Getting a pipe

This article relates only to briar pipes - this is the most popular pipe material worldwide, but we will look at other types of pipe material in later pieces here on, One Man and his Pipe.

The first thing I would say to anyone new to pipe smoking is that there is no need to buy an expensive high end pipe; there are, after all no guarantees that a pipe from a prestigious maker will smoke any better than a cheap basket pipe. Of course it is important that the pipe you chose is well engineered, won't fall apart or crack when you apply a flame to its bowl, but that doesn't mean it has to be expensive.

The quality of the briar used in the making of the pipe is very important, and it maybe true that a well known and respected brand gives you a better chance of obtaining a pipe made from good quality briar this is not always the case. However it is a fact that the briar used is far more important to the actual taste the pipe will deliver than the is the manufacturer.

I, for instance, own an old Peterson that smokes as well as any high end pipe I've ever tried, and I also have a Dr Plumb that consistently delivers a great smoke time after time. Remember, pipe smokers don't smoke nomenclature, they smoke briar and as long as it has been well cured and the pipe well made, the brand of a particular pipe matters not one bit.

Perhaps the most important factors to consider when picking a pipe is that the draft hold is centered properly and that the stem fits snugly into the shank. That the walls of the bowl are sufficiently thick is also important -  this helps to provide a cooler smoke. Briar absorbs and dissipates heat and a wall that is too thin will be hot to the touch, and make holding the pipe impractical and often downright painful. It can also impart a burning taste to your choice of tobacco, and your tobacco choice is a minefield in itself and one perhaps best left to another article.

Should you get a bent or straight pipe? This is personal preference and I personally find a bent pipe more comfortable in the mouth, but at the same time I own several straight pipes that I enjoy smoking. So in this regard it's a case of you pays your money and you take your choice.

But let's get back to briar - blocks of briar are as individual as one's DNA, and this is why a cheap basket pipe can sometimes smoke better than an expensive high end pipe. It is nature that produces the briar, not man and no pipe maker holds a monopoly on the best tasting briar.

So if you're looking for your first pipe, then by all means get the best you can afford but don't feel you have to spend big money to obtains a great smoking pipe.