Advice for the new Piper

[huffelpuff]

Dorchester, don't throw out that cob you damaged! Let it dry out for a week or two and then drill out the bottom of the bowl so you can insert a half inch hardwood dowel.  Glue it in place with Elmer's glue and you're good to go. If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself box it up and send it to me I will gladly do it for you.

Jim

 

[SpeedyPete]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS."  And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore  so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

Very good advice, indeed.....

 

[SpeedyPete]

Dorchester, don't throw out that cob you damaged! Let it dry out for a week or two and then drill out the bottom of the bowl so you can insert a half inch hardwood dowel.  Glue it in place with Elmer's glue and you're good to go. If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself box it up and send it to me I will gladly do it for you.

Jim

It happened to me as well with my very first cob, 8 years ago.....I'm still smoking it today :lol:

 

[Oxman]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS." And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

+2!

Totally agree. I made the mistake of trying everything and getting confused about whatvi liked and in what pipe! Keep a little diary of each combination.
You will find that so many things affect the smoke, not just the pipe, but what you are drinking,the time of day, your mood, even the weather.

It's a beautiful pastime, but it needs a whole lot of time to figure what you like. Sometimes even figuring what you don't really like is difficult.

And then there is age .... after a few years smoking, I have noticed many changes in what I like and don't like, it's like opening a present every day, will I like this combination today

 

[Richard Burley]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS."  And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore  so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

+3 Yes, bouncing from one blend to another all the time seems to confuse my brain. We can't all be Jim Inks. I recently popped a tin of Dunhill Royal Yacht and couldn't believe how much I detested the taste. I persevered though, found a pipe it did well in (a smallish Castello billiard), and now I can't get enough of the stuff. I actually crave it. Had I been flitting about with other blends, I do believe I would have written it off as a "never again" blend. A new pipe smoker should be wary of first impressions, in other words. They may be false. Just my two centavos.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS."  And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore  so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

Most excellent advice.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Not sure if the OP is a Millennial or not, but I see this a lot with Millennials. They get interested in something and try to absorb everything in five minutes. It's one of the many aspects the internet has proven to NOT be a useful tool. Hear about an interesting genre of music? Download every important album of said genre, listen to it all in a week, and then move onto the next genre. Get into wet shaving? Within three months, they have a dozen $200 razors, a couple dozen expensive brushes, and seventy-five shaving soaps. And so on and so on and so on. Check back with them in a year, and they can barely remember the music and no longer wet shave. A series of ravenous consumption with very little satisfaction or staying substance. They seem to go through friendships at this rate too, but that's for another discussion. Their smart phones are re-wiring their brains. They sort of remind me of the newly retired people I've met. They can't sit still. They don't know what to do with their time. Ultimately, they're giant bundles of anxiety seeking anything that can give them even a moment of a semblance of satisfaction, and all it does is create more anxiety and less satisfaction. The new world can be really unforgiving for so many demographics.

So yeah, to reiterate, buy a pipe or two. Same for tobacco or two. Then stop with the buying. Rather than go an inch deep and a mile wide, go a mile deep and an inch wide. Explore and exhaust just those things.

 

[AJ]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS."  And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore  so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

Michael's advice is spot on. You follow his advice and you'll build a strong foundation that will support many years of pipe smoking enjoyment without breaking the bank. You'll find that he's a treasure trove of information about the best pipes and tobacco available. All you have to do is ask and he'll share this information with you.

AJ

 

[user 2031]

A piece of advice I was given years ago : "... buy the BEST you can afford, ALWAYS."  And another piece of advice I was given was to learn a blend. A few pipe fulls won't do this. DON'T jump around bowl full to bowl full from blend to blend. Pick two blends and smoke AT LEAST 1 whole tin of each (2 would be better) only before trying another. Remember, this is a LIFE LONG endevore  so you've got plenty of time. :twisted: :twisted:

That, is some seriously good advice. I have read this on this forum a lot of times from guys like Monbla and continued to ignore it. I finally listened up and started doing what they said and my pipe smoking enjoyment has greatly increased. You can't tell a thing about a blend from smoking a bowl and forming an opinion based on that bowl alone. Work through a blend or two before moving on. Being a new pipe smoker and having 10 -20 open blends and flitting here and there will tend to confuse you. Stick with one or two blends, or three, and smoke the crap out of them until you finish a few ounces, then you will know more about them.

The only other thing I would mention is a good smoking pipe can't always be measured by how much it cost. I have had some pipes made by "artisans" that were quite expensive, yet poorly designed. I also have some pipes I picked up at a bargain that are fantastic pipes. So, IMO, price is no indicator of quality. That being said, in the past, I have bought two pipes from real artisans here on BoB that were really nice pipes. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control led me to part with them. I would not hesitate to buy pipes from those guys again!

I also have a goal to buy one of Ron's pipes, (RDP pipes). The dude is a perfectionist and I have NO DOUBT that he makes a quality pipe.

 

[huffelpuff]

Simple man, Ron turns out an exceptional product. I only have one of his pipes, an olive wood. It is one of the best smoking pipes I've owned in over 30 years. He is a great guy to deal with as well. One of these days he will realize the quality of his work deserves much higher prices. For now they are extremely affordable.

Jim

 

[user 2031]

Simple man, Ron turns out an exceptional product. I only have one of his pipes, an olive wood. It is one of the best smoking pipes I've owned in over 30 years. He is a great guy to deal with as well. One of these days he will realize the quality of his work deserves much higher prices. For now they are extremely affordable.

Jim

Definitely on my list. I'm hoping to add one to my collection before or around the New Year.