1st Month of My Pipe Smoking Journey

[PiperCalvinist]

[wasn't sure if this belonged here or in general discussion? Since I'm rather new, I picked here]

At the beginning of March I would have never dreamed of smoking a pipe. I never even thought about smoking, let alone a pipe. But by the end of the month (March 31st) suddenly I was smoking a pipe for the first time in my life, and I have been sucked into the vortex of the piping world ever since. This whole month of April was spent watching way too many YouTube videos on how-to’s, different tobacco types, blend reviews, pipe reviews, and all things pipe related. It’s been great, and I really love this pipe smoking experience. I’ve still got lots to learn, but this is what I’ve learned so far (in no particular order):

• I’ve learned a lot about smoking a pipe and tobacco blends from Hobbiton Piper, Muttnchop Piper. Spurgeon Piper, Eddie @ The Pipe Nook, Jeremy Reeves, Adam on Get Piped, and THIS FORUM! Thank you to all!
• I love blends from The Country Squire! Shepherd’s Pie & Cowboy Coffee are fantastic! I can’t wait to try their aromatic blends (4 of them on their way!). I also really like Red Blood Moon and 4th Generation Burley Flake. I’m not a big fan of the very popular Early Morning Pipe. It’s not bad, it's just on the bottom of the list of blends I’ve smoked thus far.
• I’m very thankful that God created tobacco for us to enjoy! The goodness we discover in it is intended to point to His incredible goodness to us! God is GOOD!
• My average bowl lasts me about an hour.
• I’ve found it beneficial to scoop some ash out after I reach the halfway point in my smoke.
• Cobs may be cheap, but they are really good smokers!
• I started out obsessing way too much about relights & smoking all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.
• I love sitting under the oak tree on my back porch, watching and listening to the birds, feeling the wind, and contemplating life as I smoke. I’ve already solved most of the world’s problems in my head. Maybe it's the nicotine…
• Wind and lighters are not good friends. Battling strong winds on relights is like trying to use an umbrella in a torrential downpour with the rain falling in horizontal direction…has its challenges.
• Lighter fluid burns up faster than I thought it would. (see the previous point)
• The wind laughs at matches…
• I haven’t really noticed a difference between smoking with or without a filter. Although, I have yet to smoke an aromatic in a filterless pipe.
• My wife has yet to say a negative thing about the smell of tobacco on me. This is wonderful!
• I’ve had to keep myself in-check, lest I easily develop P.A.D. (pipe acquisition disorder). At my current posting, I already have 8 pipes… Maybe this is a normal reaction, but I’m not really in this to become a collector.
• Blends, blends, and more blends. Goodnight! - there are more blends than I will ever be able to smoke in my lifetime! I actually think I run the greater risk of B.A.D (blend acquisition disorder) before I ever get to P.A.D. I only have 12 blends, but have another 10 on the way and could easily see myself buying more! Needless to say, I love trying out different blends.
• I have yet to detect a favorite leaning towards any type of tobacco. So far I have enjoyed the different flavor profiles that each tobacco offers.
• I enjoy drinking ice water while smoking. This is good because I don’t drink enough water each day.
• Since smoking, it has brought some interesting insight into Scripture I had previously completely overlooked. Over 40 times in Scripture we are told that the burnt offerings of the Israelites were “a pleasing aroma” to Him. God delights in pleasing aromas! In fact, in the New Testament we are told our service to Christ is a “sweet smelling savor” to God. 2 Cor. 2:15 That is a wonderful thing to contemplate!
• I’m sure it’s just inexperience on my part, but I find that I have to draw much stronger using a Zippo (with the pipe adapter) to draw the flame down, as opposed to using my butane lighter.
• I like the fact that I can smoke 2 bowls one day and the next day not smoke at all, and unlike coffee, I DO NOT get any kind of withdrawal symptom. That tells me, either the nicotine absorption is NOT that bad in pipe smoking or I haven’t been doing this long enough to develop a withdrawal effect.

Looking forward to see what month #2 has in store!

 

[Shylock_Homeless]

• I’ve learned a lot about smoking a pipe and tobacco blends from Hobbiton Piper, Muttnchop Piper. Spurgeon Piper, Eddie @ The Pipe Nook, Jeremy Reeves, Adam on Get Piped, and THIS FORUM! Thank you to all!
• I started out obsessing way too much about relights & smoking all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.
• I’ve had to keep myself in-check, lest I easily develop P.A.D. (pipe acquisition disorder). At my current posting, I already have 8 pipes… Maybe this is a normal reaction, but I’m not really in this to become a collector.
• Blends, blends, and more blends. Goodnight! - there are more blends than I will ever be able to smoke in my lifetime! I actually think I run the greater risk of B.A.D (blend acquisition disorder) before I ever get to P.A.D. I only have 12 blends, but have another 10 on the way and could easily see myself buying more! Needless to say, I love trying out different blends.
• I enjoy drinking ice water while smoking. This is good because I don’t drink enough water each day.

As a 30 years cig smoker and 2 month pipe smoker I can totally confirm these ^^^. Was just thinking about writing my experience down after 3 months or so...

 

[OzPiper]

@PiperCalvinist and
@Shylock_Homeless

I’m so pleased that both of you have discovered the contemplative pleasure of pipesmoking

Enjoy in good health

 

[proteus]

I love sitting under the oak tree on my back porch, watching and listening to the birds, feeling the wind, and contemplating life as I smoke.

This. I have a huge 40 year old silver maple shading my back deck. I can relate. Except solving world problems...

As far as wind...I use an original Corona Old Boy from the mid 80s and set it at a slightly higher flame. I use one hand to cover the pipe and one to light behind my hand.

I've used box matches in this way and works well. You just have to figure out how to hold the pipe and use two hands to hold the match box between your fingers in one hand and the match in the other hand then striking above the pipe and behind your cupped hand.

You've absorbed a lot. Nothing can replace experience. Don't forget to be in the moment and keep smoking.

 

[PiperCalvinist]

This. I have a huge 40 year old silver maple shading my back deck. I can relate. Except solving world problems...

As far as wind...I use an original Corona Old Boy from the mid 80s and set it at a slightly higher flame. I use one hand to cover the pipe and one to light behind my hand.

I've used box matches in this way and works well. You just have to figure out how to hold the pipe and use two hands to hold the match box between your fingers in one hand and the match in the other hand then striking above the pipe and behind your cupped hand.

You've absorbed a lot. Nothing can replace experience. Don't forget to be in the moment and keep smoking.

I thought about trying one of those old boy lighters, but WOW $$$! I’d rather spend $100 on a new pipe and learn how to better cope with the wind.

I do like using matches. There just seems to be something nostalgic about it. Just not always the most convenient method.

 

[Manawydan]

@PiperCalvinist - thank you for sharing! It was a pleasure reading your thoughts so far. I resonated with a lot of what you had to say and laughed about the wind and lighters not being good friends. I am up to 17 blends so far and find myself still reading reviews and thinking about my next order. It is truly a rich world out there to enjoy.

 

[Bbailey324]

Nice synopsis, thanks for sharing. You seem to have a good handle on things.

 

[BingBong]

I thought about trying one of those old boy lighters, but WOW $$$! I’d rather spend $100 on a new pipe and learn how to better cope with the wind.

I do like using matches. There just seems to be something nostalgic about it. Just not always the most convenient method.

Like you, I blenched at the front for an Old Boy, but this forum lured me into a Peterson lighter for much less, which arrived yesterday. Let me tell you, I didn't know what I'd been missing all these years. 11/10.

 

[Roach1]

Glad you are enjoying your journey.

 

[PaulDM]

Don't underestimate the tactile pleasure (and reliability) of a quality lighter. Better off buying one good lighter than a bunch of cheap ones that will fail. Old boys are great.

 

[AroEnglish]

Glad you're enjoying the journey so far! My responses to your thought in bold below:

• Lighter fluid burns up faster than I thought it would. (see the previous point)
  • You might consider getting one of those rubber gaskets that can go on the bottom of your Zippo insert. I think some of the fluid loss is due to evaporation rather than burning.
• My wife has yet to say a negative thing about the smell of tobacco on me. This is wonderful!
  • Lucky...
• I’ve had to keep myself in-check, lest I easily develop P.A.D. (pipe acquisition disorder). At my current posting, I already have 8 pipes… Maybe this is a normal reaction, but I’m not really in this to become a collector.
  • Most of us don't. I was much closer to 100 than I wanted to but but I've paired it down quite a bit. My goal is still to get under 40. If all else fails, just stop counting.
• Blends, blends, and more blends. Goodnight! - there are more blends than I will ever be able to smoke in my lifetime! I actually think I run the greater risk of B.A.D (blend acquisition disorder) before I ever get to P.A.D. I only have 12 blends, but have another 10 on the way and could easily see myself buying more! Needless to say, I love trying out different blends.
  • Yeah trying blends is really fun. One thing that I ran into though was buying too many samples and then feeling the pressure to try each one. If I did it again I would just get a few blends in each family/type and focus on learning the qualities of each. It's actually what I'm doing nowadays.
• I’m sure it’s just inexperience on my part, but I find that I have to draw much stronger using a Zippo (with the pipe adapter) to draw the flame down, as opposed to using my butane lighter.
  • I've run into the same thing which has been solved by packing lighter. I find packing lighter to start is better than the opposite as I can always adjust to make it tighter with tamping whereas you can't do much if you pack it too tight (besides dumping and starting again).