Summertime pipe smoking

mseddon

So, I'm sitting here on my balcony in south-central Texas, sweating like nobody's business, keeping my marriage intact by not smoking in the house, enjoying Amphora Full Aroma (wishing it came in bulk), and pondering what I often hear, namely that in the summer people switch from pipes to cigars. Why? I don't get it. It's hot out here whether I'm smoking a cigar or a pipe. The increased amount of business associated with a pipe - loading, lighting, tamping, relighting, admiring my pipe, etc.- ain't exactly the kind of work that makes you sweat, I've worked outside of Las Vegas in the summer in 118F and it wasn't manual dexterity work that made me suffer in that heat. So, what's the deal?

ghostsofpompeii

The oppressive heat can be a bitch no matter what you're smoking - so you might as well smoke what you like. And I prefer a pipe over a cigar any day. I guess that depending upon the size of the bowl you could be outside for a longer period of time smoking a large bowl pipe as opposed to a cigar. but no one says you have to smoke the entire bowl if the heat is starting to get the better of you.

I personally like sitting in the noon day sun with a cold beverage letting the sun hit my face and arms, giving me the healthy glow of an Indiana's farmer's tan. That little bit of color keeps me from looking like a cadaver. But once I remove my shirt my untanned milky white chest and belly looks like I'm wearing a sleeveless undershirt. 

motie2

I complained all winter about the cold; all spring about the rain. Now, I'm bitching about the heat. So it goes.

xDutchx

I think it really comes down to the smokers palate. Some folks have a fine tuned palate, and tend to be the best candidates for writing reviews. Personally I am not one of those guys. I smoke everything year round, from Straight Virginias to Orientals to Burley to Latakia. I have heard that some folks switch to Virginias during the summer months, and save the Lat blends for the colder times of the year.

As for cigars, in my mind, they don't offer the richness, complexity, and flavor that pipe tobacco offers. For folks with a sensitive palate, cigars tend to be a perfect alternative, especially the larger 60 ring gauge varieties, which I have an aversion for. The larger ring gauges may smoke cooler in some folks opinion, but that larger ring gauge tends to leave a lot to be desired, when it comes to getting an even burn in most cases.

mseddon

Thanks gang for the affirmation! @motie2 at least the winter in Austin, TX is mild. When I lived in Salt Lake City in the winter I had to rig up a system with a small space heater that I would put under a chair in the garage opening and then I'd drape a dense wool blanket over me and everything, put on fingerless gloves, and go from there. Here I think all I need to be ready for next winter is a smoking jacket!

motie2

The only time I can smoke is Spring/Summer/Fall. SWMBO will not allow me to smoke in the house, so winter is largely out.

ghostsofpompeii

@motie2 My suggestion is a space heater in a garage. That's what I do. And think pleasant thought to keep your mind off the fact that your toes have become frostbitten.

motie2

Well, I made it through the winter by reading P&C catalogs, organizing my pipe and tobacco database (99,531,022 bytes, 103.9 MB on disk and 995 articles/items) and haunting the folders of TPL.

PappyJoe

@mseddon - Here you go brother, just put one of this on your balcony.

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Conditioners-Coolers-Air-Conditioners-Portable-Air-Conditioners/N-5yc1vZc4m4?redirect=true&NCNI-5&searchRedirect=portable+air+conditioner&semanticToken=10041+++>+++portable+air+conditioner+{redirect}+canaveral{0:0}

motie2

Opinion piece from the folks at http://www.smokingpipes.com

<<Hot weather necessitates a change to lighter tobaccos. That means I bid a fond farewell, until the cooler weather returns, to such stalwarts as Nightcap (the original), full strength Gawith Mixtures’ and McClelland’s Green and some Brown label tins.  Summer for some is Burley season, myself not being a fan of such, its generally a shift to Oriental Mixtures, with little or no Latakia.  Flakes I reserve for deepest winter.>>

mseddon

@PappyJoe, those are awesome my friend! Reminds me of a Robert Earl Keen monologue on one of his live albums. He talks about driving around San Marcos, TX and seeing a bunch of guys in the backyard drinking Schlitz beer and standing around a window AC that is connected by an orange extension cord to power inside the house.

mseddon

@motie2, interesting. I haven't adjusted my daily round since the onset of summer, but maybe I should try. Does anyone have a Burley blend they recommend? 

Woodsman

Carter Hall.

DixonHill

A little late to this conversation, but I never understood the issue either...pipes in winter, cigars in summer. I rarely smoke cigars. In fact, I can't recall the last one I smoked. But like a couple of others have pointed out winter in the northeast is not terribly  conducive to smoking outside. 

I smoke only outdoors, usually on my front porch. Winter comes early to southern Maine. So by November, pipes and tobacco are in hibernation until Spring. My business partner is a cigar smoker and occasionally organizes a "book club" where guys find an indoor venue and fire up their stogies. I'll bring a pipe and join them, but it's a rare event. 

Mangoandy

I don't get it either, but then again I know people who only drink coffee in cool weather. I drink it year round in the heat and in the cold. I enjoy all the seasons and I enjoy my tastes regardless of the season.

judandhispipe

I tend to smoke more burleys in the summer, and a lower proportion of my smokes are fuller latakia blends, but I still smoke 'em. Since I'm widowed, I smoke where I want.

Charles

I smoke Burleys and Cavendish aromatics in the warmer months and lean toward English blends with Latakia in the cooler and winter months.  I smoke most anywhere but usually smoke what ever I in the mood for.  I'm on a Dunhill toasted Cavendish path right now.  I was smoking Lane Limited Ready Rub for a few weeks but felt it was time for a change.

motie2

@Mangoandy -- Like Leroy Jethro Gibbs, hot coffee in hot weather keeps me cool.

Watchmaker61

After smoking both cigars and a pipe for about 30 years, there was a time it was mostly cigars. I now find that I really enjoy the pipe a whole lot more. The cigar has been reduced to just mowing the lawn, just because it's a lot easier, and it does keep the bugs away.

Philip

Gibbs is the guy that says to always carry a knife. Even I know that.

motie2

@mseddon -- <<Does anyone have a Burley blend they recommend?>>

One of the most popular Burley blends in the US is another OTC, Sir Walter Raleigh regular. The aromatic adds Virginia.

Woodsman

I'm an all weather smoker. My porch is neither air conditioned or heated but I smoke out there in the evening/night and dress for what I'll experience. As I've said before, I'm not dying for a smoke, I just want the peace and tranquility of the pipe. 

thebadgerpiper

I smoke my pipe in the garage, and while it shields me from the wind in winter, in the summer it can feel like an oven. I keep a fan running in the warmer months, and a heater in winter, bundled up in layers and fingerless gloves. I live in upper Illinois, and while we get mild weather, it does get pretty hot and very cold. If it's too hot or cold out, I'll skip my pipe for the day, but I can usually make it work.

PappyJoe

I have a ceiling fan in the garage and an evaporative cooler. If need be, I have an additional floor fan I can turn on for the garage. 

For the most part I have a large shade tree in the front yard with a bench, a chair and two small tables and I sit there to smoke my pipes when it's not raining. If it's marginally hotter than normal, I just roll the evaporated cooler out of the garage and point it towards my sitting area to provide a cooler breeze.

If it's still too hot, I just wait until the sun goes down and it cools off.

Watchmaker61

Living in N.H. It really gets to hot. But on the humid days I generally reach for my Falcons or cons. I don't like to get sweaty hands on the good briars.

Watchmaker61

That was a typo,"never gets to hot".

Charles

Both Sir Walter Raleigh regular and aromatic are great all day smokes.  I have been a long time fan of both and always have them in my regular rotation along with Prince Albert. Although some pipers tend to look down on OTCs and favor more expensive premium names, I believe if a smoker enjoys a particular tobacco, whether OTC, premium, or both, then they should smoke it for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment it gives them.

mseddon

Sounds like I should try out some Sir Walter Raleigh, if only for the history and tradition! 

jim102864

Like others, the pipe is a four season activity for me.  It comes down to comfort and location. Today, for example, it's climbed to 88 degrees with a 72 degree dew point at 12:42 pm.  I'm smoking my pipe in my family room with the door and windows open.  The high heat and humidity is getting to me so I've decided the bowl I'm on now (number 3 today) will be my last. I'll close the doors and put on the ac when finished.  Later, I'm heading to my B&M where it's air conditioned and I will smoke a cigar.   Cigars are never smoked in the house, always the garage. In the end, it doesn't matter what season it is, I smoke my pipes and occassional cigars all year round.

rustedrailpipes

My wife has graciously allowed me to smoke the pipe inside, at least until the humidity/heat drops after the summer, then I'll happily smoke on the porch again.

I usually smoke on the way to and from work... and sometimes at lunch if I can get away that long.