A Big Difference Between Pipes and Cigars

[Mister Moo]

Well, there are many. But one of them is becoming more apparent to me. Don't get me wrong here - I really like cigars, year in and year out. But...

Reason being for this post, I bought a several boxes of Tatuaje J21 Reservas over the years. They ranged from stupendous to boring.

I smoked a two year old Tatuaje Reserva SW today and it bore little resemblance to the same cigar or two years ago (it was great today - not so two years ago).

Punch Rare Corojos used to be really special - now they are totally bland and unspecial.

An aged Fuente Chateau Maduro might be spectacular and it might be nothing.

And on and on it goes.

Pipe tobacco is more reliable and significantly more predictable by comparison. I take some satisfaction from knowing that what I'm about to smoke in a pipe (of any price) will be what it is expected to be.

[bpcr]

Being new to the pipe side of things it seems to me that alot of people think that pipes are too much work .. i find them about the same. There is a little more satisfaction in the pipe for me. Just my 2 cents.....

[uncballzer]

Well put Mr Moo! Just lite up a Padron 2000, and although these are my favorites, it did taste a little different this time. But I know if I put some 965 or squadron leader in the pipe right now, it'll hit that sweet spot this time, and every other time I load a pipe.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

... I know if I put some 965 or squadron leader in the pipe right now, it'll hit that sweet spot this time, and every other time I load a pipe.

zakly.

[Joan]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Pipe tobacco is more reliable and significantly more predictable by comparison. I take some satisfaction from knowing that what I'm about to smoke in a pipe (of any price) will be what it is expected to be.

Ya butt...

I'll take that unpredictability any day. The wild adventure that is life wouldn't be so much fun without it.

[dogsplayinpoker]

Originally Posted by Joan

Ya butt...

I'll take that unpredictability any day. The wild adventure that is life wouldn't be so much fun without it.

I dunno about that one. For too long I have dropped hard earned cash on cigars that may or may not be all good quality. Pipes are reliable and I have only had bad smokes when I have done something wrong.

[Senator]

To me, pipes are the preferred smoking medium of choice. You get to know the little nuances that each pipe has...it becomes a "friend" you can rely on once you understand it.

A cigar? To me, it's for smoking outside while drinking beer with the boys! Easy to do...not much thought put into it. But then again, I've never been a cigar connaiseur.

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by dogsplayinpoker

I dunno about that one. For too long I have dropped hard earned cash on cigars that may or may not be all good quality. Pipes are reliable and I have only had bad smokes when I have done something wrong.

Especially when you get a cigar with a really bad draw on it that won't even open with Henry's draw tools. A pipe, empty and refill.

[Hermit]

[SIZE=3]The differences are so many, ya could do a George Carlin Baseball-Football routine.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Ya put a pipe down and smoke it later – it’s as good or better.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Ya put a cigar down and smoke it later – Yuuuuck![/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]To age cigars, you have to be baby them (temp/humidity)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]To age pipe tobacco, ya stack the tins in a cabinet and forget about em.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Ya can’t get a tin of tobacco that is plugged.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3](Unless ya buy plug tobacco.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]It’s damn hard to smoke a pipe in wind.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Not nearly so with a cigar.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]A decent cigar may cost more than a tin of great tobacco.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]The best cigars are off limits and you take a risk buying them.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Some of the best pipe tobaccos are grown in the ol’ USA.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3](Perique in my neighborhood.)[/SIZE]
fficeffice" />>[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]>
[SIZE=3]I can do (most) things while smoking a cigar.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]A pipe, I have to sit down and pay attention.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3](and I don’t mean steering with yer knees while lighting/tamping.) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]You can light yer cigar with yer Old Boy,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]But ya can’t (shouldn’t) light yer pipe with yer Blazer.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Both are relaxing and I love em both.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Etc., etc…[/SIZE]
>[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]>
>[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]>

[Mr.Lordi]

Only two things that I like about a cigar over a pipe:

1. No packing, just pre-heat and light.

2. Its more filling. Kinda like after a big meal you feel full, well smoking cigars gives a similar feeling. I don't know why or how to explain it really.


Other then that, the pipe wins out in almost every other category but a few in the convince section.

[Rolando]

A cigar has some distinct advantages over a pipe. It is simple and I can smoke them in situations and places where the pipe is just too much hassle. You never really think of celebrating with a pipe either. Yesterday after the falcons won I enjoyed a RP Edge right to the nub.

However there is more flavor and consistency to be had from the pipe. While there is more work involved there is a big reward too. It is much more of a hobby than cigars. More people are accepting of a pipe over a cigar which means I can smoke my pipe in places where the cigar is not welcome.

The other nice thing is that pipe smoking is an easier hobby to share. Most of us spend within a few cents of each other for a bowl of pipe tobacco. While some try to snob it up there is much less competition and jealousy among the pipe smoking community.

[Arizona]

Never having been a cigar smoker beyond the most casual and rare times with a friend drinking beers I can't comment much on them. However I've been smoking a pipe for many years and what I do enjoy about them is they're very inexpensive to smoke (once you've got a nice rotation of pipes that is) and I also appreciate the fact that my pipes are familiar old friends some of which I've had for 20+ years.

[TheTraveler]

I find, like others, that a pipe will be kept and enjoyed for many years while a cigar is gone once it's been cut and lit (maybe that explains the obsession to collect many cigars?!). But a nice humidor can fit that bill for a cigar smoker - a nice, well-made friend to hold memories of past smokes.

I'm new to cigars but have been smoking pipes for years. I've been pleasantly surprised by a few cigars and unimpressed by others much as I have been with different pipe tobacco blends and aromatics over the years.

For discussion purposes here are some similarites between the two:

1. They are both based on the same basic plant (which was an important part in the success of our country, BTW, which is interesting in it's own right I think).
2. There is a long, rich history behind both of them that involves many countries, people, fortunes and failures, hopes, dreams and politics.
3. Quality cigars and quality pipe tobacco blends are both labored over, studied, experimented with, and lovingly crafted by their makers.
4. Both are instantly recognizable icons in movies, TV, and printed stories (for good or bad reasons).
5. Passion for both can be, and often is, passed down through generations of a family. For myself, watching my grandfather smoke his pipe while visiting during Christmas holidays made a lasting (and good) impression on me.
6. Both are a source of friendly debate, discussion, and good times between friends (see also ClubStogie !!!)

Just my take.

[RevSmoke]

You know, I don't think it is as simple as some people are trying to make it.

I enjoy both. I love a good cigar, and there is nothing like a pipe. There is a time and a place for both. Hermit had some great points.

But if I may, I have a bit of a theory about this, about what part of our anatomy each form of tobacco is meant to satisfy.

A pipe is cerebral, a mind thing. Pipe smokers are usually contemplative, problem-solvers, the thinkers - they take time to access a situation before attacking it - and their pipe is their constant thought companion. To enjoy a pipe, there are many facets to consider... Which pipe (and if you have more than 7, this becomes a real challenge)? Which genre of tobacco (latakia, VA, VaPer, Burley, English, Oriental, Aromatic)? Which blend (out of that genre)? After all this, then comes the ritual preparation of the tobacco for the pipe (especially if a flake or plug or rope)? Another ritual is next, the loading and lighting of the pipe. Finally, after all the preparation, the pipe is enjoyed. It is often an escape into solitude and contemplation. It may be accompanied with a good book and a fine beverage. Pipe smokers that fit this mold are Johann S. Bach, Albert Einstein, JRR Tolkein, Sherlock Holmes (fictional yes, but makes my point), Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. James Longstreet, C.S. Lewis, Gen. Douglass MacArthur, and Norman Rockwell - just to name a few.

A cigar-smoker is a romantic, or might we say, passionate - a cigar is more a thing of the heart. (Do not confuse this as having something to do with romance and love, they may not go at all together.) What I mean is that a cigar is something that isn't so much thought about as it is felt. It is more a social enjoyment, often in the company of others who enjoy cigars - and often, the smoke is shared vicariously. (you don't often see pipe herfs, but there are many cigar herfs... evidence of solitude -vs- socializing). While a pipe or tobacco may be chosen by what "I am in the mood for," that is always the case with cigars. Cigar smokers are often more passionate when choosing their tobacco than contemplative. And yet, there are certain rituals followed - the appreciation of the aesthetics of the cigar, the opening of the cap, pre-light draw, the lighting of the cigar, and all this before smoking. Some pationate smokers are/wer George Burns, Winston Churchill, Babe Ruth, Jack Nicholson, Rudyard Kipling, Arnold Schwarzeneger, and Ray Nitschke.

Having made this distinction, there are times when head and heart are one. There are those who we might call contemplative-romantics. Many are those who enjoy both pipes and cigars. Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Bill Cosby (he's not just an entertainer), and Ulysses S. Grant.

Finally, we come to cigarette smokers. They are simply in lust, wanting a quick fix, they just want to satisfy the urge. (ever notice how cigarette smoking is often depicted after certain joined physical activity?) It is a quick fix before moving on to something else. No thought, no heart, just sensual gratification.

Hope you had fun with this... That's what it was meant for.

[TheTraveler]

I bet you were smoking a pipe while you thought that one through!

LOL.

Seriously, though, you made good points, RevSmoke. Interesting thoughts, and thanks for sharing.