Who Got You Into Pipe Smoking And When?

[gemtx]

There was the cracking of black walnuts on the porch with a hammer. There was the candy drawer always full of something special. And there was my grandfather always smoking a pipe. We would beg him to blow smoke rings. The house always smelled of smoke, a great smell for me. After he died, I got one of his pipes. In college I began to smoke, and I was terrible at it. Coughing and tongue-burning, totally out of coordination. Eventually I got the idea. I didn't even know what tamping was: I would just kind of hit the pipe. What an idiot. I miss my grandad; I love the pipe legacy.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

There was the cracking of black walnuts on the porch with a hammer. There was the candy drawer always full of something special. And there was my grandfather always smoking a pipe. We would beg him to blow smoke rings. The house always smelled of smoke, a great smell for me. After he died, I got one of his pipes. In college I began to smoke, and I was terrible at it. Coughing and tongue-burning, totally out of coordination. Eventually I got the idea. I didn't even know what tamping was: I would just kind of hit the pipe. What an idiot. I miss my grandad; I love the pipe legacy.

My grandad always said that man’s best friend wasn’t a dog, it was a pipe. Having a bad day? Have a pipe. Wife won’t stop nagging? Have a pipe. Reading the newspaper? Have a pipe. Coming under an intense German bombardment during the fighting around Monte Casino? Have a pipe.

He also had another saying: “If in doubt, lay down.” The chances being that when you get back on your feet, whatever was troubling you would have passed you by; this was especially effective when showing that incoming fire had the right of way but it didn’t half confuse the Dr after my gran had a heart attack and my grandad lay down on the floor of the hospital ward, where he waited for everything to get back to normal.

 

[CrustyCat]

Growing up, always wanted to be old enough to smoke cigarettes. Seemed super cool. And I did smoke starting 12 or so. That lasted until I was in late 40 or something. Still buy a pack when I'm super stressed. Almost quit cigarettes with vape, but missed tobacco. Back about three years ago, I got up one morning and said "I want to smoke pipe" or something like that. And that was it.

Sounds a lot like me. I did quit cigarettes with vape and it was about 2 years ago I decided I wanted to smoke a pipe. I remember my grandfather smoking a pipe the couple of times he visited and loved the smell. A friend of mine at work also got me into cigars, but I still prefer a pipe.

 

[meoget]

I simply found my grandfathers pipes in his toolbox, and I wanted to try it out. It is a Dr. Grabow Hillcrest from the 80's and a Waldorf Dublin style pipe. I went to the tobacco shop and bought whatever random tins and pouches they had. I couldn't taste anything for weeks!
One of my first tins was SG Full Virginia Flake, and he said that it had been sitting there for more than 5 years. Man, what a waste.

 

[telescopes]

My dad always smoked a pipe. From my earliest memory, it was usually a Dr Grabow with Prince Albert or Flying Dutchman tobacco in it. He was always more approachable when smoking pipes and never disagreeable. After I started college, a friend of mine started smoking a Dr. Grabow. Well, that was too much for me. It was off to John Dengler's in Saint Charles and I purchased my first two pipes - A CAO calabash meerschaum and an inexpensive briar pipe for regular smoking. After that, I guess I became more approachable and a bit more agreeable myself.

 

[redz]

I got into pipe smoking after watching The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett (still the only version I can watch) and reading the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

[pipestud]

Here's how and why I got started: Pipestud's Consignment Shop | How Pipestud Became a Pipe Smoker - https://www.pipestud.com/how-i-became-a-pipe-smoker/

 

[Fiddlepiper]

My grandfather (basically my father though) smoked a pipe but I have very little memory of it. He stopped smoking (pipes and cigarettes, since stealing them from his father as a child) when I was quite young. He always kept his pipes and 200 cigarettes in his wardrobe in case he ever wanted to start again. He never did though.

I suppose in some weird way, smoking a pipe makes me feels connected to him now he’s passed away. I like to think about him when I have my last smoke of the day and reflect on our lives together.

Once I took the first step I found that it also tastes fantastic and allows me to take some time to slow down in an otherwise frenetic pace of life. I really do prefer life in the slow lane.