Pipe tobacco today

While some may bemoan the passing of the greatpeople than ever before. This has created a strong
blends of yesteryear, or the changing of the hallowed,interest in ‘the good life’, however
ancient formulae, I personally believe that modern pipethat is defined, and it is obvious that for quite a number
smokers are just now entering a renaissance in pipeof people, ‘the good life’ includes a
tobacco blending, one that promises great things for allpipeful of fine tobacco.
fans of the leaf, whether they be active or passiveThis interest in ‘the good life’ has
participants in that renaissance.driven sales, particularly online, of all luxury goods,
I believe that we are likely to enjoy this renaissancewatches, jewelry, fragrances, leather goods,
period for some time to come, and in this article, I willneckwear, sunglasses, pens, libations, and tobacco
lay out, in only the broadest strokes, why I believe thisproducts, to record highs, with projections for even
to be true. In future installments, I will explore eachmore growth in the months and years to come.
aspect of this perceived renaissance in turn, hopefullyLike many of the aforementioned luxury goods, pipes
coming to some eventual conclusion as to the natureand pipe tobacco can be viewed as a signifier of
and direction of pipe smoking, as I see it and theaffluence, discrimination and taste to those so tuned to
historical and social reasons for it coming to be now,recognize it. Knowing one’s own tastes and
and in the form it has.pursuing them is the very basis of a worldview or
For smokers in any part of the world, the internet haspersonal philosophy, and pipe tobacco is not, and
increased awareness of, and global commerce hasshould not be, excluded from such personal
increased the availability of, a plethora of brands andexamination.
blends to try that were previously confined to theirPerhaps this renewed interest in ‘the good
home markets and unavailable to most pipe smokerslife’ is not a direct result of the global
around the world. In years past, even the most ardenteconomy, but a side effect thereof, arising out of the
pipe smoker, with access to all of the good mail orderincreasing ease of communication and collaboration.
catalogs, and an occasional trip abroad would haveIndividuals who were previously isolated from others
access to no more than a hundred or so tobaccos,who shared their interest by geography, or simply by
whereas, at the present time it is quite easy for a pipebeing a part of a statistically tiny minority, are now able
smoker to pick from over two thousand tobaccoto seek out and commune with others of like mind.
blends, and have them delivered to his door with aThis ability to connect with others and seek out those
minimum of fuss and waiting. The ‘globalwho share ones interest has greatly benefited,
economy’ has surely benefited the pipeperhaps even saved, the pipe smoking hobby.
smoker, in increased quality, selection, and pricePrior to modern, industrial and post-industrial society,
competition.pipe smoking, like many other pursuits, was a
The competition amongst these brands (and theircommunal experience. Communal smoking of a
producers) for the attentions of pipe smokers has, andsacred tobacco pipe was a universal ritual through
will continue to, drive blenders to pick a niche andNative America. This communal aspect of pipe
explore it fully, within the cornucopia of potential pipesmoking was preserved throughout much of modern
blends. The days of three or four big blending houseshistory, though by the early twentieth century, it had
producing all of the tobaccos in a market are over.become, along with drunkenness, gambling, cards,
That is not to say that the days of those blendingdancing and theater-going, a target of the
houses are numbered, far from it. They will continue‘social reformers’, and has been in
right along, producing their hallowed, classic blends, anda somewhat steady decline ever since, with individual
likely, adding new ones in response to theirpipe smokers becoming fewer and farther between
customers’ increased awareness of otherwith every passing year.
alternatives, new or old. Alongside these giant blendingHowever, in the mid 1970s, along came the internet,
houses, there have arisen a number of boutiqueand later, in the 1990s, the World Wide Web, and the
blenders, catering to very specific tastes andfew and far between pipe smokers discovered that
predilections amongst smokers. More than simply fillingthere were people out there that shared their interest
a niche and making a profit at it, they are educatingin pipes and tobaccos. This discovery of a once
certain segments of the pipe smoking public tofar-flung but now instantly accessible community of
possibilities in tobacco blending that may have not beenlikeminded people galvanized the aficionado of pipe
previously explored. By this exploring and educating,tobacco, and soon a loose community sprung up. The
they, in their ways, influence the global market for pipefact that this first loose community of aficionados has
tobacco, and the possibilities that they have firstbecome many distinct communities is proof not only of
explored will be explored more widely by largerthe drive for community, but of the dedication and
blenders, and a new breed of boutique blenders willcongeniality of pipe smokers.
arise to explore yet more niches in blending.This drive for community and communal experience
It is worth noting that while I speak of boutique blendingand shared knowledge, when viewed from a broad
as if it were a very recent phenomenon, it is notcontext, is what is driving the interest in luxury goods in
necessarily so, it is simply that only in the past fewgeneral, and viewed from a narrower context, is the
years (since 1996) that smokers the world over havevery reason for the bright future of pipe tobacco
become aware of, and exposed to, the boutiqueblending. There is undoubtedly a sense of
blending efforts of various small producers around the‘belonging’ amongst pipe smokers
globe. The Lake District blending houses are a primearound the world if they have access to the internet,
example, having been around since the beginnings ofand that sense of belonging has given rise to a great,
packaged tobacco blends, and continuing to exploreworldwide discussion of pipe tobacco, and an
their own very distinct niche to this day.enormous trading of information.
There are a myriad of other factors that are drivingThis conversation, this far-flung community, is the
this renaissance in tobacco blending, and a widerdriving force behind this renaissance in tobacco
resurgence in interest in pipe smoking, nay, in all thingsblending, as I see it, and as long as that conversation
‘luxurious’.over good tobaccos continues, as long as that
The global economy has created more wealth thancommunity endures, tobacco blending will continue to
any event in history, and simultaneously broughtimprove, innovate and flourish.
access to the world’s goods to more