Hello to everyone from a new smoker, already grateful for the information, opinions, and enthusiasm I've read as a lurker for the past few weeks.
My points of entry to the hobby, oddly enough, are a cigar smoking friend and a Halloween costume. One of my best friends recently moved back to NYC, and over the past year or so, we've gotten together about once a month to smoke (even though I'd never smoked anything but a very occasional cigar before), drink whisky, and shoot the $%(#. I never planned on becoming a regular smoker, and I was rarely able to even smoke one cigar to finish.
The Halloween party was actually in 2023. I teach martial arts at a local dojo, and we have a costume party for our kids' class every year. That year my costume was J. Robert Oppenheimer, and so the day of the party I went to a local head shop to see what sort of props they had, and came out with a cheap plastic and metal pipe and a pouch of Dutch shag, because I thought I might as well try it out-- not at the kids' party, of course! The costume was a hit with the parents, at least, and some time a few weeks later I stuffed some shag in and lit up. Was it good? No, not really. So I left the pipe on a shelf for a year. But something must have hit some neurons deep within my atavistic brain, because I began wondering what better tobacco in a better pipe was like. And that a pipe-full might be an alternative to a half a cigar.
Last November, after poking around on YouTube and a few websites, including this one, I stepped into Barclay Rex down in Manhattan's financial district, and bought a Peterson Donegal Rocky 68 for no other reason than I liked the shape, and some Maiden Lane English blend. And the next time I hung out with my friend I pulled out the pipe and . . . it was nice!
I should say that I'm kinda prone to acquisitive hobbies, having built up collections of houseplants, orchids, spirits and whiskies, pocket knives, and teas, so I should have known I was going down the rabbit hole again. I now have a couple of MM's and a little Brulor apple, and am planning on adding more pipes when my budget allows. I've tried Plum Pudding, Orlik Golden Slices, Cult Blood Red Moon, and just sampled some Barclay Rex #6 to see how it compares to the Maiden Lane. I liked them all, although I'm probably not so much a fan of aromatics, but I plan on sampling more before committing to laying down any regular supply. I'm trolling SP and other online sellers every week for estate deals, and scanning through forum posts to learn more about different blends and the current state of the industry. Right now I'm trying to stick to one or two bowls a week, so I'm smoking more than I used to, but I'm having a lot more fun. Looking forward to learning more.
My points of entry to the hobby, oddly enough, are a cigar smoking friend and a Halloween costume. One of my best friends recently moved back to NYC, and over the past year or so, we've gotten together about once a month to smoke (even though I'd never smoked anything but a very occasional cigar before), drink whisky, and shoot the $%(#. I never planned on becoming a regular smoker, and I was rarely able to even smoke one cigar to finish.
The Halloween party was actually in 2023. I teach martial arts at a local dojo, and we have a costume party for our kids' class every year. That year my costume was J. Robert Oppenheimer, and so the day of the party I went to a local head shop to see what sort of props they had, and came out with a cheap plastic and metal pipe and a pouch of Dutch shag, because I thought I might as well try it out-- not at the kids' party, of course! The costume was a hit with the parents, at least, and some time a few weeks later I stuffed some shag in and lit up. Was it good? No, not really. So I left the pipe on a shelf for a year. But something must have hit some neurons deep within my atavistic brain, because I began wondering what better tobacco in a better pipe was like. And that a pipe-full might be an alternative to a half a cigar.
Last November, after poking around on YouTube and a few websites, including this one, I stepped into Barclay Rex down in Manhattan's financial district, and bought a Peterson Donegal Rocky 68 for no other reason than I liked the shape, and some Maiden Lane English blend. And the next time I hung out with my friend I pulled out the pipe and . . . it was nice!
I should say that I'm kinda prone to acquisitive hobbies, having built up collections of houseplants, orchids, spirits and whiskies, pocket knives, and teas, so I should have known I was going down the rabbit hole again. I now have a couple of MM's and a little Brulor apple, and am planning on adding more pipes when my budget allows. I've tried Plum Pudding, Orlik Golden Slices, Cult Blood Red Moon, and just sampled some Barclay Rex #6 to see how it compares to the Maiden Lane. I liked them all, although I'm probably not so much a fan of aromatics, but I plan on sampling more before committing to laying down any regular supply. I'm trolling SP and other online sellers every week for estate deals, and scanning through forum posts to learn more about different blends and the current state of the industry. Right now I'm trying to stick to one or two bowls a week, so I'm smoking more than I used to, but I'm having a lot more fun. Looking forward to learning more.
