Just dropping in here to say 'Hi'. I've been smoking a pipe for a while, and I've been lurking around here since I started, about a year ago.
I started back in December 2012 with a cheap and nasty (I'm aware these two terms are not necessarily interchangeable, but they certainly were with this one....) Churchwarden. The stem was blocked somewhere in the middle so that a pipe cleaner couldn't even pass through the stem. I didn't even realise that this wasn't normal at the time.... Still. Started off with some black cavendish, which was quite pleasant, once I actually got the stuff to light (it was way, way too wet - not that I knew this at the time!) After a few days, and a few attempts, I realised that the pipe itself was useless, and bought a basic basket pipe, (which I still use - it's not great, but it works OK, and I'm not going to lose any sleep if (say) I dropped it and it broke) with the advice of the nice lady who runs the tobacconists in Glasgow city centre (yes, I'm living in Glasgow, although I'm originally from the south of England). I also bought some Brookfield black bourbon, which was about 1,000,000 times better than the black cavendish I'd bought first.
Moved through the usual 'try loads of aromatics' - I still enjoy an aromatic, particularly when smoking in the car on the way home from work - I've always had good success with the Peterson Aromatics, summertime, annual special editions and christmas ones, but other than that I've moved more towards simpler blends - Dunhill EMP, Rattray's Old Gowrie, and more and more, Dunhill Flake.
I love trying new things, but I try not to have too many different things open at once - at the moment, I've got some old Gowrie, Dunhill Flake, Bob's Chocolate flake, some Peterson Christmas 2011, and some Peterson 2013 special reserve open, but there's about 20 different tins sat in my wardrobe to be opened.
I've picked up a number of pipes (doesn't everyone?) including a lovely (to my eye) unstained Invicta Italian Plateau briar, which seems to smoke anything (including aros) cool and dry. My other favourite pipes include a straight falcon (there's a couple of bowls (an apple and a rusticated dublin), which I switch between) - which is usually my 'in-car' pipe - the small bowl suits my drive homewards, another Invicta (a Colin Fromm made '#1') which tends to be my go-to out and about pipe - it's also the only one that's ever received comments about being a 'nice looking pipe' (generally followed by 'don't see many of them about these days, do you....')
I find pipe smoking particularly relaxing, and manage a bowl most days (usually on the way home from work (I run the quality team for a large whisky producer, FWIW - it's quite stressful - particularly at this time of year!) with a few at weekends (I've got a bowl of Old Gowrie sat at my side, ready to light once I finish typing this post, and I've hung the washing up) and I prefer a zippo to light (preferring to smoke outdoors, I've never found a particularly windproof gas lighter, and up here matches are (as Monty Python might put it) 'Right Out'.
Unusually (or so I'm told) I have absolutely no preference to size, shape or weight (Well, at any given point, I'll want a specific size, shape and weight, but as a matter of course, I collect everything!) my collection ranges from a 25g Ashton Cutty, to the 150g Plateau briar, with bowl sizes ranging from 'can barely get my index finger in' to 'swallows my thumb, and can't reach the bottom'.
I've recently built myself a prototype pipe rack out of a couple of (slightly damaged) fancy whisky boxes. I'll post a photo at some point, which will show my collection too.
Living in Britain, land of super-high-tobacco-taxation, I've not bought any large bulk (the largest I've bought is 100g tins) packs, although I'm off to Poland to have a look at Vodka distillation in early December, and hope to bring some back then!
My wife's quite happy to join me for a bowl, (although she prefers a mini cigar - Cafe Creme blue generally) and she's got a small Acorn which she uses when she fancies one of her own. I also enjoy a good cigar, but usually stick to pipes (1 cigar, or a 50g tin?). I also enjoy a pinch of heavily mentholated snuff on a regular basis.
But that's it for vices. Apart from a love of Whisky (particularly highly peated Islays, although 18YO Macallan Sherry Oak is my all-time-favourite) and a minor addiction to Maltesers and Peanut-butter M&Ms (when I can convince someone to bring me some back from the USA)
Anyway. Wasn't intending to post my life story, but there you go.
Hi!
