Who Taught You to Smoke a Pipe?

[bullet08]

A lot of feed back from this forum. Mainly how should certain tobacco genre should taste. Really didn't have too much issues learning how to smoke pipe after few tongue bites. Then further refinement suggestions from the forum. Like I said before, I got up one morning and just started smoking pipes.

 

[anotherbob]

to answer the question. It was a bit here and there from people who smoked pipes. Mostly experience. For instance I dry my tobacco out but it's because I accidently let some dry out thought it was ruined and still smoked it because it was the last bowl I had at the moment and had one of the best smokes of my life. One of the best pieces of advice was in a transcript of Tudor era commentary on smoking that claimed people sipped pipes, didn't know if they meant it like we do or something else but it helped. But mostly just experience.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Dean Lippincott, 60 years ago. My he rest in peace, and know how much he helped me.
This was way before the Interwebs, and TV was not widely watched, so get off my lawn!
Pipes Magazine Forum has vastly widened my horizons, learning and consequent enjoyment.

 

[Streeper541]

I learned it from my grandfather, but I had to teach myself.

 

[DedHed Piper]

dad.

 

[JimPM]

I grew up watching my grandfathers with a young boy's interest in their rituals, smoking their PA and SWR codger blends. I first tried at the age of 19 myself using my grandpa Mitchell's Grabow. Both had already passed on of course. Through trial and error in those early years with many a scorched palate herfing dime store aromatics and then jumping to quickly into Virginias, some forty plus years later I think I may have finally figured it out, ha ha ha!

 

[K.E. Powell]

There are no B&Ms in my neck of the woods, and I knew of no one who smoked a pipe at the time. But it was something I wanted to pursuit in earnest, and like many people my age, I began by combing through online videos. Muttonchop and Stuff 'n Things were the most helpful, but by and large, I found most of the online video resources to be only somewhat useful at best. Part of this was because I learned best by reading, and part of it was because anyone can publish online content, meaning there was a lot to see and read but I didn't have the experience and tools necessary to distinguish the good from the bad.

So, I'd say I got an okay start with the YTPC, but that I actually learned through trial and error. Refinement came from reading posts from knowledgeable members here, as well as articles online that were enlightening (e.g. G.L. Pease, Peterson Pipe Notes, etc.). Very glad I stuck with it.

 

[mateusbrown]

Learned by doing--trial and error, watched some videos, read some instructional articles, saw what you guys here had to say. Still learning and enjoying the process. My dad always smoked cigars, but he tried a pipe once for about a week in 1985 or so. I don't think he knew what the heck he was doing. Never remember seeing him try it again, so that was ho help when I decided to try the pipe, but whenever I first started with cigars at about 18 or 19, I knew just what to do, having seen him cut the end off, light it, and so on so many times.

 

[WVOldFart]

The old adage is that the road to success is paved by many mistakes. If that is the case my road is pretty well paved. I bought my first pipe in 1980 and started out like I knew what I was doing. I didn't. Luckily I had watched the old timers smoke their pipes when we went to town every week to get groceries when I was just a youngster. They would set outside the tobacco shop, telling lies and smoking their pipes. I noticed that most did not have great columns of smoke coming from their pipes, instead there were little puffs. Later when I discovered the breathe method, I remember that there was probably as much smoke coming from the pipe as there was out their mouths. My mentor at my first job smoked a pipe,and it was because of him and Sherlock Holmes, my favorite fictional character, that I got that first pipe, a Dr. Grabow Billiard. A lot of pipes later and many tobacco blends, some tongue bite in those early years and finally figuring out what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right, I think I can comfortably set down and have a good smoke.

 

[The Clay King]

This guy in Lace Wars taught me how to smoke a clay pipe:
https://flic.kr/p/rrrrd2 He taught me to blow through the pipe every few puffs - and he gave me a pipeful of Holland House to smoke in my clay.
I'd like to learn to light my pipe with flint & steel as part of my bushcraft courses; I really enjoyed getting my pipe lit from the blacksmith's forge at the Redcoats & Revolutionaries event.

 

[NikoReyes]

I learn pipe from my security guard. I know it's weird but it's true

 

[autumnfog]

Books and forums.
Don't think I would have enjoyed FVF if I hadn't read about drying out and smoking slowly.

 

[Highlandpiper]

Tried myself, failed miserably, found Muttonchop piper on YT who got me back on track. The great people on this forum then shared their experiences which has refined by technique. A long way to go but enjoying the journey.

 

[TheIdahoan]

I'm mostly self taught, with knowledge gained from lurking and reading posts by form members like us. Not a fan of youtube, but I have used it to see how to pack various tobaccos.

 

[FurCoat]

I picked up the pipe when I was 16. I was drawn to the at a young age and snuck my dad's pipes every chance I got before getting my own. Back in the 80's, tobacco sales were legal to 16 year olds. Later on a gentleman by the name of Dan Nathan, may God rest his soul, took the time to teach me smoking techniques, blend types and the nuances of different pipes. He taught me to appreciate and respect the history of pipes and tobacco.

 

[cshubhra]

1. There is not much to learn putting a ribbon cut tobacco in a pipe and light it - But the B&M employee reminded me to buy a pipe nail and a tamper
2. I found this forum on the same day and learnt I must smoke Latakia, Virginia and Orientals (and Burley later)
3. Learnt about preparing flakes, plugs from this forum
4. Rest of my knowledge on pipes come from this forum, a lot of books, pipedia, pipephil, GLP, tobacco reviews, etc…

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I floundered around for years with bad pipes and a blend from a local tobacconist years ago, then only drugstore pouches. No internet back then. I still enjoyed it and was able to make it workable. My learning curve was steep once I found this forum and YouTube videos. I still consider myself an amateur.

 

[Beowoulf]

If I had to pick one, it would be MuttonChop Piper ... also Spurgeon Piper, and of course, this fine pipe forum.

 

[MGAOKC]

I’d say the internet.
But you have to weed through the bad info. And find what works for you.
Too many one year experts out there.
Still learn stuff from Brian on the radio show.

 

[WVOldFart]

But you have to weed through the bad info. And find what works for you.
Too many one year experts out there.

The internet is full of individuals who got their pipe on Monday, become an expert by Tuesday and are doing pipe and tobacco reviews by Wednesday.