Tobacco Pipes Search
|
|
A smoke and a cup of coffee have been a hallmark of the smoker's routine for decades. Whether it's a pipe, cigar, or cigarette with coffee, for many, their morning isn't complete without it. Many have speculated on why this routine is so ubiquitous in our culture and I am among these great armchair philosophers. What makes this pairing so perfect?
I'm sad to report that scientific research into coffee and nicotine is severely lacking. The spotlight is mostly focused on the relationship between alcohol and nicotine but there is one study that's circulated about the internet: "Coffee and cigarettes: Modulation of high and low sensitivity α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by n-MP, a biomarker of coffee consumption" by Roger l. Papke, Madison Karaffa, Nicole A. Horenstein, and Clare Stokes. This resource has several neat facts to offer beyond its incredibly catchy name. The study applies a dark-roasted coffee solution to cells that express a particular human nicotine receptor, with an organic compound in the coffee, potentially, helping restore the receptor dysfunction that leads to nicotine cravings in smokers. The broader hypothesis is that one of the compounds in brewed coffee, scientifically named n-MP, may potentially ease morning nicotine cravings.
These are broad strokes to potentially interesting findings but we'll have to wait for more research before anyone can reach a more nuanced conclusion. Regardless, we'll find no answers in science for this question. That means we get to rely on the second-best thing since science: anecdotal speculation.
When I first started smoking a pipe, back in the early days of college, there was a lone Huddle House an hour away from campus that allowed smoking. Why this lone Huddle House allowed smoking in 2016 is beyond me but my friends and I were over the moon to have an all-night diner you could light up and loiter in for hours on end.
It became something of a ritual that after late-night weekend studying: when the library would finally kick us out and tell us to get a social life, we would all cram into Camel Craig's beat-up 1996 Toyota and make the pilgrimage to the most sacred of Huddle Houses. By the time we'd arrive, it'd be 3 a.m. or later and the place would be dead except for us: five college students, four exhausted by complex math and science for their engineering classes, and me, making mock-ups of ads for a toaster pastry brand.
We'd all order our coffee and respective greasy-spoon food and light up. Marlboro Reds were a popular choice in our group, followed by Winstons, and then you had me with the briar. I'd love to tell you I had an elegant and sophisticated palate back then but the truth is that I mostly smoked Captain Black Red Sky. Of the smoke produced at our table, the staff generally favored mine. Bowl after bowl, cigarette after cigarette, cup after cup, we'd sit and talk about the inconsequential things college kids deal with until the sun would creep on the horizon.
Years later when I worked as a bartender, the night would be bookended by copious amounts of coffee and tobacco. Pre- and post-shift, we'd huddle around and sit by the dumpster drinking our much-needed coffee and lamenting the shift that was to come or had just gone. During the pandemic, my late manic nights of writing and drinking would come to an end with the morning cup of coffee and a smoke as I and my roommate waxed poetic about dollar-store philosophy and the true point of our existence.
My point in this isn't to share anecdotes about smoking and coffee; it's to showcase the sense of comradery that comes with smoking and coffee. The best way to make a friend is to have something to smoke on the patio of a bar. The second best way to make a friend is to have a smoke and coffee with a stranger. You can have nothing in common with someone but when you light that pipe and share that pot of coffee, you'll spend hours talking. You may argue it's about the ritual of packing a bowl and making your coffee your special way, but for me, it's all about the human connection.
You may also enjoy:
Comments
Phillip, a fascinating story. In 62-64, I was similarly guilty, but ours was a Toddle House across the alley from our one-room apartments across the street from the university. My pipe was a Barling with Balkan Sobranie. “Those were the days . . .” In 65 I worked with the British Army in Germany and now it’s good British tea and an occasional pipe. . . In my office where I write, think, and read. On Sunday evenings it’s Strathspey and a wee dram with good conversation with my beautiful wife.
Nice to see that the "dark side" does the research. Excellent research on the topic, one of which I too study experimentally with rodents... Cheers... One wonders about the impact that nicotine had on Einstein's sustained attention in theorizing relativity.
It IS about the fellowship. Whether wife or friends (they may be the same!). And, in my mind, the taste of one compliments the taste of the other. Win/win!
What a beautifully nostalgic reflection on the pairing of coffee and tobacco! Your anecdotes capture not just the sensory pleasure of the ritual, but the deep sense of camaraderie that these moments foster. It’s fascinating how shared experiences over coffee and a smoke can transcend superficial differences, forging lasting connections and memories. Thank you for reminding us of the simple joys and the intimate conversations that can emerge from such everyday rituals.
I've just begun my journey in pipe smoking just a few months ago. I haven't had the pleasure of smoking with anyone yet, but I have discovered the joys of coffee with my pipe in the morning. I absolutely love it.
Great article! There's nothing quite like the classic combo of coffee and a smoke to kickstart the day. A true champion's routine!