Anyone smoke a pipe daily?

[socalsailor]

Short story: I came to cigars to try and stop smoking cigarettes and get some new experience. I smoked about a pack a day, however, and don't have time for two sticks during the workday. I'm wondering if a smaller bowl pipe may be the answer. I just wonder, though, how many bowls would a smoker like myself expect to smoke in a day? Is it worth it to keep maybe 3 cobs in my desk for rotation purposes? I have the storage space in my office for a few ounces of leaf and probably 3 or 4 pipes, if necessary, I just don't know if it's the right choice or not. Help?

 

[Sirspanksalot]

Well you don't necessarily have to rotate your cobs. Sometimes I'll pack mine in my backpack with a few bowls worth of baccy and just pack it and smoke it whenever if I'm out. Maybe try the Eaton cob, the bowl isn't that big, maybe like 30-45 mins?

 

[rdomfoto]

Caveat - still learning myself so others may disagree and you'll likely want to listen to them. But, with that being said,

If you're smoking a couple of half bowls per day, then three cobs in your desk should be plenty. That would give every cob at least a 24 hour rest between smokes and, as others have said in other posts, cobs are wonderfully resilient and can be smoked more often than a briar. Plus, they have the added benefit of being cheap.

Just be sure to clean them. On day 2 of having pipes in your desk, you'll start getting stale tobacco smells and that's unpleasant. That's the benefit of cigars, once you're finished it, you toss the nub instead of bringing it back inside. So just make sure you clean the pipe really well before storing them in your desk.

 

[cgraunke]

To add to Rob's comment, maybe a small Tupperware to minimize the scent. It won't be as strong or stale as cigar smell, but it will be noticeable.
As far as baccy storage, as long as you're okay smoking the same thing every day, just bring in one jar at a time until it's gone.

 

[rdomfoto]

I wonder if one of those fridge odor eliminator packs would help? They're anywhere from $4-6 on Amazon. Wouldn't eliminate all of the odors (I suspect) but should help to reduce them significantly

 

[SFerrojr]

I travelled with a couple of cobs recently and was worried about the smell. I stuck them in a small Tupperware with a small mesh bag (made for using whole herbs in soups and sauces) filled with fish tank charcoal. Seems to do the trick. Neither my hotel room not baggage had any stale tobacco smells.

 

[JustTroItIn]

Yes, I smoke my pipes daily and yes having three cobs on hand at work would be more than enough. Another nice thing about the pipe is you don't have to smoke the entire bowl in one sitting. Relighting a pipe doesn't have near the bad taste as relighting a cigar.

 

[rdomfoto]

(smacks head) Of course! I have a bunch of it left over from when I built my coolador, I'll try it. I have a tupperware container that is holding a couple of pipes waiting to be restored and it smells of stale tobacco. I'll wash it out and then see if it can contain/remove the odor.

Thanks

 

[SFerrojr]

(smacks head) Of course! I have a bunch of it left over from when I built my coolador, I'll try it. I have a tupperware container that is holding a couple of pipes waiting to be restored and it smells of stale tobacco. I'll wash it out and then see if it can contain/remove the odor.

Thanks

Lol, that's exactly why I had half a jar of it around. Figured if it would work on a smaller scale too.

 

[socalsailor]

Yes, I smoke my pipes daily and yes having three cobs on hand at work would be more than enough. Another nice thing about the pipe is you don't have to smoke the entire bowl in one sitting. Relighting a pipe doesn't have near the bad taste as relighting a cigar.

All great replies so far, but I'm interested to know how many bowls you smoke per day, and at that, for a relight, does the tobacco generally stay in the bowl well if I have to stick it in a pocket or something?

 

[rdomfoto]

Once my office is done, I need to buy a cabinet for my pipes and I was a bit concerned about the smell growing in there. A small bowl of the charcoal should take care of it.

So, to get back to the original post, keep a small Tupperware container in your desk along with a small bowl of activated charcoal (available at pretty much any pet store in the fish/aquarium section) and the smell should be eliminated. However, I still recommend a thorough cleaning with a couple of pipe cleaners before coming back inside.

 

[JustTroItIn]

All great replies so far, but I'm interested to know how many bowls you smoke per day, and at that, for a relight, does the tobacco generally stay in the bowl well if I have to stick it in a pocket or something?

Normally I smoke one bowl on the drive to work, a bowl on the drive home, and one or two bowls in the evening. If I am going to let a pipe go out to relight later I will dump/knock out whatever loose ash is in the bowl and the remaining unburned tobacco usually has a hard burnt crust which keeps the tobacco in the bowl. I recommend getting a pipe pouch that holds one (or more) pipe(s) and some tobacco. If half a bowl does spill, it's contained in the pouch and not in your jacket pocket. You can also get inexpensive rain caps.

All that said, pipe tobacco is cheap tobacco in comparison. If you dump half a bowl of dottle you are not out much.

 

[socalsailor]

Thanks so much, everyone. I'm going to look into getting a couple MM cobs, maybe a 10 pc. grab bag and some tobacco. Give it a shot, see how it works out.

 

[Whtwtrman79]

Thanks so much, everyone. I'm going to look into getting a couple MM cobs, maybe a 10 pc. grab bag and some tobacco. Give it a shot, see how it works out.

Awesome deal on those, can't go wrong at that price

 

[stukibuilt]

I'm a light smoker. Maybe a bowl a day though I've gone a few days without due to weather. What you propose sounds fine. I would definitely heed the warning about the smell though. It will get rough fast if you don't have the time to maintain and contain it.

 

[socalsailor]

Noted. Being in a public relations type job, I can't afford to be the stinky kid!

 

[stukibuilt]

I was referring to the pipe smell just to clarify. If you smoke a mild VA or something without much lat in it, it shouldn't be too bad on clothing. This is why smoking jackets were made... Ha ha

 

[socalsailor]

No, I know that; I'm just saying, people can't smell stale pipe sitting at my desk. That would be bad for business. The charcoal idea was really nice, though...

 

[cgraunke]

All great replies so far, but I'm interested to know how many bowls you smoke per day, and at that, for a relight, does the tobacco generally stay in the bowl well if I have to stick it in a pocket or something?

There are stoppers available in a couple different sizes.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Judds-NEW-Brebbia-Pipe-Stoppers-3-Sizes
I accomplished the same thing by trimming down a couple wine corks and keep them in my pipe kit.
(think I got that idea from someone else here a while back)
I'll probably still buy the above lot at some time, I'm just cheap!

 

[cgraunke]

Thanks so much, everyone. I'm going to look into getting a couple MM cobs, maybe a 10 pc. grab bag and some tobacco. Give it a shot, see how it works out.

Awesome deal on those, can't go wrong at that price

Dave speaks the truth!
Then, if you decide you like the pipe, go back and check out adding a Forever Stem (or three) to your cob collection.
(see walkerbriarworks.com)