Late Bloomer from Norway

[ItsKarl]

Oh, I managed to find out the exact make of my Peterson. It's the Sylvius from the (apparently discontinued) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series:

So there it is, my first pipe. Purchased in the summer of 2015 in Florence, from a tiny sauna of a pipe shop which had no air conditioning whatsoever.

 

[Templekeeper]

Welcome Karl! I wish I'd found this forum as early in your journey as you did! I think I was trying things out for a week before I happened upon it. I'm over a year in my journey, but I did have experience with cigars before taking up the pipe.

I'm also all about the aromatics and probably won't care much for the tobaccos that aren't in many years if ever. Regarding that advice about "new pipe should be smoked in by something neutral" that's really for taste purists. You'll likely never tell the difference. It's like how you should be poured wine at a wine tasting in a clean glass, but if you're at a party, just finished a glass of one wine and someone is offering to pour another in the same glass, you probably wouldn't be so obsessed with the taste to demand the host give you a clean glass or rinse it.

 

[Jack the ripper]

Aloha from Indiana.

 

[ItsKarl]

Welcome Karl! I wish I'd found this forum as early in your journey as you did! I think I was trying things out for a week before I happened upon it. I'm over a year in my journey, but I did have experience with cigars before taking up the pipe.

I'm also all about the aromatics and probably won't care much for the tobaccos that aren't in many years if ever. Regarding that advice about "new pipe should be smoked in by something neutral" that's really for taste purists. You'll likely never tell the difference. It's like how you should be poured wine at a wine tasting in a clean glass, but if you're at a party, just finished a glass of one wine and someone is offering to pour another in the same glass, you probably wouldn't be so obsessed with the taste to demand the host give you a clean glass or rinse it.

View attachment 310701

I actually do obsess with the taste of good drink, and will absolutely want a fresh glass for a different drink
I am not a big drinker, though. Part of the reason is that after about three units, it all starts to taste the same. I'm in it for the taste, not the buzz.

I think my smoking will be much the same. I am just getting to the point that I can taste the difference between aromatic and non-aromatic, and I don't know yet which path I'll go in the long run. My hunch is aromatic, but if I become as snobbish with my tobacco as I do with my whiskey, I might go the other way.

I have five pipes so far, but only two blends to try (damn USPS taking forever delivering), one straight Virginia and one aromatic (Sørensen Mixture - black Cavendish, bright Virginia and Burley, flavoured with honey and vanilla). I think those are sufficiently contrasting for my taste buds to get some practice. So far I'm noticing most of the taste after the smoke, though. But at least I'm tasting more than just ashtray, so that's progress.

 

[Mortamyhr]

Hello from Nashville, US. Great introduction. It takes some practice and patience, but you will get the hang of it!

 

[Architeuthis]

Hi Karl,
You will likely find that as your pipes get broken in and the bowls sufficiently charred, your smokes will taste less harsh. As the wood first burns during pipe break-in it can be a little off-putting

 

[Templekeeper]

I actually do obsess with the taste of good drink, and will absolutely want a fresh glass for a different drink
I am not a big drinker, though. Part of the reason is that after about three units, it all starts to taste the same. I'm in it for the taste, not the buzz.

I think my smoking will be much the same. I am just getting to the point that I can taste the difference between aromatic and non-aromatic, and I don't know yet which path I'll go in the long run. My hunch is aromatic, but if I become as snobbish with my tobacco as I do with my whiskey, I might go the other way.

I have five pipes so far, but only two blends to try (damn USPS taking forever delivering), one straight Virginia and one aromatic (Sørensen Mixture - black Cavendish, bright Virginia and Burley, flavoured with honey and vanilla). I think those are sufficiently contrasting for my taste buds to get some practice. So far I'm noticing most of the taste after the smoke, though. But at least I'm tasting more than just ashtray, so that's progress.

It sounds like your journey is similar to most: You'll start telling white wines apart from red, then you'll be able to distinguish between grape varieties and if you keep at it you'll get all the nuances between different vineyards and years, etc.
I had about two decades of randomly smoking cigars, so I had some sense of different tobacco tastes before trying pipes. But then aromatics opened up a whole world of fun new flavors for me, so I rarely smoke non-aromatics now (and will have to see what I feel next time I pick up a cigar - I haven't for a couple of years)
You already have 5 pipes? You can easily reserve 2-3 for aromatics and 2-3 for non! And as you add tobacco and see what you enjoy more you can see where to skew your collection towards. I have about a dozen pipes now and I never considered separating them. I do wipe them after each smoke and clean them after about half a dozen bowls. Still, the same tobacco tastes different to me on different days, changes with what I'm drinking or whether I've smoked before it or not.

 

[ItsKarl]

It sounds like your journey is similar to most: You'll start telling white wines apart from red, then you'll be able to distinguish between grape varieties and if you keep at it you'll get all the nuances between different vineyards and years, etc.
I had about two decades of randomly smoking cigars, so I had some sense of different tobacco tastes before trying pipes. But then aromatics opened up a whole world of fun new flavors for me, so I rarely smoke non-aromatics now (and will have to see what I feel next time I pick up a cigar - I haven't for a couple of years)
You already have 5 pipes? You can easily reserve 2-3 for aromatics and 2-3 for non! And as you add tobacco and see what you enjoy more you can see where to skew your collection towards. I have about a dozen pipes now and I never considered separating them. I do wipe them after each smoke and clean them after about half a dozen bowls. Still, the same tobacco tastes different to me on different days, changes with what I'm drinking or whether I've smoked before it or not.

Come Monday, I'll have seven pipes
I have already dedicated one to English blends, one to straight Virginias and one to aromatics. Two pipes I use for just anything at all, though I haven't smoked any English in them as yet.

I clean all my pipes after each smoke, mainly because I want to ward off ghosts, and also to prevent sour pipes. Too much, perhaps?

 

[Templekeeper]

Come Monday, I'll have seven pipes
I have already dedicated one to English blends, one to straight Virginias and one to aromatics. Two pipes I use for just anything at all, though I haven't smoked any English in them as yet.

I clean all my pipes after each smoke, mainly because I want to ward off ghosts, and also to prevent sour pipes. Too much, perhaps?

I was doing that in the beginning (I think based on some articles I read) but was finding it a bit too much? Now I just wipe the bowl to get the ashes and dottle out, but only run the pipe cleaner (with alcohol most of the time) down the stems about once a month, depending on how much I've smoked that particular pipe? (It's around the time I change the filter on those with filters)

 

[Fuelman]

Welcome from Indiana.

 

[StayPufft]

Hello from Ontario!