Over two decades ago I was just a kid but the memory that I have of watching a hometown football game with the faint sweet smell of pipe tobacco smoke is so ingrained in my brain, that I can smell it as if it were next to me. It seems the pipe smoking scene is making a big comeback, and it’s no surprise that its biggest selling point is recreating specific tastes and smells from years past. Organizations like the New York Pipe Club are recreating tobacco to mimic the smells of New York City in the 50’s where pipe smoking was a very sophisticated and popular activity to partake in.
There’s no real reason behind the resurrection of this past time but enthusiasts suggest that maybe it’s a way to connect with history. Strong and powerful figures in our history enjoyed smoking pipe tobacco. General Douglas MacArthur was photographed regularly with a pipe protruding from his mouth. It’s because of these famous pipe smokers, that regular folks opt for pipe smoking over perhaps cigars or especially cigarettes, because of the sophisticated stigma of it all.
In addition, preparing and smoking a pipe naturally causes an individual to slow down and relax, and can act as a very therapeutic exercise for the busy lifestyles of today.
Another important reason why pipe smoking has made a dramatic come back is certainly attributed to the internet, which helps spread the word of pipe smoking, and provides a community for like minded people to unite. In addition to that, the internet provides access to companies who have endless supplies of tobacco and pipes right at your fingertips, like us!
The world is ever changing, and rules about tobacco smoking of any kind is prohibited in most places, especially school grounds. Nonetheless, even now, if I’m at a hometown football game , I take a deep breath and pretend that I’m inhaling the sweetest smell, that’s pipe tobacco.