What Got You Into Pipe Smoking?

[FLDRD]

I did not have a family member that smoked a pipe, but there was a character ...
There was an elderly German couple that lived down the road from us that my parents would visit occasionally, and my sis and I as wee ones were along for the ride. They raised goats, grew some produce and he had a big bushy beard and smoked a pipe. I recall seeing him sitting in his rocking chair beside an enclosed wood stove, smoking a pipe, and drinking barley coffee. I don't recall my parents complaining about the smoke, and we all enjoyed the "coffee". He was one of my stand-in grandfatherly figures. Other than that, I think there is some nostalgia tucked away in the noggin somewhere that recalls simpler movies of simpler times when men dressed nicely, wore hats and smoked a pipe. I used to dress nicely but gave it up when I realized I wanted to dis-engage from "the system" as much as I could. These days, the funky hats and pipe do help in that regard. Oh, and the hillbilly / biker / wizard beard; that helps too. And the long hair. And the old man-glare. And the squinty eyes when trying to read a label in a store. ?‍

 

[keith929]

I wanted to give up cigarettes and at first it worked, but I eventually started up again. I still smoke cigarettes, but the pipe smoking has helped me cut way back.

You can quit the cigarettes and I was hooked for over 40 years. My pipe saved me.
Always carry a pipe,tobacco,flame,and a tamper with you. Reach for the pipe before the cigarettes and remember the reason why you are smoking. For me it was stress.
The ritual of packing,false-lighting,and true light helped me slow down and became a distraction from whatever CLUSTER F was going around me so I could focus on what I needed to do.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

I have enjoyed smoking cigars for years, and I still do occasionally. Echoing isaacrn above, the pandemic was the tipping point for me into smoking pipes. My grandfather and great-grandfather smoked pipes (PA and SWR respectively), so I feel a connection to my roots there. I like that it requires a little bit of technique in doing it properly. The pack ritual and the smoking cadence have a zen-like quality for me. Also, I like to read, and somehow I can’t really imagine smoking a cigar while reading a book. Smoking a pipe and reading, however, compliment each other wonderfully, and choosing to do one gives me an occasion to do the other.

very true!

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

You can quit the cigarettes and I was hooked for over 40 years. My pipe saved me.
Always carry a pipe,tobacco,flame,and a tamper with you. Reach for the pipe before the cigarettes and remember the reason why you are smoking. For me it was stress.
The ritual of packing,false-lighting,and true light helped me slow down and became a distraction from whatever CLUSTER F was going around me so I could focus on what I needed to do.

yes I agree, smoking has always been a big stress reliever, but the nice thing about a pipe is that the stress tends to go away. With the cigarette it's more of a pause on stress.

That being said, I do still smoke cigarettes lol

 

[alaskanpiper]

You have to be born in Alaska to claim that. Are you qualified?

Haha if that’s the criteria then I certainly am!

 

[Brendan]

Always enjoyed the aroma of my old man's cigarettes, loved when he'd get a new pack and I'd pull the foil off, that smell was heaven as a kid.
Was always interested in cigars as a kid as well, they just looked like something a man should try, although started with cigarettes as a teen, all my friends did anyway, I don't see it as my Dad's influence - I've always been a fan of the aroma of tobacco and smoked for that really, never inhaled unless I was smoking the other stuff that teenagers liked to smoke haha.
Anyways grew tired of cigarettes and went to the occasional machine made cigar, usually those Dutch Amanda half coronas then transitioned onto Cuban cigars, Romeo Julieta, Monte Cristo coronas that my local shop sold.
Fell in love with the world of cigars, even to the point of putting it on my resume..
Only really went to the pipe after the kids were born as cigars were getting expensive and it was the only thing left to try, long story short I've finally gotten the hang of it in the last couple of years and am in love.

 

[billnc]

I worked in a pharmacy after school during my high school years. There was a rack of Dr. Grabow and Kaywoodie Pipes, and I loved looking at the different shapes. The pharmacy sold a lot of cigarettes and some pipe tobacco: Prince Albert, Borkum Riff, Carter Hall, Captain Black; and Half and Half. I got my first pipe, a straight Dr. Grabow billiard and a pouch of Borkum Riff whiskey at 16 years old. I had a high school math teacher that was a pipe smoker and all the guys in my class thought he was a cool guy. Fast forwarding a couple of years, he was going to chaperone our senior trip which was an annual tradition. Six of my buddies wanted to get pipes to smoke along with Mr. Bailey. We were taking the train for this trip so all the guys joined Mr. Bailey while he was in the club car smoking his pipe. All the guys brought out their pipes and tobacco. It was a fun experience and I have lost touch with those guys, would be interesting to see if any of them have continued to enjoy a pipe.

 

[FLDRD]

Haha if that’s the criteria then I certainly am!

Cool, we are kindred spirits then. Both my father and I were born there.

 

[ray47]

You can quit the cigarettes and I was hooked for over 40 years. My pipe saved me.
Always carry a pipe,tobacco,flame,and a tamper with you. Reach for the pipe before the cigarettes and remember the reason why you are smoking. For me it was stress.
The ritual of packing,false-lighting,and true light helped me slow down and became a distraction from whatever CLUSTER F was going around me so I could focus on what I needed to do.

Been there done that, doesn't work for me. Dip works better. Thank you for your advice my friend.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

Thanks everyone for sharing all these great stories!

 

[BryLogan]

No one in my immediate family was a smoker. So I do not have any fond remembrances of pipes or tobacco aromas from my childhood. I started smoking cigarettes in my middle teens, like most of the other boys in my age group.

When I was in the Navy there was a fellow of my age who smoked a pipe. I was intrigued by that and by the wonderful aromas generated by his smoke. So I bought a pipe and some cherry aro blend and had at it. I was wholly unsuccessful. Probably because I tried to smoke it like a cigarette and certainly because the tobacco didn't taste anything like it smelled in the pouch. I blamed the pipe. Frustrated I put that pipe down and forgot about it.

Years later it was an eye-opening experience when I learned there was a marked difference between premium cigars and drug store cigars. Up to that point I HATED the smell of the cigars my acquaintances smoked. Learning that there was a difference between premium and drug store cigars made me wonder if there might be a corollary difference between drug store and "proper" pipes. So off I go to a real tobacco shop and purchased an upgraded (price-wise) pipe and a couple of ounces of some cherry flavored aro. My second go 'round didn't fare any better than the first.

So THAT pipe got put away until years later I happened upon an article (I know not where) stating that (1) you don't smoke a pipe like a cigar and certainly not like a cigarette, and (2) beginning pipe smokers should wait a bit before getting into aros. So I did a little research on tobacco blends, settled on a few to try, ordered some online, and dug out that old pipe.

Ahhhh! I have many more much better pipes now. And many more different tobacco blends that I enjoy. I completely quit cigarettes 5 years ago and only have a cigar about once a month. I am so glad that intrigue I felt with that sailor's pipe smoking has lasted all these years. Featherstone, here's a toast to you!

 

[richmond]

My dad was an occasional pipe smoker. Mostly cigarettes. He said when they stopped blending “Handsome Dan” he never found anything else he liked enough. He settled on Edgeworth. However, it was Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson that was the hook!

 

[username]

Long story short Was cheaper then cigars after the initial investment in a pipe.

 

[Searock Fan]

1963... Two pouches of Raleigh and a pipe for $1.25

 

[North Pole piper]

Wizards, writers and professors, in no particular order.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Gifted a terrific pipe as I entered university, then Dean of Students was my mentor and started me with a good Balkan blend... Only later did I get the tweed jacket and leather elbow patches!

 

[bullet08]

Seriously. I got up one morning and decided I was gonna smoke pipe.

 

[Rustamgtx]

Two pack of cigarettes per day, 15 years... I'm never want to quit. I'm enjoyed every cigarettes I smoked. But for some reasons and health problems, my doctors forbid me smoking cigarettes. So, my choice was a cigars and pipe. Also a good whiskey, but it is different story ?

 

[Bowlsmoker67]

As a child watching my grandpa smoke his dr grabows and the wonderful aroma . No idea what tobacco he smoked

 

[Frasermac]

I wanted to give up cigarettes and at first it worked, but I eventually started up again. I still smoke cigarettes, but the pipe smoking has helped me cut way back.

Quit the cigs!!!!! I’m another former cigarette smoker, quit using vaping about 10 or more years ago now. I’d always had a love of cigars but they are a very occasional treat. Smoking a pipe always intrigued me and I eventually picked up a cob a few years ago. Probably only smoke a couple of times a week but I really enjoy it, it’s a pastime and real joy rather than the habit ?