Hello all,
My name is Mike and I live in the rural Midwest where I live on a small homestead with my wife and kids. I dipped my toes into the tobacco world about 5 years ago with cigars and would have one every month or so by myself or with my wife's family. I greatly enjoyed the experience and relaxation cigars would bring as I essentially work non-stop 6 days a week between my paying work and homestead work. A challenge I had with cigars was that no matter how slowly I smoked them and how cool I kept the ember, they had a way of overwhelming my palate and being too strong, ashy, etc. Even more mild cigars would bring some enjoyment for the first third, but not be pleasant for me afterwards.
One day I watched a video of a woodworking craftsman I follow light up a pipe at the end of the video. I was intrigued.
I spent some time researching the hobby, and came across Mutton Chop Piper. After digesting most of his introductory videos I bought a Savinelli Roma 321, Peterson 87 and a tin from each of the major pipe tobacco categories (Virginia, Va/Per, English, Aromatic, Burley-forward).
Interestingly enough, that box of supplies sat in my basement for three years untouched. But I finally set aside the time a couple months ago to try it out.
What a difference to my palate from cigars. I could taste the nuances of the flavor, and greatly enjoyed the experience from start to finish. We keep the Sunday sabbath in our house, so I've built a nice little tradition of coming home from church and enjoying a couple bowls during the afternoon while I read, relax, and enjoy time with the family.
For now, my preferences are pretty clear and I'm looking forward to trying out more blends. The Va/Per (Escudo) and English (Plum Pudding, Early Morning Pipe) blends were a pleasure, and I'm finding that I'm open to a bit more strength and taste, so I'll be trying some more punchy, rich examples from these categories in coming months (just orders some Tashkent and Oriental 40 from Peretti, and also looking to try the HH blends like Blackhouse, White Knight and Magnum Opus). The Virginia (Peterson Flake) and Aromatic (Blood Moon) we're not to my liking, but we'll see how things evolve in the future. Jury is still out on the Burley blends.
I'm learning a lot from all of you through perusing this forum, so I appreciate it. Thanks.
My name is Mike and I live in the rural Midwest where I live on a small homestead with my wife and kids. I dipped my toes into the tobacco world about 5 years ago with cigars and would have one every month or so by myself or with my wife's family. I greatly enjoyed the experience and relaxation cigars would bring as I essentially work non-stop 6 days a week between my paying work and homestead work. A challenge I had with cigars was that no matter how slowly I smoked them and how cool I kept the ember, they had a way of overwhelming my palate and being too strong, ashy, etc. Even more mild cigars would bring some enjoyment for the first third, but not be pleasant for me afterwards.
One day I watched a video of a woodworking craftsman I follow light up a pipe at the end of the video. I was intrigued.
I spent some time researching the hobby, and came across Mutton Chop Piper. After digesting most of his introductory videos I bought a Savinelli Roma 321, Peterson 87 and a tin from each of the major pipe tobacco categories (Virginia, Va/Per, English, Aromatic, Burley-forward).
Interestingly enough, that box of supplies sat in my basement for three years untouched. But I finally set aside the time a couple months ago to try it out.
What a difference to my palate from cigars. I could taste the nuances of the flavor, and greatly enjoyed the experience from start to finish. We keep the Sunday sabbath in our house, so I've built a nice little tradition of coming home from church and enjoying a couple bowls during the afternoon while I read, relax, and enjoy time with the family.
For now, my preferences are pretty clear and I'm looking forward to trying out more blends. The Va/Per (Escudo) and English (Plum Pudding, Early Morning Pipe) blends were a pleasure, and I'm finding that I'm open to a bit more strength and taste, so I'll be trying some more punchy, rich examples from these categories in coming months (just orders some Tashkent and Oriental 40 from Peretti, and also looking to try the HH blends like Blackhouse, White Knight and Magnum Opus). The Virginia (Peterson Flake) and Aromatic (Blood Moon) we're not to my liking, but we'll see how things evolve in the future. Jury is still out on the Burley blends.
I'm learning a lot from all of you through perusing this forum, so I appreciate it. Thanks.
