This came to me this morning as I smoked my Savinelli loaded with EGR Blend.
What exactly is the value in smoking a pipe? You can get a bigger nicotine rush (traded off with the various risks we all know) with the cigarette. Your tobacco may have a great room note, but that's for other people. Yes, the pipes are beautiful objects, like miniature bits of furniture; but that's the esthetic part of the hobby, not the actual experience. "What," said I to myself, said I, "is the value in this?"
And it came to me between two puffs. It's that every time you smoke can be different!
Sure, once you've learned how to pack your pipe, how to keep it sweet and clean, how to polish it and refresh an oxidized stem, and once you've found a blend or blends you prefer, you've got it mostly dialed in.
But!
There are just too many variables for a smoker to say honestly, "This smoke with EGR blend in my Savinelli will give me the same results as when I smoked that combo last Wednesday."
For instance, my last time with this combo, I found the blend smoked a little hot, or at least it left me with some pepperiness on my tongue -- possibly a mild tongue bite. And I was not sure I liked the Latakia scent or flavor (it's the only leaf I have with that in it, so I guess that's what I'm tasting). Today, though, the pipe and blend smoked cool, with very little Latakia flavor, and what there was came to me as a hint of scent after I finished. Instance 2: My first 2 smokes with Carter Hall were excellent; my latest, yesterday morning, ran a little hot as well.
Differences between the pairs of smokes, well, that's what I mean. There are too many variables. Even if you try to rigidly control all the conditions, something will always be different: the way you packed the pipe; the wind outdoors and the temperature; the amount of time you left the flame in contact with the tobacco, either at the start or on a relight. Not to mention the differences when you use Blend A in Pipe B vs. Blend A in Pipe C, or what you ate just before the smoke, or what you're drinking during it.
A good smoke is something to look forward to. But it will always have differences, perhaps good surprises, perhaps not so pleasant ones, from all the others you've experienced.
And that is a big part of its value.
What exactly is the value in smoking a pipe? You can get a bigger nicotine rush (traded off with the various risks we all know) with the cigarette. Your tobacco may have a great room note, but that's for other people. Yes, the pipes are beautiful objects, like miniature bits of furniture; but that's the esthetic part of the hobby, not the actual experience. "What," said I to myself, said I, "is the value in this?"
And it came to me between two puffs. It's that every time you smoke can be different!
Sure, once you've learned how to pack your pipe, how to keep it sweet and clean, how to polish it and refresh an oxidized stem, and once you've found a blend or blends you prefer, you've got it mostly dialed in.
But!
There are just too many variables for a smoker to say honestly, "This smoke with EGR blend in my Savinelli will give me the same results as when I smoked that combo last Wednesday."
For instance, my last time with this combo, I found the blend smoked a little hot, or at least it left me with some pepperiness on my tongue -- possibly a mild tongue bite. And I was not sure I liked the Latakia scent or flavor (it's the only leaf I have with that in it, so I guess that's what I'm tasting). Today, though, the pipe and blend smoked cool, with very little Latakia flavor, and what there was came to me as a hint of scent after I finished. Instance 2: My first 2 smokes with Carter Hall were excellent; my latest, yesterday morning, ran a little hot as well.
Differences between the pairs of smokes, well, that's what I mean. There are too many variables. Even if you try to rigidly control all the conditions, something will always be different: the way you packed the pipe; the wind outdoors and the temperature; the amount of time you left the flame in contact with the tobacco, either at the start or on a relight. Not to mention the differences when you use Blend A in Pipe B vs. Blend A in Pipe C, or what you ate just before the smoke, or what you're drinking during it.
A good smoke is something to look forward to. But it will always have differences, perhaps good surprises, perhaps not so pleasant ones, from all the others you've experienced.
And that is a big part of its value.
