The History of Tobacco Pipes

Tobacco pipes have been used to smoke tobacco pretty much since the dawn of time. Scientist have even uncovered evidence that the ancient egyptians smoked pipes.  Although the design of the tobacco pipe has evolved and still varies in style, the use of the tobacco pipe has remained steadily popular amongst a wide variety of people. Pipe smokers like the flavor and flexibility smoking a pipe gives them.

Types of Tobacco Pipes

Tobacco pipes are made from a variety of different materials, in a variety of different shapes. Some are handmade and others are made by machine. Briar is the most common material used to make tobacco pipes. Briar is primarily used in the creation of tobacco pipes because of its natural resistance to fire. Meerschaum is another material used to make tobacco pipes. This material is white and feels similar to plastic.  Clay  is also used in pipe making, along with calabash gourds, corncob, stone and metal.

Pipe Tobacco

Many different varieties of tobacco are used in pipe smoking. Virginia tobacco is well known for its sweet flavor and aromatic scent. It is bright in color with yellow orange and red tones. Maryland tobacco is brown and is not considered abundant in flavor. Another type of tobacco is burley tobacco. This tobacco has a nutty flavor, and a dull brown appearance. Tobacco from the old orient near greece is called oriental tobacco. This tobacco is typically spicy in flavor and cured naturally by the sun to have a green/yellow color. Another sun cured tobacco would be latakia. This tobacco is desired mostly for its fragrance, is black in color and is typically used in blends. Many people who like aromatic tobaccos, like perique. This tobacco has a fragrance that reminds many of a gourmet meal.  Perique is black and leathery in texture. Cavendish tobacco is Dutch and consists of a blend of different tobaccos. Cavendish also comes in a black variety that is sweeter.

Effects of Tobacco

There are many risks associated with smoking tobacco pipes. Even if you exclusively smoke a tobacco pipe and do not use any other form of tobacco such as cigarettes, you are still at risks of developing a tobacco related illness. Smoking a tobacco pipe increases your risks of  lung cancer, lung disease, colon cancer, rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, cancer of the larynx, heart disease and a variety of other life threatening illnesses. The smoking hazards related to pipe smoking are closer to the risks associated with cigar smoking then, the that of smoking cigarettes. The longer and more frequently that you smoke, the greater the risks is that you will develop a smoking related disease or illness. Naturally, quitting smoking of any form decreases your likelihood of developing any of these serious ailment.  Additionally, the longer that it has been since you have smoked the more your risks of lung cancer and other smoking related illnesses decreases. Utilizing some of the many methods of quitting smoking can aid you in breaking your pipe smoking habit.