pipe education

[Ask the Pipe Doc is a regular column comprised of questions and answers provided as a way of educating pipe smokers. Answers are provided by our resident 'Pipe Doc,' Marty Pulvers.]

AT A GLANCE...

Q#1: Pipe Bowl Size and Flavor

Q#2: Brass Humidors

Q#3: Companies that specialize in small bowl pipes.

Question from Walter: Doc: Does the size of the pipe change the flavor and the draw?

Answer from the Pipe Doc: Dear Walter... That exact discussion came up just a day ago, with another old time pipe smoker. Of course, with almost all pipe-related discussions that hinge on taste, we came to no conclusion. Rich Esserman, a well known pipe collector, claims that big pipe smokes better. Could that have anything to do with Rich's large size and the fact that he likes big pipes?

Photo: Does large bowl size influence flavors?

Again, when it comes to something this ephemeral, or changeable, there is no way of doing a test with a control, so nobody will ever know the answer, but I am almost 100% certain the following answer is correct... it does not matter. Smoke the size pipe you like. It will give you the best possible smoke.

As for the issue of draw that you bring up, that is strictly a matter of proper engineering, and one can mess up the engineering in a large pipe just as easily as he can in a small one. And one can get the engineering correct in a large pipe with the same attention to detail as he would have to use in a smaller pipe. If you said that good construction, in any size pipe, is the key to a good smoke (all other things being equal), I would not disagree.

Enjoy your pipe. From a guy who does not think size matters (although that may be self-incriminating),

Marty, The Pipe Doc

Question from Bruce: Doc, Is it feasible to make a tobacco humidor out of brass? I am considering building a combination pipe stand/humidor as a piece of functional art (or f'art). The canister would be made of brass sheet and aluminum. I don't know if there would be any adverse reactions either to the tobacco or to the metals. Any thoughts?

Answer from the Pipe Doc: Dear Bruce... I think I would try to line the brass humidor with a non-reactive material. My sense is that the moisture in the tobacco might create a reaction in the brass that would cause the tobacco to pick up a brassy taste. Tobacco is sponge-like to a degree. I wish I knew more chemistry, so I could give you a more definitive answer, but my sense is that the tobacco and the brass will not be good for each other.

I hope that helps a little. If you are determined to keep the humidor just brass, I don't think anything terrible will happen.

Best wishes,

Marty, The Scientifically Challenged Pipe Doc

Question from Alfonso "the Traitor": I currently own three pipes. A Missouri Meerschaum and two Savinelli's. I feel that the Savinelli bowls are on the large size and what I am looking for now are pipes with small bowls. Would you recommend a few companies to me that specialize in small bowl. By the way, when I talk about bowl size I am referring to is the inner diameter not the outer. Thank you for your time!

Answer from the Pipe Doc: Dear Alfonso (From Marty the Infidel)... I am a small bowl guy, too. Or at least I consider my pipes to have pretty small bowls. In "pipe-guy" parlance, I smoke pipes the size of what is referred to as Dunhill Group 3 or 4. Dunhill gives its standard sized pipes numbers from 1-6, number 1 being the smallest.

In general, I find Italian pipes tend to be large and English and Danish pipes smaller, although that is, again, only a generalization. Remember, pipes are just like people... not because they let others govern for them, but because each one is an individual. So, even if a pipe maker tends to make small pipes, he will make a large pipe if the piece of briar he is working on is large and looks like it will have great grain and make the pipe maker a lot of money. In that situation, he will not make a small pipe.

I wish I could give a brand name, like Jurgen Moritz, of Germany who makes some nice small pipes... but they are expensive. The best advice is to check out some pipe web sites and look at the sizes of the individual pipes. But, if you feel it will help to have a bit of guide, pay more attention to the Danish pipes and the old English pipes, like Comoy's, GBD and Sasieni. The English smoked small pipes because the tax on tobacco was very high. The Danish smoke pipes because pipes are the least expensive way to smoke. Those factors inspire the manufacture of smaller pipes.

I know that was kind of thin, but I do hope it was slightly helpful.

Best Wishes,

Marty, The Pipe Doc

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About the Pipe Doc: Our “Pipe Doc” normally goes by the name of Marty Pulvers, except when he is alerted that an APB has been issued for him. Indeed, he states, his proudest achievement is that he has been in the pipe and tobacco business for over 30 years and still has no convictions.

Other credentials include his being named a Doctor of Pipes by the Chicagoland Pipe Club and a Certified Kapnismologist (don't ask) by Pipe Collector's International... now defunct (don't ask). He is also a Certified Beer Judge, which he concedes has nothing to do with the subject at hand, but might help explain, in advance, the quality and tenor of some of his answers to your pipe questions.

Marty began his pipe voyage in abject ignorance of pipes and tobacco, and over the 45-plus years of pipe smoking, he claims to have experienced and learned a lot. Alas, he's willing to admit that it is possible he has been at it so long that this journey may have resulted in a complete circle.

"I smoke pipes the size of what is referred to as Dunhill Group 3 or 4. Dunhill gives its standard sized pipes numbers from 1-6, number 1 being the smallest."

Ask the Pipe Doc: Q and A

Tuesday, December 15, 2009