Brand new to pipes, 2 bowls in. A bit of history. I've always loved the smell of pipe tobacco... "room note" is the term I have picked up recently and cavendish is what I always associated with pipe smells. My father apparently smoked a pipe before my arrival on the scene, I'm guessing he was one to have a pipe in his mouth most of the day as he quit when he had a lip lesion and the doc back in the mid-60s told him to put them down (they were up in the attic for decades, wish I had them now). Fast forward to the late 80s when I was in Germany in the army, I bought a random pipe and a random tobacco but that only lasted one day. Naturally that was pre-internet so there was no research done and I have no idea what kind of pipe or tobacco it was that I picked up. I remember at the time that I was disappointed that it didn't taste like it smelled so I dropped it immediately. Now at 56, I am dabbling with it again. This time with hours of YT videos about beginner blends and pipes and how-to's to guide me. I still don't know anyone personally that smokes one. I'm a fan of the LOTR books and stories, so my first pipe was naturally a churchwarden (the videos that told me to buy a barrel or cob pipe didn't sink in). I have 2 pipes now, that churchwarden and a more practical Peterson bent dublin, both 9mm filter pipes. I've watched WAY too many tobacco reviews and most of them sound great, and so... I have several blends from across the spectrum to experiment with. Hopefully one or three or 10 of them will suit me while I learn the mechanics.
Ian