New Generation Pipers

[pipesaplenty]

Being part of the "New Generation" so to speak..I find us cut from a different cloth of "normal" smokers. I enjoy the history behind pipes and the story they tell. You can tell a lot about a man and his pipe and tobacco, that being said, a man nowadays who enjoys a good pipe is a different breed and I like to stick to my own! :D I've met a lot of great guys who enjoy the same hobby, long time veterans of the habit too.

 

[brassonly]

Well let me tell you something. This online stuff is great for sure ! I am 51 years old & had been interested in pipe smoking for at least 10 years but never could really talk to anybody or ask anybody about pipes cause there was nobody around here that smoked pipe. Last summer I decided to go online & see what info I could find about pipe smoking. Wow what a surprise,in a matter of days I had found so many wonderful sites that gave me so much info. Sites like this one really helped me get many of my questions answered. So I then decided to get myself a pipe & some tobacco & I've been truly enjoying it ever since. Its really been a very enjoyable journey so far. I'm still very much a newbie but have learned so much in 8 months of pipe smoking because of all you wonderful folks ,young & old who have helped me along the way. I'll do my best to try & help anyone who is looking into this amazing & relaxing hobby. Thank you all !! I really appreciate it.

 

[yadan]

"Unlike the cigar craze, I don't see them buying upscale pipes for the sake of having bragging rights"

"Pipe smokers are a different breed, I think."
I think, gentlemen (and ladies), it's about time this 'cigar smoker bashing' be put to rest.

I have smoked cigars for over 30 years and pipes for 50, and have gotten to know quite a few cigar and pipe smokers through participation in several forums; I can say with utmost confidence that cigar and pipe smokers have a hell of a lot more in common than many would care to think.

While there are probably as many pipe snobs as there are cigar snobs, I think the majority of both types of smokers really love their smokes, tend to research various brands, explore history and development, are keen about proper maintenance and smoking procedure, etc. It will never be too difficult to find pipe smokers who collect and smoke Dunhills and Formers only because they're Dunhills and Formers, just as there will always be cigar smokers who will collect and smoke Cuban Cohibas only because they are Cuban Cohibas.

Pipe and cigar smokers should be comrades - not competitors!

 

[Perique]

Yadan, I haven't seen too much cigar 'bashing' on the board. I think what was being referred to is a genuine period of time in the U.S. commonly referred to as "the cigar craze". This actually occurred here in the late 90's, significanly upset the cigar and tobacco markets for awhile, and referring to it should not cast ill will upon all cigar smokers.

 

[nsfisher]

New Generation pipe smokers are into more expensive pipes, huge varieties of tobacco etc., and call it a hobby. I am not that old (48), but, I do not call it a Hobby, and I only care to smoke a few different blends. Except for my Dunhill, which I stumbled upon, I smoke low range pipes and Codger blends. I am not a fan of pipe rotations or cake build up etc. and I smoke for the Nicotine delivery rather than the Hobby of it. Although I've only been on the pipe for 20 yrs, I still think I fit more into the category of "Old Generation" because of the above stated reasons. It's all good, no matter where you fit in, so long as you have a pipe hanging out of your head.

 

[guerillapiper]

Thanks all for the insights. There's a lot of thoughtfulness in the above.

 

[wayneteipen]

I think the upswing in pipe use is the result of a nostalgic younger generation. I'm kinda in between generations but tend to be very nostalgic in many ways. For example, I love old black and white movies, old style hats and clothing, antiques, handcrafted items, and pipes. Perhaps it's due to a dissatisfaction with the "advances" in our culture. Maybe we're trying to reverse some of those "advances." Whatever the case, it seems we're trying to emulate what we perceive as simpler times; trying to slow down in a fast paced world.

 

[mlyvers]

hey guys, iam 54 years old. been smoking a pipe since i was a kid (13) way too young. i learned how to smoke a pipe the hard way, meaning i had no help. it was rough going for many years. i enjoy the younger pipe smokers, they exhibit knowledge of different pipe tobacs and seem tobe very interested in pipe manufacturing. i find it very stimulating to talk with the younger guys, they have many questions inregards to every aspect of the hobby. hell when your 13 years old who are you going to talk to about pipe smoking. when i was 18 years old i started working at the tinderbox in louisville ky. i love it and i miss it alot. i guess one would say iam a old codger. i still enjoy otc tobacs and cheap pipes, however i do own some very nice high end pipes now. i also think that the new generation of pipe smokers are interested in the better pipes and tobacs offered today verses what i went through years ago. this is a good thing. i also think they are more knowledgable about the hobby as well. so i have been smoking a pipe for ~41 years and iam still learning. this is a great forum, and iam privledge to be a part of it.
mike lyvers.

 

[kashmir]

Well, you can't fight time. The more the merrier. The pipe has a way of slowing things down. And in this frenetic world that can only be a good thing. After 30 yrs. I consider mysel old school. When I was in the restaurant business in the 80s & 90s, in Santa Cruz CA (Coopershouse before it fell down in the earth quake) and the famous Catalyst in its early ugly days, I was the only pipe smoker in a sea of cigarette smokers. Course in those days I was a slave to the Captain (CBW) and everyone loved the room note. The good old days. Now I smoke Latakia and I smoke alone.

 

[quincy]

I think in many ways you hit it right on the head, Wayne. I'm 32. I like old hymns, wearing a hat that I take off when I walk inside, opening the door for people, being polite, reading an actual book, and tradition in general. It isn't that uncommon among my peers either. I think we long for something stable, familiar, and comfortable. Everything else is in upheaval and it gives us identity. And it doesn't hurt that smoking a pipe is just pure awesomeness and I love everything about it.

 

[jah76]

Well put Wayne.
At 36 and only 8 months into pipe smoking I think I fall on the "newer" generation. I originally got interested in pipe smoking because I remember it being such a big part of my grandfather's life. I would always be running around slobbering into one of his pipes (which now my two year old does to mine when he pulls a chair over to reach them). My father also smoked a pipe for a few years until health reasons caused him to stop.
Pipe smoking has always been the "good" parts of my past. It just feels natural to me. A lot of things these days just feel fabricated, thin, and intellectually dishonest. We trade convenience for quality in everything from food to entertainment. Don't get me wrong I like Frozen Coke Slurpees and Xbox as much as the next guy, but the satisfaction I get from good solid piece of old furniture, wood handled screw driver, or a thick yellowed book just can't be beat.
My wife always teases me that I'm like an old man because I'm attracted to things from the past and their stories.

Any object can have a cost associated to it, but not every object has a value in my opinion. I'll take my old man's Entrenching Tool over a new short handled shovel any day. You know how many lectures I got about not calling it a "shovel" and how I could use it as a weapon to defend a howitzer?
The ritual of pipe smoking from the tobacco prep to the enjoyment of the smoke are all very comfortable to me. It re-centers me and reminds me about being mindful of things around me.

 

[sparroa]

I think the old guard has a tendency to smoke a pipe as a habit, with a greater frequency of bowls per day. They also show greater loyalty in embracing a smaller number of blends but with greater devotion.
The new generation is mostly about experimentation and variety. (Sometimes to a fault) This, along with a tendency to rush things in anticipation of instant returns can mean a rough introduction to pipe smoking.
These are gross generalizations of course.
I am one of the whippersnappers and I like to think I have come a long way over the past few years.

 

[taerin]

New Generation pipe smokers are into more expensive pipes, huge varieties of tobacco etc., and call it a hobby.

Except for the expensive pipes, guilty on all counts!

 

[rjscha]

I'm not part of the old guard, but probably too old to be a part of the new generation. I'm 40, and have been smoking pipes (irregularly) for 20+ years but regularly for the last 2 years. As far as I can tell, a lot has changed in the industry but the passions that drew us to pipes have remained--the feel of briar in your hand, the smell of a fresh tin of tobacco, and the opportunity to be a part of something that has a history and tradition about it.
When I first started smoking, there were many Pipe shops around--and they sold pipes predominantly with few if any cigars. But out of all the stores, only one offered assistance to me and my teenage friends. (Ironically, it was the most elite and expensive of them all.) Because of that, I was mostly at a loss when it came to learning about pipes, tobacco, and the hobby.
Now, I have to drive an hour to the nearest BM store only to find a few dozen pipes and dusty tins of tobacco. On the flip side, however, the internet has become a huge repository of information and instruction. And since I've found these forums, the internet has also provided the community aspect I can only assume was part of the original tobacco shop experience.
In spite of everything that has changed, it is interesting that the same things that drew my grandfather to smoking a pipe is still attracting a younger generation. That's something I hope never changes.

 

[juni]

I don't know if I'm old or new generation. I'm glad the new generation exists to carry on the tradition and continue the fight against the antis. I there is a demand then there is a market, which is a great thing.