smoking pipes – Racine & Laramie ®

Master blenders combine varieties of tobacco, curing and flavoring methods, and cut to create enjoyable pipe tobaccos. Here is a rundown of some pipe tobacco basics so when your friend asks if you want to try his aromatic vanilla burley cake you won’t ask him if it is gluten free.

Tobacco Families for Pipe Tobacco

Burley tobacco is slow burning with a low natural sugar content and high nicotine. It gets used often to make a base for aromatic blends because it absorbs flavor and burns cool and even. After being cut in the field Burley is allowed to air cure for months, but does not have any heat fermentation or smoke curing of the leaf. Here is an example of how Burley gets used in a blend.

Virginia tobaccos are naturally high in sugar content and flue cured (high heat in an enclosed space). After it is cured Virginian varietals have a light and sweet flavor. Inexperienced smokers may find that Virginia tobaccos can cause tongue bite if smoked too quickly. Like all tobaccos with high natural sugar, they age well and improve over time. It’s sometimes called ‘bright’ tobacco because of its lighter color. Click here for a fine example of Virginia tobacco.

Oriental tobaccos have smaller leaves that are sun cured to produce a lighter golden colored leaf that is prized for fragrance and dryness. It has a distinctive flavor that gets included in English blends, like our Golden Bull blend.

Curing and Flavoring

Latakia is Oriental tobacco that has been fire cured after it has been sun cured. The smoke adds a spicey-smokey note. Latakia can have strong flavors and is used like a ‘spice’ in tobacco blends. It is commonly used in Balkan, Scottish, and English blends. Look here for an example of an English Latakia blend.

Cavendish refers to a method of curing and cutting tobacco. Cavendish is prized for bringing out the sweetness in tobacco. This is done by heating the tobacco with fire or steam so fermentation can bring the sweet flavors in the tobacco forward. Cavendish blends can also have flavorings added, so you might see cherry cavendish, rum cavendish, vanilla cavendish and more! Our popular Daniel Boone tobacco is a cavendish.

Perique tobacco is burley that has been packed in oak barrels under pressure for fermentation. Over the course of a year or more the tobacco is removed, rested, and refermented many times. The result is a strong flavored tobacco with a dark appearance.

Flavoring and adjustments – Tobacco can be ‘cased’ or wetted with mixtures that may include sugars, alcohols and flavorings. After the tobacco is flavored it is dried so it may be smoked, but the flavoring remains on the tobacco. Some flavored tobaccos use ‘top flavoring’ which is a lighter spray over the tobacco that leads to a lighter more delicate flavoring. Tobacco that have non-tobacco flavorings or aroma added to them are called aromatic. Cherry pipe tobacco is a classic, but flavorings come in a wide range of bold or subtle unique flavors.

Cuts

Ribbon tobacco is cut into narrow strips. It does not need any additional preparation such as ‘rubbing out’ before using. This is the most common style of pipe tobacco. Sample our sweet John to see what we mean.

Shag is ribbon tobacco that is cut very narrow and long. This is a cut that is also seen in cigarette blends. You can see a shag cut tobacco here.

Cake or plug tobacco is tobacco that has been compressed into a compact block. The process can help the flavors of different tobaccos used in the mix to harmonize as it ages. To use this tobacco the smoker cuts off a bit of the block and spreads it out.

Flake cut is sliced of a compressed tobacco cake. You can smoke part of the flake or rub it out into ribbons before smoking it. you can also buy this style of tobacco ‘ready rubbed’. You can see an example here.

Rope and twist tobacco is just that, tobacco that has been made into a long twist. Rope tobacco was a major way tobacco was sold in the past, but is unusual now. Cutting the rope results in disks of pipe tobacco that can be called a coin. Check out an example of ‘coin cuts’ here.

Meerschaum, porcelain, corncob and briar pipes

Summary: If you are not sure if you like pipe smoking, a corn cob pipe is a better choice than a poorly made briar pipe. However, if you know you enjoy smoking a pipe it is worth buying a briar pipe of reasonable quality. It will last a lifetime, is easy to care for, and provides cost savings over time.

Pipe-smokers are an individualistic lot, and the range of shapes, materials, and finishes available reflect the diversity and individuality of the smokers who own them. If you are new to pipes or are selecting an item as a gift the options can seem overwhelming. A good tobacconist can help guide you through options to select a great pipe that will bring enjoyment for years to come.

The purpose of this article is to give you some basic knowledge to help you judge pipes in the store, without getting overwhelmed with details you will discover as you refine your own personal preferences and likes.

So what are some things you want to look for in a first pipe? First a good pipe is one the smoker enjoys. That means you should spend a moment to think about the shape and size. Pipes can be an accessory as much as a hobby, and it’s good to consider the emotional appeal of a pipe. Do you want a compact briar like Einstein favored or unmistakable directness like General MacArthur’s famous corn cob?

Materials

Pipes can and have been made out of almost any material that can withstand heat, however most quality pipes available are made out of briar (Erica Arborea). Briar is prized because it is has a dense grain that can stand up to the heat of use and also helps provide a cool, dry smoke. Briar is strong compared to many other pipe materials, and straightforward to care for.

When looking at a briar pipe pay attention to:

Grain – Look for a uniform tight grain, but the pattern of the grain (or even mix of patterns!) is not too important for a first pipe, and smokers debate opinions about favorite grain patterns.
Finish – Great pipes can be found in smooth or rusticated (rough finish) but it’s a good rule of thumb to steer clear of varnishes that give a glossy shine. They can mar over time and may interfere with dry-out times between smoking sessions.
Fills – when a piece of briar has a pit in it pipe makers fill it in with putty. While considered not desirable aesthetically, unless they are very deep they will not interfere with how the pipe smokes.

Other common materials:

Clay pipes are inexpensive but fragile and tend to heat up in the smokers hand.

Meerschaum is a mineral that is often beautifully carved. It darkens in color with use. It provides a cool dry smoking experience, it is lightweight, which can be an advantage for long, relaxing sessions but good meerschaum is relatively expensive, and have some additional care considerations.

Corn cob pipes can be a great introduction to pipe smoking, especially if you are just trying to assess if you enjoy smoking a pipe. Corncob pipes look more rustic which is an aesthetic issue for some (but prized by others). They provide an inexpensive pipe that smokes well without needing a break in period. One detractor of corncob pipes is that they do not last as long as pipes made from more durable materials.

Construction

Construction matters no matter what the pipe is made from:

Air hole – If you look into the bowl of a pipe, you will see a hole drilled that allows the smoke to ‘draw’, or be carried up through the shank and stem into the smokers mouth. It’s important that this hole is at the bottom and center of the pipe bowl. it is difficult for tobacco to burn below where the hole is drilled, so a hole that is too high in the bowl will mean that tobacco can’t completely burn in the bowl. This can waste tobacco and make it harder to develop an even ‘cake’ which is desirable. A thin (around a dimes width) carbon deposit will help your pipe to be protected against charring, and can make it easier to achieve a mellow, sweet smoke.
Part alignment – Look at the where the stem and shank join. They should have a solid fit that looks well made. If these parts don’t fit together well you might have trouble cleaning the pipe. If the air pathway is not optimal because of a poor fit you might experience moisture condensation when smoking, which is unpleasant.
Other factors related to construction can help you choose your pipe. Most of these will depend on your individual pipe smoking habits. For example, if you find pipes tend to heat up uncomfortably in your hand you might consider a pipe shape that provides a thick area of material that will provide you an insulated area to hold on to. Or if you find your favorite time to smoke a pipe is while reading or doing other tasks you might prefer a pipe with a bend in the stem, which will move the pipe out of line of site and require less hand holding. These are considerations you can’t anticipate as a novice, but your tobacconist can help guide you through some of the more common issues.

New or Estate?

What about estate pipes? Estate pipes are the industry term for pre-owned pipes. Pipes can last for generations and can become prized heirlooms. Pipes can be cleaned thoroughly, so buyers need not worry about cleanliness issues any more than one would worry about using flatware at a restaurant. Some older pipes are prized for their collectibility and the quality of their materials and workmanship. Sometimes pre-owned pipes can provide a good deal, costing less than an equivalent new pipe. If you are considering an estate pipe all the previous advice still applies, but you also want to look inside the bowl to make sure that previous owners did not light the pipe with a jetflame lighter, which can be too harsh for a pipe and create uneven walls and pitting inside the bowl. A reputable tobacconist will be honest if any repairs have been performed or if further refurbishing is required. Reputation and expertise are all important for retail tobacconists, and there is no incentive to mislead a customer for a ‘quick sale’.

Category: smoking pipes

Tobaccos, What’s in your pipe?