Why Did you Start Smoking a Pipe, and Why Do You Still?

[The Clay King]

I was studying abroad in England--the midlands--in the early nineties, and a guy I knew talked me into entering a little pipe shop and buying a cheap pipe and some cherry tobacco. At that time I was smoking cigarettes and I did not find the pipe or the weak tobacco satisfying. I smoked it mainly to avoid spending so much on cigarettes, which at that time cost.... I can't remember the pounds, but it came out to like five bucks a pack, which struck me as outrageous.

I quit smoking for a couple of decades. Then one day as an experiment I planted some wild tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) in my garden. I had read a book about tobacco use of the Native peoples of North America, and I wanted to get an idea of what their smoke must have been like. I dried the stuff in many ways but mainly green, and smoked it in tiny amounts in a Elizabethan clay pipe. I enjoyed it--mainly for the nicotine rush.

Then, a few years ago, I was in Kansas, and I smelled a pipe. It was not the "cherry" scent of OTC pipe tobacco smoke but the scent of a tiny tobacco ember, barely burning, which for me is quite different. The smell was really wonderful and nostalgic. I must have been around a pipe smoker when I was a kid and I just don't remember it, because that scent was familiar to me, very appealing (especially after that rustica). I remember walking around until I found the guy with the pipe and I was surprised to see that no smoke was coming out of it. (Of course there was.There was just so little I couldn't see it, and I didn't know that was the proper way.)

Anyway, that put the idea in my head that maybe I should try a "normal" pipe with "normal" tobacco. And here I am.

@makhorkasmoker For me it was seeing reenactors smoking clay pipes; I associate the smells of wood smoke and pipe tobacco with re-enactment!

 

[anotherbob]

Pipe smoking is an inexpensive way to use tobacco without addiction.

not sure how you figure the without addiction? Maybe with a lower incident of addiction but I am pretty sure pipe smoking is addictive.

 

[anotherbob]

I was studying abroad in England--the midlands--in the early nineties, and a guy I knew talked me into entering a little pipe shop and buying a cheap pipe and some cherry tobacco. At that time I was smoking cigarettes and I did not find the pipe or the weak tobacco satisfying. I smoked it mainly to avoid spending so much on cigarettes, which at that time cost.... I can't remember the pounds, but it came out to like five bucks a pack, which struck me as outrageous.

I quit smoking for a couple of decades. Then one day as an experiment I planted some wild tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) in my garden. I had read a book about tobacco use of the Native peoples of North America, and I wanted to get an idea of what their smoke must have been like. I dried the stuff in many ways but mainly green, and smoked it in tiny amounts in a Elizabethan clay pipe. I enjoyed it--mainly for the nicotine rush.

Then, a few years ago, I was in Kansas, and I smelled a pipe. It was not the "cherry" scent of OTC pipe tobacco smoke but the scent of a tiny tobacco ember, barely burning, which for me is quite different. The smell was really wonderful and nostalgic. I must have been around a pipe smoker when I was a kid and I just don't remember it, because that scent was familiar to me, very appealing (especially after that rustica). I remember walking around until I found the guy with the pipe and I was surprised to see that no smoke was coming out of it. (Of course there was.There was just so little I couldn't see it, and I didn't know that was the proper way.)

Anyway, that put the idea in my head that maybe I should try a "normal" pipe with "normal" tobacco. And here I am.

rustica makes a great nasal snuff.

 

[OSOBUCO]

I loved the smell of a pipe as a kid and I smoked a pipe and cigars on fishing trips in my 30s. I have not smoked one for 20 years until this year. My kids are grown and I decided to get into the hobby in a big way recently. I have absolutely NO interest in nicotine or it's effects. I do it mostly for relaxation, flavor and to pretend I am a wizard or hobbit of some sort. To escape my extremely stressful life. Plus there is something beautiful about pipes and the wisps of smoke, something a bit romantic even. A throwback to simpler times when I was a "swinger of birches" and used to live in a shire.

 

[Sir Yak]

Believe it or not..I had smoked cigars now and then as soon as I turned 18 but what made me decide to try a pipe was watching The Road to Perdition. There’s a paper boy who rides through town on his bicycle smoking a pipe and I thought that’s funny. And then I thought I’m gonna find a pipe. And I just liked doing it. And then I started looking at pipes and reading about pipes and here I am reading and posting on a pipe forum. And planning on heading to the porch to smoke some 965 in a little bit?

 

[Laurent]

When I was 4 my parents divorced. For three years I lived with my grandparents, three of the best years of my life. I learned a lot from them, my love of cooking came from my grandmother. My grandpa’s brother Roger smoked pipe, cherry tobacco. We would visit with him once a week. It’s the smell, a memory of the times. When I was young I smoked cigarettes, I still remember my first, I immediately liked it. For twenty some years I smoked cigarettes until I no longer liked how it made me feel. For four years I was smoke free but missing parts of smoking that I enjoyed. I started smoking cigars, I liked them but, they gave me heartburn. One day my wife and I went to grab lunch and a man stopped in front of us to light his pipe, the smell sent me back. I said to my wife, I’m going to buy a pipe. I bought my first pipe and called the one guy I knew that been smoking pipe for years, Rush. Rush sat me down in his smoke room and showed me how to pack a pipe, I was hooked, even with tongue bit. It was what I’ve always wanted out of a smoke. I work with my hands and smoke my pipe. I think about life and smoke my pipe. It’s a companion in life. I wish I found it earlier but, I’m glad I have it now.

 

[daveinlax]

I really enjoys Greg’s writing! It’s great content!

 

[rmpeeps]

I was almost 40 when I took up the pipe.
My wife asked me “why now?”
I told her the chicks love it….., she just shook her head and closed the door.

 

[Chasing Embers]

rustica makes a great nasal snuff.

Both it and Five Brothers.?

 

[Chasing Embers]

not sure how you figure the without addiction? Maybe with a lower incident of addiction but I am pretty sure pipe smoking is addictive.

All tobacco products are. Denial is a hell of a drug.

 

[tklee]

It's like a "to-do thing" for me. Maybe got influenced from my late grandfather last time, I've set that when I grow "older" I want to smoke pipe. Pipes here are quite expensive, I wanted to do it but didn't really look into it, coz I know they are expensive. Until recently, thinking, now at my 40+, I think it's time to start. So, started looking at pipes and decided to do a lil "investment" in them. And, here it goes....

 

[telescopes]

All tobacco products are. Denial is a hell of a drug.

No, Denial is a River in Egypt, duh!

 

[telescopes]

My father smoked a pipe. He had a bit of a collection and often visited John Dengler’s shop in Saint Charles, MO. A Mecca of Midwest pipe smoking. In College a friend of mine was smoking a pipe and I took him to Dengler’s. I bought two pipes while I was there and the rest was history for me.

 

[cigrmaster]

Mu grandfatheer on my mothers side smoked a pipe on a regular basis and I would sit at his feet while he smoked, it smelled great. He happened to be a doctor. My uncle Irving had a pipe in his moth s long as I can remember, he was also a doctor.

What set me over the edge was my good cigar buddy our own hoosiepipeguy who bugged the shit out of me for weeks till I tried one and I loved it. Now I am all pipes and no cigars.

I am very glad he did turn me on to the pipes as I saved a fortune getting out of the cigar game. I still smoke a pipe because I am addicted to the nicotine and the whole process of smoking a pip.

 

[anotherbob]

All tobacco products are. Denial is a hell of a drug.

and while it's true that different methods of ingestion have differing levels of being addicting (how easily and quickly the addiction is formed) once the addiction is happening there isn't much if any difference. And the slower absorption of cigars and pipes make them less addicting then cigs, again once that happens it's the same thing.

 

[anotherbob]

Both it and Five Brothers.?

Burly in general. Semois makes a great and interesting nasal snuff. It's one of the few where the profile smoked and snuffed are surprisingly similar. And the floral aspects are far more pronounced. Interestingly it works well without any PH balancing that normally goes into making snuff what it is.

 

[SmokeRings79]

As always great article. For me I was always drawn to smoke for some reason. I don't know if it was a result of reading Tolkien, C.S Lewis and Castaneda, but I was fascinated with it. No one in my family smoked, neither have I met someone who smokes a pipe. I was gifted with my first pipe and some kind of an aro in my early twenties, but didn't get the hang of it, and had no one to teach me. I smoked some cigars and began with cigarettes around that time. Quite smoking after several years and tried the pipe again. That time I bought a beautiful Nording. Can't remeber which tobacco, but after several weeks gave it up again and sold the pipe. When the Covid hit I returned to Cigars. It was nice, but not as great as I wanted it to be. Decided to give the pipe another chance and bought a Molina bent Dublin. Tried some aros again and read and seen a lot of material over the Internet. My Aha moment was smoking Virginia no. 1, when I finally got the tastes. Gave me a hell of a MacBite, but was worth it. Been hooked ever since. A big part of the joy is the great community, so thank you all!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Opened up a Pointing Dog Journal, there was a two page spread featuring the author's vest and all he packed in it for grouse hunting, my eye caught the Nording Woodcock he identified and I decided I should have one, lol. Somehow I ended up on here "lurking" about, then when searching I was staring at a new Woodcock at E.A. Carey (which I found out later was supposed to be almost impossible to find, actually found another as an estate by accident at SP eu last fall, so I guess lucky with that model), then I read more and more on here, then I absolutely had to have a Peterson Sherlock Holmes Rathbone, and continued to hang around here and off I went. Had a history with tobacco from age 14-28, gave it up. My pipes don't get used every day, but when I use them I really enjoy them so . . . win. The group here is absolutely terrific, I'm a Holmes enthusiast so that feeds my Peterson preference, but I've found other pipes I enjoy as well and trying to control the "PAD" at the moment, lol.

 

[shane1]

Curiosity and now relaxation and enjoyment.

 

[AroEnglish]

Started because I thought it looked cool in the LOTR movies and wanted an alternative to cigars.

Kept smoking because it’s an enjoyable, solo pastime.