I think like many folks, its a connection to my past. I remember my dad and grandfather smoking a pipe. My dad was an engineer, and in his crowd in the 60's and 70's, any good engineer smoked a pipe. Heck, even Mr. Steven Douglas (An aerospace engineer) played by Fred McMurray from the old TV show My Three Son's, smoked a pipe. If remember correctly from my youth watching Walt Disney when he would announce the beginning of the Wonderful World of Walt Disney show, he would be smoking a pipe. There are several pictures of me at about two years old with my dad's unlit billiard pipe hanging from my mouth after having sneaked over when no one was looking. Both my parents smoked cigarettes, but I have never had the desire to smoke cigarettes, although an occasional cigar is not unknown. (Keeps the mosquitoes away when fishing.)
When I was young my dad mostly smoked PA and SWR. Sometimes he branched out, but those were his norms. Later on before he had to quit due to his asthma, he would smoke a nasty blend called Black and Burly he would purchase at OTC at Walgreens. I guess it was not that bad, but I could never really get to crazy about it. About all it had going for it was, it was cheap, about 7 bucks for a 16 ounce bag.
Shortly after high school and in college (early 80’s) I had been toying back and forth at trying pipe smoking. I went to the local mall pipe and tobacco shop and with some tutoring left, with a basket briar billiard and two ounces of a mild blend called Honey Bee (not to unlike 1Q). I went through the trials and tribulations of all beginning pipe smokers (loading, keeping it lit, tongue burn, etc), I tried different blends of bulk pipe tobacco. I seemed to quit after a few months, pick it up, quit, pick it up, etc.
After several years I picked it again and have stayed with it consistently since. I have believed for a long time, that the connection to smoking a pipe is not the nicotine dependence that many claim, and as may be the case with cigarettes. I think much of it is based upon that mental image of the past, a safe time, and the connections to people with it. It is widely known that the sense of smell is a strong trigger of memories. Smelling certain foods bring back a flooding of memories; Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, baking bread and cookies, the cheap whiskey that almost killed you. etc. I think the same may be true for the smell of pipe tobacco. Then there is the mental aspect of the mechanics involved with smoking the pipe, and the associated focused calm it brings. It’s not like lighting a cigarette, puffing madly for 10 minutes, and the then running back to what you were doing. There is the mechanics of smell, loading, lighting, breathing, and focus on the blend and its flavors. For me it’s a time for going to my happy place to relax and reflect.
Above all else I like it damn it.
