New Pipe Smoker

[khiddy]

Welcome from northern Indiana, land of corn and Irish football!

 

[Jebi]

Welcome up, impressive you are a month in and going full on the English. As I am sure you know, if that has latakia in it you might want to get another cob to try out the new blends (if/when you get to them).

 

[AreBee]

Welcome from another new pipe smoker in Connecticut!

 

[OverMountain]

Welcome! You’ve come to the right place! (It just keeps getting better)

 

[popeofpiping]

Welcome from TN!

 

[trouttimes]

Welcome from Alabama.

 

[bpinkstaff]

Welcome from Rockton Illinois!

 

[proteus]

 

[rakovsky]

Hello everyone. I am new to pipe smoking , coming from the world of cigars. I would like to thank everyone here for sharing their experiences and advice for those new to the experience of pipe smoking. I used this forum as research as my journey began a month ago. Valuable information on starting with a corn cob pipe, tobacco selection, proper packaging, pipe rotation , cleaning and using the breath technique.

Yes, online advice I found very helpful. Since no one in my family or friends network smoked a pipe, I didn't have a "mentor" for it, and for some things there was a pretty steep learning curve, like learning not to unscrew the stem from the shank when the chamber was still hot, or not to use dirt cheap Chinese-made pipes made from unknown wood. Fortunately those two mistakes came hand in hand in my case.

Some things I am still learning though like breath technique, and the online community is a great resource.

 

[Thorin Pipenshield]

 

[STP]

Welcome

 

[LudwigB88]

If I could go back in time here’s some advice I’d give myself when starting:

1. Pack looser. Use a doubled over pipe cleaner from shank to bowl when loading to make sure you don’t block the draft hole.

2. Dry tobacco.

3. Tamp lightly.

4. Invest in soft flame Oldboy lighter from Japan. It’s not cheap but crucial.

5. Get a Czech tamping tool.

6. Keep good supply of pipe cleaners.

7. Keep small bottle of Everclear for dipping pipe cleaners and cleaning pipe.

8. Start out with a few Savinelli seconds unfinished pipes. They are terrific and are available on eBay for about $50. They are as good as some $400 pipes I have.

9. Use smaller bowls for Virginia and larger bowls for English.

10. Avoid aromatics.

11. Start with a decent Virginia Flake and a mild English like Pease Westminster.

12. Stick with it.

13. Be patient and don’t puff like a locomotive.

14. Focus on flavor.

Good luck !

 

[/Adam\]

 

[Kollman]

 

[AreBee]

Welcome from another long time cigar smoker and new pipe smoker in Connecticut!

 

[JoburgB2]

A bit late, but Hello and Welcome from Scotland.