Choosing the Right Pipe:
Pipe smoking is an art, not for the rushed or impatient. One has to take there time and savor the experience. Choosing the right pipe is important, it's a personal choice that only you can make. You will be spending a lot of time with your pipe, packing, lighting, tamping and of course enjoying the smoke. When choosing a pipe, several things should be considered.

First off, does it appeal to you visually. How does it feel in your hand, it's weight, some will be heavier than others. Some pipe smokers like to clinch them between there teeth to smoke, others like to hold them and puff. Whichever your method, the weight may play a factor.

Once you have decided on your pipe, you will have made a selection that represents your tastes; pipes are as individual as the pipe smoker, no two alike. As many of us have found, after you purchase and enjoy your first one, you will be hooked.

Finding the Right Tobacco:
Once you have decided on your pipe, you will have made a selection that represents your tastes; pipes are as individual as the pipe smoker, no two alike. As many of us have found, after you purchase and enjoy your first one, you will be hooked. Finding the right tobacco for you is purely a matter of taste. It's second only to picking the right pipe. At first you may be a bit overwhelmed at all the choices. Any quality tobacconist can help guide you. Many like English tobaccos. Just as many don't but prefer Aromatics. It's all a matter of personal taste. Try them all, see what you like, maybe it will be a mix of several. Most pipe smokers have several favorites they rotate through. There's always a new one to try or as your tastes change, try a old one again.

How to Pack Your Pipe:
The number one issue with new and sometimes experienced pipe smokers is how to pack a pipe. Here is the most commonly recognized way to pack your pipe. As with many things, practice makes perfect.

If you are experiencing "tongue bite" or "dottle" (hard knot of tobacco at the bottom of your pipe), chances are you are packing your pipe too tightly. If the pipe goes out often and you don't get much smoke, it probably isnt the pipe but the packing.

The following procedure has proven to be the most common and effective.

Procedures

Although the differing qualities of pipes and tobaccos will make a difference, you can take any pipe and smoke any tobacco in that pipe if you pack it right. It is true that better pipes and tobaccos smoke better, But they all will smoke!

One thing about pipe smoking is to understand that the pipe is basically a filter. The pipe absorbs the moisture and disperses the heat; it affects the flavor and clarity of the tobacco. The tobacco is best enjoyed when moist and chemical free.

Pipe packing is basically a three step process.

Step 1: Sprinkle the tobacco loosely into the pipe until it fills up to the brim. Note that I said sprinkle loosely, don't pinch the tobacco! This is one of the biggest problems, even guys who know how to pack their pipes will do without thinking! Sprinkle loosely until full and then poke it down until the bowl is half full. At this point, if you were to draw on the pipe, there would be little if any resistance.

Step 2: Sprinkle loosely again until the bowl is full. Poke it down evenly until the bowl is three-fourths full. If you were to draw on the pipe there would be a little resistance still, but more than the first batch.

Step 3: Sprinkle loosely until the bowl is full, then round up to the top so that a little mound of tobacco rests over the bowl. The mound should be less than a half inch tall and nicely rounded. Then poke it down flat and even with the brim of the bowl. If you were to draw though the pipe, it would seem slightly less resistance than a cigarette. The pipe is now ready for the lighting!

Other Tips

There are three other elements of pipe smoking that are important to enjoying or fighting through a pipe full: Lighting, Tamping, and Cleaning. All three of these will affect the overall experience.

Lighting : You have spent the time carefully packing your pipe, now its time to get it going. Lighting is second only to packing. It is a art in itself, often lost in today’s hustle bustle light up for a quick cigarette world. If you have packed your pipe correctly and still have trouble keeping it lit, try this: Take five to six puffs as you walk the flame around the whole bowl charring the entire area of the tobacco. Then tamp the ashes flat and even and relight using another five to six puffs and you are ready to go.

Tamping: Many pipe smokers will pack and light their pipes correctly and still have problems keeping the pipe lit or have trouble smoking the entire pipe full. The reason is that they are tamping to hard. When you tamp your pipe you should only be crushing the ashes flat and even; not pushing down tobacco. You may tamp as often as you like, but just push down the burning ashes onto the unburned tobacco. Keep it even and keep the draw consistent.

Cleaning : If your pipe is smelling badly or tasting foul, it may be because you haven’t been cleaning it regularly. As a general rule, you should run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank every time you smoke the pipe. Never pull the pipe apart while it's warm. They are easy to break when warm due to the swelling of materials from the heat. A paper towel or napkin twisted and gently twirled in the tobacco chamber will get any residue left. Blow gently through the stem into the bowl to move any moisture or loose tobacco left behind. Before lighting the pipe up the next time, it would be the best time to run a cleaner back through the stem and shank, if the cleaner will not pass smoothly through to the bowl, gently twist, and I mean gently, the stem out, use a counter clock wise direction for removing, a clock wise for reinstalling. Remember that because a pipe is a filter, it should be smoked only once a day. If you smoke three times a day you need three pipes. Not everyone can afford several pipes to start, so if you smoke the same pipe several times a day moisture will build and over time spoil resulting bad aroma and taste. If this happens, take some whiskey (Jim Beam is a personal favorite, kept around for medicinal purposes of course) that is at least 80 proof and pour it into the bowl. Let it set for 10 minutes or so, dump out the liquid, and swab out with a paper towel. Then let it sit for 24 hours and it should taste much better the next time.