco mixtures) tingle the tongue slightly when smoking, but these sensations are different from temperature effects. The temperature of the smoke intensifies these tingling sensations and hot smoking of “pinch” tobaccos can lead to very unpleasant sensations. You should feel the smoke in your mouth, but not its temperature.

Tube temperature

I compare the temperature of the bowl of the pipe during smoking with the temperature of the human body. If you take the tube in your hand and feel a living warmth comparable to your body temperature, everything is in order. If you feel the temperature of a cold child with your palm, then there is no reason to panic, but peace is necessary. Just slow down the pace a little. If you feel a fever with your hand, at which you would call an ambulance for a person, then it’s time to intervene in the process. Reduce the pace to a minimum and only take occasional puffs to maintain smoking. You can put the phone down for a moment. A complete cessation of smoking is not necessary, but a significant reduction in the rate is yes.

Of course, such a comparison is somewhat arbitrary; a lot depends on the thickness of the walls of the bowl, but the general direction is correct. There are no six second rules. If you can hold a pipe in your hand for six seconds, and by the seventh it burns you, that's a disaster. This means that the briar is already fully lit and you are literally smoking the pipe, not the tobacco in it. The pipe should not burn in the first second, nor in the seventh, nor in the tenth, nor in any way at all. The tube may be warm, but not hot. And if you would call a doctor for a person with such a temperature, then intervention in the smoking process would be required. In the form of slowing down the pace or even cooling off on the sidelines, depending on the “neglect of the case.”

Trampling while smoking

From time to time, while smoking, it becomes necessary to slightly crush the tobacco. This must be done so that the tube does not go out completely. This trampling is similar to the second step of lighting - covering the flame with the heel of the tamper, we light the dying flame with short puffs and achieve uniform smoldering on the surface. And exactly the same - no effort, no sudden movements and we trample it with our own weight of the tamper, crushing the ashes. It is not difficult to catch the moment - there is very little smoke flowing out of the mouthpiece and the influence of the air mixed with it and its slight coolness are noticeable. Take the ashes and light the pipe a little. You should not return the combustion to its original form when you just lit the pipe. Just go back to smoking, smoldering tobacco. Slow and cool.

After smoking has returned to its normal course after light trampling, I lightly tap the bowl with my finger and dump the ash that has accumulated in the bowl at this point into the ashtray. I don't turn the tube over, I just tilt it. Along with the ashes, a few smoldering tobacco pieces may spill into the ashtray - no big deal. If the pipe is filled correctly, then the main coal along with the tobacco will remain in the bowl without any movement towards the exit.

5. How to smoke a pipe

Smoking a pipe can hardly be called a process, it's more of a period of time. The period during which the walls of the tobacco chamber are covered with soot formed from the combustion products of tobacco. Does this introduce any restrictions on the process of smoking itself during this period? No. You should always smoke calmly, slowly and coolly. Regardless of whether your pipe is smoked or not. Even the most beautifully smoked pipe with diamond-hard carbon deposits can easily be burned through. I realized a long time ago that there is no smoking process, you just need to be a little more attentive to smoking and temperature control until the tobacco chamber is covered with a layer of soot of sufficient thickness. Now I believe that I should smoke all the time as if I were smoking a pipe. And it is right. (c) If you pay attention to details from the very beginning, you will quickly develop the desired smoking tempo and soon the need to constantly monitor the temperature, as well as the need to pay special attention to the pipe, will simply disappear.

If you are just getting started in the world of pipe smoking, then it would be useful to give advice about gradual smoking, when the first few times you smoke a pipe half, or even 1/3 full, and then gradually work your way up to smoking a pipe with a full filling. In addition to the fact that carbon deposits will gradually begin to build up from the bottom of the tube, from the bottom, which, in general, is also important, you yourself will gradually get used to the tube. The smoking process cannot be called complex, however, for a beginner it can be fraught with surprises in the form of its duration and the need for constant concentration throughout the entire process. And while your actions have not reached complete automaticity, try to start smoking gradually - this will help you gradually get into the process without having to make any effort on yourself.

Most of the new pipes sold today have a tobacco chamber coating. It is believed that this coating is intended to protect the pipe from burning during the smoking period. You shouldn’t count on it too much and you should smoke the pipe gently, slowly and calmly all the time.

Separately, I would like to talk about methods of “acceleration” and shortening the smoking period: about smearing the tobacco chamber with honey, about soaking it in cognac or smearing it with ashes - I tried everything or almost everything. The only thing this led to was that I had to clean off the carbon deposits and start all over again. Believe me, it's not worth wasting your time on this. The carbon will be loose, dirty, and the taste of the pipe will be ruined.

I deliberately placed this section not under “Selection of Tobacco”, but closer to “Smoking a Pipe.” And just as there is no “process of smoking a pipe,” there is no special tobacco for smoking. However, there are some principles that can be followed when choosing a flavor group of tobacco blend for your first pipe and for subsequent ones. The essence comes down to smoking tobacco of the same flavor group during the smoking period of the pipe, the mixtures of which will be smoked from this pipe subsequently. In other words: a Latakia pipe is smoked with Latakia, a Virginia pipe is smoked with Virginia, and a flavored tobacco pipe is smoked with flavored tobacco. That's all.

Will a Latakia pipe smoke better if smoked with Virginia? Will a pipe become sweeter if smoked with vanilla? No. The pipe first absorbs the aromas of the tobacco smoked from it, and then begins to return it. This process is cyclical and after a couple of cycles no one will remember what and how they smoked from it the first time. So smoke what you like from your pipe, but stick to the flavor group you have chosen for the pipe and the pipe will reward you with a soft and pleasant taste. You can also visit the section of our website: “Pipe tobacco – descriptions and reviews” and choose the tobacco to your taste.

At the beginning of his “pipe” journey, a person has no idea how many varieties of smoking pipes actually exist. We imagine a completely ordinary accessory, like the one that Sherlock Holmes never let go of his lips... but there are many smoking pipes, and today we will tell you what they are.

Good pipes do not necessarily have a “classic” configuration and are made of valuable wood. In the modern world of tobacco smoking, many different models have appeared that amaze the imagination.

How to choose the right smoking pipe

First of all, let's look at the device from the inside. Traditional "anatomy" consists of:

• Mouthpiece;
• Stammeli;
• Chubuka;
• Bowls.

Schematic arrangement of parts:

Everything looks quite simple, but the quality of the compounds and the materials used determine the comfort of smoking, the transfer of taste and the physiological comfort for the smoker.

Tobacco chambers are made of wood - different types are used, they differ in design, service life and, of course, price.

Mouthpieces can be made from wood, acrylic, ebonite and even amber.

With such a wide range of models and the materials used, when you need to make a choice, the first thing you look at is the price.

Not every smoker can afford the best handmade pipe, and for beginners in this business, they are not needed at all, because at first there will be a lot of trials and experiments that can cause damage.

First, let's look at the price categories in ascending order.

• Fruit breeds. The most inexpensive and quite attractive in appearance models. The woody aroma will certainly delight the owner, but not for long. They are not very resistant to temperature; unlike briar, they can quickly lose their taste due to burning of the inner walls.
• Meerschaum. Durable, stylish and strong. They cannot burn or lose their taste, because initially they do not give off any characteristic aroma. On the one hand, this is not bad - you enjoy the honest taste of tobacco. On the other hand, any professional will say that it is the light aroma of wood that makes smoking through deadwood so unique.
• Ceramics, metal and other non-traditional materials. The aesthetic component is 5 points, but the functional features are 2. It is too pleasant to smoke through them; the temperature is unstable and difficult to control. They are created more as a decorative element.
• Expensive breeds. It is important to note that not every valuable breed will be equally good for such purposes. Only heat-resistant trees are used, and only certain parts of them (often these are root compartments). The prices are fantastic and so is the smoking experience.

After determining your budgetary capabilities, you can begin choosing a form. The most difficult stage awaits us here, because the diversity of species instills a slight panic!

Types of smoking deadwoods

1. Billiard

2. Apple

3. Author/Tomato

4. Prince

5. Egg

6. Hawkbill

7. Canadian

8. Pot

9. Cavalier

10. Poker

These are just 10 main modifications that are considered the most popular. In fact, there are more than 20 of them - there is room for collectors to roam 😉

To understand which tube to choose, it is worth noting that the shape indirectly affects the sensations, but the material of manufacture and the quality of assembly of the parts are of greater importance.

The Best Pipes for Beginners

All this variety of shapes and visual styles will mean little to someone who has just begun to get acquainted with such devices. Therefore, we advise you to focus on determining the bend angle - the quality of traction, durability and convenience will depend on this.

Straight ones are more difficult to hold in your teeth, but they are very easy to clean – which is important for a long service life.

Curved ones look more attractive, but they have a lot of pitfalls. For example, due to a strong bend, the hole in front of the smoke channel is too narrow, and the wall of the entrance to the chamber is thin; due to such features, uneven draft appears, which leads to burnout of the internal walls of the cup. This will not happen with proper use, but only an experienced smoker can ensure this.

Therefore, in the early stages of dating, it is better to choose a straight or slightly curved product.

Companies that specialize in such production always produce economy and premium class lines. For a young connoisseur, it is enough to choose the middle segment, in which new smoking pipes cost 100-200 dollars. The main thing is not to buy No-Name products. Not a single Chinese counterfeit, even a high-quality one (at first inspection), can lure even an economy version of a good brand.

And professionals turn to craftsmen who make accessories by hand, this is prestigious, and handmade guarantees ideal tightness of joints and a unique design.

Do not buy devices from online stores. And the question is not at all about quality! The optimal ones are those that fit well in the hand and are convenient for you personally. Is it possible to check this by making a purchase in an online market?

Hold the product in your hands and feel its weight: it should not be too light. Check the quality of the connecting elements. And look at yourself in the mirror with such an accessory in your hands - aesthetics also plays a big role 😉

If you still trust online orders, then trust trusted stores and well-known brands, no Ali Express.

What else is included in the set?

If you think that it will be enough to buy just a smoking pipe and tobacco, read a little more :)

In addition to the smoking device will come in handy:

• Measuring spoon for tobacco;
• Cleaning brushes;
• Awl;
• Mortar for trampling tobacco.

"My grandmother smokes a pipe,

Black, very black tobacco..."

Garik Sukachev.

The oldest device for smoking tobacco is a tube. It appeared during the time of the ancient Egyptians and the Mayan civilization, even before humanity learned to roll cigars and produce cigarettes.

The pipe is conducive to leisurely conversation and long reflection. The term “smoking a pipe of peace” speaks for itself: while smoking a pipe one does not take hasty actions and does not make hasty decisions. The handset provides an opportunity for disagreeing parties to calmly think things through, remove any stumbling blocks, and find a compromise.

The pleasure of a pipe cannot even be compared with smoking a cigarette. The pipe uses higher quality tobacco that does not contain foreign impurities. Therefore, when smoking it, tars and other harmful substances that are harmful to health do not enter the lungs.

The design of the tube is such that the long smoke channel and filter cleans and cools the smoke - it comes out not so harsh, but more aromatic and cool. Therefore, pipe smoke is much more pleasant not only for the pipe smoker himself, but also for those around him. The pipe is smoked slowly, enjoying the taste and aroma of tobacco. A good pipe is pleasant to hold in your hands. Moreover, some pipes are true works of art, and therefore attract the attention of connoisseurs and collectors.

The pipe influences the character of its owner, adding special touches to his portrait: balance, thoroughness, disinclination to vanity and rash actions. As it says Trishman's paradox, “a pipe gives a smart person the opportunity to think, and a fool to hold something in his mouth.”

Is smoking a pipe for you?

Many cigarette smokers, in the fight against their addiction, try to transform it into a more health-friendly hobby - pipe smoking. But the difference between cigarettes and a pipe is huge.

To smoke cigarettes, you just need to buy a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and become addicted to a new activity. Smoking a pipe is not just a habit, but a whole hobby, a ritual that requires a lot of attention, time and significant financial costs.

Pipe smokers, in addition to the pipe itself, need good tobacco, the right accessories for smoking, storing and transporting tobacco and pipes, and care accessories. And if these are high-quality things, they are quite expensive. You will need to learn how to smoke competently - how to fill, smoke and light a pipe... and other important tricks.

But if you are ready to devote part of your life to the pipe, then it will repay you handsomely, giving you a lot of pleasure and long hours of relaxation and reflection.

Tube structure

Mouthpiece or bite. Already from the name it is clear that this is the tip of the tube, which is clamped between the teeth and lips. There are two types of mouthpieces, each of which has its supporters. The first, traditional one, is designed so that the smoke from its channel reaches the tongue. In the second type of mouthpiece (according to the Peterson system), the smoke goes directly to the palate.

The mouthpiece goes into mouthpiece. This is the elongated part of the tube that connects to the shank. Typically, the mouthpiece is either cone-shaped (straight) or curved (saddle-shaped).

The place where the mouthpiece meets the shank is called mouthpiece neck.

Chubuk. This is a hollow rod into which the bowl of the tube goes. Smoke passes through it from the bowl to the mouthpiece.

The tube is running out bowl- the widest part of the tube in which the tobacco chamber. It is into the tobacco chamber that tobacco is stuffed.

Wherein smoke channel called the entire cavity through which smoke passes.

There may or may not be any in the tube. filter. To do this, during manufacturing, the tube is provided with space for a filter of a certain size, although it is possible to use such a tube without it. The filter consists of activated carbon or foam and is designed to retain nicotine, tar and moisture contained in tobacco smoke.

Handset accessories

Tamper(tamper) - an accessory for compacting tobacco in a bowl (can also be called a “tamper”). Often sold together with a knife and awl.

Tube brush. It is advisable to have different types of pipe cleaners available, since their different properties allow for better pipe care.

Tobacco storage jar. After a pack of tobacco is opened, the tobacco begins to quickly lose moisture. Smoking dry tobacco is no longer so pleasant. To avoid such consequences, it is important to ensure proper storage of tobacco in a special jar with a tight lid. Various jars are available for sale: with built-in humidifiers, tube holders.

Pipe lighters- differ from conventional ones by an inclined nozzle.

Stands. Since the process of smoking a pipe is quite long and leisurely, it is periodically necessary to place the pipe somewhere. A special stand keeps the handset from falling on its side. You can also store your pipe in it during your free time from smoking. Stands can be completely different: from simple and even folding (pocket) to stationary stands for several pipes and even cabinets for storing them.

Knives or pipe wrenches to remove excess carbon from the walls of the bowl.

Tube care accessories. These include various polishes, cleaning products, lubricants, and wax.

Bags for carrying tubes and accessories. A necessary item for pipe smokers who like to take their pipe with them or are often on the move.

Tips for beginning pipe smokers

It is clear that a good quality pipe cannot be cheap. However, experienced pipe smokers advise beginners to purchase an inexpensive pipe for their first try - in order to evaluate in practice how much they will like this idea. If you really enjoy smoking a pipe, then you will be able to think carefully about choosing a good, expensive pipe. If you are convinced that the handset is not for you, you will not have to regret the expense and look for a new owner for the handset so that it does not stand idle.

According to the rules, after smoking, each pipe requires a rest for the day. Therefore, if you plan to smoke every day, then you need to buy a couple of pipes at once.

Take the phone in your hand, it should be pleasant to hold. Choose the tube shape that you like best. However, remember that the most convenient tubes are those with a slightly curved shape - they are easier to hold in your teeth than straight ones and more convenient to clean than very curved ones.

How to smoke a pipe?

A new pipe must be smoked so that carbon deposits form on the walls of the bowl, which will protect the pipe from burnout. The exception is pipes carbonized in production, in which the bowl is covered with pyrolytic carbon.

The pipe is being smoked in three passes:

The bowl is tightly filled with tobacco by a third. This pipe needs to be smoked five times.

The bowl is already half full of tobacco. Each layer of tobacco is compacted tightly. You need to check the traction with short, light puffs. This pipe also needs to be smoked five times.

The bowl is already filled to the top, and the tobacco does not need to be compacted much. A pipe filled in this way is smoked ten times.

How to fill a pipe correctly?

It is important to fill the pipe with tobacco correctly, since the filling largely determines the completeness of the pleasant sensations and the avoidance of troubles while smoking it (for example, tongue burns).

The correct packing is considered to be when the tobacco is not compacted tightly from below, but as it approaches the edges of the bowl its density increases.

Mash the tobacco, check the cleanliness of the pipe along its entire length. Fill the bowl completely with tobacco, compact it halfway. After this, add more tobacco to the top and compact again, but to a height of bowls. Add more tobacco (“heaped”) and tamp again so that there is a free space of about 3 mm in height to the edges of the bowl.

If you have successfully completed the filling, you will feel it when smoking the pipe.

How to light a pipe?

To light the pipe, use a special lighter, or better yet, matches or a torch.

Slowly moving the flame over the top layer of tobacco and inhaling at the same time, set it on fire. It is important that the entire surface of the tobacco burns evenly. When this layer has burned out, crush the charred tobacco with a taper and light the pipe again, repeating the same procedure.

To prevent the top of the pipe from burning and charring when smoking, crush the charred tobacco with a taper and blow through the pipe.

How to smoke correctly?

When you are about to start smoking, warm the pipe in your hand. Lighting a cold pipe risks the formation of condensation on its walls, which is unpleasantly bitter.

Sip the pipe lightly and slowly.

While smoking, the pipe should not overheat - this is a sign of excessive haste. If this happens, take a break, put the handset in a stand or ashtray and let it cool.

Smoking the pipe without inhaling - the aroma and taste of tobacco should be felt in your mouth, palate and tongue.

A pipe that has gone out can be re-lit.

It is best to smoke the entire pipe, all the tobacco. This contributes to the formation of carbon deposits in the tobacco chamber, which protects the pipe and prevents it from burning out. The smoked pipe is left on the stand along with the ashes to cool. If the pipe is not smoked completely, the remaining unburnt tobacco must be removed so that it does not spoil the taste of the pipe. The ashes are removed from the cooled tube.

You cannot knock the pipe to shake the ashes out of it - this will only damage the pipe.