In my series of articles on frugal hobbies, I break down an individual hobby for people who want to have fun without breaking the bank. The overview will include the details of the hobby itself, how to go into it with a frugal mindset, and the best ways to make use of your money. Not all of the hobbies covered are cheap or easy to get into, but I find ways to help you save money while still being able to partake in your favorite pastimes.
Smoking Pipe Tobacco
Smoking pipe tobacco is an interesting hobby, although it’s somewhat niche these days. After all, smoking in general tends to get a lot of hate. Between the risks that come with it and all the propaganda pushing people to quit smoking tobacco products, it may seem like nobody is doing it anymore. Well, they definitely are, although in the case of pipe tobacco the numbers have become quite diminished. If you smoke cigars or cigarettes, you may end up finding that you prefer pipe tobacco – and no, that doesn’t make you a geezer or a hipster. It’s also great if you’re on a tight budget!
Health Risks
Of course, it you don’t currently smoke, then I don’t recommend you try smoking. There are health risks that come with smoking, and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Beyond that, some people claim different forms of tobacco use may be healthier than others. While there may be some truth to that – as most studies seem to say that cigars and pipe tobacco are less dangerous than cigarettes – no form of smoking is completely risk free, and they all have issues.
With that said, if you still find yourself wanting to try pipe tobacco, or figure out how to enjoy your smoking pastime a little more frugally, you’re in the right place!
Packing And Lighting Your Pipe
For those of you who haven’t smoked a pipe much and are newer to the hobby – all you need to smoke is a pipe, a source for your flame, tobacco, a tamper, and pipe cleaners to clear out the stem. It doesn’t take much, but it can seem intimidating for people who haven’t done it before.
Let’s Keep This Process Simple
- Finish clearing out your pipe from previous use. This is in case you missed a bit of loose tobacco previously or there is some buildup you didn’t catch. You can even take a quick puff of the pipe to make sure the airway is clear. Of course, if this is a new pipe then you can skip this step.
- Pull some tobacco out and start putting a bit into your pipe. Don’t jam it in, just slowly place tobacco into the pipe until it reaches the top. If you notice that the tobacco is extremely moist (as is the case sometimes, when you first open a tin), you may need to let it dry for a few minutes first.
- Tamp the tobacco you placed in the pipe so far. This is a gentle tamp. When you’re done, the bowl will only be 50-70% full. To make sure you didn’t pack it too tight, take a puff from the pipe to double-check that the airway is clear.
- Just like step 2, put some more tobacco into your pipe until it’s full again.
- Tamp the tobacco again. It’s important to still be gentle, but you may need a little more force this time. When you’re done, the pipe will be mostly full, but not quite. You can take a puff again here, to make sure you didn’t tamp too hard and that there is a clear airway.
- It’s time to put more tobacco in, for the final time. Fill it to the top, or until it is just slightly overflowing. Which you prefer will take some testing, and may vary between pipes. Either way is fine, it just depends on how deeply you want the bowl filled.
- Now, tamp the tobacco again. It should be even with the top of the bowl or a bit under.
- It’s time to light! Take your flame and put it over the bowl. Quickly puff on the pipe several times – the flame should be pulled in and light up your tobacco.
- You may begin enjoying your smoke! If you have to relight the pipe, tamp it down gently again, then repeat the process to relight it.
- Once you’re done, give it time to cool. When it has finished cooling, take your pipe cleaners and clear the airway so that it’s ready to smoke next time.
The Blends
There are 3 different types of “blends” – or three main categories. There are Aromatics, Virginias, and English blends. None is better than the other, but everyone has their favorites. It all comes down to personal tastes.
Aromatic
First up, we’ll cover Aromatics. These are basically just flavored pipe tobacco blends. Aromatics usually smell fantastic, but they don’t always taste quite like they smell. A lot of people try to start with these, as they tend to be sweet and smell inoffensive. Unfortunately, this blend can be extremely wet (and may need to be dried) and it tends to burn hotter than the others. Consequently, it isn’t actually as beginner friendly as a lot of other tobacco.
With that said, there are a lot of great aromatic blends that are pretty much impossible to beat for the price. So, if you’re going for the cheapest, Aromatics are generally going to win there. A lot of the “drug store” pipe tobacco you see around town will be Aromatics. Those blends are definitely cheap, but most of them aren’t something the average pipe smoker would recommend. There are definitely a few gems, but I’d look up reviews first.
Virginia
Virginia blends can have tons of different types of tobacco (burley, perique, etc.). The key here is that they don’t use latakia and they aren’t flavored like the aromatics are. There are a huge range of flavors these can have, but many people report grassy and hay-like flavors couple with sweeter flavors – like citrus. These can also smoke a little hot too, but they’re usually not as bad as Aromatics in that way. They’re not a bad blend to start with for people who are novice pipe smokers.
English
English blends have latakia. For those who don’t know, latakia pipe tobacco is known for a “smoky” flavor. Yes, I know that sounds silly considering it is something you are smoking, but the flavor is somewhat similar to what you find in smoky, peated scotch whisky. These blends are easy to smoke (they aren’t as hot as the others), usually don’t require many relights, and can pack a lot of flavor. Unfortunately, you really have to like that smoky latakia flavor to enjoy this. If you’re a cigar smoker who is trying pipe tobacco out, this may be the perfect blend to start with.
Bulk Vs Tinned
You can buy pipe tobacco in bulk or in prepackaged tins. Generally, buying in bulk is better than buying tins of tobacco when it comes to pricing. However, not every tinned tobacco is offered in bulk. So, try out some tins, see what you like, and then see if you can get it in bulk. With either option, you’re likely saving money compared to other smoking options – like cigarettes, cigars, or even vapes. It’s hard to beat pipe tobacco in terms of price, whether it’s bought in bulk or in tins.
Storing Your Tobacco
A lot of people over-complicate this process. As with everything else, it’s best to keep it simple.
Mason Jars & Ziplock Bags
You will be well served 90% of the time with mason jars and Ziploc bags. If you’re traveling or taking your pipe tobacco somewhere with you, bring it in a Ziploc bag. For short-term storage it works well. Eventually, your tobacco will dry out, but it takes a while.
For long-term storage, just use mason jars. It will take a very long time for the tobacco to dry out, and it’s a cheap, simple system. If you want, you can put the tobacco in a Ziploc bag and then put it in a mason jar, if you want to keep the jar relatively clean.
Boveda Packs
Boveda packs are mostly used for storing cigars, but there are boveda packs designed for pipe tobacco. In certain circumstances, these can be useful, but they’re pretty optional. Unless you’re planning to store pipe tobacco for well over a year, then a simple mason jar will do the trick.
Oh, and in case it needs to be said, you don’t need to store pipe tobacco in a humidor – that’s overkill. If you have a humidor that contains cigars, then it’s imperative that you don’t store the pipe tobacco in there because it can harm the flavor of the cigars.
Accessories And Tools
There are a lot of useful accessories and tools you can find for pipe tobacco. I’ll just be focusing on the essentials here.
Lighters
Lighters are a must. You can use matches if that’s your preference, but it’s wise to keep a lighter as a backup if nothing else. Also, flint-based lighters work better and last longer. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Lighters that use flint are a lot of the older school styles, like Zippos and Old Boys. The lighters that work with just a click of the button are still good, but they usually break much faster.
Zippo
I mentioned Zippos first, so that’s what I’ll start with. It’s a classic go-to for a reason. It’s wind-proof, which is really useful. It can be annoying having to refill constantly, but if you’re on the go and hiking all the time, the fact that it’s wind-proof can be a big help. There is one major tip I want to mention though. The fuel Zippos use can affect the flavor of the pipe tobacco. When you light a Zippo, give it a few seconds before you use the flame to light your tobacco. That usually helps to eliminate that odd flavor.
The Old Boy Style
The Old Boy lighters are fantastic lighters that use butane. The main issue is that they can be outrageously priced. If you go for one of these, do your research and find the best bang for your buck. There are cheap, quality alternatives – you may just have to do some digging to find them.
Bic
Bics are cheap and reliable. While they aren’t my recommendation, I can understand their appeal given their price. Like Zippos, make sure you let it sit for a few seconds before you use it to light the tobacco, so that you don’t get a taste of that fuel.
Torch
Torch lighters are great for cigars, but they’re horrible for pipe tobacco. If you use them then you’ll almost certainly damage your pipe. Avoid these.
Czech Tool
A Czech tool is only a dollar or two and it servers as a tamper and a tool that can help you clean out your pipe. It’s cheap, sturdy, and highly effective. You can buy much more expensive tampers if you want – but if frugality is your goal, these are a must. It’s a no-brainer!
Ashtrays
Ashtrays aren’t always necessary, especially if you smoke at a lounge. When picking one out, you need to ask yourself one question – do I want functionality, aesthetics, or both? For pure functionality, you can find great ashtrays online for cheap. They’re easily within the $10-20 range. Of course, if you care more about aesthetics, it can get more expensive. If looks and function are both important, you can expect to pay more – size factoring in too.
Stands
You can get lavish stands or cheap ones for just a few bucks. It depends on your goals. If you have several pipes, a stand to store them on may be $30 or more. If you want a stand for a single pipe while you smoke, you have tons of options. You can buy a cheap plastic one for about $1, or you can buy different ones with different perks for more. One example is a leather stand that can connect to your keychain. Those usually go for over $10. This isn’t the most mandatory tool though, as you can always lean your pipe’s stem on an ashtray if you need to set it down while smoking or put it on a shelf for storage.
Pipe Cleaners
Pipe cleaners are cheap and are mandatory for cleaning your pipe. It’s as simple as that. If you get a long pipe, make sure you pick up longer pipe cleaners as well.
The Pipes Themselves
There is a lot to know about the pipes themselves, but I’ll keep it simple for the beginners.
Material
There are a lot of materials people use for pipes, but I’ll cover the two main ones that you’ll want to purchase. For other materials, like meerschaum or morta, do your own research first before buying. Some pipes are not made out of proper materials, so avoid those – they’re usually found at your local vape or tobacco shop. Most retailers which focus on pipes and cigars will have the real thing.
Briar
Briar is a type of wood. It is good for pipe tobacco for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that it doesn’t get as hot while smoking. This is probably the main material to go for when you want a “nice” pipe. Expect a decent briar pipe to cost at least $50.
Corncob
Corncobs are common and may look a little silly to some people. Think of Popeye! They can be as cheap as a few bucks, but they can get more expensive too. You should be able to find decent corncob pipes in the $5-20 price range. It isn’t a durable as briar pipes, but it also doesn’t require an extensive break-in period like briar pipes do sometimes. If you’re just trying out pipes, get a corncob pipe until you know what you like.
Stems
Likewise there are two main stem materials I’ll go over here. I’d suggest trying both so you can see which you prefer.
Vulcanite
Vulcanite is a type of rubber. It’s black, lighter weight than acrylic, and is also fairly sturdy. Unfortunately, it’s easier to leave marks in the vulcanite (from your teeth, for example), and you need to clean it regularly to prevent oxidation.
Acrylic
Acrylic is basically a special plastic. The stem tends to be a bit harder, but it lasts much longer with less maintenance. Also, a lot of companies do intricate, colorful designs with their acrylic stems – which you may like or dislike.
Savinelli
Savinelli is a popular Italian pipe brand. For the price, they are absolutely phenomenal. Their pipes are great smokers and look nice as well. It’s hard to go wrong with a Savinelli!
Rossi
Rossi is a subsidiary of Savinelli. If Savinelli is still out of your budget, Rossi should give you great budget briar pipes for $50-60. They may not be quite as good as Savinelli, but they’re still excellent and the perfect budget pick.
Peterson
Peterson is an Irish pipe brand. In terms of quality and price it is fairly similar to Savinelli. Some people are much more fond of Peterson, others prefer Savinelli. Both are great. I think Savinelli is a bit more popular and is an easier entrance for the average smoker. Peterson has some great styles and designs that are best done by them though – so do your research and pick whatever you think is best for you.
Missouri Meerschaum
Missouri Meerschaum is the brand that makes a lot of the quintessential corncob pipes. If a cheap cob is what you’re looking for, then check them out!
Retailers
There are a lot of retailers out there. Some are good, others are great, and many are terrible. Let’s go over them.
Local
Your local tobacconist may be a great place to buy pipe tobacco and learn about it. Of course, make sure it’s a reputable retailer. If your only options are the cookie cutter vape shops, then it’s best to go elsewhere. If you have access to a good tobacco shop near you, then take full advantage.
Smokingpipes.com
For online retailers, specifically for pipes and pipe tobacco, I recommend smokingpipes.com. The prices are highly competitive, the pictures of their pipes are thorough, and the shipping is great. For top tier prices and a massive selection, this is the go-to spot.
Pairing With Liquor
Pipes, as well as cigars, go well with many liquors including whiskey. There are health risks associated with it, of course. However, if you still want to pair whiskey with your pipe tobacco, check out my guide on whiskey so you can get the best bang for your buck.
Pipes Vs Cigars
People like to debate the whole pipe tobacco and cigar ordeal endlessly. They are both valid smoking experiences, and I don’t see the need for the huge debate – you can always enjoy both. In my opinion, I think the average pipe tobacco is a better smoking experience, and it is far cheaper than cigars. However, some of those premium cigars are an amazing smoking experience and that you just can’t beat.
Conclusion
Hopefully this gave you the information you need to get started saving money on pipe tobacco and the expenses that come with it. As an added bonus – February 20th is IPSD (International Pipe Smoking Day). There are tons of sales then, especially online. If you want to get a more expensive pipe, that may be the day to get it – or to get a bunch of tobacco to sample.
For more information on pipe tobacco, you can always check out the community. There are tons of forums with interesting information for you! For more content like this, and a free budgeting template and financial goals worksheet, be sure to sign up for the Bitter to Richer newsletter.
