I told you this blog was going to take a drastic turn. But,
a pipe! Seriously? No, I am not your grandpa, and the pipe has seriously fallen
out of fashion, especially when compared to cigars. So, I will take a few
minutes to explain the pipe in general, before I take about this specific one.
I have never been a tobacco addict. Other than trying a
handful of cigarrettes when I was a teenager, I have never smoked. I am
athletic, in shape, and do a lot of physical activities that don’t go along
well with cigarette smoking. But cigars and pipes you don’t inhale and are
theoretically better on your lungs. Now, I am not here to convince you that
smoking is safe, or there are no ill side effects. Even if it doesn’t go into
your lungs, there are risks at some level. There are also risks in your house,
and every time you leave the door :) Sometimes you have to just live, and for
me, I have determined that the amount of pleasure that has been brought to me
through pipe smoking is worth the risk. I also ride a motorcycle, and that has
to be far more dangerous than decades of pipe smoking :) Everyone has to make
their own choice on their own comfort level.
I tried the pipe more than a decade ago. I never got very
far with it, but I knew I had an attraction to it for it even then. I have
tried cigars now and then. Honestly, most cigar smoking on my part was to get
the rankest, nastiest cigar I could, for as little money as possible, to keep a
smoke cloud around my head while spending time in the bug infested time of the
season outdoors. I tried to up my standards in the cigar world, and quickly
found it too expensive. The cost of a good cigar was huge. Buying them in bulk
was just too complicated for me. Humidor, humidity level, storage conditions,
etc. At the rate I smoked (barely), by the time I got around to my bulk
purchased stuff, I am sure with would have been miserable. Besides, I didn’t
really enjoy it that much anyway.
After many years of nothing at all, I came back around to
the pipe. The first reason really had nothing to do with tobacco at all. The
truth is, that I am a go, go, go type of person. I don’t feel like I am doing
anything unless I am getting something accomplished, or producing something
tangible. As long as my body is going, my mind isn’t stopping either. For many
reasons in my life, I need to take the time out to think about what is going
on, especially with me. If I am constantly on the go, my mind is not in the
mood for slowing either. If I just sit still, doing “nothing” drives me nuts.
But, sitting down, and having a smoke, is an excellent way to take a break, in
my opinion.
The thing about pipe smoking is that it can not be rushed. I
think that reason alone is probably why it has always appealed to the older
rather than younger crowd. If you try to rush it, you will be harshly punished.
Tobacco that is smoked too hot generates steam and creates lots of unpleasant
things in your mouth. If you are going to do it, you are almost forced to
relax, slow down, or be punished :)
Once you get that far, it is really easy to get hooked.
Cigarrettes are generally about a quick nicotine fix. Pipe smoking is more
about taste (although the nicotine is there!). Pipe tobacco is really different
and the amount of blends, types and even flavors that it comes in can be overwhelming
even to an experienced smoker. Since you are after the experience of taste, it
almost becomes a hobby finding what the different tobacco types are (Virginia,
Burley, Cavendish, Perique, Latakia, just to name a few) and what they each
taste like. How different blending leads to an entirely different smoke. Then,
there are the pipes. Everything from cheap corn cobs at the drug store, to hand
made custom pieces costing more than I make in a month. Collecting, not
smoking, can be a hobby for many. But, if you are going to smoke one, you may
tell yourself when starting that one will be enough, but you will end up with
at least a few :)
In quick summary (a little late for that), the pipe brings
me many joys. From finding an extremely tasty blend, the fondness of my pipes,
the relaxed state I must enter to be able to smoke one correctly, the change of
pace it provides in the day, and let’s be honest….the nicotine can be nice. If
you ever hear a pipe smoker say the phrase “one of those smokes” what they are
talking about is that every so often everything seems perfect. The setting, the
tobacco, the pipe, the way it is smoked (slow and relaxed) all comes together
for “one of those smokes.” It doesn’t happen every single time and much of the
quest in pipe smoking is hoping that the next time you light up, it will be
“one of those smokes.”
That is enough about smoking itself. There are many other
websites, blogs and forums that are dedicated to the nuts and bolts of it. If
you are even remotely interested, one good place to start in www.smokingpipetobacco.com.
On to what this post is supposed to be about. The Peterson
314 System Pipe.
Let me explain a bit about this pipe, and then I will tell
you why I picked this particular one out of my stable.
Peterson is the manufacturer, and is an Irish company with a
very long history in pipe making. The “system” part of the name refers to a
patented design by Peterson. Only a certain line of pipes by Peterson are
“system” pipes and they are not hard to find. Basically, the have a chamber
drilled into them that is supposed to trap moisture and reduce draw at the bowl
to result in less moisture being generated in the first place. If you look at
this cut-away picture, you can see what I mean.
The result is supposed to be a cooler, dryer, smoother
smoke.
I certainly love this pipe. But, it is probably not my
absolute favorite in my rack. So, why did I pick it to be the star among the
others? Because I figure if you are an experienced pipe smoker you are already
going to know what you like and don’t like and will not be a stranger to
Peterson system pipes. I also figure that most of you have never used a pipe
and on the off chance you might want to give it a try, this is one of the most
forgiving and versatile pipes available.
By forgiving, I mean that the “system” does help to reduce
draw, which is necessary for a good smoke. So, this one will get you going
better than most right of the bat, in my opinion. Next, is the mount. It is
what is typically referred to as an army mount. Of all the “wrong” things that
a beginner can do during a smoke, one of them is to take your pipe apart. Generally
the stem fits into the pipe different than this one, and there is swelling due
to heat and moisture. It is best to let the thing cool before you take it
apart. While it still may not be the
most advised thing to do, I have taken apart the army mount many times
mid-smoke without an issue. I dare say that it was intended to do that. Even
so, the taper on stem and with the friction mount, it seems that this is one of
the most durable, least able to damage, most likely to last forever type of
mount that I know of.
Finally, the reason I pick this pipe is because it is so
darn reliable. I can always count on it to be smooth, I don’t worry about it’s
durability, and I would take it just about everywhere with me (I can’t say that
about all my pipes). To be honest, I borderline abuse this pipe, just because I
am not afraid of anything that I can do to it. Even if I had a high dollar
custom piece sitting in my rack, it is my nature to appreciate what I use most
as compared to what is sitting around looking pretty. For most used, I
definitely have to give this pipe the highest marks.
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