New Members, Introduce Yourself!

[randelli]

Hello, new member here, from Austin TX. I just started smoking again and I am fighting off the urge to buy 20 pipes. I do have one billiard and a kaywoodie 01 on the way. I have explored a few aromatics and I am starting in on english styles.
Wish me luck!

 

[deathmetal]

Glad to see you join us, gents. Randelli, you'll find lots of support for your nascent PAD (Pipe Affection Discipline) here!

 

[yalebullybriar]

Alrighty Friends,

After months of skulking, it's finally time to step into the light. I'm a graduate student at Yale up here in New Haven, Ct. I've been a daily pipe smoker for about two years, and have thrown myself (or been thrown, depending on perspective) into the shapeless void that is this hobby. I love the history of pipe smoking, as well as knowing all about the tobacco growing and manufacturing process.

Also, much to my wife's chagrin, I have full fledged PAD and TAD. My collection consists of about eight briars, three cobs, and two restoration/reclamation projects. I'm primarily an English smoker (Balkans make my heart sing), though I do love a few aero and hybrid blends. I try to be equal opportunity.

I believe that is about it, I look forward to putting my two cents in here and there.

-YBB

 

[wilbur73]

Hey I'm Wilbur from the Coast of Maine... Thank you for this great resource & place to hang out...!!

 

[omar]

hey pipe smokers !!

greatest people ever :D
my name is omar , im 23 years old . ive been admiring pipes through pictures for a year ,before i bought my own early this year .i got a savinelli porto cervo 192 , its a great pipe to me , my only one so i cant tell yet if its that good .

anyways im willing and planing on getting other pipes and blends .but , living in Egypt for a pipe smoker is a disappointment ,its a great place though .unfortunatley there is no real stores , and shipping overseas can kill a wallet .however its a lifetime hobby , so let it take its time , right ?!

i just wanted to introduce myself and express my love ror being a pipe smoker and being here in this community .
thanks for sharing and caring .

omar

 

[demetrakopoulos]

Hello.
My name is James and I live in Chicago. I work as a high school Spanish teacher and part time firearms instructor; it's a juxtaposition which is great for breaking the ice at parties, so I thought I'd use it here. I smoked my first pipe about a decade ago, but I'm afraid that I just started taking it seriously last summer. I'm drawn to aromatics, but I'm open to trying new and interesting things once I become a more seasoned pipe smoker.
After going to a meeting of the Chicago Pipe Collectors' Club, and talking to other smokers at tobacco shops in the area (if you ever visit here, you need to stop at Iwan Reiss downtown. It has to be one of the best tobacco shops I've ever been to, and it's been around since before the Civil War) I've concluded that the pipe smoking community has some of the friendliest and warm people with which to associate oneself. I hope to learn from the senior members of this forum and hopefully use that knowledge to teach others in the future.
And since everyone always asks, my favorite pipe is my Radice bent Rhodesian that I bought as an estate pipe at one hell of a bargain.

 

[chuckp]

Hi all.....
My name is Chuck and live in western Kentucky, about 110 miles west of Louisville. For the life of me I don't know why I want to start smoking a pipe but I do. I really dislike cigarettes and cigars and I have never smoked but I have always found the aroma of pipe tobacco and smoke a pleasant "thing". And so, with that, at the ripe old age of 52, I want to give it a try.
I know that I'm drawn to the aromatic blends and that's where I'll start along with my $5 MM. I'm just not sure which tobacco to begin with, perhaps I should just make a pick and see what happens.

 

[footballboy3]

howdy everyone,

Name's Andy, I'm 34 and I had never smoked ANYTHING ever in my entire life until a few weeks ago. I actually really hate cigarettes and cigars and smokeless tobacco seems to me a disgusting thing, but to each his own. My wife seems to think my newfound pipe interest is disgusting but she tolerates it. I only have a cob right now but I'm on the lookout for a good first "real" pipe. I bought a pouch of Borkum Riff cherry cavendish which I"m not sure I like, but will try it again, and a few ounces of "merchant's choice" which is apparently Lane 1Q renamed? Its definitely my favorite of the two. I live near Spartanburg, SC, but I grew up in Horry county SC near myrtle beach. I had a few summers of "working in baccer" as a teenager. Man I hated the stuff then, and the smell of cured tobacco coming out of a bulk barn almost made me sick. I'm not sure what piqued my interest, but so far I've enjoyed my relaxing smokes on the patio in front of the fire. I'm glad to have found this forum!

 

[jruthledge]

Andy, you should know that a cob is definitely a real pipe. Just thought I'd let you know so you don't get yourself put on some kind of cob snob hit list before you even get started. . Welcome!

 

[cmclark]

Hey pipers! Been on the site 2 yrs maybe always reading just never signed on. Its a shame that in my area (Detroit) pipe smoking isn't as seen much. Hell I love it ::

 

[cmclark]

@footballboy3 I think when it comes to your lady you just gotta find a nice aro. Make the house smell like baking sweet. Even like a simple Captain Black Royal pack. (Black and gold Cavendish I believe)

 

[carbonmated]

Hello everyone,

New to the forum here and smoked my first pipe today. Picked up a Meerschaum Cob this morning along with a tin of Ashton Rainy Day and 4 oz of Lane 1Q to get me started. I ordered a tin of G.L. Pease Chelsea Morning and McClelland Frog Morton On The Town, and another pipe a Stromboli pipe #7142 Real Briar Arena. So far I smoked a bowl of each and really enjoyed them both. It was pleasant to sit with a smoke listening to the wind go by contemplating the world as relaxation took over my mind. Look forward to learning from you folks.
Carbon

 

[jruthledge]

I'll second that, cmclark. I found an aromatic at Up Down Tobacco in Chicago called Brown Sugar that I really like. My wife came home after I smoked a bowl and was disappointed that there were no brownies, but didn't mind the smell a bit. Boswell's Christmas Cookie is supposed to have a great room note that can fool people into thinking there are treats in the oven too.

 

[posaydal]

Howdy, folks, greetings from a serbian fellow pipe smoker

I just joined today, so i'm a noob here, but not such a noob when it comes to smoking. I'm a pipe smoker for over a decade now, ever since my wife got me my first pipe. Since then i've been smoking pipe mostly and grew fond of it very much. During years i tried many brands and blends of tobacco, but recently i have been mostly smoking McClellands Frog Morton (i'm a huuuge Latakia fan). When it comes to pipes, my collection is not so big, mostly consisting of couple of Petersons, block meerschaum billiard, couple of no name briars that are retired now, one no name gourd calabash with removable pressed meer bowl and a couple of gourd bashes i made by myself.

Recently i have ventured in amateur pipe making hobby. At the moment i am mostly making gourd calabashes with non removable high grade plaster bowls, with some experiments with removable plaster bowls (i will post pictures in pipe making section soon).

Well, till next post, have fun folks, enjoy!

 

[joshb]

Hi all!

My name is Josh, im from Woodstock, GA. I have been a heavy cig smoker since i was about 14, im 28 now. I have always liked the smell and flavor of pipe tobacco, but the sticks have always been priority.

Well, a while back a good friend of mine gave me a Kaywoodie Standard 07c. Its in ok shape, but definitely needs a good cleaning and polishing.

So, with that, im looking forward to gradually getting off cigs and just taking up smoking my pipe. As soon as i can im going to go to the local pipe and cigar store and get a few blends to sample. I figure ill get a blend with a higher nicotine content and another with a higher sugar content. I also need to get some cleaners and the tool. Ill probably pick up another pipe as well so i can rotate and start my new hobby/obsession!

Anywho, just wanted to say hi and wow at the info on this site!

 

[freki]

Greetings!
I am Joe, AKA Freki. I'm new-ish to pipes and their glory. My first pipe of my own was in 2008, a small corn cob pipe I bought at a Civil War re-enactment I was participating in. One gentleman there had this amazing tobacco he gave me a sample of, so I ran off to the sutlers and purchased a $2 corn cob to enjoy. Ended up with a small collection of clay, corn cob, and a briar. (Clay with a reed stem quickly became my favourite) I never got totally into it due to financial restrictions at 18. I am now starting from scratch once more, waiting for a clay and reed to arrive today and looking forward to starting back where I left off seven years ago.
I was doing a bit of poking around on the internet, looking for some more detailed information on various pipe related topics, and it seemed that almost every search led me back here! So, I decided to just go for it and sign up, and here I am!
See ya around!

 

[epsilon2]

Hallo my Gentlemen!

My name is Efthymios (Effe),I'm a pipe smoker and amateur pipe maker the last two years.

Nice to meet you!

Greetings from Rhodes!

 

[firehosen]

Hello pipe pals. Chris here, and greetings from Auburn, Massachusetts. Been at the pipe thing since spring of '08, most active in the past 3 years after a frustration induced hiatus. Started with a cob and a cheap aromatic. Love cobs. Problem was, at the time I just really didn't know what I was doing. Youtube was the savior. Watched a bunch of instructional videos, with one bearded Floridian some of us may be familiar with who suggested trying a Virginia or English style blend as a first time smoke. And I was back in the game!
First tobacco that I was able to smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl was Frog Morton original. Nice and toasty and mellow but loved it, still do. Orlik Golden sliced was the Virginia game changer. Got back into aromatics once I knew how to smoke. I think because they can burn hot, I needed to know what I was doing before I could enjoy anything with a topping. Just my experience, but also my advice to anyone having trouble with aromatics.
Now, I love me anything that burns well and has a good flavor. Aromatic, Virginias or English blends, love them all. Usually just a few times a week thing for me, and don't have a particular need for nicotine missiles. Just a bit wimpy still in that regard.
One thing I'm a stickler for is the to each his own. Whatever flavor or style you like, go for and and don't listen to the nay-sayers. Figure out what works for YOU and light up!

 

[bigbee]

Hi all,
I'm bigbee from Belgium. I'm 34 years old and I've been smoking cigars and pipes for over 5 years now.

During the past years I suffered several strokes of PAD and that lead to a collection of over 40 pipes(and counting).

My collection is mainly oriented to Peterson pipes and especially the 03 shape has a special place in my heart. I have over 15 pipes in that shape in my rotation ranging from the entry level workhorses to the higher end deluxe and silver spigot specimens reserved for the weekends. Thanks to a member of this forum I'm a proud owner of a birth year Mark Twain. The rest of the collection is composed out of the 'usual suspects' : some meers that are coloring nicely, a few cobs, a Sav 320KS, an aerobilliard, some churchwardens...

My dream pipe for the moment a pete supreme gold 03 (either system or spigot)
On my tobacco journey I made the transition most pipe smokers go through. I started out with aro's(which I still enjoy) and went to VA's, VaPers and traditional English blends. Living in Belgium I have a nice stash of Semois in my cellar and also had the joy of visiting mr Manil and his shop. For the moment I have a slight preference for flake tobacco's.

I've been fortunate to have tasted a myriad of different tobacco's and I'm cellaring my current favorites Dunhill's EMP, DH Flake, Peterson's UF and Capstan Blue. For the moment my cellar is at approx. 20 lbs.
My other hobbies are gaming and programming, science, reading biographies and fantasy (guess which books raised my interest in pipes? ) and belgian beers
As I'm already a member for almost 2 years of this forum(and big fan of the podcast), you can say I'm a more passive member. I would like to thank you all for the vast amounts of information you share and also for some of the witty comments that brighten up my day.

 

[bulfrg]

Hello all,

After years of contemplation i have finally decided it is my time to take up smoking pipes. I have found a couple of estate pipes purchased them and am in the process of restoring them whilst i await the delivery of some tobacco. Unfortunately i don't live close to any pipe tobacco stockist or know of any pipe smokers locally to help but thank goodness this forum is packed with info to help me. So hello from Geelong, Australia