Greetings From Southwest Pennsylvania

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.
May 28, 2021
24
21
Hello All,

I have been lurking on this site for a little while now. It seems that no matter the issue/question I am having, a member of this forum has done a superb job of answering it. As a result, I decided to create an account so that I could contribute my thoughts as well.

I am a new pipe smoker, though not a new smoker in general. I smoked cigarettes in my early 20's, but due to an unexpected health issue I had to give that up, and boy am I ever grateful! Looking back, I realize I didn't truly enjoy the experience that much anyway. I have been smoking cigars for about the last 5-6 years and feel like I am finally in a place where I know what I like, and can recognize certain characteristics within various sticks. Then in 2020, while being holed up due to the pandemic, I felt this urge to pick up the pipe. I turn 40 early next year, so perhaps this is an onset to a mid-life crisis?

Living in a small suburb of Pittsburgh, I have found that (and please correct me if I am mistaken) there isn't a large pipe smoking presence here and therefore not a very wide selection at my local tobacconists. That being said, their cigar inventories are second to none IMHO. As a result, most of my knowledge of pipes have come from online resources like this one and the YouTube pipe community. Hopefully, I will be able to find a local pipe club in the near future so that I can interact with others and learn even more about this hobby that we all love.

I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to pipe smoking. I have been trying to structure how I go about my journey, but perhaps that is a mistake? I have been smoking exclusively out of cobs for the last 3 months and am considering picking up my first briar soon. I gravitated early to English blends because I was already a medium to full bodied cigar smoker. I have to say that my first taste/smell of Latakia surprised me, but I felt like I immediately understood what these blends were trying to achieve. I am slowly expanding my palate and am very intrigued by VA and Va/Per blends at the moment. I appreciate the challenge that they seem to present, so I hope that I can come to enjoy them in the not too distant future. I am not necessarily put off by Burley but to me, it seems like a rather simplistic smoke which sometimes can be a bit harsh or cigarette like. I have decided to keep them in my regular rotation however, and hopefully as my technique improves, I will find some new favorites! I would also like to try some different aromatics, but I feel like they would have to be only lightly cased, seeing as though I didn't really smoke many flavored cigarettes or cigars, and prefer more of a straight tobacco taste.

Well, this was a bit more long-winded of an intro than I was intending, so I will finish up by saying thank you to all for helping me get started into this wonderful hobby. It is something that I hope to enjoy for many years to come. As a new member, I can only hope to contribute the occasional valuable content and absorb as much information as I can from the collective wealth of knowledge that is the PipesMagazine.com community.

All the Best,
CG412
 

Tar Wheel

Lifer
May 23, 2020
1,463
21,192
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Hello All,

I have been lurking on this site for a little while now. It seems that no matter the issue/question I am having, a member of this forum has done a superb job of answering it. As a result, I decided to create an account so that I could contribute my thoughts as well.

I am a new pipe smoker, though not a new smoker in general. I smoked cigarettes in my early 20's, but due to an unexpected health issue I had to give that up, and boy am I ever grateful! Looking back, I realize I didn't truly enjoy the experience that much anyway. I have been smoking cigars for about the last 5-6 years and feel like I am finally in a place where I know what I like, and can recognize certain characteristics within various sticks. Then in 2020, while being holed up due to the pandemic, I felt this urge to pick up the pipe. I turn 40 early next year, so perhaps this is an onset to a mid-life crisis?

Living in a small suburb of Pittsburgh, I have found that (and please correct me if I am mistaken) there isn't a large pipe smoking presence here and therefore not a very wide selection at my local tobacconists. That being said, their cigar inventories are second to none IMHO. As a result, most of my knowledge of pipes have come from online resources like this one and the YouTube pipe community. Hopefully, I will be able to find a local pipe club in the near future so that I can interact with others and learn even more about this hobby that we all love.

I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to pipe smoking. I have been trying to structure how I go about my journey, but perhaps that is a mistake? I have been smoking exclusively out of cobs for the last 3 months and am considering picking up my first briar soon. I gravitated early to English blends because I was already a medium to full bodied cigar smoker. I have to say that my first taste/smell of Latakia surprised me, but I felt like I immediately understood what these blends were trying to achieve. I am slowly expanding my palate and am very intrigued by VA and Va/Per blends at the moment. I appreciate the challenge that they seem to present, so I hope that I can come to enjoy them in the not too distant future. I am not necessarily put off by Burley but to me, it seems like a rather simplistic smoke which sometimes can be a bit harsh or cigarette like. I have decided to keep them in my regular rotation however, and hopefully as my technique improves, I will find some new favorites! I would also like to try some different aromatics, but I feel like they would have to be only lightly cased, seeing as though I didn't really smoke many flavored cigarettes or cigars, and prefer more of a straight tobacco taste.

Well, this was a bit more long-winded of an intro than I was intending, so I will finish up by saying thank you to all for helping me get started into this wonderful hobby. It is something that I hope to enjoy for many years to come. As a new member, I can only hope to contribute the occasional valuable content and absorb as much information as I can from the collective wealth of knowledge that is the PipesMagazine.com community.

All the Best,
CG412
Welcome from North Carolina. I’m new around here myself. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from this site.
 

kg.legat0

Lifer
Sep 6, 2019
1,028
10,408
Southwestern PA
Hey there! Welcome, from the 724. If you are up for a real drive, check out Boswell's. Allegheny Smokeworks is a cool shop out towards the city -not a ton of pipes but they have some really awesome tins most of the time.

This forum has been an invaluable resource for my pipe smoking journey. Stick with the VaPers -they are well worth it!! :)
 

Charlie718

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 25, 2021
955
8,666
35
Bronx, New York
Welcome from New York. My family came from PA and when I was a kid I spent a lot of time with my father in Sunbury, Elysburg, Shamokin area. I used to love Knoebels! If you wanna try burley my novice taste really liked C&D Cube Cut Burley, it’s creamy, earthy, nutty and all around great.
 
May 28, 2021
24
21
Hey there! Welcome, from the 724. If you are up for a real drive, check out Boswell's. Allegheny Smokeworks is a cool shop out towards the city -not a ton of pipes but they have some really awesome tins most of the time.

This forum has been an invaluable resource for my pipe smoking journey. Stick with the VaPers -they are well worth it!! :)
Hi kg.legat0! Thanks for the welcome. I just found out about Boswell's not long ago, it seems like a magical place. I am a little over 3 hours from Chambersburg but I'd love to get out there this summer. Thanks for the heads up on ASW - I will be sure to check it out soon!

What part of the 724 are you from? My family is from just south of Washington, PA.

I have some VaPers on order (that are currently en route) and I am looking forward to trying them. I certainly welcome any and all suggestions for new blends.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kg.legat0
Status
Not open for further replies.