Pipe Knowledge

Puffing smoke from a hollow device filled with tobacco was first recorded by the Mayans some time around 500 A.D. and was probably going on long before that.  However, pipe smoking became popular in 1586 when Ralph Lane (the first Governor of Virginia) returned to England from the American colonies with an Indian Calumet and some tobacco.  The pipe imparts an intangible mental stimulation and relaxation.  Feel the warmth of the briar, taste the flavorful tobacco, and gaze at the restful wreaths of smoke rising and dispersing into the air.

Shapes and Sizes

 

A.  Apple:  Smallish, slightly flattened-looking round bowl with straight or slightly bent stem

B.  Billiard:  Ample bowl whose height equals the length of it's straight stem.

C.  Bulldog:  A rakish-looking pipe with diamond-shaped shank and stem, and a bowl the bulges widely to a carved band two-thirds of the way to the top, after which it tapers inward.

D.  Canadian:  Straight with an extra-long shank and short bit.

E.  Dublin:  Angled sides and a top that is considerably wider than the bottom.

F.  Poker:  Cylindrical and straight with a flat bottom.

G.  Freehand:  Irregularly sculpted and rugged-looking.

H.  Pot:  Short, flat top, rounded bottom.

I.  Prince:  Similar to the pot style but with a short shank and a long, slightly curving, elegant stem.