Young(er) Pipe Smokers

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

jmsutton

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 11, 2014
103
0
I have noticed among my friends, and in culture in general, that pipe smoking is becoming more and more popular among young guys. I love it. I'm 22 and have been puffing for about 5 years. My friends all got into it more when they turned 18. Now when we get together, we always end up sitting around in our dad's office or on the backporch smoking a pipe and talking.
I wanted to start forum to see how many "younger" guys there are on here, and ask why smoking a pipe appeals to you. For me, it has always been kind of a heritage thing. My dad and I have talked about it and there have been pastors/theologians in my family for a few generations, and all have smoked a pipe (all we can recall is my great-great-grandfather, we're not sure beyond that). I always remember by great-grandpa Sutton always smoking a kaywoodie standard and saying that he smoked half and half "for years and years". My grandfather breaks out a Savenelli that his father gave him for Christmas a few years before he passed away on special occasions and stocks it up with some SG Skiff. My dad really enjoys just a simply Dr. Grabow with some Carter Hall. So for me, enjoying fine tobacco (cigars and pipes) is something that Sutton men do. My wife is OK with it, so it's good to be a Sutton.
Please don't feel as if I am trying to eliminate responses from all demographics. If you're what you would not consider "younger", I would love some wisdom, experience, and insight on why you started smoking at a younger age, or why so many guys around my age are now smoking pipes more.
Excited so see some responses.

 

lordnoble

Lifer
Jul 13, 2010
2,677
14
I like how $250-$400 is mid-grade for you gigger48. I'd consider that high-grade. Anything more than that and I'd consider it in the collector territory.
Just my 2 centavos.
-Jason

 

puffy

Lifer
Dec 24, 2010
2,511
98
North Carolina
Starting when you're young really isn't all that new..A lot of us did..I started when I was 29.That's not all that young to some folks.Now that I'm past 70 though I look at 29 as being some what young.My feeling is the more of us the better.I'm always glad when I hear of new pipe smokers no matter their age.

 

dryseason91

Can't Leave
Oct 10, 2013
373
5
Dublin, Ireland
I'm 23 and bought my first pipe about this time two years ago. I'm not sure what attracted me to pipe smoking in the first place; I did, at that point, smoke cigarettes, which I never really liked, but I did maybe have some notion that there could be a more refined way to enjoy tobacco. I was even more drawn when I did a bit of research and discovered that there was a whole culture of pipe smoking (of which this forum is an eminent example) - the technical depth and richness of the hobby, its history, its sense of community, the variety of pipes and blends and tobaccos: it all simply enthralled me.
One thing I can say for sure is that I didn't do it for the image. I don't advertise the fact that I smoke a pipe and I don't do it in public. It would draw too much attention. For me, it's just a thing of sheer, personal, meditative pleasure.

 

bulletsnbriars

Can't Leave
Nov 9, 2013
323
1
Nashville/Williston
I am 18, and I told my dad last december all I wanted for that birthday was a pipe. He got me a nice little Peterson. Back in my hometown there's a group of us young bucks; none older than 21 that I've of mentored out of cheap cigars and into pipes.
I don't know why it continues to surprise everyone, maybe it's just because I'm connected to the scene, but pipes aren't just for the older generation anymore (no offense intended), I'm very happy to report that piping is alive and well and will continue with my generation. You just got to look.
Anyway, I got into piping because some of the people I respected the most were pipers. My old pastor; one of the greatest men I've had the pleasure of meeting lit up a Peterson every now and then, as did his son, and my Dad and my older brother, and of course there is my ultimate literary and theological hero C.S. Lewis. What can I say; not an original thought in my head haha. But then I got hooked on cigarettes; which gave me a bigger respect for the pipe. By seeing what bad tasting tobacco is , I got a respect for good tasting tobacco. I'm still trying to knock the cigarettes; but to me, pipes are the safest way to get old lady N. So those are my plethora of reasons for piping. Number 1 though is the community; camaraderie. Just being a piper brings you into a very special world. I have been taken into homes and given a place to sleep just because I'm a piper. I've engaged conversations and met with some of the most interesting people, just because I was smoking a pipe. I have witnessed unparalleled generosity; just because I smoke tobacco out of a pretty hunk of wood.
Growing up, all through highschool, I was the drifter. I was the good youthgroup kid. I was the theater kid. I was the skater lid, the metal kid, the anime kid. Maybe its just because I've grown up and am amoung mature people now; but no "scene" has ever connected me to such genuinely kind and interesting people like piping has.
I love everything about it.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
"I like how $250-$400 is mid-grade for you gigger48."
I don't think your giving good advice gigger. There are many very good pipes available WAY under $200. For myself, I can't see spending any where near your numbers on a pipe. Now on tobacco, that's entirely different. Buy now while it's cheaper.
tinner

 

lordnoble

Lifer
Jul 13, 2010
2,677
14
gigger48, I guess the point of my post was one from the angle as to not discourage new pipe smokers (whether they be young or old) from getting into the hobby because they can't afford, as you put it, a $400 mid-grade pipe. If I were to have tried that when I started down this track, I'd have never gotten out of the starting gate. $400 is a ton of money for someone who isn't sure if they want to continue in this hobby. None of this applies to the OP's request, since he's clearly in this for the long haul, so in this case your statement isn't bad. I'm more concerned that some OTHER new/young pipe smoker (or would be pipe-smoker) will read your post and take it as an absolute.
YMMV
-Jason

 

cmdrmcbragg

Lifer
Jul 29, 2013
1,739
3
I don't think we can consider Petes and Savs as low grade just because they are factory made. Low grade would be your drug store, cobs and basket pipes. I think Dr Grabows, MM cobs and no names. They may smoke fine but they aren't much to look at and their shapes are dull. No offense to those that swear by them, but I've had them all and they were the first ones to go because they didn't do anything for me and I was hardly reaching for them once I added more pipes to my racks.
I'm 28 (29 tomorrow) so I'm not sure if I still count as "young", but I started smoking a pipe just over a year ago (July 2013) and took to it because I wanted variety in my tobacco, I always thought a pipe was rather gentlemanly (read: refined), my grandpa was a bit of a pipe smoker and I just enjoy old things. That and I have a way of finding hobbies that can be done within the home, which is how I got into woodworking, costume making, and pipe/cigar smoking.

 

lordnoble

Lifer
Jul 13, 2010
2,677
14
gigger, I'm sorry if I implied you were dealing in absolutes. What I meant was that some new smokers might mistake your suggestion as an absolute. That's all.
-Jason

 

algenib

Lurker
Jan 8, 2014
38
0
Orlando, FL
I'm a 25 year old smoker. I've been smoking since I was 18, but I'm still uncomfortable doing it in public. I don't want it to be seen as some stupid affectation, but I guess I'm just a few years away from it not being *too* strange. I've smoked in public a few times before, and I always get weird looks and people asking me "what's in that thing?"
I came around to it because my mom bought be a pipe for my 18th birthday. I'd never really thought of smoking one before, but I've always liked old timey things, so she thought it was a good gift, and she was right. I don't think she expected it to grow into such a large hobby, but she's mostly supportive of it.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
Gigger I agree to disagree. I drive a low grade 1996 F250 with 288k miles on it and it still has the original exhaust system. Pipes work the same way.

 

wcannoy

Can't Leave
Nov 29, 2012
344
4
Lakeland, FL
I'm certainly not young anymore, but I was about 21 when I started smoking pipes, and 23 when I started carving them. The attraction for me was the nostalgic connection it made for me with the older pipesmoking generations of my family, particularly my uncle. I remember visiting his house as a kid, it always smelled of pipe tobacco goodness!

 

smeigs

Lifer
Jun 26, 2012
1,049
7
26 here. Been smoking a pipe about 3 years. Love the culture and the history. I love the variety and the flavors I can get out of a blend. Nothin better than good friends, good drinks and a good smoke. I would say about 40 percent of our pipe club here is under 40, so we have a lot of younger folks. As for your discussions above... I guess everyone has a different idea of what low, mid, high and ultra grade pipes are. I smoke what I like... I dont care if its 20 bucks or 200. If it fits my hand well, is aesthetically pleasing to me and feels natural, I buy it. I have 20 dollar pipes that feel better and smoke better than my pipes that were hundreds of dollars. I have also had pipes that I bought for hundreds that end up breaking on me within a year or so. I have 20 dollar pipes I have been smoking non stop and have never had an issue with. To each their own I suppose. As long as your enjoying the experience I dont think it matters.

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
I'm pushing 40 these days, but started smoking a pipe at 16 or 17. (Our local tobacconist was 90-something and a noted counter-culture rebel in his youth... either he couldn't see my crappy fake ID clearly or he just didn't care.) I didn't have any pipe smokers in my family (a couple cigar smokers, though), but I always admired the contemplative aspect of it. I'm also a lover of intricate systems in many contexts, so learning the nuances of tobacco varieties, packing techniques, bowl sizes, etc. was appealing.

 

hiplainsdrifter

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 8, 2012
977
14
I am pretty sure I am out of the "younger" category now at 34, but I started smoking a pipe at age 18. I was enthralled with tobacco culture even earlier though. Initially, I definitely started smoking a pipe because of the image. As a young 20-something, when everyone was sucking down cigs at a party, I would bust out my pipe. To me, it says a person is different, in a good way. It is gentleman and wild man all rolled into one. I did read a lot of Sherlock Holmes as a kid, so I am sure that was something of an influence. I always really enjoyed the taste and relaxing effects of tobacco. I smoked only aromatics and occasional cigarettes for years- although infrequently. It is only in the last 5 years or so that I have discovered the incredible array of fine tobaccos that are available. One thing I would say to caution younger smokers- find a way to balance tobacco enjoyment with a somewhat healthy lifestyle. Tobacco is only one thing to enjoy in life, there are many more. I have found that for me the most enjoyable experiences have required me to be in good physical shape. So, like everything, enjoy in moderation. I could eat BBQ pulled pork for lunch every day, but I don't- it is more of a special treat. Same idea here.

 

lostandfound

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 30, 2011
924
44
I knew I would be a smoker of some sort since I was very little. Eight or ten maybe. I started smoking cigarettes when I was 16, and began switching to the pipe when I was maybe 21 or 22. I'm almost 26 now. Something about smoking a pipe felt very "Me", so I picked up a MM Hardwood, and a bag of Blackberry "pipe tobacco" (actually, it was RYO), and began my journey. Now it's now, and I'm a full fledged piper. I quit smoking cigarettes over a year ago, and haven't looked back.
Oh, and by the way... A Rad Davis pipe, from my understanding, is one of the best smoking pipes a person can smoke. A Rad Davis can also be had for well under $1000 dollars. That puts "High Grade" at about $1000 dollars max, and I know for a fact that Rad sells many of his pipes at around $350, so really... that puts "High Grade", at around $350. Anything more than that and you're paying for a spectacular reputation- like a Jess Chonowitsch, or a Bang, for example.

 

snagstangl

Lifer
Jul 1, 2013
1,606
768
Iowa, United States
Im 32, been piping for I guess 3 years now. I was part of a pipe club in a bigger town before I moved to a smaller town. Im the only one smoking a pipe as far as I can tell. As for a why, cigars. Smoke a pipe while letting your cigars age. they all have about 3 years on them now.
I take my factory pipes, check the fit and finish and clean them up, tweek the stem opening on the button with a file or other things, I guess those is my hand finished pipes. Well, I do have Castello and another artisan made they smoke well but not so much that I might spend $400 for more. I often smoke in my 1999 chrysler concorde with 305,000 miles on it. I guess I will smoke and drive my exceptions.
But we all know it is Technique, not the pipe.
Statistics don't lie but, interpretation...

 

reichenbach

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2012
552
2
West Park, NY
If you're a young pipe smoker and have a trust fund, raid it for a $400 mid-range pipe. If not, get whatever pipes you can afford. Just keep a rotation. As your income grows, expand your range of pipes and tobaccos (or don't if you've found some thing works).
I'm 30. I started smoking a cigars and pipes at 18 then started smoking cigarettes at 21. Smoked those yokes exclusively until about 27 when I started to mix the pipe back and I've been steady quit on the cigs for about 2 weeks now and finally feel like a 'pipe smoker' because I only reach for my pipe when I want to smoke.
My dad smokes a pipe. I'm pretty sure that half of my posts on here start with, "Well, my dad says...'. My great grandfather smoked a pipe too. We still have one of his pipes. It's a short church warden and he smoked Flying Dutchman. My dad smokes Grabows and Super Value Black and Gold. Do what works and if it stops working, change.

 

jmsutton

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 11, 2014
103
0
Great reactions! Thanks guys. As for pipes, I've speant about $60 on one, but that's the most as of now. My wife doesn't mind me smoking as long as I don't spend too much money, and I don't mind that. No pipe is worth losing your wife. haha. It seems that the deep thought, contemplative nature of pipe smoking is the overall attraction for us.
Happy puffing.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.