Any long-time pipe smoker will inevitably provide the same advice to novices entering the hobby: "Find the pipe that best suits you." Finding the "right" pipe, of course, takes time and patience, not to mention an exact understanding of what one wishes to extract from their smoking instrument. It's a well-known pleasure (and pain) of the hobby, and like anything, preferences and tastes are unique to the individual — what one finds aesthetically pleasing or ideal may be anathema to another. The same thing can be said for where an individual enjoys their pipe. Do they enjoy smoking in a group of like-minded hobbyists, or in solitude with only their thoughts?

Where is a pipe best enjoyed?

To better answer that question, I asked around the Smokingpipes office to get some perspectives on the "where" favored by our in-house pipe enthusiasts.

The Car

For those in our office, smoking while driving was a heavy favorite, which makes sense given the meditative nature of the open road, the white line fever that can occur over long distances.

For Alan Britt, one of our Customer Service Representatives, "There's truly something about smoking while riding that makes you and your thoughts more enjoyable. I've had six-hour drives to Florida smokeless (child in the car) that felt painstakingly long." But in an ideal situation, "You, your thoughts, wind, smoke — that's my perfect smoking spot."

Shane Ireland, Director of Smokingpipes, echoes that sentiment, "My all-time favorite place to smoke is in the car. I love the first bowl of the day during a morning commute, or a few pipes back-to-back on a road trip. Being focused on driving means that I'm less likely to fidget and fuss with my pipe (over tamping, worrying about relights, etc.) and I end up really tasting what I'm smoking in a way that's not as easy to achieve when multitasking or with other distractions. It's most meditative and tasty when I'm driving."

It seems natural that the solitude of the road, the flow state it invokes, would lend itself to the calm, focused breathing required to keep a bowl lit and happily producing, but Chris Panos, another of our Customer Service Representatives, has a different perspective, one shaped more by the impracticality that smoking in a car poses for him personally. His least favorite place to smoke a pipe is "[i]n a car with the windows down, for obvious reasons, although those wind screens really work, if you happen to have one on ya. I've heard of people smoking pipes on a motorcycle, but I couldn't imagine how they'd pull that one off."

Truett Smith, our Head of Merchandizing, elaborates on the distractions that arise when smoking is not prioritized: "My least favorite place to smoke a pipe is basically wherever I am doing something else other than just sitting and smoking a pipe: fishing, driving is hit or miss, working in the yard (although if you have a riding lawn mower, it's quite nice). I wouldn't say it's always bad, but more often than not, I find it's an inconvenience, and I wind up neglecting the pipe."

Porch and Patio

In its purest form, pipe smoking offers comfort, leisure, and familiarity. Likewise, the porch or patio of one's home is associated with solace and relaxation, a space for oneself and a reprieve from day-to-day chaos. It seems quite fitting that this would be a place where pipe smokers allow themselves to fully enjoy and experience their pipes.

"My fav spot is on my back porch," says Chris, "either in the early morning, or late at night — got woods out back, just a nice, quiet, relaxing pipe." Truett shares Chris' appreciation for the comfort of the domestic: "I'm a porch guy, myself. I really enjoy smoking a pipe while listening to a podcast, or watching a movie or sports (soccer, basketball, and F1) on my laptop. Some of my best pipe-smoking memories are from high school, smoking late at night on the front porch, or during and after college, smoking on the porch while watching the sunset."

The simplicity and intimacy of a familiar space, like a porch, evokes the same tranquility some find in the car. Stephen Mawby, our Customer Service Manager, puts it well: "I smoke alone on my balcony while watching the sunset and sipping a bourbon or a scotch. These kinds of settings allow me to focus on the pipe I'm smoking fully, or even to do the complete opposite and ignore everything and just zone out."

A Communal Setting

The car and the porch lend themselves to quiet reflection, a time apart with just one's thoughts and a favored blend, but pipe smoking, since its very inception, has been a communal experience, one shared among like-minded enthusiasts who understand the idiosyncrasies and nuances involved with the hobby. "Pipe club meetings and pipe shows rank high on the list of enjoyable places for a bowl," says Shane. In the company of other pipe smokers, opinions, grievances, secrets, and preferences about the pastime can be openly shared, or put more simply by Stephen: "It's great to chat with people who are enjoying the same hobby, and 'whatcha smoking?' will always and forever be the best ice breaker."

A shared experience based upon a common hobby is not exclusive to pipe smoking, but as the broader cultural appreciation for pipe smoking has shrunk, the opportunity to share one's depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the avocation has diminished as well. Like most interests, pipe smoking, and the craft around it, have a deep history and plenty of subtleties to explore and learn about, so gathering with fellow hobbyists creates a space to share knowledge and perspectives.

That's what it's all about for Tyler Caldwell in Customer Service, who enjoys "being around the people, seeing the expressions of others for the room note perspective. Enjoying the conversation around me as I concentrate on the flavor of what I'm smoking. Hopefully being able to inspire others to try what I'm smoking."

Enjoyment is Where the Pipe is

While the specific preferences of environment and context vary from person to person, there seems to be an overarching sentiment: find the place where you can most enjoy the experience of smoking a pipe, a place that reflects the tranquility of smoking itself — whether on a long trip, in a comfortable domestic space, or alongside those who understand the allure and passion of the hobby. However, I have a hunch that most pipe smokers would agree with Stephen Mawby's assessment that "everything is better with a pipe." As our Editor Chuck Stanion points out, while "we all resonate with smoking at an isolated campsite with a spectacular mountain view, or in a two-level private library with opulent mahogany woodwork, leather-bound literature, and a spiral staircase, or among other avid pipe smokers in virtually any social gathering (but especially at pipe shows) . . . pipes can deliver satisfaction and comfort in even the most unpleasant environments . . . ."

Do you have a regular spot where you smoke your pipe? Prefer to be alone? Or in a gathering of fellow hobbyists? A cherished memory of a place you were at when you lit a fresh bowl? Anywhere unusual, strange, or otherwise interesting? Let us know down below!