My name is Joe, and I live in the woods in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I'm brand new to the world of pipes--completely new to tobacco, for that matter. Until last September (2023), I'd never smoked anything at all: I've always found cigarettes to be vile, nasty things (and I still do). Last summer I became curious about cigars, though, and when I was laid off in September, I decided to give them a try. I have really enjoyed them for their range of flavors, and started to become curious about pipes too. My dad smoked a pipe for a short time in the 1970s, and had pleasant memories of the aroma.
About a month ago, I decided to give it a try. The local smoke shop had a crappy little pipe with a metal bowl and plastic body, and I bought that with a pouch of Captain Black Gold. I stuffed the bowl with tobacco and tried lighting it with matches: I didn't get the tobacco to light, but still managed to burn my tongue. A sane man probably would have given up. Instead, I went to a cigar/pipe lounge and bought an estate pipe (Irwin 676, with a hexagonal bowl), and the owner gave me a few samples of his house blends. I managed to keep a bowl or two lit for long enough to want to try more.
My employer gave me $100 as a birthday gift, so I went shopping online and ended up with a couple of Missouri Meerschaum corncobs and a half-dozen blends. Then I noticed that smokingpipes.com had the Peterson deal with a free tin when purchasing a new pipe, so I also bought a new Peterson (Junior Heritage Silver Mounted Canted Billiard Fishtail) and some more tobacco. It all arrived last Tuesday, and I tried Carter Hall in a corncob: so much better than the Captain Black! I'd planned on sticking with Carter Hall for a while until I learn the ropes, but couldn't resist trying some of the others. I tried Pegasus, and I think I like that one even more than Carter Hall. I've tried a few others like Early Morning Pipe and From Beyond, both very nice. I have some aromatics too (Lane 1-Q and Autumn Evening), but so far have had a lot more enjoyment from non-aromatics.
Thank you all for sharing your wisdom and experience on this forum! I've learned a lot here, and look forward to learning more.
About a month ago, I decided to give it a try. The local smoke shop had a crappy little pipe with a metal bowl and plastic body, and I bought that with a pouch of Captain Black Gold. I stuffed the bowl with tobacco and tried lighting it with matches: I didn't get the tobacco to light, but still managed to burn my tongue. A sane man probably would have given up. Instead, I went to a cigar/pipe lounge and bought an estate pipe (Irwin 676, with a hexagonal bowl), and the owner gave me a few samples of his house blends. I managed to keep a bowl or two lit for long enough to want to try more.
My employer gave me $100 as a birthday gift, so I went shopping online and ended up with a couple of Missouri Meerschaum corncobs and a half-dozen blends. Then I noticed that smokingpipes.com had the Peterson deal with a free tin when purchasing a new pipe, so I also bought a new Peterson (Junior Heritage Silver Mounted Canted Billiard Fishtail) and some more tobacco. It all arrived last Tuesday, and I tried Carter Hall in a corncob: so much better than the Captain Black! I'd planned on sticking with Carter Hall for a while until I learn the ropes, but couldn't resist trying some of the others. I tried Pegasus, and I think I like that one even more than Carter Hall. I've tried a few others like Early Morning Pipe and From Beyond, both very nice. I have some aromatics too (Lane 1-Q and Autumn Evening), but so far have had a lot more enjoyment from non-aromatics.
Thank you all for sharing your wisdom and experience on this forum! I've learned a lot here, and look forward to learning more.
Happy to have you here, friend!
