If I haven't sakid this once I have said it a thousand times. In my opinion you will have your best chance of success if you buy a quality pipe and a quality tobacco. If your first drink of alcohol was Pepi Lopez Tequila, think you would try drinking again.
I was lucky that my buddy who sold me my pipe owned a cigar store, lounge and had a decent selection of pipes and tobacco.
He suggested a Savinelli Linea Piu 5 slightly bend apple. It had a great hand feel, wasn't big or too small. He knew the pipe would be a great smoker.
Thaat pipe was a great smoker. It retailed for 155, my buddy gave me 20% off and I had my first pipe.
From the get go though I didn't know what I was doing the pipe barely got hot and it didn't gurgle. My buddy explained the eternals of a pipe and why some gurgled some were tight, and told me that a well made stem was a big deal.
What he gave me was a blue print for all the other pipes I bought over the next 20 something years. When I bought other pipes I had a baseline with the sav. One pipe was a Jenson that was a bent billiard, had lacquer to make it pretty and that bitch gurgled and got hot as the son. I broke it in half and dumped in trash. Next pipe I bought was a WInslow High Grade C hand made and had a 500 retail on it. It was in my buddies shot so he gave me my usual 20% off although he offered more I said said no ,I knew his markup and he needed the money way more than me. Ir twas big pipe with a brandy type shape and killer birdseye on the botton of the bowl and nice grain. I still have a few pics of it. That pipe was a really good smoker. Sure it was heavy but at the time I was not clenching just yet. So I had 2 winners and one loser. Next pipe I bought was at Moms on Madison ave I think in NY city. I saw a gorgeous Dublin made by Nording. It had a number kie 12 or so I didn't realize at the time what it meant but damn it pretty. II paid around 250 or so and took back to R.I to show my buddy my newest pipe. First thing he does is ask me will it pass a cleaner. I said pass a cleaner through what? He took a cleaner and tried to get it to pass into the chamber. I had not even smoked it yet so I lit it up smoked for a bit and then it began to gurgle, I went to take off the stem and my buddy stopped m, told me I could snap the stem. Then explained why a pipe cleaner going all the way through mattered.
He told me Nording is famous for that kind of thing. I sold it for a loss and never bough another Nording. I said to my buddy why the hell didn't you warn me. He laughed in my face and said everyone has to learn that lesson on their own.
I have always felt that if I had not bought that good Sav and a tin of Escudo I might not have appreciated the opportunity to really appreciate what the next 20 years of joy that I have experienced.
If you are new, give yourself the best chance of success, don
t go into it with your hands tied behind your back.
I was lucky that my buddy who sold me my pipe owned a cigar store, lounge and had a decent selection of pipes and tobacco.
He suggested a Savinelli Linea Piu 5 slightly bend apple. It had a great hand feel, wasn't big or too small. He knew the pipe would be a great smoker.
Thaat pipe was a great smoker. It retailed for 155, my buddy gave me 20% off and I had my first pipe.
From the get go though I didn't know what I was doing the pipe barely got hot and it didn't gurgle. My buddy explained the eternals of a pipe and why some gurgled some were tight, and told me that a well made stem was a big deal.
What he gave me was a blue print for all the other pipes I bought over the next 20 something years. When I bought other pipes I had a baseline with the sav. One pipe was a Jenson that was a bent billiard, had lacquer to make it pretty and that bitch gurgled and got hot as the son. I broke it in half and dumped in trash. Next pipe I bought was a WInslow High Grade C hand made and had a 500 retail on it. It was in my buddies shot so he gave me my usual 20% off although he offered more I said said no ,I knew his markup and he needed the money way more than me. Ir twas big pipe with a brandy type shape and killer birdseye on the botton of the bowl and nice grain. I still have a few pics of it. That pipe was a really good smoker. Sure it was heavy but at the time I was not clenching just yet. So I had 2 winners and one loser. Next pipe I bought was at Moms on Madison ave I think in NY city. I saw a gorgeous Dublin made by Nording. It had a number kie 12 or so I didn't realize at the time what it meant but damn it pretty. II paid around 250 or so and took back to R.I to show my buddy my newest pipe. First thing he does is ask me will it pass a cleaner. I said pass a cleaner through what? He took a cleaner and tried to get it to pass into the chamber. I had not even smoked it yet so I lit it up smoked for a bit and then it began to gurgle, I went to take off the stem and my buddy stopped m, told me I could snap the stem. Then explained why a pipe cleaner going all the way through mattered.
He told me Nording is famous for that kind of thing. I sold it for a loss and never bough another Nording. I said to my buddy why the hell didn't you warn me. He laughed in my face and said everyone has to learn that lesson on their own.
I have always felt that if I had not bought that good Sav and a tin of Escudo I might not have appreciated the opportunity to really appreciate what the next 20 years of joy that I have experienced.
If you are new, give yourself the best chance of success, don
t go into it with your hands tied behind your back.
