MIght Be Time to Quit?

[jeff540]

I've been smoking pipes and cigars daily for almost 30 years now for the utter enjoyment of it, and swithed to 90% pipes about 15 years ago, so I'm not a newb. Averaged at least 3 or 4 bowls a day. I always got great visceral satisfaction out of it (taste and smell), never for the nicotine. VA blends were always my favorite, followed closely by VaPer, Balkan, and English. That all changed after my first bout with COVID in early 2020, but my enjoyment came back almost 100% after a few months.

Got the dreaded virus again May 2022, and since then I have absolutely no enjoyment at all from pipe smoking over the last year. I tired deep cleaning, resting pipes (25+ pipes, some rested for several months at a time), and all blend styles. Unfortunately, I can't really tell the difference between Stonehaven and SWR - quite literally. They all just taste like bitter trash. I even opened a tin of McClellend dark stoved in desperation and that wasn't pleasant at all.

So, now I haven't smoked pipes in about 3 weeks. Tried a bowl of Stonehaven from 2018 last night, and I couldn't finish it. If I'm honest, coffee is also not nearly as enjoyable as it once was but I need my morning caffeine. Conversely, all other tastes and smells are either normal or better than normal.

Thus, with all that said I'm thinking it might be an opportune time to just give up the hobby (I have way too many hobbies anyway). Anyone have similar experiences?

 

[JSPiper71]

I had a bout of Covid that messed up my taste buds. Similar situation where the tobacco tasted bland and indistinguishable. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of weeks for me. Sorry to hear it's a lingering problem. I'd drink more bourbon and see if it helps, but then again, that's my solution for nearly all of life's problems! Good luck, hopefully over time you'll regain your taste buds.

 

[AJL67]

I went through a spell where for about 3 months every single cigar from Cohiba Esplendido to Monte 2s all tasted bitter and tannic, was't the humidly or even the cigars as i gifted a couple our for people to try and they said they were amazing, the entire time i was smoking a pipe and it was fine, just stopped smoking cigars for a couple months, then lit one up and they were right back to being awesome. You never know!

 

[jeff540]

Ha! I do enjoy bourbon periodically and have a sizeable stash, but I'm more of a beer guy. I've also had a few cigars over the last year, and they were mostly enjoyable - not as much as years prior, but I'd say 80%. I attribue that to a mixture of my altered taste and the overall lack of well-aged cigars in the market - but that's a whole separate topic.

 

[Kobold]

I wouldn’t quit just yet. Maybe just pack your pipes and tobacco away for a few months or maybe a year or two and see how you feel?

 

[jeff540]

I wouldn’t quit just yet. Maybe just pack your pipes and tobacco away for a few months or maybe a year or two and see how you feel?

That's what I was leaning towards, at least in the short term.

 

[stumichael]

I would give it a 6 month rest and try again to see if gets better.

 

[ahouston]

I find that my tastes change quite drastically, particularly when I haven't smoked in a long time. I was quite a committed pipe smoker and now I'm becoming more of an occasional fine cigar smoker instead. After smoking a few good Cubans, I find it hard to return to the pipe as the flavor is much more subtle. I think patience and setting expectations aside while taking a break is a good idea

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I have read somewhere that states that about 65% of people with COVID-19-induced parosmia or hyposmia regain these senses by about 18 months, while 80–90% regain these senses by two years.

You may just need some more time before your sense of taste gets back to normal. Don’t give up just yet, unless quitting smoking tobacco is something you desire.

 

[bullet08]

People actually smoke for the pure enjoyment of it? Damn. I'm missing out on things! I haven't smoked pipes in awhile. Prolonged exposure to nicotine isn't encouraged due to med conditions. So, I've fell back on the energy sticks. Quick break. Not enjoyable at all. But it gives me quick nic fix. I'm sure docs won't agree with me. But I don't agree with a lot of people.

 

[FLDRD]

I might have just recently bought a ticket on the same train ride - and I hope my destination is just around the corner. I truly miss the pleasure of the pipe experience and it's only been 9 days...

Truly sucks. I normally bounce "back" quickly from whatever I encounter so I've got my fingers crossed.

 

[WVOldFart]

Last Spring (2022) I almost died from Long Covid. Nothing had any taste. My beloved coffee was not satisfactory and soft drinks were trash. I enjoyed only drinking water. Every pipe tasted the same. Since I enjoy the pipe experience as much as the flavor, I continued to smoke the blends I wasn't that wild about just to get rid of them. I knew that they would taste the same as the blends I liked. Eventually after several months I started to enjoy soft drinks and my wonderful coffee was once again wonderful. I started to notice the nuances of tobacco again and I now am enjoying my favorite tobaccos again. This is a golden opportunity to smoke down the less desirable blends on your shelf. Don't give up, it will come back.

 

[burleybreath]

Similar experience, only mine comes and goes. It's been two years of not knowing what the hell my pipe is going to taste like when I light up. I like Virginias and aromatics more than I did before. Burleys and latakia, not so much. Cigars, forget it. Even the good ones are usually just nicotine bombs to me. Fortunately, I like nicotine.

 

[FLDRD]

Last Spring (2022) I almost died from Long Covid. Nothing had any taste. My beloved coffee was not satisfactory and soft drinks were trash. I enjoyed only drinking water. Every pipe tasted the same. Since I enjoy the pipe experience as much as the flavor, I continued to smoke the blends I wasn't that wild about just to get rid of them. I knew that they would taste the same as the blends I liked. Eventually after several months I started to enjoy soft drinks and my wonderful coffee was once again wonderful. I started to notice the nuances of tobacco again and I now am enjoying my favorite tobaccos again. This is a golden opportunity to smoke down the less desirable blends on your shelf. Don't give up, it will come back.

I'm hoping to go this route for the (hopefully short) time I'm afflicted with the off-taste. At first the bowls all tasted the same - like shit. As in, I would have never taken to doing that more than once - kind of taste. Last night it was slightly less nasty. And yeah, I'm going to work through those "difficult" tins now. I'm stubborn like that.

 

[AJL67]

I'm more curious how many PMs were sent to the OP asking what tobacco he had and if he wanted to sell it, extra credit would be number of established members to lurkers. lol

 

[kcghost]

All you can do is take a lengthy break (3-6 months) to see if your taste buds are recovered. Covid is a bitch.

 

[mso489]

The whole object of pipe smoking is the enjoyment, especially for those of us who aren't hooked on the nicotine at all. So if it isn't enjoyable, I'd go on hiatus and see if the inclination comes back around.

Don't under an circumstances unload all your pipes and tobacco. Keep at least a core rotation of each and store it well. You may never come back to it, but if you do, you won't be in the ridiculous position of having to buy everything new. A well used pipe of your own is always better than a new one.

Covid is a stinker. My wife has a chart of vulnerabilities, and I have a few, so we have hewn to the CDC guidelines, and so far so good. But everywhere the virus rears its ugly head, it's bad news.

At one time, I though moderate pipe smoking might be preventative, but I wouldn't try to sell that idea to anyone. If the placebo effect works for me, that would be good.

If you come back to it, it might only be an occasional thing. You'll have to play that by ear.

 

[RonB]

I have read somewhere that states that about 65% of people with COVID-19-induced parosmia or hyposmia regain these senses by about 18 months, while 80–90% regain these senses by two years.

You may just need some more time before your sense of taste gets back to normal. Don’t give up just yet, unless quitting smoking tobacco is something you desire.

It took me over a year to recover my sense of taste for pipe tobacco as well. It’s 90% back now after 18 months. You’re not alone. My wife’s sense of taste and smell is still mostly absent 18 months after COVID.

 

[Sgetz]

I feel your problem is simple. You are not enjoying it anymore so stop. But should you restart? This is perhaps the real question. I think you Will know the answer when you smell pipe tobacco and think " I must get some of that" in the meantime I wish you a swift recovery.

 

[RonB]

I'd try smoking once a week and see how your taste is.