questions from a young smoker

[rybo]

hey guys - i haven't been on in a few months. now that i'm back, i've got a few questions for you guys.
first, to set the stage. i'm a 21 year old smoker with a stanwell legendary pipe. beautiful pipe, but the bowl is a bit too small for me. i am looking (hopefully sooner rather than later) at increasing my pipe collection and purchasing something a little larger. it's about a 1/4 bend. i'd like to maybe get something that has a little more bend, but that's not as important. does anyone have advice on something with a wider bowl? i'm trying to stay under $100.
next, pairing. i tend to drink tea with my pipe, but i was looking to branch out. coffee's not an option as i have no way to brew it at the house at the moment. i've tried whiskey, which is not terrible - and i'll have a guiness or something dark every now and then. any other suggestions for good beverage/food pairings?
thanks in advance - love the community and i'd appreciate any advice!

 

[romeowood]

Teas are an excellent pairing for tobaccos as the flavors tend to be very complementary as well as the balancing of the acidity & alkalinity of the palate. I suggest branching out and exploring different teas; I would particularly recommend aged pu-erhs and Earl Grey varieties. Here's a site that may lead you to some satisfactions: Steepster.

 

[ohin3]

There is always a way to brew coffee. If you have a sauce pot and a stove or any sort of heating element you can make coffee.
I like all sorts of pipe and beverage pairings...just have to experiment and see what you like. I like, coffee, tea, the occasional soda, wine iced tea, and as mentioned above, iced water. I find that iced water helps keep your saliva going and your mouth hydrated allowing a lot more flavour from your pipe.

 

[ranger]

I'm somewhat of a coffee snob, I usually only drink perked coffee, and it must be perked in an aluminum pot.

Having said that let me say that Nescafe' tasters choice instant is not bad at all.
I never thought that I would be recommending an instant coffee, however, if you have no way in which to brew coffee, give Nescafe' tasters choice a try.

 

[rybo]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'll definitely be trying these out. And thanks for the Steepster link - that's right up my alley!
Should have mentioned earlier - one of the reasons I've been so busy and off of here is that I just got engaged two weeks ago. Between that preparation and now the wedding planning...I'm looking forward to nights of peaceful pipe smoking.

 

[unclearthur]

COFFEE!!! As for an affordable pipe. Look at estates (used pipes) for good prices. Just take care if you deal on fleabay. Some sellers have no idea what they are selling. Others have too good an idea and take pictures that fail to show fatal problems.