Tobacco pipe

A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking combustible substances such as tobacco and cannabis. The smoking pipe typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the substance to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (also called a bit).

Pipes are made from a variety of materials, the most common being (in order of use): briar, corncob, meerschaum, African block meerschaum, clay, cherry, wood, glass, gourd, bamboo (as in the Japanese Kiseru), and various other materials, such as morta and metal. Many pipes are carved with a great deal of artistry.

Tobaccos used for smoking pipes are often carefully treated and blended to achieve flavour nuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using staple ingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spice tobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco of Cypriot or Syrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or South American origins. Traditionally, many U.S. blends are made of American Burley with sweeteners and flavorings added to create an "aromatic" flavor, whereas "English" blends are based on natural Virginia tobaccos enhanced with Oriental and other natural tobaccos. There is a growing tendency towards "natural" tobaccos which derive their aromas from artful blending with selected spice tobaccos only and careful, often historically-based, curing processes. Pipes can range from the very simple machine-made briar pipe to highly-prized handmade and artful implements created by renowned pipemakers which are often very expensive collector's items.

Many find that the enjoyment of smoking pipe tobacco is greatly increased by the wearing of specific, and preferably matching, smoking attire (see slippers and dressing gowns).

Materials and construction

The material and shape of a pipe has a profound influence upon the aesthetic of a smoke.

Briar

The majority of pipes sold today, whether hand made or machine made, are fashioned from briar. Briar is a particularly good wood for pipe making for a number of reasons. The first and most important is its natural resistance to fire. The second is its inherent ability to absorb moisture. The burl absorbs water in nature to supply the tree in the dry times and likewise will absorb the moisture that is a byproduct of combustion. Briar is cut from the root burl of the Tree heath (Erica arborea), which is native to the rocky and sandy soils of the Mediterranean region. Briar burls are cut into two types of blocks; ebauchon and plateaux. Ebauchon is taken from the heart of the burl while plateaux is taken from the outer part of the burl. While both types of blocks can produce pipes of the highest quality, most artisan pipe makers prefer to use plateaux because of its superior graining.

Meerschaum

Meerschaum (hydrated magnesium silicate), a mineral found in small shallow deposits mainly around the city of Eskisehir in central Turkey, is prized for its plasticity which allows it to be carved into many decorative and figural shapes. It has been used since the 17th century and, with clay pipes, represented the most common medium for pipes before the introduction of briar as the material of choice in the 19th century. The word "meerschaum" means "sea foam" in German, alluding to its natural white color. However, meerschaum is a very porous mineral that absorbs elements of the tobacco during the smoking process, and gradually changes color to a golden brown. Old, well-smoked meerschaum pipes are prized for their distinctive coloring.

Clay

Clay in this case is almost always a very fine white clay. Low-quality "clay" pipes are actually made from porcelain slip poured into a mold. These are porous, of very low quality, and impart unwanted flavors to a smoke. Top-notch clays, on the other hand are made in a labor-intensive process that requires beating all air out of the clay, hand-rolling each pipe before molding it, piercing with a fine wire, and careful firing. Traditionally, clay pipes are un-glazed. Clays burn "hot" in comparison to other types of pipes, so they are often difficult for most pipe-smokers to use. Their proponents claim that, unlike other materials, a well-made clay pipe gives a "pure" smoke, with no flavor addition from the pipe bowl. In addition to aficionados, reproductions of historical clay styles are used by some re-enactors. Clay pipes are traditionally disposable items and the large quantities discarded in the past are often used as an aid in dating by industrial archaeologists.

Calabash

Calabash gourds (usually with meerschaum or porcelain bowls set inside them) have long made prized pipes, but they are labour-intensive and nowadays quite expensive.

The construction of a Calabash pipe generally consists of a downward curve that ends with an upcurve where the tobacco is held. This low center of gravity allows for the user to easily hold the pipe by the mouth alone, leaving his hands free. This advantage was often used by actors who wanted to depict their character smoking while permitting them to do other business simultaneously. That is why the character Sherlock Holmes, who never used this kind of pipe in the stories, is stereotypically depicted as favoring it because early dramatic productions, especially those starring William Gillette made this artistic decision.

Corncob

On the other end of the scale, "corncob" pipes made from maize cobs are cheap and effective, even if some regard them as inelegant. The cobs are first dried for two years. Then they are hollowed out to make a bowl shape. The bowls are dipped in a plaster-based mixture and varnished or lacquered on the outside. Shanks made from Pine wood are then inserted into the bowls. The first and largest manufacturer of corncob pipes is Missouri Meerschaum, located in Washington, Missouri in the USA [1]. Missouri Meerschaum has produced the pipes since 1869. General Douglas MacArthur and George Lincoln Rockwell were perhaps the most famous smokers of this type of pipe, along with the cartoon characters Popeye and Frosty the Snowman.

Corncob pipes remain popular today because they are inexpensive and require no "break-in" period like briar pipes. For these two reasons, corncob pipes are often recommended as a "Beginners pipe." But, their enjoyment is by no means limited to beginners. Corncob pipes are equally valued by both learners, and experienced smokers who simply desire a cool, clean smoke. Pipesmokers who wish to sample a wide variety of different tobaccos and blends also might keep a stock of corncobs on hand to permit them to try new flavors without "carryover" from an already-used pipe.

Metal

Metal pipes are more generally associated with cannabis and other drugs than tobacco use. Though steel was a common material, aluminium and brass are more popular materials now. The advantages of a metal pipe generally include interchangeable parts for optimization and certain components are limited to fit only a metal pipe, such as a threaded metal bowl with optional cap via thread interface that will prevent spills or accidentally blowing the cannabis from the bowl ("blow outs"). Their retention of heat can make them uncomfortably and even dangerously hot but most have rubber or plastic grips on the outside of the pipe. Another common method for burn prevention is one or more rubber rings, which can be placed at the base of the threadded area and prevent conduction of heat. Another drawback of the metal pipe is its typical top heavyness which makes it prone to spills. This is compensated for by flat or squared ends on the 45° or 90° angled elbow piece. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of a metal pipe over a glass piece in many users' minds is that they are, in all normal circumstance, basically indestructible.

Metal bowls are usually overlooked by tobacco smokers because metal bowls require a break-in period of resination. During that time, smoke passing though the piece has an aftertaste when used with tobacco. Cannabis smoke usually does not have an odd after-taste and resinates the piece faster. A type of metal pipe usually associated with Marijuana is the chamber pipe, which has an accessible central chamber, which is usually packed with Marijuana to resinate, adding extra THC content when smoked. Also, loose bits of the Marijuana fall down into the chamber and also resinate, speeding up the process of resination. When clogged, the resin can be collected and then smoked as an alternative to cannabis. The biggest drawback to a metal-stemmed or -bowled pipe is that the metal also creates a lot of condensation in the stem, making for a very wet smoke.

All metals create odors when heated and although the metals themselves can withstand tempertures of thousands of degrees they still release harmfull toxins when heated. Steel has the least odor followed by brass which tastes horrible and irritates the throat after just a few uses, followed by aluminum, on the bottom of the list is copper which is extremely reactant and can create malicious chemicals when triggered by one of the thousands of chemicals inherent in any smoke. Gold is inert and has no taste and is sometimes offered as a bowl plating. Metal pipes are typically short because the metal absorbs the heat from the smoke extremely well whereas long pipes or roomy glass pipes use their larger air space to cool the smoke.

Glass

Hand-blown glass pipes are one of the most common kinds of hand-blown glass today. They can be quite elaborate. One reason for their appeal is that since the glass is completely inert, it does not affect the flavor of the smoke. As the pipe is used, black tar build-up provides for a more contrasted background. Glass pipes sometimes have a small hole on the side that, when covered, enables continuous inhalation. When inhalation is completed, the hole may be uncovered to flood the smoke with air thus lending it the name carburetor or "carb" (also 'choke'). Due to their lack of porosity and tendency to retain heat, glass pipes are usually used to smoke cannabis and other substances besides tobacco. The added space inside a glass pipe as compared to a metal one, combined with proper use of the carb, result in the potential to take a much larger and smoother-feeling inhalation of smoke, which also appeals to cannabis users. Glass pipes are usually more expensive than ones made from plasic or metal. They are also highly prone to irreparable damage.

Hookahs

A Hookah, Ghelyan, or nargila, is a middle eastern water pipe, commonly used to smoke shisha (a type of tobacco) or marijuana, that cools the smoke by filtering it through a liquid chamber. Often ice and milk or lemon juice are added to the water. Traditionally, the tobacco is mixed with a sweetener, such as honey or molasses, although fruit flavors have also become popular. [2]

Use

Smoking a pipe requires more apparatus and techinique than cigarette or even cigar smoking. In addition to the pipe itself and matches or a lighter, smokers usually require a pipe tool for packing, adjusting, and emptying the tobacco in the bowl, and a regular supply of pipe cleaners.

Packing

Pipe tobacco can be purchased in several forms, which vary both in flavour (leading to many blends, or the opportunity for the smoker to blend their own tobaccos) and in the physical shape and size to which the tobacco has been reduced. Most tobaccos resemble cigarrette tobacco, but substantially more moist (so they must be kept in airtight packaging), and cut much more coarsely. This makes it rather difficult to roll pipe tobacco into cigarette papers; but finely cut tobacco does not allow enough air to flow through the pipe, and overly dry tobacco burns too quickly with little flavour. Some kinds are cut into long narrow ribbons, and others are pressed into flat cakes which are cut up. Flake tobacco may prepared in several ways. Generally it is rubbed out with the fingers and palms until it is loose enough to pack. It can also be crumbled or simply folded and stuffed into a pipe. Some people also prefer to dice very coarse tobaccos up before using them, making them easier to pack.

In the most common method of packing, tobacco is added to the bowl of the pipe in several batches, each one pressed down until the mixture has a uniform density that optimizes airflow (something that it is difficult to gauge without practice). This can be done with a finger or thumb, but if the tobacco needs to be repacked later, while it is burning, the tamper on a pipe tool is sometimes used. If it needs to be loosened, the reamer, or any similar long pin can be used.

Lighting

Matches, or even separately lit slivers of wood, are usually considered preferable to lighters. Some people complain that lighters impart an inappropriate taste to the tobacco. Because a lighter must be held sideways, putting the fingers much closer to the flame, they can be harder to use with pipes than matches are. However, lighters especially made for pipes exist that minimize or eliminate these issues. When matches are used, they are normally allowed to burn for a couple of seconds to remove the sulfur from the tip, and to produce a fuller flame. The flame is then moved in circles above the tobacco while the smoker puffs on the pipe to draw the flame into the tobacco. Most smokers will tamp out this initial lighting after a few seconds, pack the surface down more tightly, and relight. If the tobacco catches fire during either light, it can be put out; the goal is to have the surface smoldering in a uniform way.

Prevent Burning

To prevent your wood pipe from burning simply make a 50/50 mix of honey and water, using your finger to spread around. Let this mixture dry and after a couple uses the mix will create a barrier that will be burn resistant.

This method is not considered extremely effective, and can also add a flavor which may be undesirable to smokers. Most Briar pipes are already sufficient in resisting burn, and if smoked correctly, the cake will build up properly on its own.

Smoking

Pipe smoke, like cigar smoke, is usually not inhaled. It is merely brought into the mouth and then released. It is normal to have to relight a pipe periodically. If it is smoked too slowly, this will happen more often. If it is smoked too quickly, it can produce excess moisture, producing a gurgling sound in the pipe. A pipe cleaner can be used to dry it out. The bowl of the pipe can also become uncomfortably hot, depending on the material and the rate of smoking. For this reason clay pipes in particular are often held by the stem.

Cleaning

The ash and the last bits of unburned tobacco (the dottle) need to be emptied after smoking, and the pipe should be cleaned with some regularity. A cake of ash eventually develops inside the bowl. This is good for controlling overall heat, but if it becomes too thick it needs to be scraped down.

History

The history of pipe(s) come from the ancient world when the pipe was invented and reinvented around the world. The earliest evidence is the Dudeen of Irish origin, made from clay. The Celts, and Germanic tribes were inventors of such artifacts. Goths brought the idea from all around Europe, such as the Norse, and possibly Huns. Romans, and Greeks also used pipes. The Arabic and Oriental world, however, developed many shapes, and material uses for pipes. Porcelain and glass was later used, especially porcelain.

Smoking is also regularly associated with Philosophers, and many argue that the pipe produces calm and concentration when doing ones most difficult meditation.

Bayne-Jones, Stanhope, Burdette, Walter J., Cochran, William G., Farber, Emmanuel, Fieser, Louis F., Furth, Jacob, Hickam, John B., LeMaistre, Charles, Schuman, Leonard M., and Seevers, Maurice H. (January 11, 1964). "Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Office". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Henley, S. Jane, Thun, Michael J., Chao, Ann, and Calle, Eugenia E. (June 2, 2004). "Association Between Exclusive Pipe Smoking and Mortality From Cancer and Other Diseases". Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 96: 853–861. doi:10.1093/jnci/djh144.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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