I am yet another beginner, in the most extreme sense of the word. My first bowl was merely an hour ago. I must admit that I have been snooping about this forum for quite some time, and after finally taking the plunge I couldn't help but go ahead and make my presence known. After all, the information and conversation here is primarily what has encouraged my longstanding curiosity towards pipe smoking. So I offer some belated thanks for the wealth of information!
Now, about the actual experience.
I bought myself a Missouri Meerschaum Missouri Pride, a pipe nail, some pipe cleaners, and a single ounce of one of the local B&M's three available aromatic tobacco blends. If I recall correctly, the description mentioned wine-cured tobacco (whatever that is), cavendish, and burleys and virginias. The scent in the jar and pouch reminds me vaguely of earth and raisins. Honestly I wasn't thrilled by it, but it's growing on me.
This evening I found a bench on campus to sit at, loaded up the pipe by swirling a small bunch of tobacco into the bowl with my palm and attempted to light it with a bic. Michigan autumns tend to be quite blustery, and I had a difficult time keeping the bowl lit for more than a couple minutes at a time even though the moisture content of the tobacco seems perfect to my untrained fingers. Somewhat springy, but not sticky or at all crumbly. We'll see how long that will last in it's plastic bag. Anyway, there was no bite, and the smoke was cool. The taste... essentially smoke. Occasionally some of the rainsiny-ness came through, when I slowed down a bit, but I was unable to pick up much of any flavor in general. I have never smoked anything before tonight, so I am sure my palate will develop over time. I can still smell the aroma on my clothes to a small degree, and have a vague ashy taste lingering in my mouth, even after chewing some mint gum.
Overall, the experience was not unpleasant, but not exactly a delight either. My more general curiosity is sated, but I continue to wonder if there is much more to it than this. I won't be smoking more than maybe twice a week on weekends, if that, but I may still break down and order a few more ounces of different blends online to experiment. Before deciding to visit the B&M, I had McClelland's VBC, PS English Luxury, LL Hazelnut, and C&D Autumn Evening in an online shopping cart along with a pipe and supplies. Alas, impatience got the better of me.
So there we have it. I hope to try again this weekend if the weather is more agreeable, but we will have to see.
Now, about the actual experience.
I bought myself a Missouri Meerschaum Missouri Pride, a pipe nail, some pipe cleaners, and a single ounce of one of the local B&M's three available aromatic tobacco blends. If I recall correctly, the description mentioned wine-cured tobacco (whatever that is), cavendish, and burleys and virginias. The scent in the jar and pouch reminds me vaguely of earth and raisins. Honestly I wasn't thrilled by it, but it's growing on me.
This evening I found a bench on campus to sit at, loaded up the pipe by swirling a small bunch of tobacco into the bowl with my palm and attempted to light it with a bic. Michigan autumns tend to be quite blustery, and I had a difficult time keeping the bowl lit for more than a couple minutes at a time even though the moisture content of the tobacco seems perfect to my untrained fingers. Somewhat springy, but not sticky or at all crumbly. We'll see how long that will last in it's plastic bag. Anyway, there was no bite, and the smoke was cool. The taste... essentially smoke. Occasionally some of the rainsiny-ness came through, when I slowed down a bit, but I was unable to pick up much of any flavor in general. I have never smoked anything before tonight, so I am sure my palate will develop over time. I can still smell the aroma on my clothes to a small degree, and have a vague ashy taste lingering in my mouth, even after chewing some mint gum.
Overall, the experience was not unpleasant, but not exactly a delight either. My more general curiosity is sated, but I continue to wonder if there is much more to it than this. I won't be smoking more than maybe twice a week on weekends, if that, but I may still break down and order a few more ounces of different blends online to experiment. Before deciding to visit the B&M, I had McClelland's VBC, PS English Luxury, LL Hazelnut, and C&D Autumn Evening in an online shopping cart along with a pipe and supplies. Alas, impatience got the better of me.
So there we have it. I hope to try again this weekend if the weather is more agreeable, but we will have to see.
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