Let's face it, as a percentage of America's population, pipe smokers are a very small number. I've often wondered what it is about pipe smoking that attracts so very few people. Perhaps many have tried but few have stuck with it. Generally speaking though, the people that persevere and learn are a devil may care group and singularly interesting. When I was young and on family trips to the northwoods of Wisconsin, I remember my grandfather and great-grandfather smoking pipes. They were sure a couple of interesting cusses. Then, back in the mid-60's I had an older friend that smoked a pipe. He was a the creative sort that I wished myself to be someday. He smoked a pipe. I decided to give it a try myself. I bought a no-name pipe and a pouch of Middleton's cherry blend from the UWM campus bookstore. I and asked him for a few pipe smoking pointers. Luckily, he was a great instructor and experienced pipe smoker. He taught me early on the finer points of loading the bowl, lighting and tamping the tobacco.
From reading some of the posts in this thread, it seems that my experience was not as fraught with shite mouth and plugged pipe as others. I've always enjoyed the relaxation I feel when smoking a pipe, and the many different and available tobacco blends that keep the palate interested.
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