newb here. just got some new toys...

[Zanaspus]

Originally Posted by schollianmj

Now for a couple questions...

I need to keep the tobacco in a humidor or something right? I see online pouches for tobacco, but wont that allow it to dry out?

I bought a cheap 30 dollar pipe. no name brand since it was my first one... other than aesthetics, what are the benefits of the higher dollar pipes? I saw a peterson that I really loved, but it was just under two hundred. why? what makes them so expensive?

my pipe gurgles a bit after smoking for about 15 mins. I know it is moisture accumulating at the bottom of the bowl from the tobacco, but I cannot seem to get a pipe cleaner down the stem to wick it away. is there something I can do to fix this? I was thinking of using a small file and chamfering the opening of the hole.

While talking about pipe cleaners... the opening in the mouthpiece is so small I can hardly get the pipe cleaners in it. could I open it up a bit with and exact o knife or some such?

I think thats about it for now. Thanks for reading....

1) Humidor is too wet for pipe tobacco (not to mention it's like putting Acids in your humi. Buy a flat of mason jars. Cheap as chips and optimal for pipe tobacco.

2) As you are learning, the downside of a $30 pipe is that it is often engineered like a $30 pipe. i.e Not a clean straight airway (this causes gurgles and obstruction of pipe cleaners to try and fix it. $200 is mid-line for Peterson. Look at Petersons, Stanwells, and Savinellis say here:

http://www.smokingpipes.com/

This is my personal favorite e-tailer. They certainly have the widest selection. Also, if you don't mind the look, Missouri Meerschaum corn-cob pipes smoke as well as most $200 pipes IMO. At 8-10 bucks for the better ones, they're a worthwhile investment even if you prefer briar

3) See 2 above

4) An exacto knife, no. Drill bits, files and the like, yes. Seems to me an awful lot of effort for a $30 pipe.

Enjoy the trip!