Brand new

[clinpic]

I'm 55 years old and decided that if I wanted to smoke a pipe that I am now old enough to make that decision. Funny thing was that my wife just doesn't care, its not that she dominates at all, I just like to keep her happy. She is, I am, all is well.
So I don't know anything about anything and I am having fun learning. I also like working with wood and I think that it would be fun to learn how to make pipes.

 

[bailey331]

Welcome to the club! Ill smoke this bowl to you. Keep watching the forum posts and you will learn alot. The guys on here are always ready to answer any questions.

 

[jvandy77]

Welcome aboard!! I'm sure you will find plenty of useful information on the forum. May it serve you well!
-Jim

 

[carlosviet]

I just like to keep her happy. She is, I am, all is well.

This defines you as a gentleman. It will be a pleasure reading you.

 

[bigvan]

Welcome! So what tobacco blends have you tried so far?

 

[jameral]

Welcome clinpic!

 

[jonahtke]

Welcome to the forums. You are not the only one that likes to keep the wife happy. As my Dad says "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"

 

[crpntr1]

Welcome aboard, +1 jonahtke

 

[clinpic]

Some of the blends that I have tried are:

Treasure Chest Blend - Blend of light & dark Cavendish

My Pleasure Blend - Blend of light Burley & Black Cavendish

Balkan Blend
So far it seems that the Balkan has the most flavor but is a little harder on the palate as a new smoker. My favorite so far is the "My Pleasure Blend". Tongue bite was a little bit of an issue in the beginning but is getting better. I have ordered a Burley tobacco and I am open to suggestions.
I do my best to be a gentleman as I learned the punitive impact early on in my marriage. My bride is now in the hot flash mode of life, so I have learned that sometimes the best thing to say is nothing, while my body language reflects sympathy. My problem is being slow to replace my smirk that I was born with changed into a look of care and sympathy which I am learning. It was easier to make that transition when I had a mustache, which I shaved off when it turned white. Never the less we are going on 29 years of marriage, which amounts to 28 1/2 years of happiness and 6 months of hell mixed throughout the 29 years. All in all I am the luckiest guy in the world and my wife is my best friend.

 

[barkar]

Welcome, you have come to the right place. There is a wealth of information here just for the asking.

 

[admin]

Welcome clinpic!

 

[jcsnaps]

Welcome clinpic. Really like the size of that group in the avatar, just don't tell me it was 300 yards with a .223.

 

[jonahtke]

As was suggested to me. Try Lane 1Q, it's fairly smooth, and has a wonderful room note.

 

[photoman13]

Welcome aboard! You can buy blocks of briar at various places so you don't have to drill the holes. That would probably be a good place to start if your going to make a pipe that smokes properly.

 

[judcole]

Welcome aboard.

I'm not surprised that you found a Balkan "has the most flavor but is a little harder on the palate as a new smoke". You need to be a little more experienced for blends of that sort, especially if the pipe is your first smoking experience.

A burley blend might be a great way to go. You might want to try MacBaren's Burley London or Mixture. Mixture can be a bit tricky - don't pack it too tightly, and sip it.

 

[pstlpkr]

As was suggested to me. Try Lane 1Q, it's fairly smooth, and has a wonderful room note.

+1
Welcome aboard!

 

[clinpic]

Thanks everyone for the greetings. Your suggestions are great and I will try them.
By the way the group is @ 50 feet with a Glock Model 20, 10mm, with a hand load that I was trying out. I don't hunt anymore so paper is my sport.
To me a fun day would be combining paper shooting with pipe smoking.
Do any of you make your own blends or do you just buy them pre-made? Let me know if I just asked a stupid question.

 

[bigvan]

"Do any of you make your own blends or do you just buy them pre-made? Let me know if I just asked a stupid question."
Not a stupid question. Sorry to be pedantic, but there's a difference between blending and mixing. Blending takes leaf, adds heat and/or pressure and/or flavorings and/or condiment leaf to create something new. Mixing dumps a few blends together.
We live in a Golden Age of tobacco blending. There are SO many OUTSTANDING blends available to nearly everyone that it would be silly to not take advantage of them. It's like having two excellent bottles of wine and deciding to just dump them together into a bucket and see what happens. It's just a waste.

 

[ejames]

Welcome clinpic !

 

[clinpic]

Thanks for the answer. It makes perfect sense.