Tips for Novice Pipe Smokers Continued

This post expands on an earlier post which can be found here.

Now that you know the basics of pipe smoking, it’s time to discuss a few more detailed aspects of the hobby you’ll need to consider as a beginner.

Getting Your First Briar Wood Pipe

If you’ve started out with a corn cob pipe and decided Pipe Smoking is something you’ll be doing semi-frequently, and something you really enjoy, feel free to keep your corn cob around, but you’ll want to purchase a briar wood pipe for future smoking. Briar wood is the traditional material pipes are crafted out of—this is due to the wood’s natural resistance to flame. A proper briar wood pipe will result in a very cool and smooth smoke so long as the tobacco you use isn’t ultra harsh, and will remain cool in the hand. Not to mention, your briarwood pipe will be a lot sturdier than the corn cob, and will on the whole, likely be more pleasant. It’s not out of the question to prefer corncob either, but we suggest to at least invest in one briar wood pipe.

Picking a Pipe Shape

Unfortunately it’s unlikely you’ll find a vast variety of pipe shapes to choose from when picking a corn cob pipe. However, if you choose to get yourself a briarwood pipe, you’ll find there are a lot of different traditional pipe shapes, as well as more unique shapes freehand carved by pipe makers. Ultimately shape preferences are an aesthetic choice, but also keep in mind comfort when choosing the shape of your pipe. If you love the look of a pipe, but find you can never hold it in your mouth or hand comfortably, it may not be a good purchase, despite its aesthetic appeal. This handy chart should help you familiarize with some common pipe shapes.

Dr. Grabow Pipe Chart 1988. Courtesy of otcpipes.com

Avoiding Tongue Bite 

As you continue delving into pipe smoking there are some things you’ll need to watch out for as well. You may have felt a slight tinge or "bite" on your tongue the first time you tried out smoking your pipe. This is common and known as tongue bite. Tongue bite mainly occurs when, for whatever reason, your smoke is coming out too hot. Most of the time your smoke will be cool and pleasant if you use a briar wood pipe—corn cobs are a bit more susceptible to producing hot smoke—however you might cause tongue pipe you puff too fast on the pipe, sipping on the smoke rapidly instead of taking longer, slower sips, and breaking between each. Occasionally smoke tends to get hot toward the bottom of the pipe bowl—so as you finish your smoking session the smoke may get hotter. Tobacco that is too moist can also tend to smoke hotter than desired. The best way to combat tongue bite is to first of all, choose a good briar wood pipe and good tobacco, and secondly to take your time and smoke at a leisurely pace. 

Conclusion

These tips should help you continue to journey down the path of master pipe smoking. If you ever have questions about starting out, feel free to ask away via comments. Happy smoking.