Several years ago a fellow that I knew only online told me a story about a pipemaker friend of his.It seems that if this pipe maker wasn't completely satisfied with a pipe that he made he just gave it to someone.Then he said that he was sending me a pipe.Now this pipe has developed some flaws over the years.The shank expanded and cracked and the stem was loose So I found a stem that fit better.The bowl had a flat spot in it and now it has cracked from top to botton.It's a really beat up old pipe.I feel like an old codger when I smoke it..I have a lot of prettier and shinier pipes so why don't I trash this ugly old pipe you ask.This ugly old beat up pipe smokes great.It smokes Latakia like a champ..So If you find an ugly old pipe don't dismiss it just because of it's looks.It just might be a great smoker...The end of this story is somewhat sad.My online friend who sent the pipe has died,and the fella who gave it to him has quit making pipes do to poor health.
, any true pipe smoker has that one POS they keep smoking. There is a connection to it that you can not describe. It's the feel in the hand, the way it smokes certain blends, or some obscure event that links you to it. It's for some reason "connected" to us. It's a comfort thing we all seek...
