All is not what it seems: an insight into pipe smoking.

Come one come all, smokers and non smokers alike. You may be about to discover something that you never knew you were looking for. That is exactly what happened in my case thanks to a very dear comrade and brother from another mother. What is that something?

Pipe smoking.

Pipe smoking. Is an art form. It is not just a simple matter of putting tobacco into a pipe and smoking it. There are actual layers, delicate processes and techniques involved in the realm of smoking a pipe. We won’t delve into those here and now however. There are YouTube videos aplenty on all things pipe smoking and it’s intricacy's if one should wish to introduce this extremely pleasurable and zen like avocation into their lives.

Here I would simply like you to read with an open mind and shelve your opinions (good or bad) on the subject of smoking. I am someone who is repulsed by cigarettes, but I do very much enjoy smoking a pipe once in a while. The array of tobaccos available is something to behold. Through smoking a pipe, you allow your mind and body to enter a whole new world. I will elaborate more on this later but first I would like to share a story or two of my own personal experiences. I would also love to read some of your fondest pipe smoking experiences in the comments below.

My first experience was during a nocturnal adventure in the company of an exceptional friend. Said friend offered me a puff of the pipe during the peak of our adventure so I thought why the hell not? To my surprise the smoke was very smooth, light and full of flavour unlike the heavy, tasteless and chemical laden smoke drawn from a cigarette. I continued to enjoy the pipe as my friend gave me a quick lecture and lesson on the subject.

Cut to a few months later. I took the plunge and invested in a pipe of my own. The Falcon, with the smooth Plymouth bowl.

Strong, sturdy and easy to clean. A great beginners pipe for any new comer. One should mention that even cleaning the pipe is as joyful and therapeutic as smoking the pipe itself. It has been a real joy and a bit of a lifeline in our world of chaos and tyranny. The act of smoking a pipe forces you to slow down, control your breathing and relax very much in the same way as meditating.

My second story and favourite time spent with my pipe was on Friday the 25th of July 2025. I was staying in London for the night after an event I attended. I had lodgings in a cosy room above a cosy inn, medieval style. The inn had a rather nice, welcoming and comfortable looking smoking area, completely sheltered under a large canvas and furnished with it’s finely crafted wooden stools, benches and gazebo’s. The smoking area was surrounded by a fence that allowed people to see out but passers by could not really see in, especially at night. Around 2 am I made my way downstairs, all the guests had turned in for the night and the smoking area was completely vacant. The night itself was perfect. Clear skies, no wind and a very comfortable temperature. I slunk myself into the darkest shadow of the darkest corner and began to smoke my pipe. There was something majestic and magical about being completely hidden, yet still able to witness all that was happening around me. Nothing could be seen of me except for the occasional glow of embers and a gentle breeze of smoke drifting wistfully from the darkness. Like a dragon in it’s cave. Waiting, biding it’s time. The sound of sirens in the distance. Drunk people clambering their way back home. Couples having arguments. People walking dogs. Shady looking characters doing shady looking things, going who knows where doing who knows what, and in-between these moments, a blissful stillness and silence. A real symphony of the night. A symphony played just for me, or for those who care enough to take the time to experience such things. A symphony that I would not have been a part of that night if it was not for my pipe.

A playful thought that occasionally skitters into mind when enjoying a smoke is, what other symphonies, adventures, scenarios or meditative musings will my pipe grant me in future? A world awaits.

See above some of the many types of pipes and tobaccos that are available.
See below three of my own personal favourites.

Smoking a pipe really is like a gateway into another world. A realm of new tastes, scents flavours and experiences are all ready to be discovered. Tastes, scents and flavours that can not be found anywhere else, not in food, not in the air, not in liquids, but in smoke (which requires air for you to get the scent and flavours but that’s beside the point).

You can smoke sober, any time day or night for example and enjoy the meditative experience and glean multiple flavours from a single brand of tobacco, but wait. There is more. The flavours detected from a standard smoke are limited. Extremely pleasurable but limited, those flavours are just the appetiser. A precursor and reference point for you to ready yourself, prepare and compare for the flavours to come in the following secret formula. A formula that will also take the meditative aspect of pipe smoking to a whole new level. A formula that can only be explored under the influence of some tremendous weed (Cannabis, Marijuana). Also, lactose intolerant folk beware.

Step 1: Take some hearty hit’s of a spear or bazooka. Preferably hit’s from a bazooka.

Step 2: Do your own thing until you get a good dry mouth.

Step 3: Get to smoking your pipe and enjoy all of the new flavours and smells you have just unleashed upon yourself thanks to the power of the herb. (But wait there is more).

Step 4: Put down the pipe after a short smoke and make yourself a cold or iced coffee with whole milk, but before adding the milk add three teaspoons of condensed milk on top of the coffee granules in the mug, (good quality Columbian coffee is recommended).

Step 5: Stir the coffee well then leave for 2 minutes. Because the liquid is cold the coffee granules will take longer to dissolve. Go back after 2 minutes and give the coffee a good stir again, then leave for a further 2 minutes before finally coming back and giving it one last good stir before at last being able to drink this fabulous beverage. A generous helping of squirty cream on top and a dash of cocoa powder is highly recommended for the finishing touch.

Step 6: Light up your pipe and chosen tobacco once again after having taken a few sips of your coffee, and sit back and relax while even more flavours are now unlocked for your unexplored world of tastes, scents and flavours.

There is a step 7 and another method to unlock even more sensations on top of all the ones previously listed. Can you find it? Ha, didn’t think I was going to reveal everything did you? Good luck and enjoy fellow reader.

As for future blogs and there subject matter I am unsure. Think I’ll take a seat in my good chair, strike up a pipe and have a good ponder…