Information For New Pipe Smokers

For a beginner we strongly recommend you start with a billiard pipe of medium proportions. 

Bent pipes can get issues with moisture (also dependant upon choice of tobacco) and require a little more skill and experience to fully enjoy.

Furthermore, larger pipes will require a little skill to smoke and you’re unlikely to want to start with long smoking sessions. 

Start with a corn cob or briar pipe too as Meerschaums are slightly more complex to fully enjoy and maintain. 

We advise you to be driven by your sense of smell when selecting your first tobacco.

If you have a store you can visit then we urge you to do so - they’ll be more than happy to guide a beginner. 

However, we know that bricks and mortar stores are sadly dwindling and typically only located in major cities and towns.

With the inexorable march of the internet, much of this has moved online. Many of the leading suppliers will detail the room and tasting notes of tobacco - so read those as a guide.

In general, pipe tobaccos are either aromatic (flavoured) or non-aromatic (non-flavoured) Our guidance is to avoid starting with an aromatic as they can be moist which increases the likelihood of ‘tongue bite’ - this is a painful stinging sensation on the tongue typically caused by smoking too fast or excessive moisture or possibly a tobacco which burns hotter than most.

Pipe tobacco is also available in varying cuts, including - ribbon, shag, loose & flag. 

For ease, we recommend you start with a loose cut tobacco, this is the easiest to smoke. Start with the smallest amount you can buy too - generally around 10g.

An additional consideration is nicotine content. If you’re new to smoking - starting with a high nicotine content tobacco can lead to nausea.

Another tip from us - when starting out with tobacco, if you find something that’s unappealing, don’t discard it as there‘s every likelihood that once you develop your palate and olfactory system you may enjoy them later on.

Finally…..If you’re looking for a specific recommendation then we thoroughly recommend Peterson’s early morning pipe. It’s a former Dunhill recipe and it’s rather lovely. 

If you’re starting out, here’s a handy equipment list:

• Lighter/Matches: For the love of god - do not use anything with a blow torch level of flame as this will damage the pipe.

• Tamper: Packing the tobacco to the right density improves the experience and multiple tamps may be required as necessary. Some experienced smokers use their thumb but we don’t recommend it, unless of course you have asbestos for skin. 

• Pipe Cleaners: Have some pipe cleaners ready and get into a good habit of cleaning your pipe regularly.

• Pipe Stand/Rest: After use, your pipe will need to cool down naturally. A rest or stand is ideal for this.

• Ash tray: Bespoke ashtrays exist to help tap out unspent tobacco (called dottle). Be careful not to damage the pipe with overzealous tapping.
  
  
• Pipe Cleaning Tool: To enjoy repeated use, you’ll need to keep your pipe clean. This will involve reaming to remove excess carbon.

There are lots of videos on YouTube compiled by very experienced content creators and we recommend you use that to get a visual guide on how to smoke a pipe.

If however, you prefer a written guide - then you’re in luck:

Beginner’s Guide To Smoking a Pipe:

1. Start off by making sure that the bowl is clean & free of any old or unused tobacco.
2. Loosely fill your bowl with tobacco & then gently press down using a Pipe Tamper tool till the bowl is half full. 
3. Add some more tobacco & again tamp it down till about 3/4 full.
4. Give your pipe a small draw test to make sure that it is not too tightly packed. If you cannot draw or it is hard to draw on your pipe then the tobacco is too tightly packed.
5. To remedy this you can either use a Pipe Nail or a spike tool to poke a few air holes or alternatively remove the tobacco & start again.
6. If you are however happy with the draw then continue to fill your bowl with one more gentle tamp down to keep the tobacco in place. 
7. Give one more draw test to check that you are happy with the flow of air, if so you are then good to go.
8. Lighting Your Pipe - Starting off with matches is the recommended choice as they are cheap & you will find are required quite often whilst learning.
9. Strike the match and give it a second or two for the sulphur to burn away.
10. Take the lit match & using a circular motion move the match over the top of the tobacco. Tip: Gently drawing on your pipe whilst doing this will help with lighting the tobacco
11. Take a full draw on your pipe to check that it is lit & evenly burning.
12. A second light is often required using the previous step. 
13. Starting off your pipe will go out often but with experience this will not occur so frequently.
14. Final Step... ENJOY the tobacco. Try to detect the tastes and use the time to sit and be peaceful.  
15. Pipe tobacco smoke should not be inhaled into the lungs as it is a stronger tobacco compared to cigarettes.
16. Pipe Tobacco has no additives and is enjoyed for its wide variety of flavours.
17. While smoking your pipe, if it starts to make a gurgling sound this means that there is moisture is the stem, all that needs to be done here is poke a pipe cleaner into the stem through the mouth piece for a few seconds to soak up any moisture that is present.