Pipes

Wed - February 20, 2008

Happy International Pipe Smoking Day

A shout out to all my pipe smoking brethren

Well, I am a bit ashamed to be the last out of Nathaniel and Van to post on this (I used to be a real blogger, but now my two self-styled "fake blogger" friends beat me to it), but I have to say Happy International Pipe Smoking Day to all fellow pipe smokers out there. And though he is not technically a pipe smoker yet, because he is a pipe owner as of Tuesday night (when I gave him a spare cob of mine) a shout out goes to Eric as well. We'll have to introduce you to the art of actually smoking a pipe here sometime in the near future.

It is unfortunate that pipe smoking is somehow inexplicably thrown in with cigarettes in the culture's hatred of all things tobacco. I can honestly say I'm a better man for smoking a pipe, and were I to do so more often, I would be a better man. Pipe smoking is something I do while reading and pondering a good book, or having a good discussion with friends. People don't sit down to smoke a pipe while mindlessly watching too much TV or fire up a briar at a Britney Spears concert. It is a contemplative and reflective activity, which is a great thing indeed in a culture bent on perpetual distraction.

So whether you pack it in the traditional 3-layer method, or the new fangled Frank method, whether you're a Zippo, butane or just plain old match guy, whether you like your tobac sweet and aromatic or chock full of Latakia, whether its briar, meerschaum or corn cob - let's all fire up a pipe and meditate on what a wonderful gift God gave us in the form of pipes.

Fri - April 14, 2006

The 2006 Annual SWPCL Pipe Expo

Nathaniel, Van and I went to the annual Pipe Expo this weekend, and came back with some new Paul Perri pipes

I had the pleasure of attending, along with my good friends Nathaniel and Van, the South West Pipe and Cigar League (SWPCL)'s annual Pipe and Cigar Expo this weekend in Los Angeles. It is basically a ton of pipe carvers, blenders, tobacconists, pipe and cigar lovers and a few others (like the Living Air people) all tucked into a small room at the Ureni Grand restaurant. There are tables filled with pipes, cigars, tobacco, and everything even remotely related to pipe/cigar smoking all laid out for you to browse.

Every year the highlight for me is getting a chance to see Paul Perri and peruse his vast assortment of pipes. Mr. Perri is a delightful old man who carved his first pipe the day that Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. For those not gifted at math (or history) that means he is coming close to 8 decades of pipe carving. Every year he and his wife are at the expo (his pipes are seldom available anywhere else) with three tables full of some of the most beautiful pipes I've ever seen. In addition to being amazingly well crafted works of art, his pipes also smoke exceptionally well (yes, to those non-smokers out there, there is a difference) and are carved from some very choice pieces of briar. The incredibly baffling thing about Mr. Perri's pipes, however, is how affordable they are. Surrounded at the expo by far bigger name pipes commanding some 4-5 times the price tag, Perris are almost entirely under $300, with most being in the $175-250 range. He even gave us a discount off of his already affordable.

Nathaniel and I went to the pipe show 3 years ago and I bought two wonderful pipes from Mr. Perri. There is something really special about being able to go to the Pipe Expo and shake his hand and tell him what wonderful pipes they are and how much I've enjoyed them. Which is another great thing about Mr. Perri - he is full of cool stories. This year, as i was looking at the pipe I eventually bought, I told him that I couldn't get away from it and he asked if it was talking to me. I told him "there are a lot of your pipes that talk to me... I wish I was rich and could just buy the whole lot." He replied, "That's only happened to me once..." He went on to tell me how several years ago a man came into his store and looked at the big glass case with all the pipes and selected about 6 or 7 pipes. As he selected them, Mr. Perri put them on the top of the case for the man to see. Then the customer said, gesturing at the pipes on top of the case, "I don't want those. Pack up all the rest." Apparently this mysterious customer was the head of the circus, and was sick of all his employees smoking cigarettes and stinking up the tent. So he decided to by each and every one of them a pipe in an attempt to get them to quit smoking cigarettes.

Anyway, there was also a raffle which I won (which Nat is still bitter about... don't worry Nat, I'll share the tobacco with you), and plenty of pipe smoking including some new blends put out by G.L. Pease. Mr. Pease is another tobacco celebrity in attendance every year, and I had a chance to sample two of his new blends - Montgomery and Lombard. I liked Lombard a lot, but I was regretting trying Montgomery because in tasting it, I passed up my chance to try out Telegraph Hill, which seemed a little more to my tastes (and which Nat insisted on rubbing on as he smoked it on the way home).

All in all, it was a great day of pipe smoking and a ton of great theological discussion on the way there and back. And yes, of course, I bought a Perri. So here, without further ado, is the newest addition to the DeBow pipe collection:

Mon - June 28, 2004

A new technique for packing your pipe

Herr Achim Frank and Herr Jan Kropp have introduced a new way to pack your pipe, after researching how to best burn tobacco

Pipe smoking is one of my favorite pastimes. It encourages nearly every good habit I have - reading, relaxing, fellowship, patience, etc. As such it was inevitable that I would eventually find something that I need to post to the blog. Add to that the fact that most of my readers that I know about smoke pipes, and its a no brainer. Unfortunately, in our day and age, I must also state clearly that I only smoke tobacco in my pipe and I have never smoked, nor have any interest in smoking, anything else (especially illegal substances)

My friend Nat forwarded me this article on a new method of packing a pipe. For those not familiar with pipe smoking, there is a whole ritual and technique to smoking a pipe. One does not simply slam a chunk of baccy in there and torch it with a flame, puffing incessantly until it is reduced to ash. First of all, it would taste awful that way and you'd end up burning your pipe and your tongue. So the traditional technique has been what most call "the three step method".

First you sprinkle tobacco over the bowl of the pipe to fill it. You then tamp this down gently to about half of the bowl. Repeat the sprinkling and tamping and then tamp to about 3/4 bowl. Finally, repeat the sprinkling and tamp to a full bowl, leaving a slightly spongy loose layer on top. This has been the generally accepted best practice method for a long time now, and its the only technique I've ever used.

Consequently, today's new method is an exciting new development. I'm not sure I totally understand the new method, but I'm anxious to give it a try next time I smoke. If any of you other pipe smokers out there have tried this, feel free to share your thoughts via the comments link below.