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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,677
29,395
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
True. I smoked cigs for 30 years and quit cold turkey 8 years ago. I really got into the bourbon game a few years ago and the cravings started back. Tried cigars but Mrs. Wheel was not having it. Stopped by my local B&M and there was a guy smoking a pipe on the front porch. It was an aro and smelled wonderful. Well the light bulb went off in my head. I walked in and started smelling jars. Left with a few one ounce samples and a MM Legend. Mrs. Wheel gave her approval and I was off and running. After a couple of weeks in, my frustration kept growing. Wouldn’t stay lit, couldn’t get the flavor, yada yada. I decided to swallow my pride and seek direction. Tried the YouTube videos but those guys put me to sleep.
I happened upon PM Forums one day while researching a pipe.
Started following the advice given and what do you know?! I started tasting all the wonderful flavors I had been reading about on TR. I put the aros to the side, picked up some Plum Pudding, got the hang of it and never looked back. There is a learning curve but once you get the knack of it- Bliss!
I think that's why people seeing it as a cultured and sophisticated act. Because there is a learning curve and much of the enjoyment is found by paying attention (even if you're an old hand and the attention happens without actively applying attention [psychologists call that state "flow"]. Kind of like the difference between knowing bourbon and doing shots of Jack Daniels (not knocking either, just saying they're different pleasures with different parameters).
All that said I wish I would have had resources like this site when I was 16 and started smoking a pipe. The only good advice I got on pipes was to quote the gentleman "it's not a cigar don't suck it's duck, it's a pipe you make love to a pipe". Funny thing is I got what he was saying and improved my cadence early on. Though it took a long time for me to discover that drier and looser are better. Drier found by accident by leaving a tin open and looser from chatting with folks here. (to continue with the randy theme, a pipe is the opposite of a ladies fun-time parts in one way dry and loose is the most enjoyable.)
 
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BarrelProof

Lifer
Mar 29, 2020
2,701
10,577
39
The Last Frontier
cheerwine sign and all.

We can finally get Cheerwine all the way up here in Alaska. A nice taste of home. If we could just get a Bojangles to open up and a decent BBQ joint, we wouldn’t have to visit NC every year.

Welcome aboard. Grew up in Albemarle, just down HWY 52.

We’ll discuss the error of that hat and screen name at a later date, however.
 
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Tar Wheel

Lifer
May 23, 2020
1,463
21,192
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
We can finally get Cheerwine all the way up here in Alaska. A nice taste of home. If we could just get a Bojangles to open up and a decent BBQ joint, we wouldn’t have to visit NC every year.

Welcome aboard. Grew up in Albemarle, just down HWY 52.

We’ll discuss the error of that hat and screen name at a later date, however.
Thanks BarrelProof. I believe a plate of Lexington BBQ and ice cold Cheerwine are as close to heaven on earth as you can get.
 

Tar Wheel

Lifer
May 23, 2020
1,463
21,192
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Well howdy neighbor! Welcome aboard and blessed piping fer ya! Whats some of your favorite blends so far?
Howdy back neighbor! Thanks for the warm welcome.

It seems as if I’ve tried all the popular (available) blends from each tobacco house. I have enjoyed English/Balkan, Burley, and Aros, but I have gravitated toward Virginia/VaPers. The Samuel Gawith and K&K Virginia’s have been standouts.

Lately, though, I’ve been on a Gawith Hoggarth kick. There is just something so unique about the blends, up and down the entire lineup, and I find myself reaching for them almost daily now.
 
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