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Should one have a "Guest" pipe?
BrettGignac
Newcomer
in General
Just wondering if its a good idea or polite to have pipe designated for company? Maybe you have a friend come over to visit who forgot his pipe at home and you want to share a newly acquired tobacco blend. Or you have a guest who has never tried pipe smoking and is curious. kind of a old communal tavern pipe idea. Does anyone have a "guest pipe? What is the protocol or pipe smoking etiquette in a similar situation?
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I picked up one of MM Smokeable Seconds Grab-bags for such the occasion.
The more I thought about this question the clearer my answer became. If you have more than one pipe ... and chances are most members at this site have a few in their collection - why have a special pipe for guests? You have several cups, dishes, glasses, and forks & spoons in your home. And when guests come over you don't have a special coffee cup, glass, or eating utensil for them, do you? You simply reach into the cupboard and place before them the cup, glass, dish or spoon you might have used yourself the night before. Properly washed, of course. So why should it be any different with your pipe? If you feel comfortable enough sharing a pipe with someone - provided you keep your pipes cleaned after smoking - why not remove one from the pipe rack from your private collection?
On a practical level I'd assume anyone coming over to your home who is a pipe smoker would probably have their own pipe on their person, making this discussion a moot point. I seldom go anywhere without my pipe and a supply of tobacco in my pouch. So I'd be more apt to imagine a situation where I share one of my favorite tobacco blends with a guest than one of my pipes.
As I've stated in the past, I seem to have amassed a small stable, 40 + Briars and 6 or so MM's. Admittedly, all but a few of my briars are old estates that I've resurrected.
Looking out over my desk right now I see that I' have about 15 or 16 of the briars in rotation for my enjoyment, but that leaves 20 or more, plus the 3 or 4 unsmoked MM's, for guests.
We are fortunate in that we live in a very social community. Our weather is generally good and we seem to either host or attend cookouts / parties on a pretty regular occasion. As a matter of fact, I'll be hosting a poker game up in the mancave in a bout a week and a half, June 2.
When we have folks over or when I'm having a poker game, the guys inevitably make their way up to the mancave. Over the years it's usually been to enjoy a few cigars and sip Scotch, Bourbon or drink beer.
Since I've been bitten with the pipe bug I have had the opportunity to expose a dozen or more guys to pipes. Several did so a bit reluctantly. Others seemed to really enjoy it. I've probably converted 5 or 6 to the briar brotherhood, admittedly only 1 or 2 of them smoke somewhat regularly, but nowhere near as often as we here @ TPL do.
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
Monday, September 25, 2017 by Rachel DuBose
Loaning out pipes is a delicate subject at best, and I think it's safe to say we'd all rather pass on a corn cob than hand over a prized briar. When a friend from college dropped in a while back, however, I offered him my Dunhill, based solely on many years of friendship and the fact that he swore he had become a pipe smoker. We sat on the balcony, watching a hockey game through the sliding glass door, puffing on our pipes, and reminiscing about the days when we played together. A rescheduled flight had brought him to my door, turning a normally frustrating situation into a pleasant night.
The entire time, I found myself resisting the urge to remind him to pick his pipe back up when he set it down for too long — or worse, cautioning him to slow down when he puffed with too much intensity. "Slow down, but keep it lit" has been my own pet project over the last few months, and I instinctively wanted to teach the lessons I'd learned. More than that, though, I was concerned about my poor pipe. At one point he reached for the bowl after a round of quick puffing, opening his mouth to say something about the game — and then nearly dropped the pipe in his rush to set it back down. He stuck his thumb quickly in his mouth and grimaced at me. "Hot!"
"Yeah, it'll do that if you're not careful," I said, but it was with a laugh. I couldn't help it; he looked ridiculous, and it was obvious he wasn't as experienced as he'd claimed. Luckily, when I inspected the pipe after he'd headed back to the airport the next morning, it hadn't taken on any damage. Despite my nerves, I decided it was probably best that I hadn't interfered. Still, I considered it an entirely new lesson learned, and will make sure to keep a handful of cobs on hand from now on — just in case someone else unsuspectingly needs to borrow a pipe.
I have tried in vain to "corrupt" several cigarette smokers to the pipe. It is futile. It seems that cigarette smokers, in general, just don't have the time to bother with a pipe. They have a different mindset.
I think I have made "pipe kits" - each with a pipe (all decent briars), a wide variety of sample tobacco's, a pipe nail or pipe tool, some pipe cleaners, and matches, for about seven or so people that thought they would like to try a pipe. Two were non-smokers, two cigar smokers, and the rest were cigarette smokers. Out of all of them the only one that still smokes a pipe is one of the cigar smokers.
I am not going to make anymore "kits" until I find they enjoyed smoking a "test" cob and want to join the 'dark side'.....sometimes we have cookies