Hello All,
New to this forum, but revisiting pipe smoking after trying it 8 years ago.
I was enthralled by the YTPC when I was younger and couldn't wait until I was old enough to buy a pipe. So in 2012 I jumped on Smokingpipes.com and ordered a nice rusticated Nording freehand and several bulk tobaccos in small quantities. I bought various aromatics (Mac Baren: 7 Seas Red, Scottish Mixture, Symphony; McClelland: Pastry, Walnut Liqueur, Georgia Cream; Sutliff: Almondine and Irish Cream). Back then, I had several illusions about pipe smoking that were quickly dispelled in my first smoke. The smoke was not sweet as I thought it would be and the flavors not as pronounced. What I had largely considered being an impromptu hobby did not produce the results that I desired so I quickly gave it up.
Years later, I still wanted to try pipes. But I realized that I had focused merely on how to pack and light a pipe and not how to truly enjoy it. I became curious and started paying a little more attention to the actual smoking method. Realizing that most varied, I still could see that the desire was to produce smoke that's cool enough to taste. Unlike my hookah-esque first attempt, I would now sip and taste the tobacco instead of simply puffing.
Well, I just received my first order from Smokingpipes.com today. It contained a Missouri Meerschaum Legend 5th Avenue Straight Corn Cob, Sutliff Molto Dolce, and a Czech pipe tool. One of the first mistakes I believe I made was overwhelming myself with too many tobaccos to begin with. I figured I would focus on one tin for a few days and attempt to figure out the subtle flavors and appreciate it more. Also, I stuck with a corn cob instead of a more expensive pipe. Still, I do like variety so I ordered some Peterson Sweet Killarney and Dans Tobacco Sweet Vanilla Honeydew which will come early next week. I also managed to remember the pipe cleaners this time and ordered another Corn Cob and some rubber pipe bits for good measure. Now...onto my first smoke.
Interestingly, my first smoke was technically two. The first pack was entirely too light and it was windy out so the wind smoked it more than I did. Shortly after the bowl had cooled down (it hadn't gotten too hot) I packed a "better" bowl. I slowly enjoyed the smoke, attempting to use the breath method and sip slowly wherever that failed. I was able to eventually detect some nuanced flavors. I was reading a book (The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett) and I was enjoying my pipe. I was able to take a whiff of the tin and pick up similar flavors in the smoke. It was very rewarding. Most of all, I enjoyed the calm feeling of smoking my pipe and reading a book. It is a feeling I look forward to more and sharing it with you all.
Thanks for reading my first post. Before I end this, I would love recommendations for blends that a novice would enjoy. I was thinking of using my second corn cob for English blends and am open to any suggestions for blends to try.
I look forward to hearing from you all!
New to this forum, but revisiting pipe smoking after trying it 8 years ago.
I was enthralled by the YTPC when I was younger and couldn't wait until I was old enough to buy a pipe. So in 2012 I jumped on Smokingpipes.com and ordered a nice rusticated Nording freehand and several bulk tobaccos in small quantities. I bought various aromatics (Mac Baren: 7 Seas Red, Scottish Mixture, Symphony; McClelland: Pastry, Walnut Liqueur, Georgia Cream; Sutliff: Almondine and Irish Cream). Back then, I had several illusions about pipe smoking that were quickly dispelled in my first smoke. The smoke was not sweet as I thought it would be and the flavors not as pronounced. What I had largely considered being an impromptu hobby did not produce the results that I desired so I quickly gave it up.
Years later, I still wanted to try pipes. But I realized that I had focused merely on how to pack and light a pipe and not how to truly enjoy it. I became curious and started paying a little more attention to the actual smoking method. Realizing that most varied, I still could see that the desire was to produce smoke that's cool enough to taste. Unlike my hookah-esque first attempt, I would now sip and taste the tobacco instead of simply puffing.
Well, I just received my first order from Smokingpipes.com today. It contained a Missouri Meerschaum Legend 5th Avenue Straight Corn Cob, Sutliff Molto Dolce, and a Czech pipe tool. One of the first mistakes I believe I made was overwhelming myself with too many tobaccos to begin with. I figured I would focus on one tin for a few days and attempt to figure out the subtle flavors and appreciate it more. Also, I stuck with a corn cob instead of a more expensive pipe. Still, I do like variety so I ordered some Peterson Sweet Killarney and Dans Tobacco Sweet Vanilla Honeydew which will come early next week. I also managed to remember the pipe cleaners this time and ordered another Corn Cob and some rubber pipe bits for good measure. Now...onto my first smoke.
Interestingly, my first smoke was technically two. The first pack was entirely too light and it was windy out so the wind smoked it more than I did. Shortly after the bowl had cooled down (it hadn't gotten too hot) I packed a "better" bowl. I slowly enjoyed the smoke, attempting to use the breath method and sip slowly wherever that failed. I was able to eventually detect some nuanced flavors. I was reading a book (The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett) and I was enjoying my pipe. I was able to take a whiff of the tin and pick up similar flavors in the smoke. It was very rewarding. Most of all, I enjoyed the calm feeling of smoking my pipe and reading a book. It is a feeling I look forward to more and sharing it with you all.
Thanks for reading my first post. Before I end this, I would love recommendations for blends that a novice would enjoy. I was thinking of using my second corn cob for English blends and am open to any suggestions for blends to try.
I look forward to hearing from you all!
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