Are you a pipe "smoker" or a "pipe" smoker? The former is a smoker who smokers a pipe and enjoys the taste of tobacco. The latter is a smoker and enjoys the pipe.
I think that being an aromatic smoker I'd probably have to admit to being a "pipe" smoker. I mentioned once before that were it possible to fill my pipe with cake batter, cookie dough, angel food cake, Crackerjacks, apple pie filling, cotton candy, or pancakes saturated in maple syrup and actually get it to stay lit long enough to smoke I'd be content. But until that day I'll have to be satisfied with flavored aromatic pipe tobacco. To be honest I'm probably more armored with the tranquility and meditative process of the pipe smoking experience. I can say with certainty that taking the time to sit back and truly enjoy my pipe has been very positive in my over all mental well being. I'm finally able to sit still and relax without fidgeting. And I can feel the negative energy welled-up inside me dissipate with each puff as my thoughts are no longer cluttered with the chaos of trying to solve problems outside my control. And even though world events around me continue be in a perpetual state of turmoil, my relationship with my pipe has taught me to mute the madness, mellow out, and appreciate the little things in life. And by changing bad smoking habits (like freight training) and mastering proper smoking techniques, I've not only learned to calm myself down, but actually lowered my blood pressure. So I'd say it's a balanced combination of pipe "smoker" and "Pipe" smoker.
My bottom line is going to be that you can't separate the two. But my practical answer is I'm a pipe guy.
Would I smoke tobacco without a pipe? Yes but only cigars and even that is much less than I used to. I have a nice humidor with several hundred cigars in it but can't remember the last time I smoked one. Probably a couple years.
Would I smoke a pipe without a good tobacco? No. Blow bubbles? [deleted not to offend hippies] NO!
So you would think the tobacco is the major reason, but I look at it like good wine. Wine can be very enjoyable but with a good meal it's something different. The wine can actually make the food taste better. I think the pipe is the perfect way to smoke tobacco. People who smoke cigarettes, for example, I think are not smoking them for the enjoyment of the tobacco but rather as a way to get nicotine, but that's a different thing. Back to the subject.
Pipes and tobacco are the perfect combination, like peanut butter and jelly, beer and hotdogs. You can enjoy one without the other buy why would you? The two quintessentially go together.
"Pipe" Smoker or Pipe "Smoker"? Interesting question.
I have never smoked cigarettes. I have and do smoke cigars (though I mainly stick to pipes now)). But I have always loved the sheer artistry of pipes which is why I have a number of pipes in my collection that I have rarely smoked.
Well I see a lot of good and thought out answers, I agree with them all. I have never and will never smoke cigarettes, I have and still smoke Cigars and I smoke Pipe, I have a few Pipes and I love making Pipes, at the same time I have a lot of Tobacco blends for those pipes and use different pipes for different blends. I have two main go to pipes, one is my trusty old Briar I have had since I started smoking pipe, the other is my trusty Corn Cob Pipe a MM and it sees a lot of Aromatic Blends. I actually have a few corn cobs because they are good for trying new blends, I have a new pipe that I am waiting on a blend for and it will be only for a few Irish Blends, I have a Pipe on my list to buy that will only be for Christmas/Holiday Blends, so you asked am I a Pipe smoker or a pipe Smoker.....Well I say BOTH, I have a passion for pipes and a passion for the Tobacco. I think a lot of people are both although some lean one way or another you almost have to be split on this because without one you can't use the other although I am sure there are a few out there that might just like pipes and not smoke them while others don't care what pipe the have as long as they can smoke the tobacco but most of the guys in here love their pipes and love their blends. Good question and hope you liked reading the many replies it will bring you.
I only smoke a pipe, so I'd just consider myself a "pipe" smoker. I don't have an interest in smoking anything else, as I'm content with the wide variety available in pipe tobacco.
No one knows for sure how many pipe smokers are active in the U.S., but by most estimates we number from 1 million to a bit over 2 million, depending on how pipe smokers are defined. Only the man holding the pipe can say when he has crossed the threshold from dabbler or experimenter to bona fide pipe smoker. A higher bar yet must be cleared before the devotee can call himself a pipe hobbyist. That lofty perch might be attained through ownership of more pipes or better pipes, or membership in a club, or attendance at pipe shows. I like to think that the smoker who takes care to keep his pipes fresh and clean secures rightful claim to hobbyist status.
Most pipe smokers hardly think about their pipes at all. They inattentively and relentlessly puff sugared and perfumed leaf in one or two favorite, inexpensive pipes, day after day, year after year. They scrape out the bowls with a penknife once in a while just to keep some space open in the chamber. They might swab out the stem only when forced by an annoying gurgle. This is the reality of pipe smoking for an awful lot of people. And we're not saying anything is wrong with that. If it's what they like, great. But some could use a knowing friend to steer them toward a different way. Whatever comes out of those mistreated pipes probably does not reach its full potential. Still, it is good enough for hundreds of thousands of daily smokers who fit the above description. Truly, it is a testament to the appeal of pipe smoking that even at its most rudimentary it keeps so many adherents satisfied.
Pipe hobbyists are a different story. We who take our pipe smoking seriously cultivate loving and familiar relationships with every one of our pieces, and we usually own quite a few. We dedicate certain pipes to certain tobaccos. We go through pipe cleaners at a pace making them a veritable grocery item, no less than the gourmet tobaccos we hoard. You might say pipe hobbyists are a bit obsessive about our pipes, but that's OK. We know the solace of a clean, well-performing pipe loaded with perfectly hydrated and seasoned leaf, so a touch of neurosis in cultivating our hobby is forgivable.
This means that serious, discerning pipe smokers also know the art of keeping our pipes in tiptop shape. The act of cleaning one's pipes is ceremonial, just as a lot of what goes into our pastime is. People who keep a collection of fine pipes in active rotation take pride in the condition of those pipes, and time spent reaming and cleaning, buffing and shining, is a contemplative pleasure—a perfect diversion for a cold winter's afternoon. A heap of pipe cleaners (both bristled and soft) and a bottle or shot glass of sweetening fluid (or Everclear, or vodka) will keep our pipes healthy and fresh and fit to be handed down to grandchildren.
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I'm a little bit lazy about cleaning my pipes, and if their funkiness gets ahead of me, I'll break out my credit card and ship batches of pipes off to receive a makeover. I've called on a number of refurbishment gurus over the years. Always, upon paying the required ransom, I get back pipes that look and taste like new—and what a thrill it is to open that return package!
How do you rate in the pipe-care spectrum? Are you at peace with clogged-up favorites, or do you diligently keep your pipes pristine? Most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle of the neurotic continuum, but all of us who at least appreciate the blessings that pipe maintenance plainly bestows can be proud to count ourselves pipe hobbyists in full.
Pipes and Tobacco. Tobacco and Pipes. You can’t really have one without the other to enjoy all of the pleasures that pipe smoking has to offer. There are some exceptions when it comes to pipes though, as I know of people who don’t really smoke their pipes and just buy them for the art that they are and the collect-ability factor. There is nothing wrong with this, but I don’t consider these people as pipe smokers, I consider them pure collectors.
Pipes are wonderful and I enjoy them immensely. I love looking at them and, like most of you I presume, some of them just call out to me. Some of them are pure works of art that demand attention and respect for the carvers’ abilities. But for as much as I enjoy pipes, I can’t say that they are my passion.
Although I enjoy looking at them, buying them, and smoking them, I never get really passionate or obsessed with them. I don’t pour over the pipe inspecting the grain, the stem, the symmetry, and other things that the people who are really passionate about the actual pipes do. I more or less look at the pipe as a whole and the overall look and feel of the pipe. If I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t.
Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of the aspects of a fine pipe; from the grain pattern, all the way down to the bit of the stem. I just don’t get really passionate about them the way that some others do. I appreciate the works of art that some of the artisan pipes are, the classic shapes, and all aspects of a well made pipe; especially the internal engineering that makes a pipe smoke well. I really appreciate all of the work that goes into making a pipe and the skills that are required by a carver to do so.
I do love pipes, but I REALLY love tobacco. My true passion in this hobby is the tobacco. I can spend hours and hours reading about different blends, different tobacco varietals, and basically all things tobacco. I love the massive variety of blends that are available. I love to read the tin descriptions, look at the tin art, and imagine what the blend is going to taste like. I get really excited about tobacco. When I get a new blend that I have never smoked before, I feel like a kid at Christmas time being full of anticipation waiting for the chance to smoke it.
I love how all tobacco varietals taste different. I also love the way that even the same kind of tobacco, or blend, can taste different depending on how it is prepared. Take for example a Virginia flake. There are changes in the flavor depending on how you prepare it for smoking. Rubbed out, cubed cut, and fold and stuff all offer different flavor profiles even though it is the same blend. Sometimes the change in flavor is very subtle and sometimes it really hits you in the face with the difference.
I love how one difference in the type of tobacco can changethe entire flavor profile of a blend. There are many genres of tobacco blends out there, and there are endless ways to create great tasting tobacco blends. There are tons of different flavor combinations that can be made. In my opinion, tobacco blenders are like chefs. They take a lot of different individual flavors and combine them to make unique, extraordinary, and endless varieties of flavors. There are good ones and there are great ones, and to be honest there are some not-so-good ones.
I am so passionate about tobacco that I even enjoy smoking blends that the majority of smokers have written off as absolutely horrible. I am curious to see if the blend is really that bad, and if it is, to find out why the blend may have turned out that way. I am a true believer that there are really no horrible tobacco blends, just different tastes for different people.
Take Mixture 79 for example. A lot of people absolutely hate it, but there are also a lot of people that enjoy it. I have smoked it myself, and while I wouldn’t call it a great blend, I certainly wouldn’t call it the worst blend that I have ever smoked. They have been selling it for decades, so there must be a lot of people smoking it. If people weren’t buying it, they would have stopped making it.
Are there bad blends out there? Well, that is a tough question to answer. I would have to say that it depends on who you ask. Everyone is going to have an opinion about what blends that they think are bad. But those same blends may be the favorites of others. I have smoked blends that I absolutely can not stand and did not like at all, but some of them are very popular blends amongst the general pipe smoking populace. This is just one more thing that I love about tobacco; the fact that tastes are subjective.
One of the main differences between pipes and tobacco for me, and the main reason why I really love, and am much more passionate about, tobacco is this; No matter how great a pipe carver is, they are always going to be limited by the piece of briar or wood that they are working on. Don’t get me wrong, some carvers can do amazing things with a piece of briar, but they are always going to be limited by it in some way, shape, or form.
Tobacco blenders are only limited by their own imagination. There are so many different flavor combinations out there, that if a blender has a good imagination and can grasp the concept of the different flavors that can be made, there are no limits for them. They can add more of a certain leaf, remove some of a leaf, tweak this, tweak that, etc. Everything can and will change the way that a blend tastes.
Earlier I said that tobacco blenders are like chefs, but I think that a better analogy would be that tobacco blenders are actually more like winemakers. Tobacco resembles grapes in so many ways that I find it simply amazing. Just like grapes, there are numerous varietals of tobacco. The growing region, soil, and environmental factors (among other things) from year to year all have an affect on how that crop will turn out in both grapes (wine) and tobacco in a particular year. And all of the different factors will also have an affect on the flavor of the tobacco from year to year.
If you stop and really think about, with all of the different factors that have different affects on each years crop, it is amazing that blenders can put out perennial blends that have a consistent flavor year after year. Heck, you even store tobacco the same way that you store bottles of wine.
To the outside world I'm a cigar smoker but in the comfort of my home I'm a passionate pipe collector. I love that I can play (smoke) with my collection every time I sit down in my chair like I'm doing right now. I have pretty much everything and much more most could want within my reach.
I don't quite understand the original distinction, but I would say I've become someone who loves both the pipe and pipe tobaccos, a hobbyist as @motie2 defines it. I've always had a leaning to enjoy smoking and tobacco. I smoked cigarettes when I did archaeology in Bolivia. Not too heavy, about a pack and a half per week. Now cigarette smoking is terrible for you and smells awful, but boy, is that nicotine hit insidious. When I finished a cigarette I felt like I had done something good for the world And in South America everyone smokes cigarettes and smokes them everywhere, including in movie theaters. It was easy to smoke cigarettes there. When I came back, it wasn't hard for me to drop the habit - it is simply, and rightly so, difficult to smoke cigarettes here in the US. I found I missed the "business" of smoking - tamping the pack, fiddling with the cigarette, etc. more than the smoking.
I then got into cigars, and enjoyed the taste of the tobacco and the range of cigars you could buy. There isn't much "business" with a cigar. You cut it, light it, and then smoke it. That's all. I smoked a pipe off and on.
And then about a year or so ago I just got into pipes with a vengeance. I love the huge diversity of pipes and tobaccos, there is fantastic amount of "business" associated with smoking a pipe. And ultimately, if you don't count the costs of the pipes - which IMHO are works of art and therefore don't count - pipe tobacco is vastly less expensive than cigars. Plus, pipe tobacco generally has a nicer room note than cigar tobacco, IMHO.
Plus, at least for the foreseeable future, pipe smoking is in the broader culture, an oddity, and I like that. I get two reactions on the few occasions when I smoke a pipe in public - so far this has mostly been at clergy conferences - some people laugh out loud, with that uncomfortable laugh of "I thought you were a normal person," and others gather around the pipe even when they don't smoke. Last conference I collected the Bishop Diocesan, cathedral canons, and some "flagship" rectors (people who serve big, rich, churches) around me, all saying they loved the smell (I wish my wife felt the same).
So, I love both the tobacco and the pipe and all the business that surrounds them. I need to smoke my last 3 cigars before they turn into cigar mummies, but I never feel like it anymore. And when I finish a pipe, I feel like I've done something good for the world without consigning myself to an early death.
I have to admit, upfront, that I have a bias toward the pipe. My hands are crippled a bit. Cigar cutters are clumsily employed and cigarettes have never appealed to me. With my pipe I can load, light, and lip lock an enjoyable hour of smoking with little hassle. So the pipe is without doubt the best way for me to enjoy the vast array of tobaccos available. All that being said, I personally find the process of smoking itself to be relaxing and a very pleasant part of my day.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
<<Are you a pipe "smoker" or a "pipe" smoker? The former is a smoker who smokes a pipe and enjoys the taste of tobacco. The latter is a smoker and enjoys the pipe.
I think that being an aromatic smoker I'd probably have to admit to being a "pipe" smoker. I mentioned once before that were it possible to fill my pipe with cake batter, cookie dough, angel food cake, Crackerjacks, apple pie filling, cotton candy, or pancakes saturated in maple syrup and actually get it to stay lit long enough to smoke I'd be content. But until that day I'll have to be satisfied with flavored aromatic pipe tobacco.
To be honest, I'm probably more enamored with the tranquility and meditative process of the pipe smoking experience. I can say with certainty that taking the time to sit back and truly enjoy my pipe has been very positive in my over all mental well being. I'm finally able to sit still and relax without fidgeting. And I can feel the negative energy welled-up inside me dissipate with each puff as my thoughts are no longer cluttered with the chaos of trying to solve problems outside my control. And even though world events around me continue to be in a perpetual state of turmoil, my relationship with my pipe has taught me o mute the madness, mellow out, and appreciate the little things in life.>>
I've posted a similar question some time ago. My answer? I am not a smoker. I never smoked ciagretts or anything for that matter. I still consider myself to be a non-smoker. I enjoy the art of the pipe itself, the craft of the specialty tobacco as I do specialty single barrel Bourbon, wines and coffee. They have the same kind of care and knowledge needed to enjoy them. I am not addicted to any of these things. I enjoy them for what they are and how they were made by talented masters of their craft.
Comments
I don't think I could stand to smoke a pipe, if I didn't enjoy the taste of the tobacco, so I suppose I am the former, but I am still not sure.
Is this one of those questions like, "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
I have never and will never smoke cigarettes, I have and still smoke Cigars and I smoke Pipe, I have a few Pipes and I love making Pipes, at the same time I have a lot of Tobacco blends for those pipes and use different pipes for different blends. I have two main go to pipes, one is my trusty old Briar I have had since I started smoking pipe, the other is my trusty Corn Cob Pipe a MM and it sees a lot of Aromatic Blends. I actually have a few corn cobs because they are good for trying new blends, I have a new pipe that I am waiting on a blend for and it will be only for a few Irish Blends, I have a Pipe on my list to buy that will only be for Christmas/Holiday Blends, so you asked am I a Pipe smoker or a pipe Smoker.....Well I say BOTH, I have a passion for pipes and a passion for the Tobacco.
I think a lot of people are both although some lean one way or another you almost have to be split on this because without one you can't use the other although I am sure there are a few out there that might just like pipes and not smoke them while others don't care what pipe the have as long as they can smoke the tobacco but most of the guys in here love their pipes and love their blends.
Good question and hope you liked reading the many replies it will bring you.
Charring Light February 2017
chuck@pipesandtobaccosmagazine.com
Pipe smoker or pipe hobbyist?
William C. Nelson, associate editor
No one knows for sure how many pipe smokers are active in the U.S., but by most estimates we number from 1 million to a bit over 2 million, depending on how pipe smokers are defined. Only the man holding the pipe can say when he has crossed the threshold from dabbler or experimenter to bona fide pipe smoker. A higher bar yet must be cleared before the devotee can call himself a pipe hobbyist. That lofty perch might be attained through ownership of more pipes or better pipes, or membership in a club, or attendance at pipe shows. I like to think that the smoker who takes care to keep his pipes fresh and clean secures rightful claim to hobbyist status.
Most pipe smokers hardly think about their pipes at all. They inattentively and relentlessly puff sugared and perfumed leaf in one or two favorite, inexpensive pipes, day after day, year after year. They scrape out the bowls with a penknife once in a while just to keep some space open in the chamber. They might swab out the stem only when forced by an annoying gurgle. This is the reality of pipe smoking for an awful lot of people. And we're not saying anything is wrong with that. If it's what they like, great. But some could use a knowing friend to steer them toward a different way. Whatever comes out of those mistreated pipes probably does not reach its full potential. Still, it is good enough for hundreds of thousands of daily smokers who fit the above description. Truly, it is a testament to the appeal of pipe smoking that even at its most rudimentary it keeps so many adherents satisfied.
Pipe hobbyists are a different story. We who take our pipe smoking seriously cultivate loving and familiar relationships with every one of our pieces, and we usually own quite a few. We dedicate certain pipes to certain tobaccos. We go through pipe cleaners at a pace making them a veritable grocery item, no less than the gourmet tobaccos we hoard. You might say pipe hobbyists are a bit obsessive about our pipes, but that's OK. We know the solace of a clean, well-performing pipe loaded with perfectly hydrated and seasoned leaf, so a touch of neurosis in cultivating our hobby is forgivable.
This means that serious, discerning pipe smokers also know the art of keeping our pipes in tiptop shape. The act of cleaning one's pipes is ceremonial, just as a lot of what goes into our pastime is. People who keep a collection of fine pipes in active rotation take pride in the condition of those pipes, and time spent reaming and cleaning, buffing and shining, is a contemplative pleasure—a perfect diversion for a cold winter's afternoon. A heap of pipe cleaners (both bristled and soft) and a bottle or shot glass of sweetening fluid (or Everclear, or vodka) will keep our pipes healthy and fresh and fit to be handed down to grandchildren.
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I'm a little bit lazy about cleaning my pipes, and if their funkiness gets ahead of me, I'll break out my credit card and ship batches of pipes off to receive a makeover. I've called on a number of refurbishment gurus over the years. Always, upon paying the required ransom, I get back pipes that look and taste like new—and what a thrill it is to open that return package!
How do you rate in the pipe-care spectrum? Are you at peace with clogged-up favorites, or do you diligently keep your pipes pristine? Most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle of the neurotic continuum, but all of us who at least appreciate the blessings that pipe maintenance plainly bestows can be proud to count ourselves pipe hobbyists in full.
Pipes and Tobacco. Tobacco and Pipes. You can’t really have one without the other to enjoy all of the pleasures that pipe smoking has to offer. There are some exceptions when it comes to pipes though, as I know of people who don’t really smoke their pipes and just buy them for the art that they are and the collect-ability factor. There is nothing wrong with this, but I don’t consider these people as pipe smokers, I consider them pure collectors.
Pipes are wonderful and I enjoy them immensely. I love looking at them and, like most of you I presume, some of them just call out to me. Some of them are pure works of art that demand attention and respect for the carvers’ abilities. But for as much as I enjoy pipes, I can’t say that they are my passion.
Although I enjoy looking at them, buying them, and smoking them, I never get really passionate or obsessed with them. I don’t pour over the pipe inspecting the grain, the stem, the symmetry, and other things that the people who are really passionate about the actual pipes do. I more or less look at the pipe as a whole and the overall look and feel of the pipe. If I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t.
Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of the aspects of a fine pipe; from the grain pattern, all the way down to the bit of the stem. I just don’t get really passionate about them the way that some others do. I appreciate the works of art that some of the artisan pipes are, the classic shapes, and all aspects of a well made pipe; especially the internal engineering that makes a pipe smoke well. I really appreciate all of the work that goes into making a pipe and the skills that are required by a carver to do so.
I do love pipes, but I REALLY love tobacco. My true passion in this hobby is the tobacco. I can spend hours and hours reading about different blends, different tobacco varietals, and basically all things tobacco. I love the massive variety of blends that are available. I love to read the tin descriptions, look at the tin art, and imagine what the blend is going to taste like. I get really excited about tobacco. When I get a new blend that I have never smoked before, I feel like a kid at Christmas time being full of anticipation waiting for the chance to smoke it.
I love how all tobacco varietals taste different. I also love the way that even the same kind of tobacco, or blend, can taste different depending on how it is prepared. Take for example a Virginia flake. There are changes in the flavor depending on how you prepare it for smoking. Rubbed out, cubed cut, and fold and stuff all offer different flavor profiles even though it is the same blend. Sometimes the change in flavor is very subtle and sometimes it really hits you in the face with the difference.
I love how one difference in the type of tobacco can change the entire flavor profile of a blend. There are many genres of tobacco blends out there, and there are endless ways to create great tasting tobacco blends. There are tons of different flavor combinations that can be made. In my opinion, tobacco blenders are like chefs. They take a lot of different individual flavors and combine them to make unique, extraordinary, and endless varieties of flavors. There are good ones and there are great ones, and to be honest there are some not-so-good ones.
I am so passionate about tobacco that I even enjoy smoking blends that the majority of smokers have written off as absolutely horrible. I am curious to see if the blend is really that bad, and if it is, to find out why the blend may have turned out that way. I am a true believer that there are really no horrible tobacco blends, just different tastes for different people.
Take Mixture 79 for example. A lot of people absolutely hate it, but there are also a lot of people that enjoy it. I have smoked it myself, and while I wouldn’t call it a great blend, I certainly wouldn’t call it the worst blend that I have ever smoked. They have been selling it for decades, so there must be a lot of people smoking it. If people weren’t buying it, they would have stopped making it.
Are there bad blends out there? Well, that is a tough question to answer. I would have to say that it depends on who you ask. Everyone is going to have an opinion about what blends that they think are bad. But those same blends may be the favorites of others. I have smoked blends that I absolutely can not stand and did not like at all, but some of them are very popular blends amongst the general pipe smoking populace. This is just one more thing that I love about tobacco; the fact that tastes are subjective.
One of the main differences between pipes and tobacco for me, and the main reason why I really love, and am much more passionate about, tobacco is this; No matter how great a pipe carver is, they are always going to be limited by the piece of briar or wood that they are working on. Don’t get me wrong, some carvers can do amazing things with a piece of briar, but they are always going to be limited by it in some way, shape, or form.
Tobacco blenders are only limited by their own imagination. There are so many different flavor combinations out there, that if a blender has a good imagination and can grasp the concept of the different flavors that can be made, there are no limits for them. They can add more of a certain leaf, remove some of a leaf, tweak this, tweak that, etc. Everything can and will change the way that a blend tastes.
Earlier I said that tobacco blenders are like chefs, but I think that a better analogy would be that tobacco blenders are actually more like winemakers. Tobacco resembles grapes in so many ways that I find it simply amazing. Just like grapes, there are numerous varietals of tobacco. The growing region, soil, and environmental factors (among other things) from year to year all have an affect on how that crop will turn out in both grapes (wine) and tobacco in a particular year. And all of the different factors will also have an affect on the flavor of the tobacco from year to year.
If you stop and really think about, with all of the different factors that have different affects on each years crop, it is amazing that blenders can put out perennial blends that have a consistent flavor year after year. Heck, you even store tobacco the same way that you store bottles of wine.
I then got into cigars, and enjoyed the taste of the tobacco and the range of cigars you could buy. There isn't much "business" with a cigar. You cut it, light it, and then smoke it. That's all. I smoked a pipe off and on.
And then about a year or so ago I just got into pipes with a vengeance. I love the huge diversity of pipes and tobaccos, there is fantastic amount of "business" associated with smoking a pipe. And ultimately, if you don't count the costs of the pipes - which IMHO are works of art and therefore don't count - pipe tobacco is vastly less expensive than cigars. Plus, pipe tobacco generally has a nicer room note than cigar tobacco, IMHO.
Plus, at least for the foreseeable future, pipe smoking is in the broader culture, an oddity, and I like that. I get two reactions on the few occasions when I smoke a pipe in public - so far this has mostly been at clergy conferences - some people laugh out loud, with that uncomfortable laugh of "I thought you were a normal person," and others gather around the pipe even when they don't smoke. Last conference I collected the Bishop Diocesan, cathedral canons, and some "flagship" rectors (people who serve big, rich, churches) around me, all saying they loved the smell (I wish my wife felt the same).
So, I love both the tobacco and the pipe and all the business that surrounds them. I need to smoke my last 3 cigars before they turn into cigar mummies, but I never feel like it anymore. And when I finish a pipe, I feel like I've done something good for the world without consigning myself to an early death.