Cigars and tobacco pipes have long been popular alternatives to cigarettes and continue to enjoy widespread popularity worldwide. The people who enjoy cigars and pipes think of them as a more refined, sophisticated method of enjoying tobacco as compared to cigarettes, and we tend to agree with that. But what about pipes vs cigars? Is one objectively “better” than the other? That's what we're here to find out in this post. So let's get on with it.

Cigars vs. Tobacco Pipes: Accessories

One big difference between cigarettes and pipes/cigars is the number of accessories they require. With cigarettes, you don't need any accessories (the now obsolete cigarette holder aside). That's not the case with pipes and cigars.

To enjoy tobacco in a pipe you will first of all need the pipe. Beyond that, there are an array of essential tobacco pipe accessories that you'll need to maintain your pipe. These include:

• Lighter
• Tobacco pouch
• Pick
• Reamer
• Tamper
• Wind cap
• Pipe cleaners
• Filters/inserts
• Pipe rack

Not quite the same as just taking a cigarette from a pack and lighting it up. But then again this lack of convenience, this emphasis on the almost sacramental nature of pipe smoking, is one of the things that draws people to it.

As for cigars… to properly enjoy your expensive cigars you will also need some accessories. These typically include:

• Cutter
• Cedar tray
• Cigar box
• Ashtray
• Hygrometer
• Lighter
• Humidor
• Travel humidor

While not everyone who smokes cigars will have a hygrometer (a device that calculates humidity), many cigar smokers have most or all of these items.

Cigars vs Pipes: Cost

There is a widespread assumption that cigar smoking is the most expensive way to enjoy tobacco. The fact is that, like wine, how much you spend on cigars will be up to you. You can find a perfectly enjoyable handmade cigar for $5 - $10. On the other hand, if you are something of a connoisseur and you do not have any budgetary restraints you might insist on something like an Arturo Fuente Opus X, which will set you back $30+ per cigar. So again, how much you spend will depend on your tastes and budget. But it doesn't have to be punishingly expensive.

Perhaps the biggest difference between cigars and tobacco pipes is the need for the pipe itself. No pipe, no pipe smoking. While high-quality briar pipes and meerschaum pipes are not necessarily cheap, they don't have to be prohibitively expensive. You can typically get a high quality pipe for $30 to $50. And that is a one-time cost, as opposed to expensive cigars that may set you back nearly that much every time you light up. Meerschaum pipes are another story.

Because they are made from a finite resource and are often hand-carved, Meerschaum pipes can be quite expensive. Is it worth paying several hundred dollars or more for a tobacco pipe? Only you can answer that question, but Meerschaum pipes have legions of devoted fans who will not use anything else.

Pipes vs Cigars: Tobacco

When you purchase a good cigar there is no tobacco issue. The cigar maker has already selected a high-quality tobacco and wrapped it for your enjoyment. But a pipe is naught but an empty vessel until you fill it with the tobacco of your choice. And there are a lot of different kinds to choose from, including aromatic and non-aromatic blends. There are also a variety of different tobacco cuts including:

• Ribbon Cut
• Flake Cut
• Plug
• Shag Cut

On top of that, you have a variety of tobaccos that form the basis of the multitude of tobacco blends including:

• Burley Tobacco
• Virginia Tobacco
• Cavendish Tobacco
• Latakia Tobacco
• Oriental Tobacco
• Perique Tobacco

With all that in mind trying to find a pipe tobacco that is to your taste can seem like a daunting task. The good news, however, is that the incredible variety pretty much ensures you will be able to find one that is just right.

Pipes vs Cigars: Taste

Unlike cigarettes, both pipes and cigars are touted for their flavor. The best cigars, for instance, are designed to create a flavor experience as they are smoked with the initial taste being noticeably different from the flavor you experience toward the end of the cigar. As the flavor develops over the course of smoking the cigar so too does the aroma. This type of multifaceted taste experience pretty effectively separates high-end cigar smoking from just about every other type of tobacco experience.

Tobacco pipes, by contrast, will offer a uniform flavor experience from start to finish. The quality of that experience will also be heavily dependent on the quality of the pack and whether or not the person performed a nice even burn of the tobacco. All too often expensive pipe tobacco is ruined by being poorly packed in the bowl or being overcooked. Practice, however, can alleviate those problems.

The Bottom Line

The debate over which is better, pipes or cigars, is an old one and is almost entirely subjective. You will find people on both sides of the issue who are convinced theirs is the better, more satisfying method of enjoying tobacco. The bottom line is that the quality of your pipe or cigar experience is almost entirely dependent on the quality of the materials involved.

For a world-class selection of tobacco pipes, tobacco pipe accessories and wholesale tobacco pipes visit the brick and mortar or online Paykoc stores.