Anyone smoke a pipe?

[Texsquatch]

I'm not sure if this is normal behavior or not, but I've convinced myself that I want to start smoking a pipe. It's not a new notion, I've thought about it for years, but this time, I'm ready to place an order for a "starter kit". Been researching & shopping for over a month, and I think I've landed on a few good leads.

So my question is does anyone have any advice or anecdotes for a pipe newbie?

I've never smoked cigarettes, but I did smoke cigars for a while in the early 90's before I got married. My wife actually liked it when I smoked cigars, it was never a daily habit, but I quit when the cigar fad really took off for a few years there. I've got this mental thing with fads and got tired of being accused of being one of "those guys" doing it for appearances. Plus, along with the fad, it became cost prohibitive when prices went up.

With pipes, I know there's plenty of funny looks from non-smokers, and plenty of snobbery from veteran pipe smokers (and don't get me started on the hipsters in the Austin area, geez), but I can deal with that. I mostly get the urge when I'm hunting or fishing alone, or hiking. My last two homes have had upstairs patios, and as I sit out there at night, the urge to have a good smoke hits.

So anyway, I'll probably get me an inexpensive briar and a couple Missouri Meerschaums and see if I like smoking a pipe as much as I like the smell of pipe smoke.

[TxRVer]

I don't smoke a pipe, but at this moment I'm sitting on my screen porch watching the storms while smoking a good cigar. I know where your coming from. Good luck with the new endeavor.

[RoyGBiv]

FWIW

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php? ... s-On-Board" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php? ... ipe-thread" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[puma guy]

I haven't smoked since the mid-70's, but I smoked everything that was legal starting in junior high. I inhaled everything I smoked, including pipe and cigars. Pipes are a ritual and relaxed smoke in my opinion. I tried just about all the tobacco's there were back then and settled on one that had a tall ship on the package. May have been Borkem or Borkum Riff????? My favorite pipe was a Meerschaum.
I did run into a few people that gave me a double take as a "young" fellow with a pipe. One guy made it point to tell me he didn't trust anyone who smoked a pipe. "They can't make decisions" he said. I just looked at him right in the eyes and said "That's not true. I decided to smoke a pipe and decided to walk away from you!!"
I am not going to give any advice as to whether you should or should not smoke, that's up to you to decide.

[RoyGBiv]

Only time in my life I ever smoked was one summer in my early 20's.
I spent ~6 weeks in Alaska over that summer and smoked a pipe to help keep the mosquitoes away.

[BigGuy]

I did run into a few people that gave me a double take as a "young" fellow with a pipe. One guy made it point to tell me he didn't trust anyone who smoked a pipe.

Ha! As a pipe smoking college student in the late 70s, I had a similar experience. Many people were convinced that there was something other than tobacco in the bowl.
I smoked a blend from a local tobacco shop until I left college. I then discovered that Captain Black Gold was very similar to my expensive blend. A lot less expensive and easier to get. My first job didn't allow smoking, so that cut my smoking to evenings. Later, a child with extreme allergies reduced my smoking availability even more. Eventually, without ever making a conscious decision to do so, I simply quit smoking.
Years later, after the kids were out on their own, I decided to try a pipe again. One day while on a ride (motorcycle) I spotted a pack of Black and Mild. They are little cigarillos made from pipe tobacco. I especially like the wine flavor. I'd smoke a few dozen of those per year, mainly while on vacation or a bike ride. But the cancer diagnosis in 2011 finally put the kibosh on that. So, here's my advice.

PSA smoking if bad! don't do it!

However, if you are determined to give it a try then be warned that if you really get into a pipe, it can be as expensive as a firearm. Finding a good briar, straight grained, and light will cost time and money. You're only supposed to smoke a good pipe once per day, giving it time to dry out before the next smoke. So, you'll need a pipe for every time you plan to smoke per day. Find somebody you trust to explain what you're looking for in a pipe. Basically light. Even a large bowl pipe should not weigh so much that you'll tire holding it in your mouth. Next, a straight grain that runs up and down. I know that gnarly stuff can look pretty, but it doesn't drain worth a flip. Then, you want to find a tobacco you like. Depending on how anal retentive you are, this too can get to be costly. Yes, you can simply smoke packaged tobacco in a Dr Grabow. But you can also just shoot a Hi-point 9MM. You'll just have to find the entry level you can live with.
If you just want the taste of a pipe tobacco, you might give those Black and Milds a try. While they are not a top shelf, pipe tobacco experience, they are more than passable. And they are certainly inexpensive and easy, compared to a pipe.
Enjoy what ever you try. Let us know what you decide.

[mojo84]

This is not directed at the OP nor is it meant to be judgmental toward him in any way. It's just an observation on my part even though I've smoked a few cigars a year for many years up to about 2011. I also spent about 13 years dipping copenhagen as a teen and early twenty something.

In light of what all we know about smoking and tobacco products, including me watching my dad die from pneumonia and congestive heart failure after suffering from emphysema for many years, why in the world do we still feel the need, desire, pull or whatever to suck smoke from a burning substance into our bodies. This amazes me and I think it is completely illogical and contrary to common sense.

With that said, I still crave a good cigar and glass of bourbon neat every now and then. I just don't understand why.

Best of luck to you on your new experiment.

[WildBill]

In light of what all we know about smoking and tobacco products, including me watching my dad die from pneumonia and congestive heart failure after suffering from emphysema for many years, why in the world do we still feel the need, desire, pull or whatever to suck smoke from a burning substance into our bodies. This amazes me and I think it is completely illogical and contrary to common sense.

With that said, I still crave a good cigar and glass of bourbon neat every now and then. I just don't understand why.

It's called nicotine.

[PUCKER]

OP:

I smoke cigars and enjoy the daylights out of them!! What I enjoy most is the camaraderie of fellow pipe and cigar smokers. Sure, there are the snobs, but most folks that partake are very warm and welcoming.

[mojo84]

In light of what all we know about smoking and tobacco products, including me watching my dad die from pneumonia and congestive heart failure after suffering from emphysema for many years, why in the world do we still feel the need, desire, pull or whatever to suck smoke from a burning substance into our bodies. This amazes me and I think it is completely illogical and contrary to common sense.

With that said, I still crave a good cigar and glass of bourbon neat every now and then. I just don't understand why.

It's called nicotine.

I don't think it's the nicotine when the person hasn't smoked or used tobacco before.

[Abraham]

Is tobacco harmful?

Yes

Is it enjoyable?

Yes

Are cheeseburgers, ice cream, fried food, overeating harmful?

Yes

Do adults have a right to eat/smoke/drink booze or would you prefer a nagging?

[Oldgringo]

I smoked a pipe, lots of them, for 30 some odd years and thoroughly enjoyed 'em. I still have them and some unopened bags of Smoker's Pride Vanilla Cavendish. I put 'em down about a half dozen years ago when a sawbones in Colorado said I'd had a mild heart attack and haven't picked one up since then. I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy a drink without my pipe but I've overcome that fear. Every now and then, I think I'd like to fire one up but that notion soon passes.

[mojo84]

Is tobacco harmful?

Yes

Is it enjoyable?

Yes

Are cheeseburgers, ice cream, fried food, overeating harmful?

Yes

Do adults have a right to eat/smoke/drink booze or would you prefer a nagging?

What are you talking about and to whom are you directing your comments?

By the way, if we wait long enough, what's bad for us becomes good for us and vice versa. http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/05/08/ev ... -fat-wrong" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[txglock21]

I read that article you linked Mojo84, if I EVER have to give up bacon, you can go ahead and just shoot me. Life ain't worth living without bacon!

[mojo84]

I agree txglock. I took that as good news.