Hello everybody!
I bought my first pipe five years ago around my 44th birthday, and have been lurking on these forums since then. Actually that is a lie! I dabbled a few times over the years, but only more seriously these past five years.
I've been a heavy cigarette smoker since I was a teenager, and although I am getting more into pipe smoking, cigarettes are still my main habit. I am still mostly a closet pipe smoker, having only really smoked in front of my partner, not with any friends or relatives yet.
I rarely take my pipe out with me since I still feel self-conscious about it, and worry about the 'old man' reactions (although I am not exactly 'young' any longer!). Also, cigarettes are the lazy option, as they are more convenient for a quick top-up when stepping out of bars and so on. I'd like to improve on that though!
I have a rotation of 16 pipes (5 bought the past 4 months), mainly Savinelli 111KS and 128 models. In addition I have a Parker Jockey Club, a Rattray's White Goddess (meerschaum) and one or two other, cheaper ones that I don't use very much. My current favourite is my latest acquisition: a Savinelli Oscar Lucite 111KS, I love the coloured stem and the lighter than usual bowl colour.
As for tobaccos, I've been through quite a few but I my favourites are Royal Yacht, Peterson Standard Mixture, Irish Flake, University Flake and random English blends. I'd love to find an aromatic to make my smoke more pleasing to others but so far I have not found any which have enough nicotine for me and aren't gloopy. Occasionally I will add a pinch of something like dried out Borkum Riff Ruby to something stronger, but am not sure if it really smells any better.
I work from home and mainly live in London, although I spend a lot of time in Spain as well and am here at the time of writing. Although there are a handful of good tobacconists in London I rarely visit them, preferring to order online.
I look forward to learning more, and being more active on the forums. Hopefully I now have a little bit of experience that can be useful for novices.
I bought my first pipe five years ago around my 44th birthday, and have been lurking on these forums since then. Actually that is a lie! I dabbled a few times over the years, but only more seriously these past five years.
I've been a heavy cigarette smoker since I was a teenager, and although I am getting more into pipe smoking, cigarettes are still my main habit. I am still mostly a closet pipe smoker, having only really smoked in front of my partner, not with any friends or relatives yet.
I rarely take my pipe out with me since I still feel self-conscious about it, and worry about the 'old man' reactions (although I am not exactly 'young' any longer!). Also, cigarettes are the lazy option, as they are more convenient for a quick top-up when stepping out of bars and so on. I'd like to improve on that though!
I have a rotation of 16 pipes (5 bought the past 4 months), mainly Savinelli 111KS and 128 models. In addition I have a Parker Jockey Club, a Rattray's White Goddess (meerschaum) and one or two other, cheaper ones that I don't use very much. My current favourite is my latest acquisition: a Savinelli Oscar Lucite 111KS, I love the coloured stem and the lighter than usual bowl colour.
As for tobaccos, I've been through quite a few but I my favourites are Royal Yacht, Peterson Standard Mixture, Irish Flake, University Flake and random English blends. I'd love to find an aromatic to make my smoke more pleasing to others but so far I have not found any which have enough nicotine for me and aren't gloopy. Occasionally I will add a pinch of something like dried out Borkum Riff Ruby to something stronger, but am not sure if it really smells any better.
I work from home and mainly live in London, although I spend a lot of time in Spain as well and am here at the time of writing. Although there are a handful of good tobacconists in London I rarely visit them, preferring to order online.
I look forward to learning more, and being more active on the forums. Hopefully I now have a little bit of experience that can be useful for novices.
You have a nice start to your collection!
