What Turned You on to Pipes?

[shermnatman]

I sought out pipe-smoking as an economic defense and 'f.u.' to the Obama "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act" of 2009 - which, with it's inherent massive "sin tax" on cigarettes - sent the price per pack skyrocketing... and none of the "imagined victims of potential harm" have ever seen a dime... but all that money collected as an excise tax goes "somewhere".

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

When I was young and smoking was everywhere.... I wanted to try it. As my father was a all tobacco type smoker, he had pipes (his primary method), cigars, and cigarettes. So my aim at that time was to “borrow” a bit from my Dad to see what it was like. The two most significant factors came into play:

1) I always thought my Dad’s pipes and pipe tobaccos smelled more “nice” and more “fun” than the cigars or cigarettes.

2) Easiest access...... namely:

A) In my home, my Dad had relatively few cigars in the house at any one time, and if I “borrowed” one, it seemed like it would be noticed fairly easily.

B) My Dad’s cigarettes were usually bought a pack at a time and were in his shirt pocket, so access was not easy to “quietly” borrow one.

C) My Dad had a lot of pipes.... the one he was smoking on a given day would be in his pocket, but others were all over the house, on the table beside his chair, in various drawers, etc.

and

D) My Dad always had at LEAST one open tub (big pound sized can) of Sir Walter Raleigh and/or Prince Albert in the cupboard.

So, in my quest to “borrow” a bit to try.... the pipe and tub of tobacco were the easiest to access. And that is how I began.

And, another advantage I found as I found I liked pipes and pipe tobaccos very much... was that the tubs of tobacco allowed for ample and easy “borrowing” especially after I started to realize I could take a handful sized “loan” and the put the lid back on the tub and shake it to fluff it up a bit and it would look just as full as before I “borrowed” any. ?

The “shaking the tub” technique worked for quite a while too!?

 

[bnichols23]

Honestly can't remember. I was in high school in the 60s & it just seemed the thing I wanted to do. My dad smoked Winstons, my granddad not at all, & a pipe just seemed to fit me.

 

[lightxmyfire]

I had uncles that smoked cigars, when I was a kid my mom would take me into tobacco shops to buy Christmas/birthday/fathers day cigars for them and I was always drawn to the feeling of the shops, the atmosphere, the smells, the guys with the beards sitting around talking and smoking wonderful smelling pipes. When I got into high school I took to bumming a few cigarettes from the older kids, had a girlfriend that wanted to try cigarettes and we found a gas station that would sell to us without ID. Eventually one of my friend group turned 18 and his Dad who was an ex-submariner and pipe smoker got him a pipe, tamp, nice lighter, and some tobacco, Borkum Riff, which is what he smoked.

At around the same time, we found out the yacht club room in the apartment complex I lived in (thanks to Annapolis for being a drinking town with a sailing problem) could be used by any resident and all the old boat guys would smoke heavily in there, AND there was a poker table. SO we all took to playing weekly games of poker our 18 yr old buddy would pick us all up cigars and we'd play all night. We could show up stinking of cigars at 2 am and blame the room, "no mom it wasn't me it was those damn yacht guys!" finally one game my buddy brought his pipe, I dug the way it looked and the tobacco smelled, so I went to a shop and got a basket pipe and a little corn cob, spent hours smelling all the jars of blends and of course sat around in the downtown cafes burning my tongue. When I finally turned 18 myself I wanted a better pipe, so I went to all the shops in town; there four at the time, down to two now, and the one I had originally shopped at had this amazing (to me) Savinelli, straight Venezia, a little sailboat on the side (remember Annapolis?) I had to have it but it was 100 bucks and I couldn't afford it. The shop was run by a man named Francis and his son, they were kind enough to hold the pipe for me for a few weeks while I saved up and came back for it. Still have it, still love it. When I bought the pipe I remember them trying to help me pick a "better" tobacco, I remember being curious about "that stuff in the tins" I remember them pointing to a tin of Frog saying "that one with the frog on it is pretty popular" I didn't buy it, I was scared to try something I couldn't smell first if only I knew! haha

At the same time, I found hand rolling tobacco and took to rolling my own cigarettes which I also loved, so much better flavor than factory. Eventually, hand-rolled and cigars took over I didn't smoke the pipe for about 5 years. I eventually quit the hand rolls and stuck to the occasional cigar. About four years ago I found my Sav and some old vanilla Cavendish and it all came back, I missed the tobacco, I missed the pipe, so I dove back in headfirst. Got the podcasts, got on the forum, tobacco reviews, got TAD, bought more pipes. Here I am. Feel like I'm home for sure in this community, I agree about the personality type and mentality.

Found out a few years ago after I had got back on the pipe train, that my paternal grandfather was a pipe smoker, I had never known that as a kid before he passed, he had quit years before I was born. My father was showing me old family photos he was restoring and there were many of my grandfathers with his pipe. It was like a lightbulb went off I felt really connected to him and wish I had been older before he passed so I could of gotten to know him better, maybe shared a pipe with him. No clue what happened to his pipe or pipes, my step-grandmother has all of his WWII (He was a corpsman on Iwo JIma) regalia and had a bit of a falling out with my Dad after his passing, it was over him getting access to his fathers uniform, medals, etc, so I haven't dared to inquire about the pipes.

Apologies for the book ya'll I got to typing and when I looked up there it was. But it's my story damn it so I'm leaving it! ? ?‍

 

[jmsmitty6]

My grandfather always had a pipe in his mouth, so I was familiar. I smoked cigars on the weekends. I loved cigars (still do) but the flavor profile is narrow and costs are higher. Pipe smoking is far more cost effective and I enjoy the spectrum of different pipe tobaccos.

 

[Prunetucky84]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

What was the reason you chose pipes? For me it was at thirteen. We watched white Christmas with bing. I thought when he lit his pipe he was the coolest dude in town. He made it look sooooo smooth, we used to go out in the corn fields after that and hollow out cobs and use a stripped down bic pen for a stem lol, then we took the corn tassel and dry it out and pack our pipes. Also wild grape vines were readily available and smoked just like cigs, but you want REAL tongue bite, smoke wild grape vines. Anyone else,or is it just me?

My dad has always smoked a pipe and as a child, I wanted to be just like him. Also, I’ve always been an old soul and yearn for the days of old, that I never lived in. White Christmas has always been my favorite Christmas movie as well, and the ol crooner himself was an influence. It’s a dying tradition and lifestyle, a daily tool, and it will live on in my family as long as I’m alive. My 5 yr old son now has a tiny hardwood braid that he clenches in his teeth as he follows me around like dad. Lol he even uses his tamper, (one of my extra Czech tools), and my pipe cleaners to run through it! Melts my dad heart.

 

[Lawyer66]

I was always fond of the idea of smoking a pipe, but after trying it years ago, it was a video from MuttonchopPiper on the breath method that made me re-examine the idea. Been enjoying it since then.

 

[ChippewaAce]

When camping in Northern Michigan during and after high school with my best friend's family, his father would often start his morning by smoking a bowl or two of Prince Albert. That, coupled with a pipe my Grandpa had given me years earlier is what started me down this path.

 

[Barred-owl]

I had a sudden thought one day. The thought was I wonder what it’s like to smoke a corn cob pipe. So I decided I better check that off the list. Plus I just kinda wondered why very few people smoke a tobacco pipe anymore so I just had to experience it for myself.

 

[OneGoodBulldog]

Since becoming a pipe smoker I have caused more shower orgasms than Herbal Essences. I'm strong enough for a man now, but still made for a woman. I don't drink beer all the time anymore, but when I do I drink Dos Equis. Wherever I go a flock of women from the seventies follows me everywhere saying things like "reminds me of my Grandad" with a look that Granddaughters should never give their Grandads.

In short, I became a pipe smoker because it was the best possible choice for a man to make. Anything less would be uncivilized...

 

[telescopes]

Since becoming a pipe smoker I have caused more shower orgasms than Herbal Essences. I'm strong enough for a man now, but still made for a woman. I don't drink beer all the time anymore, but when I do I drink Dos Equis. Wherever I go a flock of women from the seventies follows me everywhere saying things like "reminds me of my Grandad" with a look that Granddaughters should never give their Grandads.

In short, I became a pipe smoker because it was the best possible choice for a man to make. Anything less would be uncivilized...

I really want to like this post, but there just seems to be... something ... unseemly.... almost pornographic... about it. ?

 

[1allspub]

Was working part-time at a tobacconist and smoking cigars all day was getting expensive, ha! The manager and one of the other main employees always smoked pipes. Figured out pretty soonthe economics that a decent pipe and a few oz of pipe tobacco provided way more bang for the buck than multiple cigars a day at $3-$8 a pop! Once I bought my first pipe though (a Peterson System 303) I was immediately intrigued with the whole pipe smoking thing and how much different it was than smoking a cigar (which I still do as well).

 

[telescopes]

My dad has been - is a lifelong pipe smoker. In the early 80s my best friend, Steve, started smoking pipes, Dr. Grabows, in the student union. I drove him to John Dengler’s in St. Charles, MO to see a collection of better pipes. I ended up buying two myself, a CAO Calabash and a German cherrywood with porcelain stem. The rest was history.

 

[burleybreath]

Fascination with the scent of tobacco. As a toddler, I would beg my uncles to light up their cigarettes. Better yet, their more occasional pipes, which produced an even more agreeable scent. I think I even liked cigars at the time, since I can't remember ever disliking them. I had a thing for women's legs, too, even back then when they were at eye level. Yes, I was born depraved--but wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[OneGoodBulldog]

I really want to like this post, but there just seems to be... something ... unseemly.... almost pornographic... about it. ?

I smoked Clan while I wrote it.

 

[YMO]

I just felt like smoking a pipe one day since cigars were too "bold" for my flavor profile. Thankfully I'm near a cigar and pipe shop that sells tons of pipes.

 

[conlejm]

When I was young, my best friend's father was a pipe and cigar smoker, and I had an immense respect for the man. He had a great collection of pipes, mostly ornate meerschaums. He was always smoking one or the other. And when I encountered the works of Tolkien the deal was sealed. For almost 40 years I’ve been a pipe and cigar smoker.

 

[uzzi101]

My Gramps was a pipe smoker, the smell of his pipes was always a joy. Went through a cigar phase and was tired of my mouth tasting like an ashtray. The overwhelming variety of blends and tastes is what makes chasing the perfect bowl a pleasure.

 

[TheDesertPiper]

I have always been a little curious about pipes and cigars. One night I randomly watched a YouTube video of somebody smoking a pipe and talking about it. It really seemed relaxing and I thought the pipe looked good. After that I decided I would give it a try.

 

[Dio]

To be honest I smoke pipe because it is less unhealthy than cigarettes, takes shorter time than cigars and I can stop whenever I want as the pipe tobacco is not that expensive.