You would not believe how often this question is asked. And you would not believe in how many books, movies and other pieces of fiction pipe smokers are described as “deeply inhaling” the smoke of their pipes…

So – CAN you inhale the smoke of a tobacco pipe?

Of course you CAN.

But nobody does.

Well, ok, I DO know some die-hard type cigarette smokers who switched to pipe smoking and kept the habit of inhaling.

But hey – pipe smoking is about taste, attitude, and a very relaxing and inspiring habit. Not about filling your lungs with dust and tar. And pipe tobacco is quite different from the crap that is used for making cigarettes. It is good, heavy stuff.

So if you want to smoke a pipe the right way, you do NOT inhale. You lightly puff along, “draw” on the pipe, some have described it as “breathing with a pipe”. Which does not mean you draw all the air you need through that poor piece of briar, but that you keep breathing normally and allow just a little air/smoke from the pipe being sucked in with the flow of air… take the smoke in your mouth, gently “roll” it around a bit, taste it, release it (forming smoke rings is optional… ;-) )

That’s it. No inhaling, no coughing.

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