Hello fellow pipe smokers,
Thank you for having me on this amazing forum - what a joy to discover this exquisite pipe portal still exists in today's world!
If you have the patience, a few words about me by means of introduction: I've just gotten back into hobby after a 16 year hiatus. I'm positively overjoyed by it.
I had smoked pipe quite passionately for a good 5+ years throughout my university years and first job, but for a myriad of reasons (mostly oral hygiene and health at the time), I quit it and never lit up a bowl since then. Didn’t think of it again since then.
I don't know what happened during this New Year but it's like a switch was flipped and the urge suddenly came back to me out of nowhere! It's positively weird (I joke that it is a welcome mellow middle-life crisis - I'm now 40
.
With my beloved small collection of pipes and tobaccos stashed in dusty boxes thousands of miles away back in the home country, I was dying to acquire a pipe and some good tobacco. I located the nearest tobacconist to my home and headed out with a high level of excitement and trepidation. Probably a similar state of mind as when I went out to buy my first real pipe 22 year ago.
The shop is Cigar & Companie in Montreal’s Little Italy. It was a relatively big shop, elegant but tired and old looking, almost from another time, with aging wooden décor and oriental carpets and the familiar smell of tobacco, leather and old stuff greeting your nostrils. It’s clearly seen better days, could be even financially struggling, but somehow retains an air of grandeur, resilience and manly character. The gentlemen in there was almost surprised to see me but proved to be an attentive, patient and very pleasant salesman. The pipes on display were all on sales, probably old stock that have been sitting there for a long time. I was hoping for some Savinellis (my favorites) but what he had were several French brands including Comoy and Chacom and some quite pretty Lorenzettis. I finally walked away with a nice bent apple Lorezentti. Very light in the hand with a beautiful grain and light stain to show it off, the briar was seemingly devoid of any fills throughout its surface (model was Galatea 29, stamped on the shank). I payed $87 Canadian for it, I couldn’t believed it!
What’s more, this tobacconists had some really good tobacco to choose from, it felt like seeing some very old friends again. I immediately detected a few precious tins of Dunhill (Standard Mixture, London Mixture, Ready Rubbed and Durbar), lots of Macbaren, 7 seas and Amphoras which I’m not interested in safe for one that caught my eye: HH Vintage Syrian (I’m original Syrian myself and a big fan of Latakia). I think I’ll go back for it.
I took a tin of Standard Mixture, an old no-nonsense favorite and staple smoke of mine, figured it’ll be best for my pipe smoking re-introduction. The tobacco was more expensive than expected ($30 Canadian) but that didn’t matter one bit, it was Dunhill that I will soon again have in my bowl! Got a $4 pipe tool and some pipe cleaners to go with it and headed back home with my precious buy super excited.
As you’d expect, It was a sensory Nirvana opening that first tin can, smelling and touching that familiar beautiful ribbon mix and lighting up my first bowl. Pure bliss… with a flood of memories unfolding.
That was 2 weeks ago. Been smoking 5 bowls a week since then, 1 every day or every other day depending on my schedule. I’ve been also reading tobacco reviews and watching several YouTube channels (including the very pleasing to watch smoke and ponder Matches860, the stunning Old Hollywood Briar and very friendly Stuff and Things).
Two days ago, I cracked and placed an Amazon order for 2 Savinellis: 1 straight panel with saddled tip and 1 bent Rhodesian, 2 old favorites shapes. I’ve been hearing/reading a lot about SPC blends so I have a can of Mississippi River and Plum Pudding coming my way too! ?
A few things stood out to me compared to my early smoking days though, which I felt like sharing: 1- The nicotine hit is almost too much now. 1 straight bowl gets me slow and sleepy – I’ll build back my tolerance obliviously but I’m now thinking of doing half a bowl each smoke, why not (1 fill, 2 halves). 2- It’s now EXTREMELY hard to find a decent and comfortable place to smoke in! I live in a condo so I’ve been smoking on the balcony and it’s frequently negative double digits (Celsius) outside. A few times I cheated and went smoking illicitly in the garage, hidden behind a pillar and hoping nobody comes close and smells the smoke! I miss my old office room in the home country with the comfy leather couch and all the modern (and old) life amenities within reach. Those days are gone it seems.
That’s it for now, thanks for reading through…. Very happy to be back in the pipe world and hoping to stay here within moderation…
Smoke in good health!
Thank you for having me on this amazing forum - what a joy to discover this exquisite pipe portal still exists in today's world!
If you have the patience, a few words about me by means of introduction: I've just gotten back into hobby after a 16 year hiatus. I'm positively overjoyed by it.
I had smoked pipe quite passionately for a good 5+ years throughout my university years and first job, but for a myriad of reasons (mostly oral hygiene and health at the time), I quit it and never lit up a bowl since then. Didn’t think of it again since then.
I don't know what happened during this New Year but it's like a switch was flipped and the urge suddenly came back to me out of nowhere! It's positively weird (I joke that it is a welcome mellow middle-life crisis - I'm now 40
.With my beloved small collection of pipes and tobaccos stashed in dusty boxes thousands of miles away back in the home country, I was dying to acquire a pipe and some good tobacco. I located the nearest tobacconist to my home and headed out with a high level of excitement and trepidation. Probably a similar state of mind as when I went out to buy my first real pipe 22 year ago.
The shop is Cigar & Companie in Montreal’s Little Italy. It was a relatively big shop, elegant but tired and old looking, almost from another time, with aging wooden décor and oriental carpets and the familiar smell of tobacco, leather and old stuff greeting your nostrils. It’s clearly seen better days, could be even financially struggling, but somehow retains an air of grandeur, resilience and manly character. The gentlemen in there was almost surprised to see me but proved to be an attentive, patient and very pleasant salesman. The pipes on display were all on sales, probably old stock that have been sitting there for a long time. I was hoping for some Savinellis (my favorites) but what he had were several French brands including Comoy and Chacom and some quite pretty Lorenzettis. I finally walked away with a nice bent apple Lorezentti. Very light in the hand with a beautiful grain and light stain to show it off, the briar was seemingly devoid of any fills throughout its surface (model was Galatea 29, stamped on the shank). I payed $87 Canadian for it, I couldn’t believed it!
What’s more, this tobacconists had some really good tobacco to choose from, it felt like seeing some very old friends again. I immediately detected a few precious tins of Dunhill (Standard Mixture, London Mixture, Ready Rubbed and Durbar), lots of Macbaren, 7 seas and Amphoras which I’m not interested in safe for one that caught my eye: HH Vintage Syrian (I’m original Syrian myself and a big fan of Latakia). I think I’ll go back for it.
I took a tin of Standard Mixture, an old no-nonsense favorite and staple smoke of mine, figured it’ll be best for my pipe smoking re-introduction. The tobacco was more expensive than expected ($30 Canadian) but that didn’t matter one bit, it was Dunhill that I will soon again have in my bowl! Got a $4 pipe tool and some pipe cleaners to go with it and headed back home with my precious buy super excited.
As you’d expect, It was a sensory Nirvana opening that first tin can, smelling and touching that familiar beautiful ribbon mix and lighting up my first bowl. Pure bliss… with a flood of memories unfolding.
That was 2 weeks ago. Been smoking 5 bowls a week since then, 1 every day or every other day depending on my schedule. I’ve been also reading tobacco reviews and watching several YouTube channels (including the very pleasing to watch smoke and ponder Matches860, the stunning Old Hollywood Briar and very friendly Stuff and Things).
Two days ago, I cracked and placed an Amazon order for 2 Savinellis: 1 straight panel with saddled tip and 1 bent Rhodesian, 2 old favorites shapes. I’ve been hearing/reading a lot about SPC blends so I have a can of Mississippi River and Plum Pudding coming my way too! ?
A few things stood out to me compared to my early smoking days though, which I felt like sharing: 1- The nicotine hit is almost too much now. 1 straight bowl gets me slow and sleepy – I’ll build back my tolerance obliviously but I’m now thinking of doing half a bowl each smoke, why not (1 fill, 2 halves). 2- It’s now EXTREMELY hard to find a decent and comfortable place to smoke in! I live in a condo so I’ve been smoking on the balcony and it’s frequently negative double digits (Celsius) outside. A few times I cheated and went smoking illicitly in the garage, hidden behind a pillar and hoping nobody comes close and smells the smoke! I miss my old office room in the home country with the comfy leather couch and all the modern (and old) life amenities within reach. Those days are gone it seems.
That’s it for now, thanks for reading through…. Very happy to be back in the pipe world and hoping to stay here within moderation…
Smoke in good health!
