I realize that this post is a little long, but I ask that you give it a chance. This is my journey into pipe-smoking.
_____________________________________________
I barely knew my Uncle Ben. He lived in another state and only visited on Holidays. As a child, I rarely talked to him, although I saw him as kind and pleasant person. My only real memories of him were seeing him out on my grandmother’s patio, smoking a pipe (or cigar) and busting chops with my Dad. This month will be the tenth anniversary of his death (along with his wife) in a tragic car accident. He and his wife never had children. When they died, their belongings were essentially divided up between family members. I was 21 years old and had no interest in pipes. Rather, I smoked camel cigarettes and didn’t care enough to take the time to appreciate something like pipes and real tobacco.
Uncle Ben was the only member of my family that smoked pipes. His pipe collection was simply dumped into a plastic Wal-Mart bag and passed along to a family member for simple sentimental value. They were one of his signatures, and no one wanted to just toss them. Shortly thereafter, the pipes came into the possession of my older brother – an occasional cigar smoker. He says he smoked a couple of them once or twice with some Captain Black, but never really got into it. After quitting cigarettes and moving on to cigars, I quickly discovered that good cigars are expensive. Eventually I went back to cigarettes and quit those again. About 4 years ago, I acquired a couple of basket pipes and a couple of B&M blends. When my brother found out about my new interest in pipes, he decided to pass Uncle Ben’s collection on to me. He thought that if we had a family member smoking pipes, then this collection should not simply sit in a plastic bag in a shelf in the back of a closet. I had learned a few things about pipes in my initial endeavors; I knew good pipes, but possessed a rather mediocre few.
When I opened the bag and looked down into it, I was shocked. There were nearly 50 pipes: Petersons, St. Claudes, Stanwells, and many others. This was a SERIOUS collection that anyone would be proud of. It was also immediately obvious that Savinelli’s were his favorite. There were about 10 of them: all shapes and sizes, a couple of beautiful Estellas, and even an Autograph. The Autograph was huge, well caked, worn, and had some serious bite marks. Obviously, it was his favorite pipe.
I had no one to teach me to smoke pipes. With sites like this, and trial-and-error, I had to teach myself how to smoke patiently and properly. Uncle Ben had some old “beater” pipes too. Out of respect for the collection he’d cultivated, I reserved my learning for those few pipes along with the basket pipes that I’d previously acquired. Only in the past several months, have I felt that I had the knowledge and practice to use his higher-end pipes. They smoke so beautifully, and I have not had one bowl when I did not think of him. I have not smoked his Savinelli Autograph, and I don’t know if I ever will. In the next few weeks, and in honor of him, I’ll be sending this pipe to Walker Briarworks for restoration. I plan to display it prominently in his honor and continue caring for (and respectfully smoking) the rest of the pipes. I treasure them all.
I like to think that he is sitting on a cloud somewhere, blowing smoke rings and busting chops with some of the great pipe smokers of legend.
_____________________________________________
I barely knew my Uncle Ben. He lived in another state and only visited on Holidays. As a child, I rarely talked to him, although I saw him as kind and pleasant person. My only real memories of him were seeing him out on my grandmother’s patio, smoking a pipe (or cigar) and busting chops with my Dad. This month will be the tenth anniversary of his death (along with his wife) in a tragic car accident. He and his wife never had children. When they died, their belongings were essentially divided up between family members. I was 21 years old and had no interest in pipes. Rather, I smoked camel cigarettes and didn’t care enough to take the time to appreciate something like pipes and real tobacco.
Uncle Ben was the only member of my family that smoked pipes. His pipe collection was simply dumped into a plastic Wal-Mart bag and passed along to a family member for simple sentimental value. They were one of his signatures, and no one wanted to just toss them. Shortly thereafter, the pipes came into the possession of my older brother – an occasional cigar smoker. He says he smoked a couple of them once or twice with some Captain Black, but never really got into it. After quitting cigarettes and moving on to cigars, I quickly discovered that good cigars are expensive. Eventually I went back to cigarettes and quit those again. About 4 years ago, I acquired a couple of basket pipes and a couple of B&M blends. When my brother found out about my new interest in pipes, he decided to pass Uncle Ben’s collection on to me. He thought that if we had a family member smoking pipes, then this collection should not simply sit in a plastic bag in a shelf in the back of a closet. I had learned a few things about pipes in my initial endeavors; I knew good pipes, but possessed a rather mediocre few.
When I opened the bag and looked down into it, I was shocked. There were nearly 50 pipes: Petersons, St. Claudes, Stanwells, and many others. This was a SERIOUS collection that anyone would be proud of. It was also immediately obvious that Savinelli’s were his favorite. There were about 10 of them: all shapes and sizes, a couple of beautiful Estellas, and even an Autograph. The Autograph was huge, well caked, worn, and had some serious bite marks. Obviously, it was his favorite pipe.
I had no one to teach me to smoke pipes. With sites like this, and trial-and-error, I had to teach myself how to smoke patiently and properly. Uncle Ben had some old “beater” pipes too. Out of respect for the collection he’d cultivated, I reserved my learning for those few pipes along with the basket pipes that I’d previously acquired. Only in the past several months, have I felt that I had the knowledge and practice to use his higher-end pipes. They smoke so beautifully, and I have not had one bowl when I did not think of him. I have not smoked his Savinelli Autograph, and I don’t know if I ever will. In the next few weeks, and in honor of him, I’ll be sending this pipe to Walker Briarworks for restoration. I plan to display it prominently in his honor and continue caring for (and respectfully smoking) the rest of the pipes. I treasure them all.
I like to think that he is sitting on a cloud somewhere, blowing smoke rings and busting chops with some of the great pipe smokers of legend.
:
