Winter Smoking

One of my favorite times of the year to smoke my pipe is the winter season. The cool, crisp air brings out favors in tobacco that we never experience during the warmer months of the year. The warmest of the bowl in my hand also warms my heart. A recent winter smoking experience also prompted me to write a few precautionary word about smoking pipes outdoors in the cold weather. Cold air and hot pipes do not mix!

Whilest walking my dog and enjoying a pipe I tapped out my ashes on palm of my hand (yes I knew better but I was absorbed in the moment). What happened next? You guessed it ... I was packing my pipe up and shipping to our pipe repair person for a new stem. The tenon snapped with less pressure than it would take to snap a toothpick.

Briar pipes also have the tendency to seperate from their stems in cold weather. This is especially true for military style bit that a push fit in place. There is nothing worse than chasing your pipe bowl as it bounces it's way along the pavement.

Blustery winter winds can cause a pipe bowl to burn out. Be careful when lighting and smoking. Wind rushing across your bowl will act like a bellows and super heat the tobacco inside causing burnouts.

Follow these simple winter precautions and you'll enjoy mishap free winter smoking.

Summer Smoking

I'm rather used to smoking in the extreme summer heat but it seems we're in the midst of a country wide heat wave so I thought I'd take a little time this month to offer some tips that might help you get more enjoyment from your pipes as the mercury rises.

The first thing that comes to mind is tobacco choice. Try to smoke tobaccos that you know from experience to burn a bit on the dry side. This is especially important if it is humid as well as hot.

Burning pipe tobacco creates steam. This is one of the reasons why wet tobacco tends to "bite". Wet tobacco also has less flavor as the steam masks the tastes while cooking your taste buds. Excessive seasonal humidity adds to this problem. What I do to help matters is pre dry a day or twos worth of tobacco overnight in the driest part of my house. I'm not talking crispy dry but dry enough to where the tobacco burns correctly on a hot humid dry. A little trial and error will be necessary but you will be rewarded for your effort.

As for choice of pipes … there is really no right or wrong. There are two schools of thought. Some think that smoking a thinner wall pipe helps to dissipate heat better. Others think a thicker wall pipe is better because the last thing you want on a blistering day is to be holding a red-hot pipe. You'll just have to try each and report back. Myself? I'm in the latter camp.

Spring Smoking

Finally, spring is in the air. It's this time of year when a lot of my focus is directed outdoor. My property and house needs much attention, the cars could use a thorough detailing, the grill is looking a little shabby and what's that green stuff in the pool?

Gotta work on that to-do list first then I can turn my attention to real outdoor activities such as BBQs with friends and family, fishing and the occasional round of golf when the web site chores are done.

One thing comes to my mind when thinking about all the exciting and not so exciting things that I'll start doing this weekend ... my venerable yard pipes and getting to smoke all the tobacco I desire (even the "stinky stuff" as my family calls it) without concern for who might be offended.

With the enjoyment of a wonderful holiday season with many guests and winter temperatures confining my smoking to indoors, I found myself smoking mostly blends that others found to be pleasant and acceptable. Don't get me wrong, I loved smoking those tasty aromatic blends that harken back to Grampa but it's now time to hit my taste buds with something with a bit of punch.

A rich, deep, dark English blend with lots and lots of Latakia is on the menu this weekend and there will be no one, not even a spring squirrel, to complain or pass a disapproving glance. Might even mix in some ground up cigar leaf just for good measure.

I mentioned yard pipes. What are yard pipes you might ask. My yard pipes are generally lower grade pipes such as Savinelli budget pipes or Brindisi in price range and style. Some are higher end pipes that have seen a few better days. All of my yard pipes have 3 things in common. First, they all are very comfortable with a lot of bent pipes that hang in my mouth well.

Being that I need both hands to do my chores, they must be very comfortable to clench with minimal effort. I fit many of them with rubber soft bits that slide over the stem end. These are great additions for a no hands yard pipe. Second, they are all some of the best smoking pipes I have. That may sound strange based on the fact that I have many high grade pipes in my collection but it's true.

My yard pipes smoke great. They have too. While doing my chores that last thing I want to be doing is messing with a pipe that won't stay lit. If the pipe won't stay lit and needs more attention than the task at hand it's not a yard pipe. The last common thread amongst my yard pipes is the fact that they are mostly thick walled with big bowls and durable stems. These characteristics lend themselves well to a yard pipe.

The big bowl mean I can puff away for an hour or so without having to reload. The thick walls, stem and tenon are great for absorbing the inevitable bounce off the driveway. Once I tried putting a tiny eye screw into a yard pipe with a string through it which hung around my neck. All I got for my effort was a few really bad blisters on my chest.

Is it safer to smoke pipes and cigars than cigarettes?

Some people believe that smoking a pipe or cigars is better for your health than smoking cigarettes.

Part of the reason for this is that many pipe and cigar smokers do not inhale the smoke into their lungs, whereas almost all cigarette smokers do.

However, the idea that smoking a pipe or cigar is harmless is wrong. Smoking tobacco in any form can cause potentially fatal diseases.

Pipe down

Research has shown that while smoking a pipe is not as dangerous as smoking cigars or cigarettes, it can still seriously damage your health.

Smoking a pipe increases your risk of six cancers - cancer of the colon, pancreas, larynx, oesophagus, and lung.

It also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease.

Say goodbye to cigars

Cigar smoking has been linked to coronary heart disease.

Research has also suggested that cigar smokers are 5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers. And, worse still, if you inhale the strong cigar smoke, you are 11 times more likely to get the disease.

Smoking of any kind is bad for your health. There is no such thing as a safe tobacco product.

Being completely smoke-free is the single best step you can take to reduce the risk of fatal diseases and increase your chances of a longer, healthier life.