A while back I purchased a bent briar pipe for about 50 bucks from a tobacco shop and a couple different pipe tobacco. I did some reading on the basics of pipe smoking and followed the methods to packing lighting and smoking. But the bowl would not stay lit. I dried the tobacco but the bowl would not light. I messed around with it for a month then sold the pipe and the tobaccos I bought. But the smoke I did get wasenjoyable and I would like to give it another try. Anyone have any tips and purchase recommendations? I tried some stokkebye flake and black cavendish. I don’t have a lot of money to spend on a pipe and unfortunately will be smoking outside. (I actually like being outside with a smoke) but pipes are a little less friendly with wind.
Buy a corncob pipe. Or two. Should be easy to find. Missouri Meerschaum brand only. Cheap to throw out if you find you don’t like pipes again. For me corncobs were the easiest to learn with. Switching to a briar will require a bit of adjustment, but the lessons learned on cob will be easily translated. Another option would be the well respected MrBrog pipes, available on Amazon and evilbay. Carter Hall is my favorite american tobacco and simple to keep lit. Orlik Golden Slices is another simple tobacco with great flavor. Pack looser than you think you need to is the best advice I can give.
I find that one of the keys to keeping the tobacco lit is to get a good charred light. You want to char the living shit out of the top before you tamp and relight even if you have to light the top 3 or more times to char the top, you want the top completely charred BEFORE you tamp and relight. Even damp tobacco will light with ease if you get a good charred light.
The corncob pipe suggestion is a very good one, but if you prefer briar, check out your local tobacconist’s “basket pipes.” Most brick and mortar stores catering to pipers will have a basket or box, usually near the cash register, filled with bargain-priced briar pipes. They often have no identifying marks – many are factory seconds and will have minor cosmetic blemishes – but they are frequently good smokers. Don’t fret too much if you have to relight a pipe often. It is often said that the perfectly smoked pipe is always on the verge of going out. Even the most experienced pipers have to relight.
I work at a pipe shop and pipes are my specialty. Corn cobs are fine pipes, though disposable (You will burn it out). Briar pipes do offer a better smoking experience but they require a breaking in period, during which they don’t smoke at their full potential. I recommend trying to find a decent quality estate pipe, that’s industry jargon for a used & restored pipe. An estate pipe has already been broken in and will be smoking at its fullest potential. A frequent problem with new smokers is keeping the pipe lit. When your learning to smoke a pipe and the pipe is “learning” to be smoked (breaking in) problems arise and it can be difficult to determine where the problem lies; new smoker or new pipe. An estate pipe will allow you to focus on your technique and should speed up the time it takes you to master pipe smoking (pipe smoking is an art much like snuff taking, it requires practice and patience, probably more so than snuff). The added advantage of an estate pipe is you can get a nicer pipe with sometimes quite superior briar for less than you’d pay for a cheap new pipe. There is an appeal to buying a brand new pipe, but work your way up to it. I also would not recommend any flake tobaccos for a new smokers. They are trickier to get lit properly and can be difficult to keep lit unless you know what your doing. I also don’t recommend the moister straight black cavendishes to new smokers as they can smoke hot and wet if you don’t pack them carefully and sip them slowly. All of these things can be off-putting to new smokers and end a wonderful hobby prematurely. I’d recommend a burley cavendish blend if you prefer aromatics; something ribbon-cut and not to goopy. Hope this helps.
@mrnose that’s all sounding like good advice to me. How much should I be looking to spend on an estate pipe? If possible I’d like to keep it below $60. Also found this website http://www.vtpipes.com/estate.html. Was wondering if any of the sub $50 pipes looked decent to you and if you think I should give their tobacco a try. I prefer a non aromatic I believe. They also sell a cheap 3 piece pipe tool and zippo pipe lighter. (if you haven’t noticed yet I’m working on a budget) I think the lighter will be a must smoking outside all of the time. Smoking of any kind in the house is not open to discussion where I live. Thanks to everyone who posted.
@Sly3904, $50 will get you a lot of options in estate pipes. You can skip the Zippo and use wood matches or a “bic” type lighter just as well. Heck if you want to go extra cheap you can use a long roofing nail for a pipe tool. 
See now you can spend up to $80 for the pipe. Just trying to be helpful.lol
The prices on that site look like pipe collector prices in the priced to sell range. All seemingly good deals but I think you may be able to get a few ten dollar “estates” from E-bay if you have the patience. I personally think a beginner wanting briar would be better off getting a new pipe. There are plenty of inexpensive ones out there. Pipes are not so fragile that they can be ruined easily. They ARE sensitive and this you will need to learn to get the best smoking experience possible. A used pipe cannot teach you this any better than a new one can. All pipes new or used have intricacies that you may or may not learn. Having a higher quality pipe will be something for you to live up to. As for breaking in a new pipe, don’t even worry about it. Especially if it is a basket (cheap pipe). the only thing you really need to be concerned with is smoking it so hot as to burn the briar. ( be careful in wind). Get experienced! You will learn the details as you become interested. Certainly if you had the BEST pipe, already broken in by the BEST tobacco, loaded for you with the BEST method, the BEST smoking experience would still escape you. (how would you know?)
@Sly3904: All of those pipes in the $50 range look like fine pipes (I have a personal preference against a Dr. Grabow but I’m sure lots of people on here will tell you otherwise). I can’t make any kind of assessment of their tobaccos but the descriptions look promising. If you have a local tobacconists I would recommend picking up some tobacco there as you won’t have to buy so much at a time and be stuck with something you don’t much care for. Most tobacconists sell bulk tobacco by the ounce, which is typically enough to get an idea of whether you will like to blend or not. Try to get an ounce of McClelland 5100 Red Cake if you want a non-aromatic. It is a perennially favorite Virginia with some natural sweetness and good burning characteristics. As far as Zippo pipe lighters go, I love them to death. You have to let the flame burn for a few seconds after striking to allow the Zippo taste to burn off but then you’re good to go. They burn at a slightly lower temperature than a match or any other type of lighter which will help protect the rim of your pipe from charring. However, because of the lower temp they are slower to light a pipe with. I typically use a match or two to get my pipe started and then rely on my Zippo to finish the initial light and for any relights (Zippos are absolutely the best for relights by the way, quick and gets the flavor back sooner than anything else). Hope this helps. Remember, the initial cost of pipe smoking can be a little bit, but the price of smoking a bowl of good pipe tobacco compared to smoking anything else is deliciously cheap!
Ditto to everything Mr. Nose said. I have a few cobs (Missouri Meerschaum is the oldest and best) but mostly briar and I only buy estates. No sense to me in purchasing new stock that is going to be almost always plantation grown briar with less character than any pre-1970s British made pipe. I have Ben Wade, Dunhill, Barling (pre and post transition), Peterson (pre Republics and one Patent which smokes awesome!!), and many others. The link that holds my entire collection together is the fact that with the exception of one Comoy’s Christmas pipe from 1997, all are old briar that were previously smoked, some you could say were abused. Of course, you have to do a little work in removing excessive old cake with a decent reamer and cleaning and buffing the mouthpiece and briar (tripoli and white stick for the mouthpiece and carnauba wax for the briar on a buffing wheel), but once an estate is properly cleaned up, it usually smokes like a dream. Zippo pipe lighters are great and I have a couple of Bentley pipe lighters (butane like a bic but made for pipes) that are also very good. Matches are old school, and if you really want to go back in time, take a tiny ember from your next campfire or fireplace and set it on top of your tobacco.
I took a chance on ebay and bought a couple estate pipes for $14. They look to be in good condition and they have been cleaned and sanitized according to the seller. I also stopped by the pipe shop in Portland today and picked up a couple ounces of Red Cake. I did forget however to get some pipe cleaners and some matches. @furious I like the looks of the butane pipe lighters. They are very intriguing. I have had nothing but problems getting them filled though. I have had two cigar ligters that would only light once or twice before refilling and sometimes not even light at all. I don’t know if it’s bad luck or what but I follow the directions on the butane can and have tried xikar butane and vector. One lighter was a xixar and the other a Blue Rhino i beleive. Any way I am hesitant to post the link because I know you get what you pay for but here it is. Feel free to post any comments or thoughts about my recent purchase. http://www.ebay.com/itm/200672053626?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 If anything I’ll hold onto them as collectibles. The pipe store I was in had some nice looking briars between 30 and 70 dollars in the display case, lighters, pouches all of it. It’s a nice shop. 82nd pipe and tobacco in Portland, OR. They have an online inventory list and I know they mail orders accross the states.
Both of those for fourteen dollars? I couldn’t get a good look but I’m under the impression that you’ve made a most excellent deal. Be carful with the red cake. Puff slowly! Straight Virginia tobacco can burn hot and may scorch your tongue.
If you decide you like pipe smoking, pipesandcigars.com has some decent Savinellis for he $50-$70 range. I’ve got a churchwarden and a straight billiard from them, and both smoke wonderfully. I believe the billiard was about $70, but it’s ben the easiet pipe I’ve had to smoke so far. Even when I was breaking it in, it was hard to screw it up with that one. Also, if you can get it before everyone else, Squadron Leader is (at least in my experience) a pretty easy blend to smoke. A 4oz bag won’t set you back too much, and if you’re just smoking the odd bowl here and there it’ll last you ages.
@shikitohno Thanks. That is an awesome website. Lot’s of good looking pipes and plenty of stuff to fill it up with. I will probably visit again soon. Maybe by Christmas…
@Sly Great deal. The Grabow looks to be in very nice shape and should be a good smoker. The old ones have a HUGE following with collectors. For many years it was Dr. G and Kaywoodie for pipes in this country for the average Joe. Don’t have much experience with Meerschaum lined pipes but the fact it’s Algerian briar is a very good sign. Some of the best pipemakers in the world have sourced briar from there. Let me know how things turn out. As for butane lighters, I have mixed opinions about them. The Bentley is ok but the fuel outlet gets clogged with soot, etc. from relights and has to be cleaned periodically. Also, the fuel fill valve can be tricky and you sometimes end up with butane everywhere except in the lighter. Thing is you want an angled flame so you don’t char the rim. I use my Zippo with pipe insert most often and get the best service from it–plus it’s a US made product with excellent customer service.
All right so I got my pipes today and my pipe tool but still don’t have pipe cleaners. If I have a smoke tonight is it all right cleaning the pipe tomorrow?
Sure, it won’t hurt any to wait till tomorrow.
Thats good to know, I smoked a tiny bit of Red Cake a few minutes ago. It actually went pretty well considering its rainy and windy and stormy here tonight. Only had to relight 3 times for a 30 minute smoke. Pipe smoked nice and cool, only complaint I have is the width of the bowl when trying to fill it. I am pleased!
I have to ask this even though it is covered on many internet web sites. What method do you prefer for filling the pipe? I tried sprinkling to the top, lightly tamping, sprinkling to the top tamping a little more forcefully, then sprinkilng and tamping harder. I ended up with a very small bowl I assume I didn’t do a good enough job getting the very leafy tobacco into the chamber but it was a pleasant smoke nonetheless.Â
@Sly3904: The pipe packing method you described should work just fine. I recommend new smokers err on the side of underpacking. You can always pack it tighter with your tamper after you’ve lit the pipe; be gentle about it however. It is nearly impossible to unpack an overpacked bowl once lit. From there it is all about personal preference, smoking style and the particular tobacco or pipe you are smoking. Start with a light pack and tighten it up according to what works for you. Moister coarser cut tobaccos usually need a lighter pack than finer and drier ones. There are no sure and hard answers to anything about pipe smoking, that’s what makes it an art unto itself. The key is to smoke and find what works best for you. Happy Smoking!