Why did you start smoking a pipe?

[scotrob]

like many here, I had a father who smoked a pipe so I grew up around it and learned to love the aroma and appeal of pipes themselves....he actually started smoking a pipe (so he told me) because at that time it was much cheaper than cigs and easier to obtain tobacco for (this was during WWII or just after). He had a nice collection of pipes but alas when he died they were all lost, which is something I am sad for...in particular he had a nice Orlik bent which I bought him as a birthday present one year. This pipe had a gold band with his initials on which also happen to be my initials, so I would have loved to have inherited that one....oh well
these days I smoke in public as much as possible, so that others can catch the aroma of my smoke and maybe think "yeah, I'd like to try that!"

 

[alistairjames]

I'm a huge junkie when it comes to flavours and through this I began smoking Cuban cigars. I can't really say why but I thought I'd check out pipe tobacco. One sunny afternoon I was having a quiet drink (various Brew Dog beers including Bitch Please, if you're interested), with my girlfriend and I fancied some tobacco so we went down to our local tobacconist's and I got my first pipe
Whilst I do enjoy it greatly, I don't think pipe tobacco will ever replace a fine Cuban as my tobacco of choice... but as its a damn sight cheaper, I imagine I'll be smoking a greater amount of it over the years.

 

[hobojoe]

My introduction to pipes came from another hobby.

I made dream-catches for family members and leather works.

One of the family members-Outlaws- wanted one for a friend's kid.

So the repay was a Parker's Jockey -ebony tamper and Balkan Tobacco.

Than made them 2-can koozies -Flask-and a set of coasters with his High

School Baseball Team name. One more Parker and 4 other pipes plus more

tobacco. That started it all. Then the well ran dry.

What keeps me smoking ? Sitting outside on the bench in the afternoons with wife,

squirrels-doves cardinals-Sand-hill cranes, and being lazy,watching neighbors walk by.

Joe St.

 

[yohanan]

I have been in and around tobacco smoke my whole life, People I knew and people that I just seen walking around smoked, They smoked cigars, cigarettes, pipes and they chewed or dipped snuff(Im talking about the snuff that looked liked powdered dirt), When you went to the doctor or dentist, people were smoking in the waiting room, When your were examined by the doctor, there was a good chance that He was smoking, But for whatever reason people who smoked a pipe really caught my attention, They just seemed liked they were layed back, at ease with whatever was going on, and I always liked the smell of someone smoking a pipe, So when I stared smoking a pipe I learned why these people were like that, You have to slow down to enjoy the benefit of smoking the pipe, you have to relax and take your time and see and experience all the blessings that come from smoking a pipe, Unlike cigarettes where you shove em in, light em up and suck em down and keep on moving, and not enjoying anything about them except for satisfying the nicotine craving that I have. Thats why I started smoking a pipe. ::

 

[dburrows]

It's fun reading everyone's stories.
Mine is pretty simple. A friend of mine (also occasionally on this forum) was interested in making them after having got his hands on some old dried black walnut. He made one for me and we ventured to the local B&M and started checking out the blends. That first pipe I got from him is still one I smoke most often.
Love the aromas and flavors of the tobacco. It really is an experience when you find the blends you like. Just plain enjoyable and relaxing.

 

[uberam3rica]

as we were all under 12

my dad started at 13

 

[juni]

I just suddenly got an urge to try it. It is the perfect hobby for me:
- the art of the wood and meerschaum

- the ritual of smoking and the ritual of the care of the pipes. You need to learn how to get the most enjoyment from your pipes and tobacco.

- the feel of doing something that has a really long history, hundreds of years. This is strangely soothing to me.

- the tobaccos, variety and flavors. Also the nicotine, it is a stimulant - and also a little dangerous.

- you all, it feels like being a member of a club, almost like a secret society.
It's been great so far.

 

[bhpdrew]

I started smoking a pipe when I was 17. My grandfather gave me one of his. I never smoked it often. Then, after my first deployment over seas I picked it up again as a way to ween off of cigarettes. Now it's all I smoke.

 

[yoru]

I love tobacco. I started with cigs, then luxury cigarettes, then tried chew and dip (hated them), then snus, then a hookah, the an electronic, then the pipe and last was dry snuff.
And yes, the imagery of the pipe always appealed to me.

 

[mattia76]

I knew that I liked to smoke--usually good cigars, but I didn't always have 2 hours to dedicate to a good stick. I also knew that the good ones were super-expensive for my college budget at the time.
I also knew that my great grandpa, whom I never met, was a pipe smoker.
Plus, I'm rather hobbit-ish.

 

[kamikazesasquatch]

I've always loved the smell of pipe smoke and the look of pipes. One day my friend showed up with a new Viking. I tried it, loved it, and started getting some of my own.

 

[jasongone]

I just love smoking things. Always have. It seemed like there was always someone smoking something in some different contraption, means, and purposes. I continue to do the same and will...

i just enjoy.

 

[morlader]

When I was at sea in the '50s we were in Adelaide South Australia.Walking down a street I looked in the window of a tobacconist and saw a pipe whith a yellow bowl and though "that's great",I went in and bought it and never looked back.I did smoke some cigs in and out mainly Pall Mall and Luckies but it was the pipe I took to. ::

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Growing up, my parents smoked cigarettes. But that was a deterrent more than anything. I hated the smell and never really liked the flavor of them when I did try them. In my early 20s, I tried getting into cigars, but they gave Cyndi migraines and left some horrible aftertastes. I'd been intrigued with pipe smoking, but wasn't sure at all. Well, the family helped make my choice for me one Christmas and gifted me with a pipe, tobacco, czech tool, bag, and a Colibri pipe lighter. Since that start, I smoked on and off for a few years, then over the past 2-3 years, got more into smoking and restoring pipes. It was during this time that I found a new love for pipes and tobacco. Generally now, I smoke anywhere from 1-3 bowls a day.
Edited to add: I started because I wanted a good way to relax and slow life down a little. I wanted to find a hobby that I could enjoy being active with instead of just collecting something on a shelf or wall to look at. Never thought I'd be involved this much, nor enjoy it as much as I have.

 

[uberam3rica]

its good to see someone found this post and brought it back.its interesting seeing how everyone else got into pipe smoking

 

[mrlblackbird]

I've been a cigarette smoker for some years and I'd always loved the appearance of pipes. So after turning the idea over for a short while, I just went for it and bought my Peterson. So far, really enjoying my pipe, 2 more on the way. The taste is several steps up from that of a cigarette.

 

[nbpiper]

I started smoking cigarettes at 17, and smoked off and on for about 3 years. Eventually a co-worker got me to switch over to Captain Black mini cigars which I smoked, again, off and on for a couple of years sometimes switching back to cigs for a couple of months. I was starting to get tired of the rather bland taste of the captain blacks, and loving the smell of pipe tobacco, as my dad used to smoke when I was younger, finally went out and got a cheap pipe and a pouch and CBW. Two months later still smoking CBW now and then, but thanks to you guys have ventured further out and am loving the English blends, all the while building my pipe collection.

 

[nikko]

My old roommate has a pipe and would smoke it on occasion, and I have liked cigars since about 15 or 16, so I decided I wanted one. He and my other roommates threw in together and got me a basket pipe and some Maple and Rum baccy and I was hooked. I smoked off and on for awhile, and then when the lady friend and I went separate ways, found myself with a lot of extra time and need to focus on something. Alas, I jumped in head first, and I am quite happy about that. Not sure how much I will be able to smoke this next year living in a condo, but it is just a year, and I have the rest of my life to enjoy this great hobby.

 

[uberam3rica]

Not sure how much I will be able to smoke this next year living in a condo

i dont know how much i will be able to smoke when i go to collage since you can only smoke in certain areas

 

[pentangle]

An italian song says "because i had nothing else to do"............a little bit extreme but sounds good