My Thoughts Have Changed

 As I’ve grown older and lived under the guidance of my Spirit Guides my thoughts have changed about a lot of things.  My thoughts have changed about pipe smoking.  I might smoke more now than I have before the last five years or so, but my thoughts have changed about my pipes.  I used to think that if I had ten grand to spend on a pipe I’d want to smoke the damn thing.  But these days I’m not so sure.  I’m content with my pipe collection having one Dunhill estate pipe.  

Sure it’s used.  But my family went together to get it for me.  I wasn’t even sure about smoking it at first, but now it is in my pipe rotation and I smoke it one day a week.  I have enough pipes to rotate every several weeks but I have my favorites.  But getting back to that ten grand pipe I could never afford.  I think if my collection had that kind of pipe I would never smoke it.  

I debated about my Dunhill at first.  But then I decided it wasn’t new and had already been smoked.  But one, I don’t need any pipe costing more than a hundred and two, it’s worthy being smoked.  I simply do not need any expensive pipes.  But my thinking is no pipe costing more than a few hundred should not be smoked.  Why?  Just one bowl in such a pipe reduces its value by half.  

I wouldn’t smoke any pipe costing more than a few hundred with my Dunhill the only exception I would make.  No pipe is worth the devaluation costing that much.  I just don’t see the point of it.  In some ways a pipe is just a pipe.  It’s what goes in it that matters most.  And the briar in most of today’s pipes is not the same quality as it was back in the 70’s and earlier.  Back then manufacturers had access to aged briar which is harder than briar used today.  

Why is this?  Simple.  There’s not enough of aged briar to go around.  Aged briar is harder than soft newer briar.  It’s just more rare.  Good hard aged briar is hard to find and when it’s available it obviously is more expensive.  The briar used in manufacturing today is new briar.  It contains a bit more moisture.  That makes it softer.  Briar is not an unlimited commodity.  Old hard briar is just more difficult to obtain.  

And when it is found and used the pipes are just more expensive.  But does that make a pipe so much better?  Not really, but it will resist burnout better and will smoke a tad better.  But it always come down to the care of a pipe.  Even a hundred dollar pipe today can last a lifetime depending on how it is smoked, how often it is smoked, and most importantly how it is cared for.  

This is a lesson about pipes.  Like anything else, when it comes to pipes you get what you pay for.  Some guys might buy one Dr. Grabow pipe and smoke it until it burns through or breaks and then just get another one.  Some pipe smokers just collect pipes and rotate them as I do.  I have old pipes that I used to enjoy but they’ve been replaced by better ones.  I have a few close to burning through that I’ve retired.  But through the years I’ve collected enough pipes to rotate.  To some a pipe is just a pipe, but to others a pipe is a work of art.  It all depends.  My pipe today is my Savinelli St. Nicholas pipe from 2022 and my tobacco is Good Stuff Menthol and my coffee this morning is Stumptown Holler Mountain.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave