A big Tennessee welcome to the brotherhood, Shane!! Brothers of Briar is without a doubt the best bunch of folks on the internet... bar none!!!!!!! Read lots... and, post often, my new brother!!!!
bluedigital":d0d8vnoh said:
Welcome to the BoB.. sure you will receive lots of interesting "first time stories", especially from OuBaas and BlueBird .. uhhm if they can remember that far back :lol!:
Just what the Hell are you trying to say, Blood BD???? (BTW Shane, bluedigital and Piet Binsbergen call me OuBaas... It's a South African thing! And, BlueBird is Falconer, aka
Birdbrain!) I know Birdbrain is... but, I'm not
that old!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Shane, I remember quite well the first time I tried a pipe. It was back around 1988 or 1989. I bought a $40 pipe from a tobacconist at the Mall of Memphis (or, was it the other mall?? I don't remember for sure... guess it
has been that long! :shock: ) in Memphis, TN. And, I bought a couple of aromatics that they recommended for a first time pipe smoker. Fortunately for me, the guy did a fair job of teaching me to pack my new pipe. But, he told me little about breaking it in or smoking it. And, he told me nothing about drying the tobacco out a bit or how to properly lite it!!
As I said, I bought aromatics. And, they were so damp from added flavorings that I began to think the tobacco would never lite!! But, I finally got it lit. Then, I used the tamper... like I was shown... but, with too heavy a hand... and, got the tobacco packed too tight. Then, being a cigarette smoker, I tried to smoke the pipe like I would a cigarette. And, that is just
wrong!!! It's about the same as trying to use a Rolls Royce to plow a field... that dog
won't hunt!!!
After about 4 days of smoking my pipe, my tongue felt as though it were 10 times its normal size... burned like I had stuck it in a vat of boiling grease... and, I couldn't taste anything!! And, I actually had some small blisters on my lips!!! All mainly because I had no one to show me the way!! Because of my inexperience and lack of a mentor to take me by the hand and lead me down the beautiful path of pipe smoking, about 2 or 3 weeks after I picked it up, my pipe went in the trash!!
But, thanks to the wealth of information provided by the brothers here, this time a good pipe and pipe tobacco has been the closest thing to a Panacea I have found in my 50 years on this earth!!! I still smoke cigarettes to feed my nicotine monster. But, they taste nasty to me now... like I've licked the bottom of a used ashtray! And, I
LOVE my pipes and the taste of pipe tobaccos!!
Here's a few things that I've learned:
- 1) You can spend what you want to on a pipe. But, regardless what some may say, you really don't have to break the bank or mortgage your house to get a good smoking pipe! As Bruins said, check out Ebay. And, when you get to the "Pipes" section, check out the "Estate" pipes. "Estate" simply means used... previously smoked. Watch for names like Stanwell, Peterson, Bjarne, Nording and others. Buying an estate pipe is kind of like buying a used car. Because it is "used" you can usually get a lot more bang for your buck!!
While you are looking also, consider Wally Frank. In their hay day, they were considered by many to be a Cadillac pipe!! Dr. Grabow is another pipe that some of the brothers here enjoy smoking.
Just remember that the name on the pipe doesn't matter near as much as how it smokes!!! And, if you find one that you know nothing about, ask about it here on BoB!!
2) Though some do it... and, yes I am one that occasionally does... DON'T inhale pipe smoke!!! That's what cigarette smoke is for!! Pipe tobacco smoke was created to slowly invite into your mouth... mingle with and make love to your taste buds... then be gently... almost reluctantly... asked to to exit!! With the right tobacco, it truly can be an almost euphoric experience!! And, if the smoke also smells good to you... EUPHORIA!!!
3) When buying a tobacco, your nose is not always the best indicator of how it will smoke!!! For me, most tobaccos that smell as if they belong on a desert plate.. probably do!! And, they will probably be a bit frustrating to smoke... and, may bite like a rabid dog!!
4) Don't give up on a tobacco after only a few puffs... or, even one or two bowls! Many tobaccos smoke different in different pipes. And, the difference can be quite profound!! For example... the first time I tried Frog Morton, I hated it!! And, my wife hated the smell of it! But, I gave it another chance in my old Wally Frank Bulldog... and, it is now my favorite tobacco!!! And, get this... my wife says it's the best smelling air freshener she's ever smelled... and, loves it when I smoke it!!!!!
5) We cigarette smokers take long draws off our cigarette; then inhale the smoke deep into our lungs. DON'T do that with a pipe!!! It is one of the quickest ways to learn to loathe a pipe!! It will burn the crap out of your mouth... it will cause lots of condensation inside your pipe... it will make your pipe taste like Kak... as the tobacco burns on down, it will choke the crap out of you... and, it will cause all kinds of problems... up to and including possibly damaging your pipe!!!
Like Jack Daniels whiskey, smoke from pipe tobacco was not meant to be guzzled... it is meant to be sipped.. just a little at a time! If you prefer, you can take long draws off a pipe. But, those long draws need to be taken very slowly!! Otherwise, you run the risk of causing the problems I mentioned above!!!!
Alright, that's enough to get you started on the beautiful journey down the path of pipe smoking! And, a beautiful journey it is!!!! Savor it... and, enjoy it!!!
Again, welcome to the brotherhood!!!
Robert
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