About smoking pipes

A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking combustible substances such as tobacco and cannabis.
The smoking pipe typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the substance to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (also called a bit).
Pipes are made from a variety of materials, the most common being (in order of use): briar, corncob, meerschaum, African block meerschaum, clay, cherry, wood, glass, gourd, and various other materials, such as morta and metal.
Many pipes are carved with a great deal of artistry.

Tobaccos used for smoking pipes are often carefully treated and blended to achieve flavour nuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using staple ingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spice tobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco of Cypriot or Syrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or South American origins.
Traditionally, many U.S. blends are made of American Burley with sweeteners and flavorings added to create an "aromatic" flavor, whereas "English" blends are based on natural Virginia tobaccos enhanced with Oriental and other natural tobaccos. There is a growing tendency towards "natural" tobaccos which derive their aromas from artful blending with selected spice tobaccos only and careful, often historically-based, curing processes.

Materials and construction

The material and shape of a pipe has a profound influence upon the aesthetic of a smoke.

Briar pipes

The majority of pipes sold today, whether hand made or machine made, are fashioned from briar. Briar is a particularly good wood for pipe making for a number of reasons. The first and most important is its natural resistance to fire. The second is its inherent ability to absorb moisture.
The burl absorbs water in nature to supply the tree in the dry times and likewise will absorb the moisture that is a byproduct of combustion. Briar is cut from the root burl of the Tree heath (Erica arborea), which is native to the rocky and sandy soils of the Mediterranean region.

Meerschaum

Meerschaum (hydrated magnesium silicate), a mineral found in small shallow deposits mainly around the city of Eskisehir in central Turkey, is prized for its plasticity which allows it to be carved into many decorative and figural shapes. It has been used since the 17th century and, with clay pipes, represented the most common medium for pipes before the introduction of briar as the material of choice in the 19th century. The word "meerschaum" means "sea foam" in German, alluding to its natural white color. However, meerschaum is a very porous mineral that absorbs elements of the tobacco during the smoking process, and gradually changes color to a golden brown. Old, well-smoked meerschaum pipes are prized for their distinctive coloring.

Clay

Clay in this case is almost always a very fine white clay. Low-quality "clay" pipes are actually made from porcelain slip poured into a mold. These are porous, of very low quality, and impart unwanted flavors to a smoke. Top-notch clays, on the other hand are made in a labor-intensive process that requires beating all air out of the clay, hand-rolling each pipe before molding it, piercing with a fine wire, and careful firing.
Traditionally, clay pipes are un-glazed. Clays burn "hot" in comparison to other types of pipes, so they are often difficult for most pipe-smokers to use. Their proponents claim that, unlike other materials, a well-made clay pipe gives a "pure" smoke, with no flavor addition from the pipe bowl.
In addition to aficionados, reproductions of historical clay styles are used by some re-enactors.

Calabash

Calabash gourds (usually with meerschaum or porcelain bowls set inside them) have long made prized pipes, but they are labour-intensive and nowadays quite expensive.
The construction of a Calabash pipe generally consists of a downward curve that ends with an upcurve where the tobacco is held. This low center of gravity allows for the user to easily hold the pipe by the mouth alone, leaving his hands free. This advantage was often used by actors who wanted to depict their character smoking while permitting them to do other business simultaneously.
That is why the character Sherlock Holmes, who never used this kind of pipe in the stories, is stereotypically depicted as favoring it because early dramatic productions, especially those starring William Gillette made this artistic decision.

Corncob

On the other end of the scale, "corncob" pipes made from maize cobs are cheap and effective, even if some regard them as inelegant. The cobs are first dried for two years. Then they are hollowed out to make a bowl shape. The bowls are dipped in a plaster-based mixture and varnished or lacquered on the outside. Shanks made from Pine wood are then inserted into the bowls. The first and largest manufacturer of corncob pipes is Missouri Meerschaum, located in Washington, Missouri in the USA Missouri Meerschaum has produced the pipes since 1869. General Douglas MacArthur was perhaps the most famous smoker of this type of pipe, along with the cartoon character Popeye.
Corncob pipes remain popular today because they are inexpensive and require no "break-in" period like briar pipes. For these two reasons, corncob pipes are often recommended as a "Beginners pipe." But, their enjoyment is by no means limited to beginners. Corncob pipes are equally valued by both learners, and experienced smokers who simply desire a cool, clean smoke. Pipesmokers who wish to sample a wide variety of different tobaccos and blends also might keep a stock of corncobs on hand to permit them to try new flavors without "carryover" from an already-used pipe.

Metal

Metal pipes are more generally associated with cannabis and other drugs, than tobacco use, especially among law enforcement. Though steel was a common material, aluminium and brass are more common materials now. The advantages of a metal pipe generally include a removable cap (with or without a lighter hole) and the fact that they are highly durable. Their retention of heat can be a problem but most bowls have rubber or plastic grips on the outside of the pipe. Metal bowls are usually overlooked by tobacco smokers because metal bowls require a break-in period of resination...

Glass

Hand-blown glass pipes are one of the most common kinds of hand-blown glass today. They can be quite elaborate. One reason for their appeal is that since the glass is completely inert, it does not affect the flavor of the smoke. As the pipe is used, black tar build-up provides for a more contrasted background. Glass pipes sometimes have a small hole on the side that, when covered, enables continuous inhalation. When inhalation is completed, the hole may be uncovered to flood the smoke with air thus lending it the names "carb" or "choke." Due to their lack of porosity and tendency to retain heat, glass pipes are usually used to smoke cannabis and other substances besides tobacco. The added space inside a glass pipe as compared to a metal one, combined with proper use of the carb, result in the potential to take a much larger and smoother-feeling inhalation of smoke, which also appeals to cannabis users. They are also among the most likely to break.

Hookahs

A Hookah, or nargila, is a middle eastern water pipe, commonly for tobacco and marijuana use, that cools the smoke by filtering it through a vase of water. Often ice and milk or lemon juice is added to the water. Traditionally, the tobacco is mixed with a sweetener, such as honey or molasses, although fruit flavors have also become popular.

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