Pipe Etiquette: Smoking without Offending Others

Is there anything I can do to make pipe smoking less offensive to my wife and others around me?

It's important to be sensitive to those around us, so I commend you on the efforts to make your hobby more bearable to others. I happen to be very fortunate in that my wife doesn't mind my pipes at all. She even enjoys some of the aromas produced by the tobaccos and asks me to smoke certain blends from time to time.

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This leads to my first suggestion: When around others, try to smoke aromatic tobaccos that have sweet, pleasant smells associated with them. In my own personal experience, the best premium-quality aromatic blends are available from Boswell Pipes and Tobaccos (http://www.boswellpipes.com). Their custom blended aromatics are consistently delicious and sweet-smelling and some of the best I've ever smoked. In fact, I've actually had anti-smoking advocates comment that some of these blends are so nice smelling that even they don't mind being around it! Of course, other companies also blend excellent aromatics, but here are a few of my favorites from Boswell:

• Paradise - a very mild, sweet, vanilla-cased black Cavendish tobacco with an astonishingly good room note. The room note from this blend is so good that no other tobacco I've ever smoked even comes close to receiving the accolades this one has received from friends and family. They all agree that it smells better than anything else. Admittedly, the flavor isn't as spectacular as the aroma (but it is very good), and the tobacco can become a bit one dimensional from time to time. But it is still one of my top "social" aromatics.
• Raspberry Cream - second only to Paradise in terms of room note. The flavor on this tobacco is nothing short of spectacular. There is a subtle, but very discernible, flavor of raspberry that permeates every puff. The smoke is thick and has a wonderful creaminess to it. The flavors are truly delightful and remain consistent throughout the bowl. I've had some friends who are long time English blend smokers try a bowl of this and they are stunned. They simply cannot believe that so much flavor and sweetness can be packed into an aromatic.
• Sweet Tea - another outstanding blend. As the name implies, this tobacco has a distinct citrus flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of the southern-style sweet tea. Excellent room note, delicious flavor, and a great aftertaste are hallmarks of this tobacco. Goes particularly well with a glass of real sweet tea.

Another suggestion, especially if smoking indoors, would be to purchase some "Smoker's Candles" and/or aerosol sprays designed for removing smoke odor. These products are available in a variety of wonderful scents and are reasonably priced. In my experience, the most effective and best smelling ones are called "Smoke Odor Exterminator Candles" (http://www.smokercandles.com). The sprays by the same company are also outstanding and are great for a quick cover up of smoking odor. (You may be able to find better pricing on them elsewhere, but the site above offers a wide variety of scents.)

One additional product that I've recently learned about has been getting rave reviews from smokers and non-smokers alike. It's called a "lampe berger," and it supposedly works miracles for both active and lingering smoke odors. They're not the cheapest option out there, but based on the reviews, they may be the best.

I hope this information is helpful to you and prevents you from having to hide from your wife!