Smoke rings?
Posted on: Sun, 10/12/2008 - 13:51
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Smoke rings?
While writing another post, a few minutes ago, I decided that it would be fun to throw out a general inquiry about smoke rings.
For how many of us is the blowing of smoke rings an essential component of pipe smoking? Do you do it habitually, sometimes, or never?
Personally, virtually all of my pipe smoking is done outside. This makes the blowing of smoke rings a real challenge, with still air suitable for it a bit of a rarity. But whenever it is possible, I do enjoy the practice of blowing rings. Heavy latakia blends are best for this, I've found, with aromatics a close second. Burleys are hit-and-miss for this and VA/PERs are least good as the big mouthfuls of smoke needed for good ring production are somewhat antithetical to the delicacy of these blends.
The discipline of good ring blowing is just one more piece of the overall meditation that is part of pipe smoking, I've found.
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Me, not so much.
"I think people should be allowed to do what they want, as long as they don't do it in the street and frighten the horses."
(Attributed to Oscar Wilde's Cleaning lady when she testified at his trial.)
Jim
It's not something I think about much. If I try to blow them on purpose, they come out thin and more like horse shoes than rings. They come out as thick, beautiful rings only if I'm not thinking about it at all. It's a Zen kind of thing.
Mostly when I'm sitting in front of the TV and nothing worth watching is on ... I used to be better at it. I guess I'm getting out of practice.
Rick Piatt
I regularly blow smoke rings when driving to and from work.
Relaxing...
My blog: Timberwolfer's Blog
smoke rings are too purposeful behavior. I do appreciate those who can....
"What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet, Long live the weeds and the wildness yet. " Gerard Manley Hopkins
... I give it a try for the grandkids.
Appleton, Wisconsin USA
Captain Bob's Blend: www.cornellanddiehl....
Watching the the smoke while I smoke my pipe is one of the major sources of enjoyment of pipe smoking for me...so blowing smoke rings is nice...because of the way the smoke moves inside of the ring...I don't know...but I like the way it looks...so I do it often but not all the time...
Cheers,
Josh
I've mastered rings. I'm onto the Gandolf (The Hobbit) school of ships and other great shapes. The best I can do right now is something that looks like canoe carved by hand with a lot of imagination.
"My brother thinks he's a chicken, We were going to have him committed, but we needed the eggs," Groucho
I've mastered rings. I'm onto the Gandolf (The Hobbit) school of ships and other great shapes. The best I can do right now is something that looks like canoe carved by hand with a lot of imagination.
Yes, I do ships also--only they're ring-shaped ships. Kinda like flying saucers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Of course, sometimes they're cloud-shaped ships.
I forgot about smoke rings. I used to do them a lot with cigars, but have not done any lately with a pipe. I think I need to rectify that with the next bowl.
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"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth" -- Albert Einstein
To blow a large ring and see how many smaller rings you can blow through it before it dissapates. C'mon everybody should try this at least once.
If it can't cut, it's a pipe!
I honestly haven't given it any thought. The act of smoking the pipe itself and basking in the aroma is "all that" for me.
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