The need for the taste of combusted tobacco once I gave up cigarettes and started vaping.
What Brought You To The Pipe?
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LOTR and my love for rituals and quiet moments.
My wife and I bought some land to start our little farm, and I constantly had to consult the farmer next door to learn how to do things. He always had a pipe with him, either in his mouth or his pocket. It smelled good to me and seemed to relax him when he would take it out and puff on it in the middle of things. I caught sight of him a few times sitting under a tree or walking along the edge of the forest puffing away, and it seemed so meditative. I gave it a shot, under his tutelage, and really enjoyed it.
In my area, many of us converted to pipes when the RYO fad hit. Not the actual roll your own tobaccos like Bugler or Drum, but where you went into a store, bought a bag of your favorite pipe tobacco, untopped, and sometimes organically grown. Then you pick out some tubes with filters. You buy them, and then go downstairs to a room with these large industrial tube packing machines that are used in making commercial cigarettes and make you a carton of cigarettes. The pipe tobacco was $12-24 a pound, the tubes $12 or so, and the fee for using the machine seemed to vary by the mood of the gangster working that day... no kidding this was all run by very mafioso looking guys, family men. I think his name was actually Guido.
But, as I was standing in line with everyone else, doing the math in my head, I bought my tobacco, went down the road and bought a cheap Savinelli pipe for $30, and calculated that I was really saving some money. Then after I finished the bag of Turkish Pipe Tobacco, I started trying other blends of tobacco, like Captain Black and cherry goop middleton. Then, a year or so later, I found The Briary, and I had made the switch from cigarettes to pipes totally.
So, pipe smoking being the cheapest consumption of tobacco was what brought me here. And, it is still the cheapest of my hobbies.
But, as I was standing in line with everyone else, doing the math in my head, I bought my tobacco, went down the road and bought a cheap Savinelli pipe for $30, and calculated that I was really saving some money. Then after I finished the bag of Turkish Pipe Tobacco, I started trying other blends of tobacco, like Captain Black and cherry goop middleton. Then, a year or so later, I found The Briary, and I had made the switch from cigarettes to pipes totally.
So, pipe smoking being the cheapest consumption of tobacco was what brought me here. And, it is still the cheapest of my hobbies.
Picked cigars back up for my 50th, my wife bought me a box of Fuente Cuban Belicosas. Fast forward to Fathers day 5 years later and I had seen a Peterson combo deal in the P&C catalog - get a pipe, two tins, pipe tool for I think $70. The tins were University flake and Irish Flake, never looked back 
The pipe shop at Harrods just within the last year. I had never used tobacco, and it was never under consideration until I saw that shop. Something very romantic about it... a nod to the past. I enjoy traditional wet shaving, manual shift cars, nice watches, etc. The pipe seemed to be consistent with all that. The health risks are still something I am reconciling in my mind. I keep my smoking to 2.5 bowls or less per week (I track it all on a spreadsheet so I know exactly where I am), with charcoal filter. I am doing what I can to minimize the risks as I determine if this is something I will stick with. Thus far, my few bowls per week are pretty enjoyable!
As I have remarked before everyone in my family smoked a pipe with the exception of the women, although I often wondered about Auntie Winnie!
As a kid, running around the mall, I remember going into the Tinderbox, which also had other men's things, like really expensive chess sets, shoe buffers, large magnifying glasses (I guess for the amateur Sherlocks), banker's lamps, journals, and displays of expensive pens. It was very cool. But, when I would visit these Tinderboxes in college, and I was thinking about switching from cigs to pipes, I would ask about the process. I would lose my train of thought at hearing that would have to set still for over an hour to smoke... According to this old man. I have never been the type to set still. And, smoking was and still is just something I do whole doing everything else. But, when I would ask about whether they had any smaller pipes, thinking smaller meant shorter smokes (I didn't know then what I know now), they would ask me if I meant "paraphernalia" pipes with a raising of the eyebrow, which of course sounded like they were suggesting that I was a dope smoker, which meant that I no longer wanted to be in that store, nor give them any of my money. In my opinion back in college, a dope smoker was like a murderer or rapist, and I didn't like the suggestion.
So, I probably could have been smoking pipes for much longer, if it hadn't of been for smart ass tobacconists, ha ha. But, I did enjoy looking at all of the man stuff they carried. It was always the first place that I would look for gifts for my father or one of my uncles... until they made that suggestion about drugs.
I had a similar experience last weekend. I popped into a local cigar/pipe tobacco shop to pick up a couple of cobs. I have some new blends that are likely to ghost, so I wanted to run them through cobs to see if I like them. The shop owner was kind of rude when he caught me looking at the display, and told me that I shouldn't smoke weed out of those, and that there were other shops with glass pipes lol.
I'm 29, so I probably looked like a kid to him, but I was wearing jeans, boots, and a button down shirt. I've been in there before, but I was wearing a suit from work, so he probably didn't recognize me. I still bought the cobs, but the experience didn't encourage me to spend $5-$6 extra per tobacco tin (over online pricing) in order to support his store.
I wouldn't have... it kills me how some businesses can be run by absolute morons, and stay in business. But, I do notice that the businesses that treats everyone who walks through the door the same way they would a millionaire, are the businesses that tend to proffer and grow the most.
tinderbox is the nearest tobacco shop here. just few min from my house. just go there for immediate needs like new pipe nail or running out of pipe cleaner. don't really stick around to chat. meant to go to raleigh for pipe by george, but never got around to it.
I always enjoyed smoking cigars. I went into a local tobacco shop and was just intrigued by the pipes on display. Read up a little, and watched some fellows calmly enjoying their pipes one day, and the ritualization if it. Thought I had to try it and haven’t looked back!
My dad, one-pipe-at-a-time all day Granger smoker that you've all heard about maybe too often from me.
Some of my earliest memories of my uncle was rolling his own cigarettes and smoking a pipe. The pipe in particular had a smell that I liked. It also looked so serene and relaxing.
In my grade school years the anti-smoking campaign really kicked into high gear and so I was reluctant to try it out when I became of an age I could buy tobacco. Later in life my kids grew up and we are empty nesters, so I decided that I needed to go back to this childhood desire to try the pipe after studying the risks.
I absolutely love my pipe, though I am a light to moderate smoker... probably a by-product of having not made it a lifestyle before now. A heavy week for me would be seven bowls, and often it is less. Much like I saw with my uncle, it is one of life's pleasures to sit down and enjoy.
I really hope the feds don't completely kill it off with a zillion more laws and taxes.
In my grade school years the anti-smoking campaign really kicked into high gear and so I was reluctant to try it out when I became of an age I could buy tobacco. Later in life my kids grew up and we are empty nesters, so I decided that I needed to go back to this childhood desire to try the pipe after studying the risks.
I absolutely love my pipe, though I am a light to moderate smoker... probably a by-product of having not made it a lifestyle before now. A heavy week for me would be seven bowls, and often it is less. Much like I saw with my uncle, it is one of life's pleasures to sit down and enjoy.
I really hope the feds don't completely kill it off with a zillion more laws and taxes.
when I was reaching my 50ies I gave myself a promise,''time is up Paul, now at last switch to those damn pipes finally' during the years I was on and off smoking pipes along with Roll Your own tobacco and cigarillos but the quality of RYO tobacco and prerolled factory-made cigarettes declined so badly during the past 10 years here that I did consider better stop wasting money on that weak stuff yet pipe smoking was supposed to be healthier way of enjoying tobacco,,
I hate to say it, but it was probably my relationship with "the other pipe" that really finally brought me to get into proper pipe smoking ...but, the more I think about this, a few distinct things brought about my fascination with this hobby:
-Gandalf
-on my walks to elementary school i would often say hello to this friendly older man who stood outside of a print shop smoking a pipe ...pretty sure it was Captain Black
-my great grandfather smoked a pipe: five brothers or black cavendish, what a contrast!
-a couple days after turning 18 i bought a cob and some middleton's cherry, my mom was pissed...i didn't smoke a pipe again until i had a sudden urge to read about pipe smoking while bored on the night shift at age 34 lol ..oddly everyone in my family seems to find my pipe smoking to be fairly benign, if not novel, these days
looking forward to reading others' replies to this cheers!
-Gandalf
-on my walks to elementary school i would often say hello to this friendly older man who stood outside of a print shop smoking a pipe ...pretty sure it was Captain Black
-my great grandfather smoked a pipe: five brothers or black cavendish, what a contrast!
-a couple days after turning 18 i bought a cob and some middleton's cherry, my mom was pissed...i didn't smoke a pipe again until i had a sudden urge to read about pipe smoking while bored on the night shift at age 34 lol ..oddly everyone in my family seems to find my pipe smoking to be fairly benign, if not novel, these days
looking forward to reading others' replies to this
cheers!
I always dug pipes. My dad had a friend who smoked a Dr Grabow and Captain Black and I always loved the smell and the whole strange mystery of it all. I used to (still do) add pipes to people in pictures or in my doodles. Then I smoked a clove cig at 16 and started to smoke, chew, snuff, and dip any tobacco I could discover. Though it's only been the last few years where I smoke the pipe regularly.
I, also have always been intrigued...
When I was just a kid, my great uncle showed me and my little brothers how to make pipes out of dried corn cobs and hollow reeds...
My uncle on my mother's side was a life-long piper; he seemed to favor bent bulldogs, and I always liked the aroma and the way he would casually load and light his pipes...
While I was a teen, I would wander through the Dunhill store at the Galleria mall in Houston, and oogle the pipes and accoutrements...
In high school I became enamored with the Kirsten aluminum pipes, but I couldn't afford one; I think my first real pipe was a small K&P system pipe - model 317 a/k/a "Star"
I smoked in college; it helped me to concentrate while studying;
I am still an occasional smoker, probably 3-4 bowls per week at most.
When I was just a kid, my great uncle showed me and my little brothers how to make pipes out of dried corn cobs and hollow reeds...
My uncle on my mother's side was a life-long piper; he seemed to favor bent bulldogs, and I always liked the aroma and the way he would casually load and light his pipes...
While I was a teen, I would wander through the Dunhill store at the Galleria mall in Houston, and oogle the pipes and accoutrements...
In high school I became enamored with the Kirsten aluminum pipes, but I couldn't afford one; I think my first real pipe was a small K&P system pipe - model 317 a/k/a "Star"
I smoked in college; it helped me to concentrate while studying;
I am still an occasional smoker, probably 3-4 bowls per week at most.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before... I was an off and on closet cigarette smoker since high school. I played high school Water Polo and swam, and played competitive club polo in college. Alas, I still loved tobacco, just in small amounts, dipped back then.
In my 30’s work and golf had me at 1 to 2 pack a week smoking. Then at 36 gave up golf, gave up cigarettes! Obsession with cycling took over. Been riding since 2007 regularly. Met some of my closest friends through the bike. Still the occasional cigarette a few times a year, but never with that crew!
Enter into my forties, start playing drums again. A passion I have had since middle school, but never studied seriously. Well weekend smokes with the band guys were of course required ?
Although, I never really started smoking again.
Finally, about 2.5 years ago I started to play with a new band mate. He’s a cigar guy, I don’t really like cigars and I didn’t want to keep smoking cigarettes when the band practiced ( here it comes after all this build up) I have always been intrigued by pipes. My dad who is a cigar smoker, smoked pipes a bit when I was about 8. I loved that smell. So, I went to the tobacco shop and got set up with a basket pipe and a few tobaccos.... 30 something pipes later and 60+ tins in jars and a few dozen cellaring, I’m pretty much here!
“Thanks for listening to that genu-wine frontier gibberish...”. Anyone?
In my 30’s work and golf had me at 1 to 2 pack a week smoking. Then at 36 gave up golf, gave up cigarettes! Obsession with cycling took over. Been riding since 2007 regularly. Met some of my closest friends through the bike. Still the occasional cigarette a few times a year, but never with that crew!
Enter into my forties, start playing drums again. A passion I have had since middle school, but never studied seriously. Well weekend smokes with the band guys were of course required ?
Although, I never really started smoking again.
Finally, about 2.5 years ago I started to play with a new band mate. He’s a cigar guy, I don’t really like cigars and I didn’t want to keep smoking cigarettes when the band practiced ( here it comes after all this build up) I have always been intrigued by pipes. My dad who is a cigar smoker, smoked pipes a bit when I was about 8. I loved that smell. So, I went to the tobacco shop and got set up with a basket pipe and a few tobaccos.... 30 something pipes later and 60+ tins in jars and a few dozen cellaring, I’m pretty much here!
“Thanks for listening to that genu-wine frontier gibberish...”. Anyone?
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