Things Change

quincy · Sep 24, 2014

I used to really love big, bulky, weird shaped pipes. Now, I find myself being really attracted to smaller, classic shapes. Of course, my taste in tobacco has evolved which I expected. I am really surprised at how my pipe taste has changed. I always thought billiards were plain and boring. Now, I've really come to appreciate the elegance and subtlety of a billiard. I don't know. I just never expected it. Anyone else have that happen?

maxpeters · Sep 24, 2014

I used to prefer larger pipes myself. Like Dunhill size 6. Then after a few years I preferred a size 5. In the last few years, I have found that a size 4 suits me best now.

My taste in shapes hasn't changed very much though. Yep, we all change a bit here and there over time.

zekest · Sep 24, 2014

Of course, my taste in tobacco has evolved which I expected.

Emphasis added for clarification.
Please take no offense quincy, this was not aimed at you. I think the "taste needs to evolve" argument is prejudiced. This is what a friend said to me when she offered me a taste of her wheat grass smoothie. She said I would learn to love it when my taste evolved.
For example, changing from the Borkum Riff you love to some high falutin' flake is not "evolution", it is either a matter of personal choice, or the act of following the crowd to be "one of them" and smoking something you might not like, trying to "evolve".
We all try different things and either like them, or not like them, but we do not evolve, or grow up to like something. We do not remain cavemen/cavewomen just because we like something different than the microcosm that we forum member are.
I still prefer beer to scotch, it has nothing to do with my inability to evolve as a gentleman, it is my personal choice, and it is just a prejudice held by some others.
Again, no offense meant to anyone, except haters.

lordnoble · Sep 24, 2014

I was like that with bulldogs. Now I really love the lines of a quarter-bent bulldog. The other side is churchwardens. I used to love them and now they don't seem to hold as much sway as they once did.
-Jason

daimyo · Sep 24, 2014

I went through this long ago. I still like the funky and the unusual but there is a reason the classics are the classics. There is a lot to be said for graceful understatement and much like soup is a window into a chef's ability, seeing how a maker handles the classics can say a lot about their skill level. I don't think I'll ever own more classics than variations on them but I really appreciate, admire and respect them.

daimyo · Sep 24, 2014

I think the "taste needs to evolve" argument is prejudiced.

I think you may be taking this phrase the wrong way. Evolve does not mean to make better. In fact evolution being non predictive, a gene selected by breeding may eventually lead to a species demise. What I think people tend to mean when saying this phrase, and forgive me if I am wrong quincy, is that our appreciation for things changes with time and experience. That is not to say one will naturally start to like Scotch over beer in the long run but rather one may start to like Scotch or Beer even if they didn't upon first trying them. Many pipe smokers aren't ready for the heaviest hitters with the strongest taste when they fist pick up a pipe, but just because they may grow to like them doesn't necessitate liking those they started on less. I still like the occasional bowl of 1Q although it is kind of a one note, simple blend. But at the same time I have come to appreciate a robust blend full or rich and varying flavors. So I don't think there is any condescension built into the statement. Also meant with no offense.

lordnoble · Sep 24, 2014

So are you saying, zekest, that you can't grow/evolve to like or even love something that you thought was awful originally? I've never met anyone whose first beer was declared delicious. So I politely disagree. My taste for beer has evolved from one of repulsion to one of delight. Oh, and for the record, I like Borkum Riff Whiskey every now and then, just the same as I like my flakes.
-Jason

quincy · Sep 24, 2014

Zekest. No, I think you nailed it on the head. "Evolved" may have not been the best word. Of course, Nietzsche said that evolution doesn't mean the same as elevation. I guess I mean that I expected my tastes to develop and change. It's like coffee. I find I like different roasts better than others, but sometimes I like Folgers over something fancy. I love the taste of Captain Black but I hate how it gunks up my pipe. That's about my only gripe with it. It's all about tastes and all I meant was that I expected my tastes in tobaccos to change and I was surprised to find my taste in pipe shapes to change. I think you bring up a really great point. There can be a lot of snobbiness in the pipe world. I met a guy who smokes cobs mainly. A lot of people turn up their noses at that. Come to find out, he has a basement full of Dunhills and he just likes his cobs. I think we're too small of a hobby to have elitists. So, thanks for bringing up the point!

warren · Sep 24, 2014

My tastes may have evolved as I tried different blends and such. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, my age has "evolved" to the point that my senses are devolving. I no longer taste flavors in lightly cased blends. I need a lot of perique if I am to enjoy the "zip." An English had better be really "english" if I am

to taste the various flavors. My sense of taste and smell no longer allow for subtlety.
"Go Bulldogs! Get Bent!" Still my favorite shape. A well built, bent (full and otherwise) dawg will catch my eye every time.

condorlover1 · Sep 24, 2014

Well I guess I am a cave man. In evolutionary terms I suppose I have evolved from clay pipes yet my taste in tobacco has remained static! I guess you had better take me down to the ASPCA and have me put down! :rofl:

condorlover1 · Sep 24, 2014

@Sparks The man at the aquarium said he wouldn't take me back and that all sales were final! :laughat:

torque · Sep 24, 2014

I don't think my tastes have "evolved" so much as "expanded". When I first started with a pipe I thought PS English Luxury and St. James Woods were the top of the heap. At that time I had only tried a few blends so my frame of reference was pretty narrow. Now, after sampling a multitude of other blends, while I still appreciate those earlier favorites I no longer think of them as "the best". I don't think my tastes has so much evolved as they have been exposed to a broader base of experiences. This has caused more of a "perception shift" rather than an evolution. Those tobaccos haven't changed, and I don't think my tastes have either, I just have a broader base for comparison.

huntertrw · Sep 24, 2014

Given the title of this thread, I thought that this musical break might be appropriate:
Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed

fishnbanjo · Sep 24, 2014

My taste in tobacco has evolved as I used to smoke light aromatic's only, now I infrequently smoke an aromatic and mostly smoke flakes. cakes, rolls and plugs. My pipe collecting has always been eclectic and my bowl size tends to be group 3 or less although I do have a few group 4's which I won't part with and do smoke on occasion. As with anything else in life we constantly grow so it's pretty much certain our tastes will, or at least may, change as we age. Smoke on.....

banjo

johnnyreb · Sep 24, 2014

I still prefer a bigger pipe for a longer contemplative smoke since most of my pipe smoking is done around home now days. I prefer the aesthetics of a longer stemmed poker or a squat bulldog. Having a big beard like Quincy's picture I stay away from nose warmers or pipes that rest on the chin. When I leave home however I tend to grab up a small pocket pipe such as my Savinelli Lollo, especially if I plan to stop by a B&M where I might sample some new tobaccos or meet up with some good friends for piping & conversation in the den.
In general my tastes in tobaccos parallels my tastes in drinks; I stay away from the sweet stuff. Back in my wild youth getting sick on the sweet stuff a couple of times cured me for life!

cosmicfolklore · Sep 24, 2014

I seem to enjoy the adventure of learning the way different pipes want to be smoked. I seem to be gathering an eclectic collection of different shapes and sizes, from tiny .5 diameter pipes, all the way to 1" diameter pipes, short pipes, long pipes, big pipes, little pipes, clay pipes, stone pipes, one pipe, two pipe, pipe, pipe, pipe...

Probably the more different a pipe is, the more I want it. However, bulldogs and dublins make up the largest percentage of shapes on my rack.
I see one day just having a little of everything. But, I guess that if I settled on one shape and size, I would be "changing," ha ha!!

smeigs · Sep 24, 2014

I completely agree with this. When I first started out in the pipe world I really enjoyed your classic shapes; prince, bulldog, acorn, etc.. I also did not like virginia blends at all. Now, a couple years in.. I love virginia blends more than anything and I am really attracted to exotic free hands. I guess this is one great thing about the hobby. There are so many great aspects to the tobacco and the pipes that it will keep you coming back for more and wanting to try new things... Even years down the road.

layinpipe · Sep 24, 2014

I used to really love big, bulky, weird shaped pipes. Now, I find myself being really attracted to smaller, classic shapes. Of course, my taste in tobacco has evolved which I expected. I am really surprised at how my pipe taste has changed. I always thought billiards were plain and boring. Now, I've really come to appreciate the elegance and subtlety of a billiard. I don't know. I just never expected it. Anyone else have that happen?

Quincy, i couldn't have said it better myself and totally feel the same way in every aspect.

numbersix · Sep 24, 2014

Good post! First, to comment on your original question:

Now, I've really come to appreciate the elegance and subtlety of a billiard. I don't know. I just never expected it. Anyone else have that happen?

Yes, however, not so much with pipes, but with other things. Early on in my pipe journey, I just liked the classic shape of the billiard and that hasn't changed. However, if I had the funds, I'd probably add other shapes and I could see my tastes changing in due course.

I think the "taste needs to evolve" argument is prejudiced. This is what a friend said to me when she offered me a taste of her wheat grass smoothie. She said I would learn to love it when my taste evolved.

I tend to bristle at the word "evolve". But I read the other comments to this and they are all good points. To daimyo's point:

Evolve does not mean to make better.

Technically I think you're right, so good point and glad you pointed it out!
However, I think I know what zekest means as well. Esp in the example of the grass smoothie. The term "evolve" is often used by others to imply that one is stuck behind or not as "enlightened" as another.
[As zekest mentioned, I also I didn't perceive Qunicy's use of the word to be pejorative in anyway]

kcvet67 · Sep 24, 2014

I've never met anyone whose first beer was declared delicious.

I've met quite a few people who said that they loved their first beer.
They lied about a lot of other things too. :lol:

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