Pipe Tobacco & Pipe PRIMER
(by The Educated Cigar)
Pipe Smoking for Beginners Basic Pipe Tobacco Types: a Crash Course
Pipe Smoking for Beginners
For many societies throughout history, pipe smoking was (and is) a sacred ritual. Men would light their tobacco for various ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and the signing of treaties (hence the term “peace pipe”). It was an important part of their traditions and cultural heritage. In more modern times, gentlemen would smoke a pipe as a way to unwind and relax, or as a refined stimulation to intellectual pursuits.
Many of history’s most famous writers and intellectuals were pipe smoking aficionados, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (as well as his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes), J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis (who often smoked with Tolkien as the friends engaged in deep, hours-long conversations), Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, General Douglas MacArthur, Papa Hemingway, and many more. The pipe’s favor with the contemplative set can perhaps be traced to the fact that successful smoking takes a little reflective care, and that a single bowl of aromatic tobacco can last up to a whole meditative hour.
Pipes. The most common material you’ll find for pipes is briarwood due to its heat resistance, durability, and rugged appearance. There’s also meerschaum, which is a clay-like mineral. Meerschaum pipes often double as incredible works of art due to the material’s softness and carve-ability. Because of its relative rarity, meerschaum pipes are more expensive; they also aren’t quite as hardy as briarwood, so they require a little more care and upkeep. Corn cob pipes are inexpensive and very popular with folks on a tight budget.
The shape of the stem is yet another matter to consider. You’ll find both straight and curved. The argument for straight is that some people prefer its look, and the bowl sits higher, which keeps smoke out of your face a little better. A curved stem, on the other hand, is much easier on the mouth; it’ll just sit there nicely rather than you having to work to keep the pipe situated.
Lighter. The ZIPPO company makes a special lighter just for pipe smoking, which comes with a hole in the chimney, allowing you to hold it sideways and suck the flame through. It’s incredibly useful; otherwise you’re holding a lighter or match nearly upside down. A single torch lighter is a good choice for windy days. A multi-torch lighter is likely to burn the outside of your pipe unless you are rather skillful.
Packing the Pipe. This is undoubtedly the hardest part for newbie pipe smokers (and even some not-so-beginners). The good news is that once you get it down, it’s a breeze. The first step is to do a “gravity fill”; this is where you grab a pinch of tobacco and simply drop it into the bowl of the pipe with no tamping or pushing down. Another way to do this is to scoop right from the bag, tin or jar of tobacco with the pipe itself. Fill it this way to the top, and then tamp it so that the bowl is about halfway full. This is the first layer. You’ll do the same thing again, filling it loosely to the top, then tamping it down, this time to 2/3 or 3/4 full. This is the second layer. Finally, you’ll do it once more. Put some more tobacco loosely on top, and tamp it down to just below the rim of the bowl. With each layer it should feel like the pressure increases with the tamping; the first layer won’t need much pressure at all, and by the third you’ll really be pushing on the tobacco.
Test the draw on the pipe at this point; it should be reminiscent of sucking soda through a straw. If it’s like an empty straw, it’s packed too loose (tamp it, and add more tobacco); if it’s like sucking a milkshake through a straw, it’s packed too dense (use your pipe tool to poke a hole down the middle of the tobacco; Do this anyway, even if it’s packed correctly, just to have better airflow).
Lighting the tobacco. The first step in getting a pipe lit is the charring light. Holding the flame above the bowl, take about half a dozen shorter puffs, while moving the lighter in a circle around the bowl, in order to char the top of the tobacco. After this, tamp it down once more to create a nice caking on the top. After this charring light, once again hold the flame above the bowl, and this time take a half dozen deep draws to really get the flame down into the tobacco. Once lit, continue to take some deeper puffs to make sure you get a nice ember that will last a long time.
Especially for the beginner, you’ll probably have to re-light your pipe multiple times to get through the bowl of tobacco. As you get better at packing, and lighting, you won’t have to do this. It just takes practice. It is possible to get a single bowl to last about 45 minutes or more, with only having to re-light once.
Cleaning the Pipe. Your pipe should ideally be cleaned after each smoke. After letting it cool for an hour or so, remove the stem, and run a pipe cleaner through it a few times. It should be noted that you don’t ever want to remove the stem from a hot pipe, as it can easily warp over time. Most pipe smokers opt to not clean the bowl at all, besides getting any ash or unsmoked tobacco out. Not cleaning the bowl allows a nice cake to build up, which imparts even more flavor (similar to a cast-iron skillet).
Troubleshooting the Pipe. If the pipe ever gets too hot to hold, you’re smoking it too hot. Let it die out, try re-lighting, and take fewer puffs next time. Most smokers puff every 10-30 seconds or so; it’s not constant. The same is true if you ever feel burning in your mouth, called “tongue bite.” You’ll know it if/when it happens; let it die out, and re-light the pipe. If it just dies while you’re trying to smoke it, you didn’t get it lit well enough in the first place, or it’s not optimally packed. You’ll learn which it is as you go along; again, it just takes practice. Pipe smoking is quite an enjoyable hobby once you get the basics down.
Credit. Many of the above sections were ‘borrowed’ from an article written by Jeremy Anderberg in 2015 (and updated in 2023) in “Leisure Living” and “The Art of Manliness”.
For many societies throughout history, pipe smoking was (and is) a sacred ritual. Men would light their tobacco for various ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and the signing of treaties (hence the term “peace pipe”). It was an important part of their traditions and cultural heritage. In more modern times, gentlemen would smoke a pipe as a way to unwind and relax, or as a refined stimulation to intellectual pursuits.
Many of history’s most famous writers and intellectuals were pipe smoking aficionados, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (as well as his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes), J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis (who often smoked with Tolkien as the friends engaged in deep, hours-long conversations), Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, General Douglas MacArthur, Papa Hemingway, and many more. The pipe’s favor with the contemplative set can perhaps be traced to the fact that successful smoking takes a little reflective care, and that a single bowl of aromatic tobacco can last up to a whole meditative hour.
Pipes. The most common material you’ll find for pipes is briarwood due to its heat resistance, durability, and rugged appearance. There’s also meerschaum, which is a clay-like mineral. Meerschaum pipes often double as incredible works of art due to the material’s softness and carve-ability. Because of its relative rarity, meerschaum pipes are more expensive; they also aren’t quite as hardy as briarwood, so they require a little more care and upkeep. Corn cob pipes are inexpensive and very popular with folks on a tight budget.
The shape of the stem is yet another matter to consider. You’ll find both straight and curved. The argument for straight is that some people prefer its look, and the bowl sits higher, which keeps smoke out of your face a little better. A curved stem, on the other hand, is much easier on the mouth; it’ll just sit there nicely rather than you having to work to keep the pipe situated.
Lighter. The ZIPPO company makes a special lighter just for pipe smoking, which comes with a hole in the chimney, allowing you to hold it sideways and suck the flame through. It’s incredibly useful; otherwise you’re holding a lighter or match nearly upside down. A single torch lighter is a good choice for windy days. A multi-torch lighter is likely to burn the outside of your pipe unless you are rather skillful.
Packing the Pipe. This is undoubtedly the hardest part for newbie pipe smokers (and even some not-so-beginners). The good news is that once you get it down, it’s a breeze. The first step is to do a “gravity fill”; this is where you grab a pinch of tobacco and simply drop it into the bowl of the pipe with no tamping or pushing down. Another way to do this is to scoop right from the bag, tin or jar of tobacco with the pipe itself. Fill it this way to the top, and then tamp it so that the bowl is about halfway full. This is the first layer. You’ll do the same thing again, filling it loosely to the top, then tamping it down, this time to 2/3 or 3/4 full. This is the second layer. Finally, you’ll do it once more. Put some more tobacco loosely on top, and tamp it down to just below the rim of the bowl. With each layer it should feel like the pressure increases with the tamping; the first layer won’t need much pressure at all, and by the third you’ll really be pushing on the tobacco.
Test the draw on the pipe at this point; it should be reminiscent of sucking soda through a straw. If it’s like an empty straw, it’s packed too loose (tamp it, and add more tobacco); if it’s like sucking a milkshake through a straw, it’s packed too dense (use your pipe tool to poke a hole down the middle of the tobacco; Do this anyway, even if it’s packed correctly, just to have better airflow).
Lighting the tobacco. The first step in getting a pipe lit is the charring light. Holding the flame above the bowl, take about half a dozen shorter puffs, while moving the lighter in a circle around the bowl, in order to char the top of the tobacco. After this, tamp it down once more to create a nice caking on the top. After this charring light, once again hold the flame above the bowl, and this time take a half dozen deep draws to really get the flame down into the tobacco. Once lit, continue to take some deeper puffs to make sure you get a nice ember that will last a long time.
Especially for the beginner, you’ll probably have to re-light your pipe multiple times to get through the bowl of tobacco. As you get better at packing, and lighting, you won’t have to do this. It just takes practice. It is possible to get a single bowl to last about 45 minutes or more, with only having to re-light once.
Cleaning the Pipe. Your pipe should ideally be cleaned after each smoke. After letting it cool for an hour or so, remove the stem, and run a pipe cleaner through it a few times. It should be noted that you don’t ever want to remove the stem from a hot pipe, as it can easily warp over time. Most pipe smokers opt to not clean the bowl at all, besides getting any ash or unsmoked tobacco out. Not cleaning the bowl allows a nice cake to build up, which imparts even more flavor (similar to a cast-iron skillet).
Troubleshooting the Pipe. If the pipe ever gets too hot to hold, you’re smoking it too hot. Let it die out, try re-lighting, and take fewer puffs next time. Most smokers puff every 10-30 seconds or so; it’s not constant. The same is true if you ever feel burning in your mouth, called “tongue bite.” You’ll know it if/when it happens; let it die out, and re-light the pipe. If it just dies while you’re trying to smoke it, you didn’t get it lit well enough in the first place, or it’s not optimally packed. You’ll learn which it is as you go along; again, it just takes practice. Pipe smoking is quite an enjoyable hobby once you get the basics down.
Credit. Many of the above sections were ‘borrowed’ from an article written by Jeremy Anderberg in 2015 (and updated in 2023) in “Leisure Living” and “The Art of Manliness”.
Basic Pipe Tobacco ‘Types’: A Crash Course
INTRODUCTION: The following 7 tobacco types are the basic building blocks used to make nearly all tobacco blends. Consider these as the basic ‘primary colors’ of pipe tobacco. You can purchase them individually or more often in various combinations with added flavor (aromatics) or unflavored. We currently offer 137 different pipe tobaccos!
Virginia: the most popular tobacco type used in pipe tobacco today. It is a good burner and aids in lighting and has the highest natural sugar content. Mild to medium in strength, but due to high sugar content can result in tongue bite if smoked too vigorously.
Burley: Burley is “air cured” in large open barns, by natural air flow for one to two months. It burns slowly and has a cool smoke, which makes it a nice addition to blends that tend to burn fast and strong.
Cavendish: Cavendish is a method of curing and cutting tobaccos and can be produced out of any tobacco type (mainly Virginia’s and Burley’s are used). The process will create a tobacco very light in taste, quite mild and easy to pack. Cavendish is than generally flavored: amaretto, cherry, vanilla, rum, chocolate, mocha, licorice and many others.
Kentucky: is fire-cured Burley, produced in Kentucky. Unlike Burley, Kentucky is very aromatic, unique and powerful (in a good way).
Latakia: Mainly grown in Cyprus and northern Syria. After the leaves are harvested and dried, they are hung in tightly closed barns and smoke-cured over aromatic woods and fragrant herbs. Latakia produces a very rich, heavy taste, with an aroma that has a “smokey” characteristic and is an indispensable ingredient of English blends.
Oriental: differs from other tobaccos in size and character. They have very small leaves and are sun-cured as opposed to the fire, air, and flue cured and often come from Turkey, Bulgaria or Greece. The most popular is ‘Izmir’ (Turkish) which is spicy, a little sour (in a pleasant way) with a buttery sweet finish.
Perique: is a red Burley type of tobacco, grown and processed in St. James, Louisiana. Perique is a rare, slow burning, strong-tasting tobacco. The process takes at least one full year.
Pipe Tobacco Sampler Kits:
The Perfect Beginning for ’New’ Pipe Smokers
‘The Educated Cigar & Pipe’ offers 3 different pipe tobacco sampler kits with 12 or 13 different tobaccos in each kit. Each tobacco comes in its own zip-lock bag, with enough tobacco for about 3 hours of smoking pleasure per tobacco. Each sampler costs under $100, including tax. Our three different samplers are 1) 13-different aromatic (flavored) tobaccos, 2) 12-different ‘English’ style (unflavored) tobaccos and 3) half & half (6-different flavored and 6-different unflavored tobaccos. We also offer 140 different tobaccos.
We suggest that beginners consider getting the 12-tobacco half & half sampler. If you want a deeper dive into it then get both samplers 1 and 2, in order to experience 25 different tobaccos. Our tobaccos are from Cornell & Diehl unless indicated otherwise.
If you purchase samplers 1 and 2 we will throw in a corn cob pipe at no extra charge.
13-Aromatic Pipe Tobacco Sampler
Amaretto: Amaretto liqueur. Burley and Black Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Black Cherry: Wild cherry. All-black Cavendish base.
Creamy Butterscotch: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia, butter and cream flavor. [Sutliff]
Creme Brulee: Burley, Virginia, black Cavendish, vanilla, caramel and honey flavor [Sutliff]
Dark Cherry Cavendish: Dark cherry. Cavendish base.
Espresso: Cream, coffee and vanilla. Black Cavendish.
Green River Vanilla: Vanilla. Burley, Kentucky fire-cured.
Maple Cavendish: Maple flavor. Cavendish.
Mixture No. 79: Anise liquor (licorice) and vanilla. Burley. [by Sutliff]
Nutty Irishman: Hazelnut flavor of Frangelico and the honeyed, aromatic spice of Irish Mist.
Pumpkin Spice: Pumpkin, spices. Burley, Virginia, Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Shelbyton: Tawny port. Cavendish, Virginia, Dark-Fired Kentucky.
Sweet English: Caramel and vanilla. Cavendish and a dash of Latakia
12-‘English’ & Other Unflavored Pipe Tobacco Sampler
Atlas Balkan: Latakia, Burley and Perique. A full bodied, all-natural smoke.
Bailey’s Front Porch: Mild. Burley, Virginia, Latakia, Perique
Black Cavendish: Black Cavendish.
Dark-Fired Kentucky: Dark-fired Kentucky Burley. Rich and smoky.
Engine 99: Latakia, Perique, Virginias, Burleys and Orientals.
Haunted Bookshop: Burley, Virginia & Perique.
London Squire: Latakia, Burleys, Virginias, black Cavendish.
Mountain Camp: Full body. Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Turkish, Burley
Old Court: Burley, Latakia, Perique, and sweetened Virginia flake.
Old Joe Krantz Red: Burley, red Virginia, Latakia and Perique.
Orion’s Arrow: Turkish, Perique, red Virginia, and bright Virginia.
White Burley: A high grade light Burley from the Kentucky fields.
Half & Half Sampler: 6-Aromatic + 6-English Pipe Tobaccos
AROMATIC (flavored)
Amaretto: Amaretto liqueur. Burley and Black Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Berries & Cream: Black Cavendish and a bit of Green River Vanilla. Proprietary "cream" flavoring and blackberry brandy.
Dark Cherry Cavendish: Dark cherry. Cavendish base.
Espresso: Cream, coffee and vanilla. Black Cavendish.
Green River Vanilla: Vanilla. Burley, Kentucky fire-cured.
Maple Cavendish: Maple flavor. Cavendish.
ENGLISH (unflavored)
Bailey’s Front Porch: Mild. Burley, Virginia, Latakia, Perique.
Byzantium: Latakia, Orientals and Perique.
Dark-Fired Kentucky: Dark-fired Kentucky Burley. Rich and smoky.
Mountain Camp: Full body. Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Turkish, Burley
Pirate Kake: 75% Latakia, Turkish, Burley. Crumble cake
Smooth English: Burleys, Black Cavendish, and Latakia
Burley: Burley is “air cured” in large open barns, by natural air flow for one to two months. It burns slowly and has a cool smoke, which makes it a nice addition to blends that tend to burn fast and strong.
Cavendish: Cavendish is a method of curing and cutting tobaccos and can be produced out of any tobacco type (mainly Virginia’s and Burley’s are used). The process will create a tobacco very light in taste, quite mild and easy to pack. Cavendish is than generally flavored: amaretto, cherry, vanilla, rum, chocolate, mocha, licorice and many others.
Kentucky: is fire-cured Burley, produced in Kentucky. Unlike Burley, Kentucky is very aromatic, unique and powerful (in a good way).
Latakia: Mainly grown in Cyprus and northern Syria. After the leaves are harvested and dried, they are hung in tightly closed barns and smoke-cured over aromatic woods and fragrant herbs. Latakia produces a very rich, heavy taste, with an aroma that has a “smokey” characteristic and is an indispensable ingredient of English blends.
Oriental: differs from other tobaccos in size and character. They have very small leaves and are sun-cured as opposed to the fire, air, and flue cured and often come from Turkey, Bulgaria or Greece. The most popular is ‘Izmir’ (Turkish) which is spicy, a little sour (in a pleasant way) with a buttery sweet finish.
Perique: is a red Burley type of tobacco, grown and processed in St. James, Louisiana. Perique is a rare, slow burning, strong-tasting tobacco. The process takes at least one full year.
Pipe Tobacco Sampler Kits:
The Perfect Beginning for ’New’ Pipe Smokers
‘The Educated Cigar & Pipe’ offers 3 different pipe tobacco sampler kits with 12 or 13 different tobaccos in each kit. Each tobacco comes in its own zip-lock bag, with enough tobacco for about 3 hours of smoking pleasure per tobacco. Each sampler costs under $100, including tax. Our three different samplers are 1) 13-different aromatic (flavored) tobaccos, 2) 12-different ‘English’ style (unflavored) tobaccos and 3) half & half (6-different flavored and 6-different unflavored tobaccos. We also offer 140 different tobaccos.
We suggest that beginners consider getting the 12-tobacco half & half sampler. If you want a deeper dive into it then get both samplers 1 and 2, in order to experience 25 different tobaccos. Our tobaccos are from Cornell & Diehl unless indicated otherwise.
If you purchase samplers 1 and 2 we will throw in a corn cob pipe at no extra charge.
13-Aromatic Pipe Tobacco Sampler
Amaretto: Amaretto liqueur. Burley and Black Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Black Cherry: Wild cherry. All-black Cavendish base.
Creamy Butterscotch: Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia, butter and cream flavor. [Sutliff]
Creme Brulee: Burley, Virginia, black Cavendish, vanilla, caramel and honey flavor [Sutliff]
Dark Cherry Cavendish: Dark cherry. Cavendish base.
Espresso: Cream, coffee and vanilla. Black Cavendish.
Green River Vanilla: Vanilla. Burley, Kentucky fire-cured.
Maple Cavendish: Maple flavor. Cavendish.
Mixture No. 79: Anise liquor (licorice) and vanilla. Burley. [by Sutliff]
Nutty Irishman: Hazelnut flavor of Frangelico and the honeyed, aromatic spice of Irish Mist.
Pumpkin Spice: Pumpkin, spices. Burley, Virginia, Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Shelbyton: Tawny port. Cavendish, Virginia, Dark-Fired Kentucky.
Sweet English: Caramel and vanilla. Cavendish and a dash of Latakia
12-‘English’ & Other Unflavored Pipe Tobacco Sampler
Atlas Balkan: Latakia, Burley and Perique. A full bodied, all-natural smoke.
Bailey’s Front Porch: Mild. Burley, Virginia, Latakia, Perique
Black Cavendish: Black Cavendish.
Dark-Fired Kentucky: Dark-fired Kentucky Burley. Rich and smoky.
Engine 99: Latakia, Perique, Virginias, Burleys and Orientals.
Haunted Bookshop: Burley, Virginia & Perique.
London Squire: Latakia, Burleys, Virginias, black Cavendish.
Mountain Camp: Full body. Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Turkish, Burley
Old Court: Burley, Latakia, Perique, and sweetened Virginia flake.
Old Joe Krantz Red: Burley, red Virginia, Latakia and Perique.
Orion’s Arrow: Turkish, Perique, red Virginia, and bright Virginia.
White Burley: A high grade light Burley from the Kentucky fields.
Half & Half Sampler: 6-Aromatic + 6-English Pipe Tobaccos
AROMATIC (flavored)
Amaretto: Amaretto liqueur. Burley and Black Cavendish. [by Sutliff]
Berries & Cream: Black Cavendish and a bit of Green River Vanilla. Proprietary "cream" flavoring and blackberry brandy.
Dark Cherry Cavendish: Dark cherry. Cavendish base.
Espresso: Cream, coffee and vanilla. Black Cavendish.
Green River Vanilla: Vanilla. Burley, Kentucky fire-cured.
Maple Cavendish: Maple flavor. Cavendish.
ENGLISH (unflavored)
Bailey’s Front Porch: Mild. Burley, Virginia, Latakia, Perique.
Byzantium: Latakia, Orientals and Perique.
Dark-Fired Kentucky: Dark-fired Kentucky Burley. Rich and smoky.
Mountain Camp: Full body. Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Turkish, Burley
Pirate Kake: 75% Latakia, Turkish, Burley. Crumble cake
Smooth English: Burleys, Black Cavendish, and Latakia