Unlike smoking cigarettes, smoking a pipe is not about the quick nicotine rush. On the contrary, smoking a pipe takes time - 20 to 30 minutes depending on personal pace and pipe size – and isn’t about inhaling the smoke but about experiencing the tobacco flavour through smell and taste.
The pipe itself is similar to a owning a watch or personalised fountain pen – a well-crafted utensil you will want to use for years to come. Its a pleasure to hold, inspect, perhaps tell a story about, and demands a certain amount of respect.
If you are a complete beginner to pipe smoking have a look at this great guide to how to pack, light and smoke your pipe. But of course before you can get going, you need to find the perfect pipe first.
Here is a comprehensive list of some of the popular shapes of pipes a pipesmoker can choose from. If you’re not quite sure where to buy your pipe from, the discerning gentlemen from The Chap Magazine Shop sell six mid-price pipes, ideal for the novice smoker, and a range of tobaccos across a generous range of flavours and strengths.
Before we let you get on enjoying a pipe, one last thing, is smoking a pipe bad for your health? In short, yes, smoking tobacco – in whatever form – is bad for you and increases your risk of getting a whole range of diseases from cancer to hearth diseases and even minor things such as bad breath and stained teeth. So enjoy with caution!
