Brotherhood of Briar

[Amenhotep04]

On another thread, Texas Outlaw used the terms "Brotherhood of Briar," and "Elite Community" referring to we pipe smokers. I love both of these statements, but wonder what it entails. Ten years ago, my ex told me that since I was a professor I had to smoke a pipe. I obliged. For most of the past ten years, pipe smoking for me was largely a solitary endeavor. I'd get home from work, pour myself a glass of wine, and sit on the deck and smoke a bowl. Or I'd sit at my desk, reading and writing, and smoke a bowl. But everything was by myself. Creatively, the pipe in my mouth while writing served as inspiration. Little did I know tobacco influences thought process. Sitting with the glass of wine, simply meant a lifestyle of high culture and relaxation.

Over the summer I began reading more about pipes and have found myself intrigued by so much of the ins and outs of smoking a pipe, issues surrounding tobacco, and the physics and geometry of the creation of pipes. All the while however, it's been mostly a solitary existence for me. The last few weeks I've been reading various message boards and plan on attending some pipe shows over the next 12 months. I liked what Texas Outlaw said, and to be honest I love reading what people say about pipes. I'm amazed at all the information and experiences people have. But what is our community? Are we the last of a dying breed? Do we cherish the slow pace of life, and take pleasure in each moment of life? And when attending pipe shows, will the conversations revolve around such things?

I always look forward to what everyone says about pipes. It's like a whole new life. But what makes 'us', 'us'?

:farao:

 

[jhuggett]

For me, the reason I started Brothers of Briar, was that I was amazed by the generosity and brotherly spirit that I found when I first started going to online pipe forums. I was a new pipe smoker and being an inquisitive person asked questions endlessly. It was our own pipemaker that directed me over the knoxcigar board (I'm guessing because he tired of my questions :lol On his advice I started going there daily and was quickly astounded by how helpful people were. I also felt a kindred spirit connection to many of those that attended, though for different reasons for different people.

Some of the folks here I feel a deep respect for even though I haven't met them. I think through my day to day activities I am usually disgusted (maybe that's too harsh of a word) with people but here I am usually impressed. There must be something to pipe smokers being a certain kind of person. Brothers if you will. Brothers may fight and at times even hate each other but they will always have a bond that binds them together.

 

[puros_bran]

The Pipe.

You'll find everything from moody truck drivers to theoretical physicists smoking the pipe.
From the poverty stricken to kings.
Although it is assumed a manly pursuit you will find women that enjoy the pipe as well as any man.
Hot Heads and Deep thinkers alike flock to the briar.
From young to old, there is no age restrictions.
Its all in the pipe.

As far as the community... You will find a great bunch of guys... Ever had a total stranger mail you a box of tobacco,Just Because? If you stick around long enough you will find that you have friends you've never met, and yet you know more about them than their next door neighbor... Conversations about everything, from almost every perspective, its all here.
Want to fight about politics or religion or just whatever? Join the Rubber Room... Interested in exploring all the various aspects of tobacco? The tobacco area is your deal.. Wanna talk about briars? The pipe areas can keep you busy for hours. And don't forget all the accessories.. Shaving, Drink, Books... If a man can't sate his desire for conversation here he isn't looking.

In other words.. I love this place. It is the true epitome of the Brotherhood of the Briar!

 

[pipetongue1]

yo Tep, I come from a different world, a world where I started smoking pipes at the age of 12,where most tabac was $.25 per pack, I still have some of my S.S. Pierce, Ehrlich,and Peretti pipes and still smoke them, Many smoked pipes then, Lazarus Bros. was still in business making the fabled Edgeworth Slices,and Ehrlich's was a wonderful place for a young man to spend his paltry pay $.75 per hour, all I know after smoking a pipe for over 50 years I was born to smoke a pipe, and take some with me to the afterlife, to have as much solace then as I gain in smoking a pipe now! Ken :tongue:
Pacem en Puffing! :tongue:

 

[puros_bran]

I think that's the longest string I've seen you put together in 3 or 4 years Ken...

 

[Winslow]

This is a moderated[loosely] forum which keeps the idiots and trolls
away.The men here are courteous,polite,and fairly well educated for
the most part.We talk about all the things that a bunch of men will discuss
when they gather such as dirty jokes,sports,drinking,whoring,and tobacco.
You may feel very much at home here. :shock:

Winslow :sunny:

 

[Sasquatch]

They haven't managed to keep ME away though! :affraid:

I think pipe smokers are generally just happy to pick up some info on tobacco, brands of pipes, etc because there AREN'T very many of us floating around. I don't think there's anyone within 100 miles of me who knows anything at all about pipes, for example. So this place is a tremendous resource for me.

 

[KRG]

I think that the very act of smoking a pipe, attracts folks of a certain mindset.
Although we all have varying opinions, likes, and dislikes, the mindset of
pipe smokers seems to be similar world wide.
I have had this experience many times over the years--- I'll be somewhere away from home, don't know a soul, and see someone else puffin' a pipe. We make eye contact, give each other a nod and a tip of the pipe, and viola!, a bond is established, even if no conversation ensues.
Ah, if only all the world smoked a pipe, a better world it would be!! :sunny:

 

[Centurian 803]

There are many reasons I love this place, but perhaps the most important is the fellowship or brotherhood. This is a place where I am accepted because I love the briar. It doesn't matter what I do for a living. It doesn't matter what my political or religious beliefs are. It doesn't matter what my educational level is. (Sorry 'bout dangling that preposition.) For someone in my line of work it's really nice to be accepted. ig: (Normally the only place we find acceptance is in that brotherhood.)
I think that's what makes it a brotherhood. We accept one another for what we are and the only thing that matters in the end is our love of pipes.

 

[Anonymous]

For most of my life, I was more an outcast to be a pipe smoker. Then when I started travelling alot and visiting various shops and smoking lounges, I encountered others. I maybe should have avoided the word elite, but I certainly didn't mean pipe snob.

What makes us a Brotherhood is how we band together. I mean I respect everyone here (well almost) whether you smoke "Penzance in a Dunhill" or shag in a Stanwell. I don't see any pipe snobs here, we are brothers as I stated.

I think there is just enough moderation to keep us in a positive direction. I also see more maturity on this forum than others I've chosen to avoid.

Also most of us try to promote pipe smoking and help new members out as much as we can. Just a good group to be a part of. Yikes I ended a sentence in a preposition!!! (Wait, this isn't the forum where others constantly chose to edit my posts) irat:

Semantics aside, let's not forget that it's the people that make a place special. We are a brotherhood.

 

[Amenhotep04]

I like the idea of 'the mindset'. I too, when I see someone smoking a pipe, which is so rare, but there is this acknowledgment as if we're in a separate club. And it's great to sit and talk with someone at that point, see what their experiences have been, and what direction they're moving. And when I'm traveling, I always will stop at a pipe store if I can find one.

When I teach a three hour block class, we always take a break about halfway through. I joke with the cigarette smokers that I'm giving them seven minutes to smoke. BUT, if they want to smoke with me they're going to have to smoke after class or arrive at least an hour or so earlier, and plan on sitting and relaxing, talking, and taking life in.

And Jason, ya done good here!!! This place rocks.

:farao:

 

[Anonymous]

When I teach a three hour block class, we always take a break about halfway through. I joke with the cigarette smokers that I'm giving them seven minutes to smoke. BUT, if they want to smoke with me they're going to have to smoke after class or arrive at least an hour or so earlier, and plan on sitting and relaxing, talking, and taking life in.

And Jason, ya done good here!!! This place rocks.

:farao:

Well that's what makes pipe smokers different, and dare I say? special.
We are not in a rush; we have learned that no matter how quick the world revolves, we still have to stop and smell the roses, er, tobacco smoke.

I could never be a cigarette smoker; for one, I can't stand the chemical taste of what I believe to be PG.

I get busy with work too, and I either make time to smoke a pipe or don't smoke. I did just order about 112 cigars, even though I also like to sit and puff slowly on these.

It's what I call the finer things in life: a nice bowl of tobacco, a snoring dog by my feet, a glass of 18 year old scotch. I would certainly consider it a mindset.

 

[Centurian 803]

It's what I call the finer things in life: a nice bowl of tobacco, a snoring dog by my feet, a glass of 18 year old scotch. I would certainly consider it a mindset.

Brother, you and I are of the same mind. The only thing I would add would be a roaring fire in the fireplace while the snow piles up outside. ipe:

 

[SmokeyTweed]

This place to me is a place where a man (or woman) can make an honest opinion and know someone out there is taking the time to read it and sometimes even understand it. :affraid:

It also provides a good look at a simpler time while proving that what was once old is now new again. We have a lot of experienced pipers and to my suprise a gaining momentum of younger pipers with a thirst of knowledge about their fathers and grandfathers passions and experience.

Oh and if your a rigid American Conservative or loosey-goosey left-winger you can have some pretty good debates as well!

 

[shootist51]

I think that's the longest string I've seen you put together in 3 or 4 years Ken...

Plum chatty, ain't he ipe:

 

[Anonymous]

It's what I call the finer things in life: a nice bowl of tobacco, a snoring dog by my feet, a glass of 18 year old scotch. I would certainly consider it a mindset.

Brother, you and I are of the same mind. The only thing I would add would be a roaring fire in the fireplace while the snow piles up outside. ipe:

I have a roaring fire: it's called the sun! Shirts are optional in south Texas..

 

[Dillon]

I do kind of feel like I'm in an exclusive club. It's not to say I trust my life to anyone who smokes a pipe, but pipe-smoking for me has proven to be a way to connect personally with other people the way many other things in life don't prove so well at doing, like being a college kid, or a liberal, or a Tennessean. Pipe smokers are each their own individual, but I guess owing to how few and far between we've gotten as a group and using the internet to connect and find more opinions and options we've made ourselves into a pretty intensive interest group (the lack of pipe-smoking lobbyists notwithstanding :no: ), and we have more in common as pipe smokers and feel more connected and mutually respectful than people in other loosely-bound, larger groups. Pipe-smoking and other personality traits and hobbies cause me stand out among every social group/minority I happen to be in, and as a result it's always been difficult for me to get along or "fall in" with people who are nominally similar. Except, as I said, with pipe-smokers, crazy conservatism notwithstanding (I find that's a LOT more of a problem among cigar smokers, a fact which mostly shapes my separate and probably misled opinion of most cigar smokers). My nickname among my friends is "the 40-year-old", and thanks to places like BotB, I can connect with actual old guys :affraid: such as people my age actually believe me to be (I've been mistaken for a professor or older student on campus more times than I care to recite). Here I find people that actually care about and understand the hobby, whereas so many of my peers simply don't give a shit or have been brainwashed by the Antis.

 

[Al in Canada]

On another thread, Texas Outlaw used the terms "Brotherhood of Briar," and "Elite Community" referring to we pipe smokers. I love both of these statements, but wonder what it entails. Ten years ago, my ex told me that since I was a professor I had to smoke a pipe. I obliged. For most of the past ten years, pipe smoking for me was largely a solitary endeavor. I'd get home from work, pour myself a glass of wine, and sit on the deck and smoke a bowl. Or I'd sit at my desk, reading and writing, and smoke a bowl. But everything was by myself. Creatively, the pipe in my mouth while writing served as inspiration. Little did I know tobacco influences thought process. Sitting with the glass of wine, simply meant a lifestyle of high culture and relaxation.

Over the summer I began reading more about pipes and have found myself intrigued by so much of the ins and outs of smoking a pipe, issues surrounding tobacco, and the physics and geometry of the creation of pipes. All the while however, it's been mostly a solitary existence for me. The last few weeks I've been reading various message boards and plan on attending some pipe shows over the next 12 months. I liked what Texas Outlaw said, and to be honest I love reading what people say about pipes. I'm amazed at all the information and experiences people have. But what is our community? Are we the last of a dying breed? Do we cherish the slow pace of life, and take pleasure in each moment of life? And when attending pipe shows, will the conversations revolve around such things?

I always look forward to what everyone says about pipes. It's like a whole new life. But what makes 'us', 'us'?

:farao:

Well yes we are a sort of elite, but people of discernment and taste have always been a minority. By its nature a pipe smoker has to make some decisions, both as to the nature of his pipe and finding the appropriate tobacco for the occasion. Not the simple minded choice of plain or filtered, regular of king sized.

Now there are pipe snobs, and if you look you can find them at another site, lurking in a "common sewer", but they are a small part of the community.

But, yes the pipe is a contemplative activity, and by its nature it leads to thinking. Cigarettes are more like sound bites, and pipes are an in depth article, or in some cases a good book. For quite a while the social mob has put down tobacco in any of its forms, and so many pipe smokers have tended to be almost closet smokers. It is not like a cigarette, where you can step outside and smoke a cigarette and go back to work. When that cigarette fiend has hot boxed his way through his cigarette, you may have gotten your pipe filled and done the first charring light.

Now for a while the young thoughtful smoker has been a cigar smoker. But the cigar fad has one major shortcoming, good cigars are not cheap. And while good pipe tobacco is not cheap (especially in Canada), it is certainly more economical than 'gars or butts. And cigars are associated with the go-go attitude of the type A hedge fund trader, that is suddenly not so attractive as it was.

And to be blunt about it a pipe smoking man tends to be viewed more favourably by the ladies, than any other type of tobacco user. The image is more urbane than the cigarette smoker, more thoughtful (and generally better smelling) than the cigar smoker, and we won't go into those who dip or chew. If you doubt any of this, fill your pipe with PA or a nice aro and stand outside a public building. If you don't get pleasant comments from strangers about how they love the smell of a pipe and how it reminds them of their father,grandfather, uncle, brother, etc. then your experience is different from mine. And these comments generally come from females, often non-smokers who have not a plesant thing to say about cigarette smokers.

And I have found more young smokers showing up on the boards, and I understand there are some large groups over at the more youth oriented sites (Facebook, etc.). And yes as a group I think that most pipe smokers welcome the interest of others in the activity, and are willing, even anxious to share their knowledge.

I participate on several other sites, but this one is one of my favourites. The organization and presentation is better than some, the moderation is light and even handed (not like a couple I can think of), and the company is respectful and genteel. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Al (in Canada)
Solani 763 in Brigham bulldog (3 dot)

 

[DoverPipes]

It's fairly simple. I look back at when I joined in May of this year and I received two pages of "hellos & welcome aboard" messages.

I found the site while googling the topic "pipes". I was very happy to see all of the Birthday wishes I received from the board. I have close friends that never wish me a "Happy Birthday" let alone a "how are you".

The site has given me a great resource of information and a place to show off my pipes.

I enjoy the spirted discussions and the "rubber room", funny stuff indeed.

Too bad I don't have anyone near me to share a smoke with. As with several other posters to this topic, I too smoke my pipes alone. It is tough to go out and enjoy a pipe (or cigar) in New York State. I have gone to a few tobacco shops in the area and was less than thrilled with the experience. Each time I tried to sit down and smoke in the "lounge" areas, I would have some knucklehead sales person (usually a pimple faced kid) asking me if I would buy more stuff. Kind of crappy to be forced to spend X number of dollars just to enjoy a smoke! :evil:

I would be very happy to find a place where I can chat with people who share my interests and enjoy a good smoke. One can dream.........
PS: I may venture up towards Springfield, MA and check out Azon's in Dock's stomping grounds..........

 

[Natch]

It seems most of us smoke alone, yes? Are we that solitary, or contemplative, or so ornery no one wants to be near us? I've a few good friends that puff as well and we'll share a bowl in the woods when we get together, but my best smokes have been alone, not distracted even by the good company of friends.

Guess I'll have to have a big bowl of Marlin Flake and walk (alone) in the woods (again) tonight and think about it. :mrgreen:

Natch