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Trainpipeman

Can't Leave
Feb 4, 2021
463
1,730
Rhode Island
I’ve just started smoking a pipe last year. Still trying to figure out my likes and dislikes. Looking forward to gleaning all the wisdom I can from the seasoned pipe smokers here.
Welcome! You have come to the right place for thoughts and ideas!

Just don't write in Old Norse, as we would probably not understand! lol
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,464
Hey from central North Carolina and welcome aboard. Whereabouts in Southern Illinois? Not everyone realizes that Cairo is further south than Richmond, Va. I grew up in the Chicago area, went to Boy's State during high school, in Springfield, Ill. I've been to Champagne-Urbana to visit family in school and Rantoul to visit a boyhood friend in the Air Force. Never been to Cairo. I do know it's pronounced Karo, like the corn syrup, and not like the capital of Egypt.

My friend in the Air Force just invited me to crash in the barracks. No one ever asked for an i.d. or for my name or anything. As someone on Forums joked, being in the Air Force is almost like being in the military. In the Navy, I couldn't even get off base without wearing a belt -- picky, picky, picky.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,865
29,748
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I’ve just started smoking a pipe last year. Still trying to figure out my likes and dislikes. Looking forward to gleaning all the wisdom I can from the seasoned pipe smokers here.
hey welcome aboard. My advice is new pipe smokers are spoiled for choice. Back in the day getting more then what you could locally was a lot more work. Possible but a pain in the neck. The disadvantage is obvious but the advantage was that finding out what you liked didn't seem anywhere near as important well as critical. I keep thinking that newer pipe smokers could use a little more zen in their outlook. Enjoy the pipe consider the likes to be something that will happen when it happens, you know like a plant growing. Yes there are blends you'll enjoy more and even blends you'll fall in love with (and just like other loves some will be brief, some will last a while but fizzle out, some will come and go and come back again and some will be the "one"). But looking for those blends is a fools errand. You'll find them better just getting the pipe smoking down to where it's an easy thing you can just do as easily as you eat. And then you'll start really finding those blends and if you want you can edit what I said to apply to what kind of pipes you'll enjoy the most. That's what I've picked up smoking for a long while and seeing new people develop as pipe smokers too. Or in other words finding what you like is good but it's more effective to let it happen then to try and make it happen in a goal oriented manner.
 

Úlfheðnar

Lurker
Feb 7, 2023
19
16
Southern Illinois
Hey from central North Carolina and welcome aboard. Whereabouts in Southern Illinois? Not everyone realizes that Cairo is further south than Richmond, Va. I grew up in the Chicago area, went to Boy's State during high school, in Springfield, Ill. I've been to Champagne-Urbana to visit family in school and Rantoul to visit a boyhood friend in the Air Force. Never been to Cairo. I do know it's pronounced Karo, like the corn syrup, and not like the capital of Egypt.

My friend in the Air Force just invited me to crash in the barracks. No one ever asked for an i.d. or for my name or anything. As someone on Forums joked, being in the Air Force is almost like being in the military. In the Navy, I couldn't even get off base without wearing a belt -- picky, picky, picky.
I’m in a little town around Carbondale. About an hour north of Cairo. You can always find an outsider if they pronounce it as Cairo instead of Kay-ro; or Ill-inois instead of El-inoi.
 

Úlfheðnar

Lurker
Feb 7, 2023
19
16
Southern Illinois
hey welcome aboard. My advice is new pipe smokers are spoiled for choice. Back in the day getting more then what you could locally was a lot more work. Possible but a pain in the neck. The disadvantage is obvious but the advantage was that finding out what you liked didn't seem anywhere near as important well as critical. I keep thinking that newer pipe smokers could use a little more zen in their outlook. Enjoy the pipe consider the likes to be something that will happen when it happens, you know like a plant growing. Yes there are blends you'll enjoy more and even blends you'll fall in love with (and just like other loves some will be brief, some will last a while but fizzle out, some will come and go and come back again and some will be the "one"). But looking for those blends is a fools errand. You'll find them better just getting the pipe smoking down to where it's an easy thing you can just do as easily as you eat. And then you'll start really finding those blends and if you want you can edit what I said to apply to what kind of pipes you'll enjoy the most. That's what I've picked up smoking for a long while and seeing new people develop as pipe smokers too. Or in other words finding what you like is good but it's more effective to let it happen then to try and make it happen in a goal oriented manner.
I can see wisdom in that. I was immediately overwhelmed by every choice imaginable.
Luckily I quite quickly found a local(ish) B&M blend that I enjoy.
My problem is, I have no idea whether or not it is an aromatic or what style blend it is(though for some reason I only now came to the idea of calling and asking).
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,865
29,748
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I can see wisdom in that. I was immediately overwhelmed by every choice imaginable.
Luckily I quite quickly found a local(ish) B&M blend that I enjoy.
My problem is, I have no idea whether or not it is an aromatic or what style blend it is(though for some reason I only now came to the idea of calling and asking).
pro tip they're all kind of the same until you get some experience. And there are more good choices then not in general. I might be biased as I do enjoy the flavors and all that but my favorite part is just smoking.