When I joined Forums a few years ago, I thought I had a pretty good general knowledge of pipes and tobacco, not a professional knowledge, but a fair breadth of general information. Over the years, the more I learn the less I know. When you really dig into the history of pipes, various brands and from different countries, the wider the subject becomes. Likewise, tobaccos are a life study in themselves, from farming, to curing, to processing, to blending and beyond. I guess it's like any subject. When you start out, you have a sort of adolescent confidence in what you pick up quickly and you feel you have command of something. Then you begin to learn what all you don't know, and the horizon reaches on forever.