The attitude about
smoking has changed enormously in my lifetime. When I was 24 or so, I started smoking cigarettes – it seemed
to be the popular thing to do in my crowd.
But I stuck to menthols and didn’t inhale. At first I would only smoke in a social situation – so just a few
a week.
But then I noticed
an addiction forming and at that time the initial health warnings started to
appear in the press. So, after only a
few months of cigarette smoking, I switched to pipe smoking. I could get the nicotine to appease the addiction and present a more
unique personal sophistication. I fell
in love with the art of pipe smoking.
It had many of the hobby-forming complexities and nuances that wine has – one can choose the type of
pipe (briar, meerschaum, corncob,…) and mix your own tobacco from a dozen or so
commonly available basic ingredients.
. Then there were all of the
accoutrements – pipe reamer, humidor, pipe stand - that reflected your personal
taste (and bank account).
There were a couple of “store bought” blends of
tobacco I could smoke but they didn’t compare in taste with what I could blend
myself. I would experiment – ¼
Cavendish, ½ Virginia and ¼ Latakia, and so on. I eventually settled on ¾ Cavendish and ¼ Latakia. I also found an inverse relationship between
the aroma of the smoke and the taste.
Some the nicest smelling commercially available pipe tobacco – often a
“cherry blend” - had, for me, a horrid taste.
With a pipe I could
– and often did – quit for a couple of weeks if I got a cold or the flu. The addiction didn’t seem as strong.
Early in my
professional career, one could smoke almost anywhere – including committee
meetings. If one got asked a hard
question, cleaning out your pipe, reloading it, and lighting it could buy you 5
minutes of time to think about your answer.
I generally had
about 6 pipes that I regularly used.
One had to “break in” a new pipe.
Honey was used on a briar pipe to form a layer of charcoal in the pipe
bowl. A meerschaum, properly used,
would gain a light golden patina on the outside. Pipe smoking could become
a religion. I miss pipe smoking. I quit over 30 years ago, but if I were
informed that I had 6 months to live, I’d head to the nearest pipe store. I know where it is. During a Dr.’s visit I plan the route.
© 2014 Lester C.
Welch
My dad was an avid pipe smoker when I was a kid in the 60's. To this day I love the aroma, and that of a fine cigar. I have often wondered when the optimal time to start this recreation would be without affecting my well being. A couple more decades I'm afraid. JT.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, witty essay! I enjoyed your skillful prose and style immensely. As a pipe enthusiast since 1989, when I was a nontraditional undergrad at NMSU in Las Cruces, I have also mixed some of my own blends (two of which are house blends at my local tobacconist in Albuquerque) -- not to mention falling victim to P.A.D., having acquired about 100 pipes in my personal collection and many more that I restore as part of a business on the side. Thanks for the treat!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, witty essay! I enjoyed your skillful prose and style immensely. As a pipe enthusiast since 1989, when I was a nontraditional undergrad at NMSU in Las Cruces, I have also mixed some of my own blends (two of which are house blends at my local tobacconist in Albuquerque) -- not to mention falling victim to P.A.D., having acquired about 100 pipes in my personal collection and many more that I restore as part of a business on the side. Thanks for the treat!
ReplyDelete