Taking A Week Off Seems To Renew The Enjoyment

[carolinachurchwarden]

I'm currently smoking my first pipe in a week. I was stricken with a cough that just wouldn't seem to go away, so I laid down the pipe for a week, took a lot of medicine for it and yesterday, I was ba k to normal.
I'm taking it slow and steady today and decided to grab one of my favorite blends and favorite pipes: my Peterson Christmas 999 and some ODF. Along with a cup of hot, black coffee on this beautiful morning, with some cool, crisp air, nothing seems to taste finer.
I've taken a leave several times before, when being sick. It certainly helps the recovery process. What amazes me is that after taking a week or so off, just how good some of the tobaccos we have can taste. After a bowl a day, or often more, for months on end, it seems like flavors get somewhat lost amongst the noise. In the future, when I'm feeling like they're all jumbling together, maybe I'll just start taking a self-imposed hiatus for a bit to bring the magic back. It's worked everytime so far like a charm and seems to renew the enjoyment for me. Just a little thought for the day. Happy smoking ladies and gents! ::

 

[ophiuchus]

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." ::
:puffpipe:
Wait ... maybe that was, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder ... "
Anyway, I agree.

 

[sablebrush52]

I take an extended break from the pipe several times a year, and without fail, the first smokes I have following, are always wonderful. The flavors just explode.

 

[mso489]

'churchwarden, I've had about four weeks off pipe smoking, maybe the same bug you had but longer to heal. I surmise it was the flu subdued somewhat but lengthened by having had the high dose "senior" flu shot. (I'm not an ardent proponent of flu shots, just found them protective in the past with no flu at all.) Anyway, yes, I am so looking forward to that first bowl when this bug is convincingly and completely gone. It never kept me down entirely, which ordinary flu would do, but it was a racking cough and much gross ... well never mind. Glad you're well. Hope I'm right on your heels. Smoking does restrict capillaries (smallest blood vessels) so isn't a good idea when recovering from anything. Health to all!

 

[npod]

+1 on all above. A week or two off now and then does the palate good.

 

[blues4goose]

I'd be afraid that without constant practice, the first few bowls I pack after my hiatus would get dumped halfway through out of frustration.

Maybe something for when I get a bit more consistent.

I wonder if it still works if you smoke cigars constantly throughout the week of no pipes...

 

[deckpiper]

I'm trying to limit myself to an average of two bowls per month. I've been tracking my smokes in 2019, and I'm at 2.4/mo. I don't know if that low rate qualifies me as a "tobacco product user," but it probably does.
I know that some people do that in a day, but for health reasons, I'm trying to limit myself. (Trying to limit the alcohol as well...and the fast food.)
As the weather gets nicer, I find myself out there more and more with a pipe. The average is going up as the year progresses.