I know nothing about pipe tobacco.lets play.

[Toothpick]

First let me say i have never smoked a pipe before in my life. I know nothing about good or bad tobacco brands, or tobacco in general. So forgive me if this question sounds stupid.

I recently acquired from the folks some old clay bowl pipes see THIS thread for pictures and it's got me interested in pipe smoking. I do enjoy a cigar every now and then and know the basics of cigar smoking. but pipe smoking is completely foreign to me.
My question is related to the "healthiness" aspect of pipe smoking. they say cigar smoking is better than cigarette smoking because you generally don't inhale a cigar, you smoke less often, and the tobacco hasn't been treated with a ton of chemicals. can the same be said for smoking a pipe as well?
also...again possibly a silly question so please forgive me i'm ignorant about pipe tobacco.... is there such a thing as a "healthy" tobacco? like say for someone that just likes the conversation, and relaxation aspect of sitting around smoking a pipe rather than the "high" that the tabacco might give you.

Thanks for playing!

 

[Hunter]

Healthy tobacco no, yeah there are some benefits found in some studies, but on the whole it is less terrible for you... but you sort of also have to remember that going out into the sun is dangerous, driving a car is dangerous, and being physically between Justin Bieber and a pack of 13 year old girls is dangerous. Can you tell which two activities I prefer?

More seriously I like to smoke a pipe because it is relaxing, just like a glass of whisky after a day of work. Like the Greeks said "Where did all the money go?" no wait that other thing "All things in moderation."

 

[Toothpick]

Healthy tobacco no, yeah there are some benefits found in some studies, but on the whole it is less terrible for you... but you sort of also have to remember that going out into the sun is dangerous, driving a car is dangerous, and being physically between Justin Bieber and a pack of 13 year old girls is dangerous. Can you tell which two activities I prefer?

More seriously I like to smoke a pipe because it is relaxing, just like a glass of whisky after a day of work. Like the Greeks said "Where did all the money go?" no wait that other thing "All things in moderation."

i didnt think there was such a thing as "healthy" tobacco but ya never know. i guess i was thinking that maybe by now someone has created a special blend.... decaf so to speak.

 

[Schmitz Bitz]

As noted, there is no such thing as 'healthy smoke', any burning material will release toxins and carcinogens. However, for the same reasons you have outlined for cigars being a healthier option for cigarettes, pipes are considered 'safer'. If you read the initial surgeon-generals report from the 60's which first notes cigarettes are harmful; it goes further to report that moderate cigar and pipe-smokers who *were not cigarette smokers* lived, on average, ten-years longer than those who smoke cigarettes. You are, however, at a higher risk for non-terminal cancers such as mouth and tongue cancer than a non-smoker with either cigars are pipes - nothing is completely safe as Hunter pointed out. Sadly, this is one of the few documents that actually explore the differences between pipes, cigars and cigarettes; after the initial SG report it became popular to lump all smokers together.
The biggest difference between cigarettes and the so-called luxury tobacco products is that cigarette tobacco isn't actually raw leaf, cured, cut and rolled. Instead, they dry and powder the tobacco, reconstituting it into a paper-like sheet (sheet-tobacco) with a chemical slurry. This has the benefit of allowing for a more controlled, faster burn; but also to change the chemical compound of the smoke released, producing an acidic Ph which allows the nicotine to be absorbed through the lungs. Natural tobacco, as found in cigars and pipe-blends actually produces a basic Ph smoke; which allows it to be absorbed through the mucosal membranes of the mouth and sinus.
In addition, this chemical slurry also changes the effect of nicotine. If you sit down to a big fat cohiba or a bowl of 1792, the nicotine will be felt as a depressant, allowing you to drop into that reflective, medatitive state. However, as many a cigarette smoker will tell you, when you fire up that first nail in the morning, the effect is that of a stimulant. I suspect this is also why cigar and pipe-smokers can go for days without a smoke with no detrimental effect, while if a cigarette smoker doesn't get their bi-hourly fix they go freaking insane...

 

[conroygc]

Habitual tobacco use causes cancer. Period.

BUT of all of the forms of smoke able tobacco, pipes are the least harmful. You don't inhale the smoke and no tobacco comes directly in contact with your mouth or your lips (like with cigars or chewing tobacco).
Also, according to the surgeon general, pipe smokers who smoke up to 10 bowls a day who don't inhale live longer than non-smokers.

So just like every other activity, it has its risks. But IMO the rewards greatly outweigh the risks!