New Members, Introduce Yourself!

[rmbittner]

I've posted a bit since I joined earlier this month, but figured I should make things "official" here.
I've been smoking a pipe since I was 18, back in 1980. In the mid-80s, I worked part-time at a Tinder Box in suburban Chicago, where I learned a lot of what I know about pipes (and cigars) and tobacco. It also introduced me to the fraternity of pipe smokers, which I continue to cherish to this day. It's great to be among friends here.
I've got a fair number of pipes in my collection (around 40 or so) and a good quantity of tobacco cellared (750+ tins), but I think I'd be happy with nothing more than Penzance in the $8 no-name pipe I bought back in 1980 (which, thankfully, is still with me. . . and smoking fine!). For me, Penzance is my "Arcadia" (if you're familiar with J.M. Barrie's wonderful book My Lady Nicotine). Otherwise I favor English blends, Balkans, straight Virginias, VA/burley flakes, and, rarely, an aromatic.
I've been a full-time freelance nonfiction writer (magazine articles and books) for the last 12 years. . . although that might be changing soon; I have an interview for a senior-editor position next week. As a freelancer, though, I've had the freedom to enjoy my pipes throughout the day. Not looking forward to possibly giving that up! But, then, there's that whole "steady paycheck" thing.
It's good to be here.
Bob

 

[oldpops41]

Welcome to all the newbies lots of good people here with lots of good info

 

[dragonslayer]

Hi all;

A long time Cigar smoker and recently I’ve been enjoying my pipe again after 15 years with so many changes... Mostly in all that's available, I’m looking forward to trying as many as possible.

I'm a screenwriter and spend long hours writing and enjoying the variety that pipe smoking brings me over cigars. So I'll save the cigars for the local smoke shop and enjoy the richness of my pipe as I'm writing.
Craig
**Right spot this time

 

[eltice]

Good Morning All!
New to the site and relatively new to pipe smoking...I started/"tried it out" early this summer (somewhere around my 39th birthday).
I, as probably many others, started out as a cigar smoker and wanted something a little different. Currently, I have my first $20 no name pipe made in Italy....not sure that it's even Briar, a few Boswell's, a Savinelli, and a "Benjamin Briar" pipe on order.
As far as tobacco, I have tried a couple dozen or so. So far, I have really enjoyed the Boswell blends (Christmas Cookie, 1Q, Mild English, & Premium Burley). I also have a couple Dunhill tins...Nightcap, which I like and London Mixture, still haven't tried this one, but the reviews said it was a mild version of Nightcap so I think it will be alright.
Looking forward to all of the information from the users and the site!
Happy Smoking!

Eric

 

[tobacco]

hi everyone just wanted to say hi i am new to the forum and just wanted to say hello and hope to get to know some of you. Hope this is the first of many posts.
nice to meet you all

 

[brewer]

How do you do. I came across these pages while researching how to improve my tobacco curing and aging process. I am a New Zealander doing aid work on a remote Pacific island. If you view my avatar, it depicts the only tobacco available to me here. It costs less than a dollar an ounce and its not too bad, if a bit too peppery.

I have been a pipe smoker for most of my 64 years, have a large collection, mostly falcons, and enjoy a lightly cased blend - my usual smoke was Amphora regular when available.

Lately I have taken to cutting and compressing this rope tobacco (I carefully select what I buy for moisture, colour and aroma)and aging it to see if I can improve the flavour. It certainly does but this Christmas, I had some time in the Provincial Capital and decided to experiment a little by adding one of the other native grown products - vanilla.

Immediately there was a huge improvement in flavour. It is too soon to tell what will be the result of aging with the vanilla and a little citrus zest added but will let you know. As it is I don't miss my Amphora one little bit.

I am putting it up in pint tomato paste jars, the kind that taper towards the top and tamping it as firmly as I can with a wooden rod. The taper helps by holding the tobacco down as it is tamped. I get about eight sticks of tobacco into one jar by which time its solidly compacted. I add a few drops of vanilla essence and a small strip of citrus zest to each handful as I rub it after cutting.

If anyone has any further tips, I would be most grateful. I wonder about applying a little heat to the jar before sealing as one does with canning fruit. I may try that in the next batch but I don't want to destroy the fermentation bacteria.

It will be interesting to see what a few months aging will do but, as I said, I have a very satisfactory smoke already.
Kind regards.

 

[pipebreath]

Post #1
I saw there were a few Canadians on here so I joined.

 

[progger]

Hi there! My name is Jonathan and despite my profile, I hail from Canada. I have dabbled here and there with all forms of tobacco since I was very young and the one thing I never got into past buying a cheap pipe was real pipe smoking. Finally at the age of 36 years young, I bought what I would consider my first pipe. I find myself going wild for this and the one thing I will say that is truly amazing about smoking a pipe is the time required. You do nothing else but the ritual associated with the pipe. You pack the pipe, you light the pipe, you enjoy the pipe, you clean the pipe and then you start again.
I look forward to getting to know as many new folks as I can on this site. Thanks for all the efforts put into making this possible. Much appreciated!
Cheers,
Jonathan

 

[calumet]

Greetings from Calumet!
I'm a long-time pipe smoker, about 30 years. For many years, I smoked cigarettes and some cigars too, but for the past five years it's been pipes only. I really haven't done anything on pipe forums before, but I was doing a little research and came across yours and thought I would join up. It looks like a very informative site.

 

[chicagopiper]

Well, I finally made it. Many years of "surfing" this site and finally jumped in as a member. Pipe smoker for 15ish years, mostly aro's, outta Brighams, Savs and Petes. Have seen a lot of Chicago area members on this site. Look forward to many future posts and conversations. God Bless.

 

[englishdave]

It surely is a friendly group here. Only been an official member for a few days and already I have had friend requests from four people! So I guess it's time to introduce myself.
I started my briar apprenticeship while an undergraduate back in 1988 with a Peterson System #301. I smoked a variety of Dunhill and store blends for several years, and acquired some lovely pipes along the way. I've got eight now that have stood the test of time, some high end, some not so much, but all faithful.
I started smoking cigars in 1992 and drifted from the briar, eventually smoking both less and less. I haven't smoked my pipes in probably four years.
I recently unboxed my pipes from storage and have started smoking again. I was an early adopted of GL Pease Ravens Wing when it first came out. I was sad to see that it is no longer available. But Mr. Pease has not disappointed and I've been exploring his newer creations with gusto over the last few weeks of Christmas smoking.
As for work, I am currently a staff sergeant with the US Army, with one deployment to Iraq and getting ready to go to Afghanistan. A friend who smoked with me in college tells me he still has an unopened tin of Ravens Wing from 2003, and we are going to split it up so that I can smoke some while I'm downrange. In-between deployments I took advantage of the GI Bill and recently finished a masters degree in medical anthropology, looking at how the long recent wars are impacting the mental health of our service men and women, and the barriers they face when coming home and taking off the uniform.
This site is a wonderful resource. When I started smoking it was difficult to learn anything, and smoking was a strangely a pipe was a strangely lonely and disconnected pursuit. I guess the internet is good for something after all.
I look forward to spending more time connected to the brethren of the briar through both the ethereal quality of smoke, thought, and electrons.

 

[progger]

Welcome calumet, chicagopiper and englishdave! I have only been here a small while but I can certainly attest to the friendly. Feels like home away from home. Everyone is eager to help and super easy on the beginners like myself. Cheers and happy smoking!

 

[redbeard]

Hello all, new here... My name is Dave and have never smoked a pipe yet. Was given my dads pipe collection a while back and have always wanted to try them out but never got to it. I found this forum recently and have found tons of useful info and helpful people! So far I have cleaned up three pipes and am going to the tobacco shop tomorrow to find something. Hopefully nothing too strong, I have smoked black and milds every once in a while, tried cigs when I was young and hate them!! I hope to enjoy a long relaxing bowl on the patio soon :D

 

[nashvilleric]

Hello Everyone - I look forward to the discussions and the collective knowledge found here.

 

[pipe8]

Hi all,
I just wanted to come and introduce myself as I'm new to the forum!

I'm a personal trainer and back specialist from the UK, recently took to the pipe after quitting cigars and have now found a new love.

I have been around the forum and decided to join to meet new people and learn as much as I can in the process!
All the best and I look forward to chatting

 

[gonzalez1]

Hey all, I'm 18 and just got my first pipe yesterday, and am currently on my second smoke. I got a nice little corn cob pipe that I love. Hope to learn a lot from you experienced vets. Can already tell I'm going to be a pipe tobacky fanatic. I take on my occasional cigar, and cheek of chew. Looking forward to this site.
Ryan.

 

[4dotsasieni]

Hi, everybody --
I just returned to pipe smoking after a 20-something year hiatus. I must say it's disheartening to see that so many great pipe shops have disappeared in that interval, that we're now subject to punitive taxes on our tobacco, and that smoking in any form is looked upon with general disdain.
But, on the bright side, it's great to see that some classics (Iwan Ries, for example) are still going strong, that new sources for quality pipes (such as Ukraine) are starting to open up, and, most of all, that this forum exists. I look forward to many visits, and many pleasurable discussions with fellow members.
Thanks for being here... ::

 

[englishdave]

Welcome 4dotsasieni:
As someone coming back to smoking myself after a long break I can sympathize with everything you've said. I found much the same thing myself. Still, it's nice to find such a vibrant community on the web.
Again, welcome. And to everyone else who has posted in the last few weeks since I made my own introductions.

 

[sebastian]

Hello Everyone!
I have been lurking around and reading the various post here for a few weeks now, and decided to go ahead and join.
I've been a cigarette smoker for over 20 years, but have just recently discovered the pleasure of pipe smoking. Now that I have, I've jumped right in with both feet. I started with a little basket pipe, and enjoyed it so much that I have started to try to build myself a little collection to rotate through. Its even helped me to cut back from 2.5 to less than 1 pack of cigarettes a day!
I look forward to talking with y'all (There's a little "Texan" for you) and learning more.
T. Sebastian

 

[fadingdaylight]

Introduction... let's see... I took up smoking a pipe a little over a year ago, more out of curiosity than anything. Fell in love, and have spent a good part of the last year sampling new blends and wishing I could spring for a few more pipes. Right now I'm using my starter still, a 35 dollar briar. Currently deployed to Afghanistan, this is my 4th combat tour, been on Active Duty for just shy of 11 years now. The only blends I have tried so far are Tinderbox blends, as they have been affordable and readily accessible when I'm at home, but there are a few I love. I'm also interested in trying my hand at pipemaking in the near future.