My Year as a Pipe Smoker (With Pics)

[rayje589]

So it's been a year and a month since I started smoking a pipe. I don't smoke that often and I'm still working on my technique but I really love it. I mainly like Latakia heavy English blends and most aeros. I have 26 blends, most in some state of being smoked. I only recently started cellaring some of my favorite blends, the oldest tin I have being Holiday Spirit 2012. I also really enjoy this site. I'm not sure if I would still be smoking a pipe if it was not for this site. I certainly wouldn't know about all the awesome blends out there.
And now for pictures! The first one is a view of the whole 'celler' in its entirety. Not pictured is a tin of Holiday Spirit 2012 and a tin of Louisiana Red.

The next is a better view of all my pipes. The MM Ozark Harwood is my first pipe. The pipe I smoke the most is that little nose warmer (the 3rd one in from the right). The least smoked is the churchwarden on the end.

The next photo is all my 'active' tobacco that I'm working on smoking.

The last one is my 'cellared' tobacco. Not much but finances are a bit prohibitive.

 

[joeval]

Nice little collection, well done!

 

[craig94yj]

Nice! Well stocked and yet not overboard with TAD or PAD. Well done.

 

[auslander]

Better than mine. Nice pics

 

[rayje589]

Nice! Well stocked and yet not overboard with TAD or PAD. Well done.

I would love to go crazy on both, trust me. However, most of the blends I like don't age well. =[ Also not in a good financial position to.

 

[kris]

I'm a "smoke em while you got em" kind. Most would probably call me a "codger". I buy it, I smoke it.
I am most envious of your cellar. :wink:

 

[twangthang]

Cool stuff... I just passed my first year of smoking as well. You have a nice collection!

Jim

 

[petes03]

Oh my friend, you are headed down a path from which there is no return! Nice set up!

 

[wallace]

I'm hitting the one year mark also. Still enjoying it when I can find the time. Glad you shared this. Good to see how other "newbs" are doing!

 

[crazypipe]

Nice little collection, well done!
::

 

[05venturer]

I also am coming up on a year in a few weeks, here are pics of my cellar the beginning of this month and a few additions I received about a week ago.

 

[numbersix]

Congrats Rayje - nice cellar and collection of pipes. It is a great hobby - and this forum makes it all the better for sure. Good to have you here.
05 - Nice cellar too. Mine is mostly bulk in jars - all in my closet - not too pretty, but it works. ::

 

[mrenglish]

Nice stash. We all have to start somewhere. It was a few years before I started to set tins back when I first started. At first it was just a few but over time it adds up.

 

[fnord]

Rayje589 and Kent:
You both are making great strides in your cellaring. I only wish I'd started doing that during my first year of pipe smoking forty years ago.
The only suggestion I'm going to offer has to to do with your McClelland, Sutliff, H&H and C&D style "tins." I've sat at the feet of some very knowledgeable pipers here on this forum and have taken their beliefs to heart. Those tins are weak links vis-a-vis the more traditional Dunhill, Erinmore, Peterson, etc. style tins you guys own.
I love those tobaccos BTW, especially the H&H varieties, but whenever I get them in the mail they immediately get popped and glassed in Mason/Ball jars. We make tremendous investments in our pipes and tobaccos and it only makes sense that we provide the best protection we can afford. You just can't beat jars regardless of your budget.
Congratulations to you both.
Fnord

 

[rayje589]

@fnord: I'm going to have to agree... I don't know if it's because I left a pipe with a VaPer or what but I've noticed a distinct tobacco smell in the area and I'm thinking it's probably a popped tin or the square Erinmore as I've heard those style tins are not the greatest.
@ 05: that's a nice cellar coming along.

 

[sparrowhawk]

Wow...that's beyond impressive. Where are the short, truncated jars available? I only have my desktop rack with a Coca Cola tray to hold the essentials, and a bookshelf to hold the majority of my baccys and cleaning stuff.

 

[seamusjft]

Nice stash! I'm about 2 weeks off of my year! Being off and obsessive nature And heavy smoker my cellar at present is of three bulk blends of PS luxury bullseye flake, C&D Morning Bayou and Atltsdis 965 match. They just get better by the month!

I can recommend these 3 to the OP and y'all that enjoy non aro