As some of you are no doubt aware, on Maple City Pipecast I am conducting interviews with everyday pipe smokers as part of a series to get the voice of the common man out there for others to hear. As part of the process, am also reaching out to others, I have inquires in with some people that I have yet to pin down times and dates with, but suffices to say that there are some good conversations coming down the pipe. (Pun intended)
One of the people I contacted was Phil from the Briar Report, who declined an audio interview but was willing to conduct a text one for our blog section. So without further ado, here’s our conversation.
Maple City Pipe Blog (MCPB): Here are the questions for you Phil. No Rush.
Phil from Briar Report (PBR): But I like Rush, they’re one of my favorites. Did you know Geddy Lee’s birthday was earlier this week? He’s 65! I can’t believe it.
MCPB: How did you get into the hobby of pipe smoking?
PBR: When I was much younger, in the Navy, I picked up some Corn Cobs and some drugstore tobacco, probably Capt. Black. I wasn’t very serious about it and I would smoke the same pipe constantly and inevitably, it would burn up. Many people smoked in those days and it was allowed onboard but they were all chain-smoking Coffin Nails and were of no help to me.
After I got out of Watchmaking School I lived in an apartment, which was owned by a man who owned a jewellery store. That store was one of our customers and we did wholesale repairs for them. I lived on the second floor and on the ground floor were two businesses, the jewellery store, and a Tobacco shop. I lived directly above the Tobacco shop. It wasn’t a cigar store as most tobacco shops are now but mainly centred on pipes, although he did have some cigars. He taught me tons of stuff about pipes I never knew. I picked out my first briar which I still have and ran through his tobaccos. Once I knew what I was doing it was wonderful. The Pipe Shop didn’t last long and it was soon replaced by a hair salon. I was quite upset and needless to say I did not get my hair done there.
MCPB: What prompted the start of the Briar Report?
PBR: The Briar Report (world’s premier source of pipe smoking news and information) was started as a joke. I never intended for anyone to go on it (maybe a couple of people I knew). I would write crazy headlines and link to all kinds of stuff, not just pipes and cigars. At first, it was more of a newsletter format. When I decided to begin archiving I thought I’d better quit goofing around. I started to take it seriously and began developing the static links you see now. It even started to look professional. It went months without anyone even going on it, but by then I wanted it to be successful so I never gave up. I would get up very early, like I do now, 12:30 am and begin updating the site for the day. It was the only spare time I had or still have. I want it to be fresh for when people got up in the morning. I kept doing it even though no one was visiting the site. You can imagine how hard it is to come up with pipe stories every day. I slowly expanded into linking YouTube videos and cigar news. I soon noticed a few people would pop up here and there. It wasn’t long after when it became popular.
So I guess there have been two versions, so far. The first one as something to amuse myself and the second to provide a service for people who love pipe smoking.
MCPB: Do you have a favorite pipe?
PBR: Yes.
MCPB: Do you have a favorite blend/type of tobacco (i.e. English)?
Not really. I look at tobacco as I do food. I love steak, I love pizza and many other things. I wouldn’t say I like one more than the other although there are times when I prefer one over the other. It would be sad to stick to one type of tobacco, let alone one blend. There are a few blends I don’t care for, but generally, I like them all. It changes with my mood, the time of year and probably a million other factors. If I said my favorite was Va/Per I might say something different in the Fall. My favorite blend has always been Dunhill DeLuxe Navy Rolls, so I guess for the purpose of this interview, I’ll go with Va/Per, but don’t hold me to it.
Can I switch my answer to English?
MCPB: Do you have any advice for new pipe smokers?
PBR: New pipe smokers should learn to pack, light and smoke their pipes correctly or they will have the same problems I ran into. I was lucky enough to have those bad habits corrected quickly or I would have lost interest forever. There is no excuse not to learn the correct way now with the internet. I won’t single out any channel or website, but the information is there if you want it.
Other than that I’d say;
Take care of your pipes. Treat them well, keep them clean and they will last you a lifetime. Even the most inexpensive Briar pipe can be a great smoker. Cobs are a little different but that’s no reason to have a dirty pipe. You will enjoy the hobby much more with a well-maintained pipe, trust me.
Take care of your tobacco. Tossing a pouch on the front seat of your car and letting it bake in the sun or not keeping it in a sealed container in the winter causing it to dry out are examples of why some people lose interest. Keeping it fresh and ageing it well increases your enjoyment immensely. You are better able to taste which ones you like, including in different pipes, and the subtleties of each blend. You can’t do that if you don’t take care of it.
MCPB: Thanks for taking the time.
PBR: You’re welcome, it was my pleasure. Thank you for speaking with me.
Thank you again, Phil, for taking the time to speak with us here at Maple City Pipe Blog, and if you are interested in seeing what The Briar Report has to offer, just click here, or follow them on Twitter @BriarReport.