| Smoking is a matter of choice and luxury. The choice | | | | handmade pipes have delicately crafted bowls. The |
| of smoking pipes is the signature of a bygone era with | | | | stems of the smoking pipes are commonly made of |
| a lasting appeal. The habit of smoking pipes has | | | | mouldable materials such as vulcanite, bakelite etc. |
| featured in art, literature and culture in different ways. | | | | Bamboo and hollowed pieces of wood also serve the |
| The smoking pipes have become valuable | | | | purpose well .Sometimes stems are detachable. With |
| collectors’ items as well. The amount of | | | | different proportional shapes of the bowls and the |
| sophistication attached to it is undeniable. Simply saying, | | | | stems pipes are available in designs ranging from |
| the smoking pipes have attracted public mind with a | | | | funny to awe-inspiring. |
| mixture of intellectual appeal and lifestyle. | | | | Two of the essential features of the use of smoking |
| Any smoking pipe consists of a small chamber where | | | | pipes are packing and lighting. Usually tobacco is |
| the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked takes | | | | packed in the bowl of the smoking pipes in several |
| place and a thin stem called the ‘shank’ ends in | | | | batches each one pressed down with a finger or the |
| a mouthpiece called the ‘bit’. The delicacy in the | | | | thumb until the mixture has a uniform density that |
| craftsmanship of smoking pipes is diverse in category. | | | | optimizes airflow. The favorable composition of |
| From a very simple machine made pipe to a very | | | | tobacco is difficult to gauge without sufficient practice. |
| costly handmade pipe by a well known maker, | | | | Matches are usually considered preferable to lighters. |
| varieties of smoking pipes are available in the market | | | | Normally a match is burned for a few minutes to give |
| for regular use as well as collectors’ items. | | | | a fuller flame and then moved in a circle above the |
| The bowls of the smoking pipes are commonly made | | | | tobacco while air is drawn simultaneously with the |
| of briar, corncob, meerschaum and clay. Materials less | | | | stem by the smoker. It requires practice to attain |
| commonly used are wood, metal and glass. The | | | | perfection in this art. |