Serious question.Has pipe smoking changed with time?

[ernest]

My first job landed me at a lumber company and brought with it many a time that I would watch a middle age man stick the bowl of his pipe deep into a bag of tobacco.As it emerged out of the bag,it was ready for a match with tobacco sloppily hanging over the top edge.He puffed hungrily like it were a race till all that remained was ash.One upside-down tap of the pipe took care of the ash and the pipe roughly placed back in a pocket with out care.Is that how it always was with the older generation and there pipes?It seems now since joining this site that times must have changed from quickly feeding an addiction,to the present where we perfectly pack our our favorite pipe with our chosen packer and specially prepared tobacco and light it with our preferred choice of flame simply for enjoyment.Has pipe smoking changed with time?

 

[duncan]

To me that depends, when I am working outside I always have my cob with me. I mistreat the hell out of that thing. I beat it on the sole of my boot, and also stuff it how you described. With that said, when I have one of my better pipes on me I take better care and concern with how it is treated. I really just think it is the situation that we are in (well at least me) that determines the treatment of our pipes.

 

[cortezattic]

I started smoking in the latter half of the 60's, and already, pipesters were focusing on artisan pipes -- especially the Danish freehands that Preben Holm popularized in the U.S. by virtue of his liaisons with Snug Harbor and Lane Ltd.
That was a time when $100 could get you a really fancy pipe, but it was considered obscenely expensive (not to mention somewhat ostentatious -- at least on campus.) So nobody I knew abused those pipes, if they had them. But, everyone had a rack of Medico's, Kaywoodie's and Grabow's, among other "everyman" pipe brands; and in the under $5.00 price bracket, they weren't treated with any particular care (that I recall.)
Absent the internet at that time, tobacco choices were pretty much restricted to what you could find in a drugstore; and for me, a special trip to a downtown B&M, the only alternative, was a fairly rare event. What has changed dramatically since then is the variety and accessibility of wonderful natural tobaccos.
To guarantee a moist, fresh, consistent tobacco product that may sit on the shelf for a long time, drugstore blend manufacturers rely on PG, sorbital, glycerol, poly-phenal-doodle-poop and who knows what else, in addition to artificial flavorings and aromas that improve the wife's acceptance factor. Today's online smokers have many more unadulterated blend choices than even a local B&M could stock back then.
Of course, coming up during those times of limited choice, some of us actually developed a taste for drugstore aromatics; and today even artisan blenders will concede to the demand, couching the practice in euphemisms such as "top-dressed" or "flavored", though I think chemical adulteration, sweeteners, and flavorings are very restricted in modern non-aromatics.
Well, that's my take on how pipe smoking has changed during my time.

(OK, I made up the part about the poly-phenal-doodle-poop.)
ps. In my circle, at least, no one used, or even heard of a pipe nail. Tamping was done with the fingertip. You let the charring light go out completely, you tamped, relit, and smoked long enough to build up some insulating ash. One still developed a callous, and it hurt if you were careless, but that's how we did it. I have long since become a wussy pipe nail user like you young whippersnappers.

 

[ernest]

I'm starting to understand the history of the sixties a lot better now,of which I must say is very interesting in a world of pipe smokers without internet.

 

[hauntedmyst]

ernest,
You bring up a great discussion point. When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's the only pipe smoker I knew was my uncle. He was a "grab your falcon pipe into a bucket of Half and Half then fill the room with that wonderful smell" kind of guy. As kids we'd watch him fascinated by the swirls of smoke. He never polished his pipes, he just replaced them when they finally broke. It was something he did, not something he pursued. He was the one who gave me my first pipe at 17 because for years I used to pretend to smoke his while I was at his house. After that, I got more and more interested in pipes and worked in pipe shops on and off for fun since the early 80's. Most of the people I sold to wanted 1Q and a cheap to mid range pipe for smoking. They didn't want to be collectors. All my buddies picked up a pipe and smoked occasionally - as smokers, not collectors. It's now 20 years since the 80's ended and now I'm the only one left who I know in person that still smokes a pipe. The only pipe smokers I know are online or at pipe shows and those people very much tend to be pipe afficianado's. It's something they pursue, not just something they do. (I still jam my pipe into the pouch and fill it with one finger to smoke it - force of habit and I do it well. Smoker or collector, I think most just develop a quick filling method. I have no interest in trying new fill methods.) Times have changed.

 

[strongirish]

Yes! It used to be a man had one or two pipes, smoked the same blend and fed his "N" habit. Now it has become a hobby, where we collect pipes, blends, and with the internet, we all talk about pipes. It did not used to be that way. I don't know which time was better, I have lived pipe smoking both ways.

 

[ernest]

hauntedmyst-I am also,like yourself,not aware of anyone personally that smokes a pipe.It almost seems Erie.

 

[porshcigar]

Its kind of like coffee. Once upon a time everyone just bought the cheapest coffee at the store and boiled up a pot at home. Now you see the gourmet blenders on every corner with lines of people to buy a latte, cappucino, etc. Pipes have also gone gourmet with numerous exotic blends, and so have cigars with an endless selection of hand rolled beauties. We live in the age of gourmet tobacco and coffee. Enjoy!
And as to getting to know some pipe smokers, there are many clubs and shows around the country. Like here in Chicago.

www.chicagopipeshow.com

 

[chuckw]

My paternal grandfather was the only pipe smoker I knew as a child. He had a lazy susan pipe rack that held 7 pipes, one for each day of the week. There was a cob or two that were his yard pipes. One blend, Half and Half. 300 years ago, pipe smokers broke off the used end of the tavern's clay pipe and had at it.

So, I'd say pipe smoking has changed over the years.

 

[patiobum]

My Dad was the only pipe smoker in our family.
He had usually 4 Kaywoodie pipes but only smoked one,day after day. He smoked Sir Walter Raleigh, kept the metal tub in his closet and refilled a gravity fed type pouch daily.
A few years before he quit he pipe, he switched to Half and Half. I wished I would have asked him why he switched.
When I started 35 years ago, I smoked Captain Black White and Sir Walter Raleigh. Later I discovered a Tinder Box and the many different blends to try. The Latakia Dark Side was strong.
Unlike my Dad, I do consider this a hobby, many pipes and many blends to try.

 

[admin]

I love this thread.
Very interesting Cortez, and porshcigar.

 

[excav8tor]

Pipe Smoking should be described as a 'movement'. If it does not describe itself as such it is doomed to disaster.

 

[fred]

Yes, Pipe smoking continues to evolve, which has given us more choices than what

someone chooses to stock at the local B&M or drug store. The way we use, maintain

and acquire Pipes and blends has evolved as a result of increased communication

and access. In my lifetime, Ed Kolpin's Tinderbox franchises brought more choice

and availability to many of us. The '70's saw a huge increase in the quality of

Meerschaum Pipes, with CAO, Golden Horn and Pioneer leading this trend. The embargo

brought demands to Turkish Carvers for greater artistic achievement and production,

which is still alive today. The Meerschaum industry now is faltering. There are no

Carver's apprentices and the new generation of labor has elected to follow different

career paths than what the mines can provide. Private collectors such as myself,

focus on Meerschaums that can be smoked, while high end art goes wanting for patrons.

For now, the choices are in ample supply, but the future is uncertain. The choice

of Pipe tobacco blends is ample at present, but the future bodes increasing prices

and diminished availability. These are the Good Old Days.

 

[mlaug]

There wasn't a lot of extra money for luxury items, in the 30's and 40's.
My grandparents and parents rarely ate at a resturant. Thrift stores, yard sales, and such were rare, items were always used up and worn out before it would be given away.
Used clothes were passed down to children, then became patches for sewing repairs, then became wash rags.
Pipe smoking was a utilitarian way to consume tobacco, so the pipe was more "tool" than art object. My grandfather would think my own pipe collection an extravagant waste of money.
As people had more disposable income, almost everything changed.
Cortez's obsevations are spot on.
Fred's are likely spot on too, but depressing.

 

[python]

This is a great topic with some great discussions!

 

[rusco135]

I think it's important to remember too that in the 60's and 70's smoking, in general, was a far more acceptable practice than it is to-day!! I mean EVERYONE smoked!!! Rothman's and Peter Styversant were the BIG sponsors of sporting events!! Smoke products, good pipes and pipe tobacco, was available in great abundance at the local cafe or store!!
Yes, to-day we have the internet but countries generally have very strict import regulations imposed against the import (via internet or other) of tobacco products. In my case I've really got to travel around to buy good pipes or even my favourite tobacco!! Yes, things have changed radically!!!

 

[cortezattic]

I should think Pretoria or Johannesburg should have some pretty complete B&M's.

But I can understand that taxes and tariffs could tear a huge hole in your wallet.

 

[pstlpkr]

Hi Guys,
Ernest, I'm not attempting to HiJack your string.

I believe that the question you posed required something more than just an anecdotal answer/response.

I do apologize for the inadvertent "smily face" that appeared in my blog post instead of 8) and the one missing "I".
I have attempted to answer your "serious" question.

Thank you Ernest for this excellent string.
Here is the link to my response: Dottle Diggers

 

[juni]

I wonder....
How much did movies and TV shows influence a switch from pipes to cigarettes? In many "old" movies you often see someone smoke a pipe, but in newer ones they usually smoke cigarettes.
As how to pipe smoking itself has changed I can only use myself as an example. When I was in the army the pay was poor so I bought a cheap pipe and cheap OTC blends. I didn't pay much attention to packing a pipe or cleaning it. I just needed the nicotine.
Now when I have a bit more disposable income I buy more expensive pipes and blends and take great care in cleaning and packing my pipes.

 

[fred]

For a good source of information, in likely the most exhaustive and comprehensive

effort to date, I recommend reading:

Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization, by Iain Gately
Iain has also been part of the History Channel's documentary on this same subject,

and has been referenced in more than a few articles and publications. It's a

great read, made enjoyable by Gately's humor and wit.