I always thought, frankly, since I'm already a writer and English professor and tend towards the tweed blazer / leather elbow patches school of fashion, that pipe smoking was a little over the top, but as I get a bit older I care less what other people think of me!
My grandfather always smoked pipes, and I enjoyed the smell. Recently I have occasionally had a cigar out at a cigar bar in my town, but while enjoyable smokes, I don't love the smell and it just seems less elegant. So rather than buy cigars I thought I might try a pipe.
It looks like the kind of fun hobby I enjoy, also into fountain pens, typewriters, and tea, so it has the fussiness, endless new things to pick up, trying different blends etc.... (my tongue is a little in my cheek here, but only a little)
I did think I would stop and read and discuss a little bit before spending any money, and have a couple of questions, though I have been lurking around a bit.
So it looks to me like a Missouri Meerschaum cob pipe is a good inexpensive first choice. I like the way bent pipes look, and the Elf Cobbitt looks like a fairly reasonable cost to me to try this whole thing out, I also don't hate the look of it, and enjoy the Tolkien reference, so there is that.
As far as tobacco goes, I know from drinking tea that while flavored teas like Earl Grey are awesome, starting out with pure strains, like a Darjeeling, Asssam or Keemun is the way to go when you are learning, as flavors can be overwhelming. What types of blends would you start with? I know my grandfather used to smoke Peterson Old Dublin, 'cause I've got some tins lying around somewhere. I've also heard good things about Cornell & Diehl. They have a blend called 'Haunted Bookstore' that I am tempted to buy just because of the name. That's not all that systematic, but heck.
Would it be worth getting two different blends to try? I know people reserve different pipes for different blends, but could I smoke two that are somewhat close in the same pipe?
I haven't found a real one stop shopping location that discusses the different cuts, and types of pipe tobacco, it seems a little more esoteric than tea, not that i mind, esoterica is a feature not a bug for me.
Anything else y'all suggest for a first time smoker, other than just buy a pipe and tobacco and dive right in? Should I get a pipe tool, or will my swiss army knife suffice?
I'm less than worried about the details of packing and smoking as there are a metric ton of YouTube videos on how to, and most of them look like just don't pack it too tight to me, anyhow.
Cheers,
TBS
My grandfather always smoked pipes, and I enjoyed the smell. Recently I have occasionally had a cigar out at a cigar bar in my town, but while enjoyable smokes, I don't love the smell and it just seems less elegant. So rather than buy cigars I thought I might try a pipe.
It looks like the kind of fun hobby I enjoy, also into fountain pens, typewriters, and tea, so it has the fussiness, endless new things to pick up, trying different blends etc.... (my tongue is a little in my cheek here, but only a little)
I did think I would stop and read and discuss a little bit before spending any money, and have a couple of questions, though I have been lurking around a bit.
So it looks to me like a Missouri Meerschaum cob pipe is a good inexpensive first choice. I like the way bent pipes look, and the Elf Cobbitt looks like a fairly reasonable cost to me to try this whole thing out, I also don't hate the look of it, and enjoy the Tolkien reference, so there is that.
As far as tobacco goes, I know from drinking tea that while flavored teas like Earl Grey are awesome, starting out with pure strains, like a Darjeeling, Asssam or Keemun is the way to go when you are learning, as flavors can be overwhelming. What types of blends would you start with? I know my grandfather used to smoke Peterson Old Dublin, 'cause I've got some tins lying around somewhere. I've also heard good things about Cornell & Diehl. They have a blend called 'Haunted Bookstore' that I am tempted to buy just because of the name. That's not all that systematic, but heck.
Would it be worth getting two different blends to try? I know people reserve different pipes for different blends, but could I smoke two that are somewhat close in the same pipe?
I haven't found a real one stop shopping location that discusses the different cuts, and types of pipe tobacco, it seems a little more esoteric than tea, not that i mind, esoterica is a feature not a bug for me.
Anything else y'all suggest for a first time smoker, other than just buy a pipe and tobacco and dive right in? Should I get a pipe tool, or will my swiss army knife suffice?
I'm less than worried about the details of packing and smoking as there are a metric ton of YouTube videos on how to, and most of them look like just don't pack it too tight to me, anyhow.
Cheers,
TBS
