Giving A Pipe For Christmas

[cosmicfolklore]

OK, so I am imagining someone giving me a pipe and a cherry blend, like maybe... Middleton? I light it up, burn my tongue, and toss the pipe out the truck window, and nurse my burnt tongue for a few days, cussing every time I smoke a cigarette and aggravate the burn.

I haven't had much luck giving pipes to guys who express an interest. I have had more luck discouraging new pipe smokers to get them into the hobby, shored up and devoted. Mark Twain shows us that human nature is not as we think it is.

But, if you just want to give them a pipe, maybe take them to a pipe shop to pick out a tobacco.

You have a big heart. Goodluck.

 

[Elric]

As a burley exemplar, I can't recommend Burley Light Without (A) Bite highly enough for a beginner.

 

[blues4goose]

When I'm smoking a pipe around my friends who express a mild interest or compliment the aroma, I like to pass it to them when it's burning well so they can try it out. One of my friends was reluctant to give it back, so I bought him a Stanwell Brushed Black, some cleaners, a pipe nail, and a few pouches. He likes the Missouri Meerschaum Patriot Blend the best, and while he doesn't really smoke on his own, he now brings his pipe to my house every time we hang out.
Edit: Having thought about it for a minute, I would recommend Cockstrong for a cigarette convert. It's very easy to pack and smoke, and (to me) tastes like really good cigarette tobacco. And it's cut so if he decides he doesn't like it in the pipe, he can roll it into cigarettes

 

[scloyd]

Here's a Brigham starter set for $50. I don't own a Brigham, but I know guys who like theirs.



When I first started smoking a pipe I bought a Big Ben starter kit and that Big Ben is still part of my regular rotation.

 

[danimalia]

If you can snag one from Bolito or one of the other vendors, I can attest that the unfinished Savinellis (they call them Grezza) make wonderful first briars. I still smoke mine, and love it. Might be my favorite pipe to smoke. The Amphora sampler pack is an awesome deal, and will give him several types of blends to decide what he likes and to pursue further. I think it's a great choice.

A cigarette smoker won't get a nic hit from a pipe regardless of the blend.

I mean, I was only able to switch from cigarettes to pipes because I got enough nicotine from blends like Dark Flake U/S or Bold Kentucky. But he can cross that bridge if he decides he likes pipe smoking and would like to give up cigarettes.

 

[supperthyme]

Rossi was a separate company before merging with Savinelli. They share Savinelli's shape catalog now but are far from seconds. Just nice little budget pipes.?

Right! My confusion wasn't around Rossi being a quality pipe- but around the definition of the term "seconds". Previously I didn't realize that was meant to refer to pipes with small flaws in them and I thought Olkofri was using it as some kind of colloquialism, not correlating to the OP.

But thanks, embers ?

 

[Frozenoak]

Did he express interest in a particular pipe?

No, I smoked a different pipe each sitting and we didn't hover over my collection for long. We did do a lot of reminiscing about Grandad and his pipes.

I light it up, burn my tongue, and toss the pipe out the truck window, and nurse my burnt tongue for a few days, cussing every time I smoke a cigarette and aggravate the burn.

I get this. I avoided all aro's when I started for this exact reason.

But, if you just want to give them a pipe, maybe take them to a pipe shop to pick out a tobacco.

I'm afraid this isn't an easy option. His closest tobacconist is probably a 2 hour+ drive. If he decides to stick with it, he'll probably be buying Codger blends at the supermarket.

Here's a Brigham starter set for $50. I don't own a Brigham, but I know guys who like theirs.

When I first started smoking a pipe I bought a Big Ben starter kit and that Big Ben is still part of my regular rotation.

Now that I'm down the rabbit hole, I've been thinking about getting a matching pair of pipes but these look like a solid option. Or one of the other starter sets.

 

[olkofri]

Now that I'm down the rabbit hole, I've been thinking about getting a matching pair of pipes

Is there gonna be a piping duel?

Billiards at dawn? ?

 

[voorhees]

Just make sure the tobaccos are of similar cuts. Ribbon, flake, etc. I would go with ribbon for ease of packing. Flakes, coins and plugs can be a bit frustrating for a beginner.

 

[bnichols23]

Just make sure the tobaccos are of similar cuts. Ribbon, flake, etc. I would go with ribbon for ease of packing. Flakes, coins and plugs can be a bit frustrating for a beginner.

Def concur with The Man. Keep it simple.

 

[sandollars]

Good call on the Rossi, however, I might go a different route on the tobacco.

I would go out and get some of those little decorative Mason style jelly jars, you know, the little gift ones that hold about an ounce of tobacco, and then put samples of each varietal of your favorites in them. It's more personal IMO. This way he gets a feel for the good stuff that you already enjoy.

I still have my original Captain Black "Sampler pack" I bought as my very first tobacco. I doubt I will ever smoke it because it didn't take long to discover there was a plethora of stuff that is so much better out there.

As and added bonus, if he doesn't like it you can always swap it out for another and you get back a blend you know you already love.