Everything you want to know about smoking pipes


Pipe tobacco today

While some may bemoan the passing of thebrought access to the world’s goods to
great blends of yesteryear, or the changingmore people than ever before. This has
of the hallowed, ancient formulae, Icreated a strong interest in ‘the good
personally believe that modern pipe smokerslife’, however that is defined, and it
are just now entering a renaissance in pipeis obvious that for quite a number of people,
tobacco blending, one that promises great‘the good life’ includes a
things for all fans of the leaf, whether theypipeful  of  fine  tobacco.
be active or passive participants in that
renaissance.This interest in ‘the good life’
has driven sales, particularly online, of all
I believe that we are likely to enjoy thisluxury goods, watches, jewelry, fragrances,
renaissance period for some time to come, andleather goods, neckwear, sunglasses, pens,
in this article, I will lay out, in only thelibations, and tobacco products, to record
broadest strokes, why I believe this to behighs, with projections for even more growth
true. In future installments, I will explorein  the  months  and  years  to  come.
each aspect of this perceived renaissance in
turn, hopefully coming to some eventualLike many of the aforementioned luxury goods,
conclusion as to the nature and direction ofpipes and pipe tobacco can be viewed as a
pipe smoking, as I see it and the historicalsignifier of affluence, discrimination and
and social reasons for it coming to be now,taste to those so tuned to recognize it.
and  in  the  form  it  has.Knowing one’s own tastes and pursuing
them is the very basis of a worldview or
For smokers in any part of the world, thepersonal philosophy, and pipe tobacco is not,
internet has increased awareness of, andand should not be, excluded from such
global commerce has increased thepersonal  examination.
availability of, a plethora of brands and
blends to try that were previously confinedPerhaps this renewed interest in ‘the
to their home markets and unavailable to mostgood life’ is not a direct result of
pipe smokers around the world. In years past,the global economy, but a side effect
even the most ardent pipe smoker, with accessthereof, arising out of the increasing ease
to all of the good mail order catalogs, andof communication and collaboration.
an occasional trip abroad would have accessIndividuals who were previously isolated from
to no more than a hundred or so tobaccos,others who shared their interest by
whereas, at the present time it is quite easygeography, or simply by being a part of a
for a pipe smoker to pick from over twostatistically tiny minority, are now able to
thousand tobacco blends, and have themseek out and commune with others of like
delivered to his door with a minimum of fussmind. This ability to connect with others and
and waiting. The ‘globalseek out those who share ones interest has
economy’ has surely benefited the pipegreatly benefited, perhaps even saved, the
smoker, in increased quality, selection, andpipe  smoking  hobby.
price  competition.
Prior to modern, industrial and
The competition amongst these brands (andpost-industrial society, pipe smoking, like
their producers) for the attentions of pipemany other pursuits, was a communal
smokers has, and will continue to, driveexperience. Communal smoking of a sacred
blenders to pick a niche and explore ittobacco pipe was a universal ritual through
fully, within the cornucopia of potentialNative America. This communal aspect of pipe
pipe blends. The days of three or four bigsmoking was preserved throughout much of
blending houses producing all of the tobaccosmodern history, though by the early twentieth
in a market are over. That is not to say thatcentury, it had become, along with
the days of those blending houses aredrunkenness, gambling, cards, dancing and
numbered, far from it. They will continuetheater-going, a target of the ‘social
right along, producing their hallowed,reformers’, and has been in a somewhat
classic blends, and likely, adding new onessteady decline ever since, with individual
in response to their customers’pipe smokers becoming fewer and farther
increased awareness of other alternatives,between  with  every  passing  year.
new or old. Alongside these giant blending
houses, there have arisen a number ofHowever, in the mid 1970s, along came the
boutique blenders, catering to very specificinternet, and later, in the 1990s, the World
tastes and predilections amongst smokers.Wide Web, and the few and far between pipe
More than simply filling a niche and making asmokers discovered that there were people out
profit at it, they are educating certainthere that shared their interest in pipes and
segments of the pipe smoking public totobaccos. This discovery of a once far-flung
possibilities in tobacco blending that maybut now instantly accessible community of
have not been previously explored. By thislikeminded people galvanized the aficionado
exploring and educating, they, in their ways,of pipe tobacco, and soon a loose community
influence the global market for pipe tobacco,sprung up. The fact that this first loose
and the possibilities that they have firstcommunity of aficionados has become many
explored will be explored more widely bydistinct communities is proof not only of the
larger blenders, and a new breed of boutiquedrive for community, but of the dedication
blenders will arise to explore yet moreand  congeniality  of  pipe  smokers.
niches  in  blending.
This drive for community and communal
It is worth noting that while I speak ofexperience and shared knowledge, when viewed
boutique blending as if it were a very recentfrom a broad context, is what is driving the
phenomenon, it is not necessarily so, it isinterest in luxury goods in general, and
simply that only in the past few years (sinceviewed from a narrower context, is the very
1996) that smokers the world over have becomereason for the bright future of pipe tobacco
aware of, and exposed to, the boutiqueblending. There is undoubtedly a sense of
blending efforts of various small producers‘belonging’ amongst pipe smokers
around the globe. The Lake District blendingaround the world if they have access to the
houses are a prime example, having beeninternet, and that sense of belonging has
around since the beginnings of packagedgiven rise to a great, worldwide discussion
tobacco blends, and continuing to exploreof pipe tobacco, and an enormous trading of
their  own  very  distinct niche to this day.information.
There are a myriad of other factors that areThis conversation, this far-flung community,
driving this renaissance in tobacco blending,is the driving force behind this renaissance
and a wider resurgence in interest in pipein tobacco blending, as I see it, and as long
smoking, nay, in all thingsas that conversation over good tobaccos
‘luxurious’.continues, as long as that community endures,
tobacco blending will continue to improve,
The global economy has created more wealthinnovate and flourish.
than any event in history, and simultaneously



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