How or Why Did You Start Smoking a Pipe?
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"Peer pressure and it looks cool, obviously."
Plus it brings on facial hair Paddy.....obviously :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.
Plus it brings on facial hair Paddy.....obviously :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.
I don't know if it brings on facial hair or not but it does carry around that delicious pipe smoke smell.
And I've tried wearing one of those caps before, my wife says any Irishman can pull it off but I think my heads too big.
And I've tried wearing one of those caps before, my wife says any Irishman can pull it off but I think my heads too big.
As for me, no relative I had met smoked a pipe, but my great-great-grandfather did and had left a modest collection of 6 pipes in a wall rack to us (my Dad's side of the family never throws anything away!). This was considered a decoration only, even after I inherited it on the passing of my Grandmother. I had never smoked anything except my eyeballs around countless campfires, but always joked that when I got to be 80, I would celebrate by taking up the pipe. Fast forward to 2015. My youngest daughter took up the pipe after her boyfriend (now my son-in-law) had been smoking one for some months. My oldest daughter gave me a fine cigar for my 55th birthday. I smoked it, enjoyed it, but not quite as much as I had anticipated. Something clicked and I thought, "Why not try this pipe thing?". So, off to my now-favorite tobacconist (Ole Grapevine Cigar and Tobacco) with great-great-grandfather's Dr. Grabow rusticated bent apple pipe to "see what it's worth". They evaluated it (old but not valuable), gave me a bowlful of Burley Lite tobacco, and showed me how to smoke it. My first-ever bowl! Since then I'm head over heels for the hobby, love sitting and smoking with my son-in-law whenever we can, and was taught how to puff properly by my daughter! It's been wonderful so far, and I'm sure the best is yet to come.
During my childhood and into my late teens, my paternal grandfather smoked pipes and occasionally cigars, as did various relatives and close family friends. I especially loved the aroma of pipe smoke, and as I connected it with my wonderful grandpa, I envisioned myself becoming a pipe smoker at the first opportunity. ;-) My dad dabbled in pipes and cigars now and then, and so did some of his work pals, all his age and younger. I guess that might be another reason that I wanted to get an early start - pipes and cigars just seemed like a thing that cool guys enjoyed while hanging out, watching sports, etc.
I sampled machine-made cigars like Tiparillos, White Owls, and Muriel Air Tips in my mid-teens, figuring they'd be easier for me to get and easier to get the hang of. A couple of my friends liked them, but they didn't really deliver what I thought they would. I thought maybe a pipe would be more enjoyable, so I nabbed one of my dad's pipes and gave it a try. I liked it more than I liked the Tiparillos and the Muriels, but the pipe still tasted different from what I expected. I just thought the smoke would taste the way my grandpa's pipe smelled to me.
It took a little while, but I got better at packing the pipe and keeping it lit, so I got used to the flavor and started liking it. Decided I'd better stop borrowing my dad's pipe and got a brand-new Dr. G for myself, which made a huge difference. I hadn't realized my dad's gunky old pipe was affecting the smoke, so my new Dr. G smoked about 100% better. Loved my private pipe smoking sessions through high school. Borkum Riff and Amphora became my fave mass-market blends. Meanwhile, my grandpa had started smoking Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic and Amphora - MUCH nicer blends, I thought!
Right before I started college (and right after turning 18), I worked up the nerve to buy myself another pipe at a real tobacco shop. I was pretty shy about it, thinking I might get flak or a raised eyebrow because of my age. I was way too excited about buying a new pipe to let my shyness stop me, and I relaxed after noticing that the guy behind the counter was in his early 20s and was smoking an amazingly nice-smelling blend. When he asked me if I smoked a pipe or cigars, I said a pipe, and he started showing me pipes in my price range. I bought a no-name straight billiard with a light, smooth finish, which I still own and smoke now and then. Then I got to choose a pouch of any house blend for free to go along with my pipe purchase, so naturally I wanted what the shop guy was smoking. No surprise that it turned out to be Lane 1Q. Next thing I knew, I was getting a refresher lesson on packing and breaking in my new pipe. After firing up that first bowl, I remember thinking, "Wow, THIS is why I want to smoke a pipe!"
I sampled machine-made cigars like Tiparillos, White Owls, and Muriel Air Tips in my mid-teens, figuring they'd be easier for me to get and easier to get the hang of. A couple of my friends liked them, but they didn't really deliver what I thought they would. I thought maybe a pipe would be more enjoyable, so I nabbed one of my dad's pipes and gave it a try. I liked it more than I liked the Tiparillos and the Muriels, but the pipe still tasted different from what I expected. I just thought the smoke would taste the way my grandpa's pipe smelled to me.
It took a little while, but I got better at packing the pipe and keeping it lit, so I got used to the flavor and started liking it. Decided I'd better stop borrowing my dad's pipe and got a brand-new Dr. G for myself, which made a huge difference. I hadn't realized my dad's gunky old pipe was affecting the smoke, so my new Dr. G smoked about 100% better. Loved my private pipe smoking sessions through high school. Borkum Riff and Amphora became my fave mass-market blends. Meanwhile, my grandpa had started smoking Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic and Amphora - MUCH nicer blends, I thought!Right before I started college (and right after turning 18), I worked up the nerve to buy myself another pipe at a real tobacco shop. I was pretty shy about it, thinking I might get flak or a raised eyebrow because of my age. I was way too excited about buying a new pipe to let my shyness stop me, and I relaxed after noticing that the guy behind the counter was in his early 20s and was smoking an amazingly nice-smelling blend. When he asked me if I smoked a pipe or cigars, I said a pipe, and he started showing me pipes in my price range. I bought a no-name straight billiard with a light, smooth finish, which I still own and smoke now and then. Then I got to choose a pouch of any house blend for free to go along with my pipe purchase, so naturally I wanted what the shop guy was smoking. No surprise that it turned out to be Lane 1Q. Next thing I knew, I was getting a refresher lesson on packing and breaking in my new pipe. After firing up that first bowl, I remember thinking, "Wow, THIS is why I want to smoke a pipe!"
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