What drew you to pipes?

[brabants draak]

well, men (and a lady) thank you for beatiful walk down the memory lane.
I agree with one of the writers: the pipe smoking community must be one of the most civilized on the web.

now, for how i turned into a pipe smoker, the following short story:
i grew up as a single child of working parents, both chain smokers, cigarettes only. so from early on i developed a tremendous disgust for cigarettes: i thought that they REALLY stink and i never had any wish of putting THAT in my mouth.
BUT, my father had a friend. a nice big fellow, bold. a real word WWII hero of resistance. This guy, at that time (we are talking 1965-69) a high ranking professional soldier, used to visit us with his wife regularly, 2-3 times a month (my father and he knew each other from the war, and were "paesan", meaning they came from the same region) to dine. Well this guy indulged himself in a magical ritual every now and then: he would take a rather peculiar looking wooden thing, fill it up with very strange looking and sweet smelling stuff my parents told me it's the same what they had in cigarettes (but of course it was NOT) and very slowly lit it up. While blueish cloud would climb above his head the whole apartment would fill with smell of chocolade and vanilla cookies. This was something so distinguished and special, i adored it.
I do not beleive at that age I thought of smoking at all, but the seeds were sawn and waiting.

Then came Rip Kirby. Strip hero of Alex Reymond, an ex-marine turned private eye. So this guy had a beatiful girlfriend(s), smoked pipe and had a butler called Desmond. And he was my role model I think. He and Disneys "101 Dalmatians" started my Anglophiliac period, and with it my affection to pipe smoking.
I always thought it as a distinguished discipline. Very chivalric.

So, there came my 17-teen birthday and I stopped being theoretic and bought myself my first pipe ( a pipe imported from Mao's China, cheap, and while buying it my heart was bouncing i was sure the saleslady knew i was doing somethin improper ...) and a pouch of the only pipe tobacco made in my home country (name "Club" which was design-wise a clear copycat of TNs Clan, only red) and devoted one year to learn properly how to smoke.

been doing that with pleasure for more then 30 years.

 

[brabants draak]

well, men (and a lady) thank you for beatiful walk down the memory lane.
I agree with one of the writers: the pipe smoking community must be one of the most civilized on the web.

now, for how i turned into a pipe smoker, the following short story:
i grew up as a single child of working parents, both chain smokers, cigarettes only. so from early on i developed a tremendous disgust for cigarettes: i thought that they REALLY stink and i never had any wish of putting THAT in my mouth.
BUT, my father had a friend. a nice big fellow, bold. a real word WWII hero of resistance. This guy, at that time (we are talking 1965-69) a high ranking professional soldier, used to visit us with his wife regularly, 2-3 times a month (my father and he knew each other from the war, and were "paesan", meaning they came from the same region) to dine. Well this guy indulged himself in a magical ritual every now and then: he would take a rather peculiar looking wooden thing, fill it up with very strange looking and sweet smelling stuff my parents told me it's the same what they had in cigarettes (but of course it was NOT) and very slowly lit it up. While blueish cloud would climb above his head the whole apartment would fill with smell of chocolade and vanilla cookies. This was something so distinguished and special, i adored it.
I do not beleive at that age I thought of smoking at all, but the seeds were sawn and waiting.

Then came Rip Kirby. Strip hero of Alex Reymond, an ex-marine turned private eye. So this guy had a beatiful girlfriend(s), smoked pipe and had a butler called Desmond. And he was my role model I think. He and Disneys "101 Dalmatians" started my Anglophiliac period, and with it my affection to pipe smoking.
I always thought it as a distinguished discipline. Very chivalric.

So, there came my 17-teen birthday and I stopped being theoretic and bought myself my first pipe ( a pipe imported from Mao's China, cheap, and while buying it my heart was bouncing i was sure the saleslady knew i was doing somethin improper ...) and a pouch of the only pipe tobacco made in my home country (name "Club" which was design-wise a clear copycat of TNs Clan, only red) and devoted one year to learn properly how to smoke.

been doing that with pleasure for more then 30 years.

 

[Harlock999]

well, men (and a lady) thank you for beatiful walk down the memory lane.
I agree with one of the writers: the pipe smoking community must be one of the most civilized on the web.

now, for how i turned into a pipe smoker, the following short story:
i grew up as a single child of working parents, both chain smokers, cigarettes only. so from early on i developed a tremendous disgust for cigarettes: i thought that they REALLY stink and i never had any wish of putting THAT in my mouth.
BUT, my father had a friend. a nice big fellow, bold. a real word WWII hero of resistance. This guy, at that time (we are talking 1965-69) a high ranking professional soldier, used to visit us with his wife regularly, 2-3 times a month (my father and he knew each other from the war, and were "paesan", meaning they came from the same region) to dine. Well this guy indulged himself in a magical ritual every now and then: he would take a rather peculiar looking wooden thing, fill it up with very strange looking and sweet smelling stuff my parents told me it's the same what they had in cigarettes (but of course it was NOT) and very slowly lit it up. While blueish cloud would climb above his head the whole apartment would fill with smell of chocolade and vanilla cookies. This was something so distinguished and special, i adored it.
I do not beleive at that age I thought of smoking at all, but the seeds were sawn and waiting.

Then came Rip Kirby. Strip hero of Alex Reymond, an ex-marine turned private eye. So this guy had a beatiful girlfriend(s), smoked pipe and had a butler called Desmond. And he was my role model I think. He and Disneys "101 Dalmatians" started my Anglophiliac period, and with it my affection to pipe smoking.
I always thought it as a distinguished discipline. Very chivalric.

So, there came my 17-teen birthday and I stopped being theoretic and bought myself my first pipe ( a pipe imported from Mao's China, cheap, and while buying it my heart was bouncing i was sure the saleslady knew i was doing somethin improper ...) and a pouch of the only pipe tobacco made in my home country (name "Club" which was design-wise a clear copycat of TNs Clan, only red) and devoted one year to learn properly how to smoke.

been doing that with pleasure for more then 30 years.

Great story, welcome to BoB! I love the Netherlands, fantastic country, and great people!

 

[Foxfire]

As a child, my dad smoked a pipe. In fact, when I went to buy my first pipe (in a tiny tobacco shop in Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland) I bought the one that most closely resembled the one I recalled my dad smoking. So that is part of it.

Also, as others have mentioned, I like the "retro-ness" of it. Not so much the look, but more of the feel of it. In today's world of emails, and facebooks, and tweeters, everything is instant, and is expected to be fast. I like that pipe smoking is a slow thing to do. It's like listening to records, instead of an ipod (I own both, and both have their merits, so I don't want to start a hornet's nest with that).

But most of all, I'm a fantasy geek. I'm a total sucker for the Sword & Sorcery stuff. And the smoking of pipes plays heavily into the adventure tales that I have loved since I was a kid (due, in no small part, to the gentleman pictured below in my signature). After the LOTR films came out, my friends and I decided that we would all get pipes and give it a go, and we've all stuck with it since then (though a good friend of mine was more of a Sherlock Holmes sort of chap than a Bilbo Baggins type).

I started because of the above reasons, but I've kept at it simply because it is fun.

 

[gospelman]

I remember when I was a kid my great-grandfather smoked a pipe. Always had one lit. He smoked Grainger exclusively, and I used to love the aroma. Of course back then, a lot of people smoked everywhere, and it wasn't unusual to see cigarettes, cigars and pipes.

But I was fascinated by that pipe! When I started college, I decided to give it a try. I bought a pipe out of a basket (I still smoke that pipe) and some Captain Black. 35 years later, I still enjoy it immensely (I've moved on from the Captain!).

To me, smoking a pipe is relaxing, meditative, and is a link to a time when things seemed to move a little slower. I'm glad to see young people getting into the pipe smoking life.

Mike

 

[seenocks]

After reading all the wonderful posts here, I knew I needed to respond and pay tribute to my Uncle Alton. My mother's only brother, Alton was the most incredible man I've ever known. He is the inspiration for who I am today. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to grow up to be just like him in all the .ways I possibly could. My Dad was not home a lot due to work, and Alton became his stand-in. He was the type of man that women loved because he was always smiling and making jokes and never showing disrespect to them. Men wanted to be around him because he was masculine and a very good friend. And he was my 'buddy". He always treated me like one of the guys, like a miniature adult. And I idolized him.

Alton smoked cigars sometimes, but mostly he smoked his pipes. I loved the aroma of whatever tobacco he had burning in the bowl. I decided my first and easiest way to be like him was to smoke cigars and pipes. When I turned 13, I found myself alone at his home one Saturday afternoon. He had left a couple cigar butts in his big ashtray next to his recliner. I picked up one and decided it was too short to try to smoke. I opened his humidor and picked up my first cigar. I grabbed matches and jumped the fence to get into the woods behind his house making sure I had my privacy. I followed Alton's ritual to prepare the stogie, put it in my mouth and fired it up. I slowly got it lighted, and was blown away by the awesome taste. I got brave and inhaled. I didn't even cough at all. the next inhale I filled my lungs and felt my head begin to spin. I was really smoking like Alton. That day I smoked my first entire cigar, and never really stopped. I smoked with a buddy through high school and into college. My second year I spent holidays with my Uncle and on my return to school, I went to the drug store and bought my first pipe. That's when I finally felt I had become like my uncle. I even had developed a bit of a beer belly like he had. The next year I brought my own cigars, pipes and tobacco and shared with my hero. That day he told me he had known about my stealing a cigar all those years ago, and was glad that I had. Until he passed away in 1994, I always looked forward to visiting my uncle, and spending as many hours as we could smoking together and talking about anything that came to mind.

Even now, after 15 years without him, I still can feel his presence every time I put a match to the bowl of my pipes or to the tip of a cigar. Like many have already said here, when I smoke I relax, calm down, and get a better perspective on the happenings of life. And I owe all of it to my uncle Alton, the man who inspired and taught me to be a real man.

 

[jlong]

These are great stories. I don't know of any pipe smokers near me.

I got started around 1981 when I worked in a metal fab shop for a shipyard in Tacoma, WA. Everybody smoked a pipe it seemed and when I inquired, I was invited to a weekly saturday morning sampling party at the local Tinderbox with some guys I worked with. They (the Tinderbox) sold me a basket pipe and suggested I sample a few of their counter blends. I was sold on Norsegold. Captain Spice and Willshire also come to mind. I later moved up to a Ben Wade, gourd calabash, and a meerschaum pipe. Back then, Meerschaum pipes were a major pipe dude status symbol. Nobody dared question your knowledge of pipe smoking with one of those babys hanging out of your mouth.

For years I smoked my pipes only on occasion and stuck with drug store and pipe shop blends. Captain Black and cherry flavored pipe shop stuff were amongst favorites. Also went on a cigar craze sometime in the 90's. I still enjoy a good cigar now and then.

All this time, I was never really aware of tin blends until recent years when I tried a few. Half my life was wasted because I never experienced the joys of Latakias, Periques, ropes, and whatnot. This is when I started taking pipe smoking and pipe care seriously. I still have and enjoy the old Calabash I bought at the Tinderbox. It's always been a favorite. Especially behind the tube.

 

[Airborne]

Great stories, gentlemen. Thanks.

This thread has been here since January, but it's my first time reading it. That's one of the many things I like about this forum - someone reaches up and pulls something down from the top shelf, dusts it off and it becomes new again! The discussion flows as if no intermittent time intervened.

 

[RDPipes]

I started smoking a pipe in 1988 I believe. (Memory isn't much good for dates anymore) Because, like everything else I do I must do it to the extreme. That meaning that I've smoked cigarettes, chewed tobacco, dipped, smoked cigars, etc. That and I love the artistic value of pipes and how there designs seem to be endless. So I collect many of all types (to extreme) and smoke a few (cobs mostly).

 

[roogles]

Great stories, gentlemen. Thanks.

This thread has been here since January, but it's my first time reading it. That's one of the many things I like about this forum - someone reaches up and pulls something down from the top shelf, dusts it off and it becomes new again! The discussion flows as if no intermittent time intervened.

I echo these sentiments whole-heartedly! Especially for a new-guy, it is great to go back and read and contribute to threads like this one!

As for myself...

I started smoking cigars in college, which would have been the late 1990's. I never smoked cigarettes, and probably smoked my first cigar at a bachelor party, or guys night out, or something like that. I liked it a lot, and found myself trying new cigars, and smoking them more regularly on and off over the years.

In 2006 or '07 I became friends with a guy at church who was a cigar and pipe smoker. We have a monthly book club which meets at his house, where we smoke, drink, and sometimes discuss books. When the weather is nice we often meet on the porch and smoke cigars, but when it's cold outside or the weather isn't fit we gather inside. He smokes a pipe indoors, but as a "house rule" there is no cigar or non-pipe smoking in the house.

I picked up my first pipe at a semi-local place, so that I could partake in the house during our book clubs. It was a $15, no-name straight billiard. I was hooked!

I've discovered in the mean time, that I much prefer bent pipes and although it's a cheap-o my current favorite one is a 1/2 bent Grabow I picked up from a local flea-market for $5. I also like church-wardens if I'm going to go with a straight stem. We almost always smoke Captain Black at book club, because it's the host's preferred tobacco and he supplies it for all of the pipe smokers.

I've found the pipe smoking community (especially online) to be "my people" in spirit, attitude, and temperament and I can't begin to say how much I've appreciated and enjoyed my short time as part of this community already!

I've been a crafter for years, from a long family line of wood crafters, carvers, painters, sculptors, and so on - so my father and I are putting together an order for a few pre-drilled PIMO kits to see if we can actually produce one or two of our own pipes.

I'm enjoying learning about the different pipe-makers, models, and styles and am excited about doing some shopping this winter and coming spring to add to my own collection!

Cheers gentlemen!

 

[dshpipes]

Somehow, this is the first time I've spotted this thread and am delighted that I did. Everyone's stories are beautiful and well told. So much so that I find myself hesitating to include my own... but I will anyway.

When I was in my final year of college, I roomed with a friend of mine who has since earned a special place in my heart. He used to smoke cigarettes but kicked the habit entirely. At the time, I was a seasonal smoker, picking up a pack of Djarum blacks once a week once the weather began to take on a chill and putting out my last butt when the flowers of spring would start popping up.

That year after I'd picked up my third or fourth pack of Djarums, I had a familiar experience: shortness of breath, decreased stamina, and a sense of decreased health. I expressed this to my friend and he asked why I was still smoking. "I enjoy the taste," I said. His response: "Well, why not try a pipe?"

I picked up my first pipe at the Rite Aid on the corner of Corporate and Jefferson in Baton Rouge, LA. It was a prepackaged straight Dr. Grabow. My first tobacco was Bayou Sarah, hand blended by Sarah herself, purveyor and owner of Bayou Tobacco. This was a serious aromatic, and a tasty one at that. After one bowl, I was hooked.

Diving headfirst into the world of pipes, I began to uncover worlds of information online and from the older gentlemen at Bayou Tobacco. For about 9 months I was in that shop no less than 3 days a week learning about pipes and tobacco, learning to play backgammon, and building friendships. I always set aside a full day to spend at Bayou Tobacco any time I go back to LA and always look forward to seeing my friends there.

During this time, my collection grew from 1 Dr Grabow and 2 cobs to about 14 pipes from Savinelli, Nording, and Bjarne. Bjarne high grades became a treasure to me and I coveted them at every turn. I got my first high grade (a J) from Bayou Tobacco just before I moved out of Louisiana in 2008. That pipe is now in the hands of a fellow BoB and from what I've heard, he's enjoying it immensely. My second, the C Grade Rhodesian that has popped up in a few other threads, was purchased from Marty Pulvers at an incredibly reasonable price and is the pride and joy of my collection.

As far as what got me stuck on pipes, there are several answers there:

1. I love the act of creating smoke. It is reflective and beautiful. This is the same reason that I love campfires.
2. I love the camaraderie that comes with the pipe. Every tobacco shop that I've ever set foot in carrying a pipe was one that I did not leave without making new friends.
3. I've always loved functional, sculptural art and pipes are just that.

I think thefoolish said it best:

I find pipes to be a work of art, and I think this is true beyond the obvious. It does not take the penetration of the philosopher to see that pipes are visually appealing. But art makes one stop and reflect -- reflect upon the art, upon the world, upon oneself. Pipes do this better than most things. In this way, the process of enjoying a pipe is, in itself, meditative artwork.

Thanks for this thread and for all of your stories. It's wonderful to hear them.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Everyone's filling this thread up with words, so I'll try to keep it brief. (Yeah, me. :roll: )

When I was under...more interesting living circumstances (license plate for street address)...I worked at an old folks home here in Reno around age 16. I altered my driver's ID to show I was 18, so I could get the job; just a dishwashing/sauce prep gig in their kitchen.

Often delivered food to those folks not feeling so well or those who had trouble shuffling down to the dining hall. I like old folks a lot. Their stories, their genuine appreciation for company, their remarkable ability to adapt to their circumstances. Lloyd was one of those guys, in his early 90s. I still remember his dishes: "No green shit, just potatoes and meat, boy, you understand?" Every single time. :lol: He knew I smoked cigarettes at that time.

"You gotta get rid of those damn things, kid, they'll ruin your teeth and your soul. What you need is briarwood!" he said. He hobbled over to his night stand and pulled out two pipes. He handed me one. "Here, I ain't got a disease, anything that would have killed me this far I already killed it, you can be sure of that." After tossing me a pouch of Captain Black and this older Grabow Lark (which I still have), I apparently had to learn to smoke.

This ritual went on for about a week, then two, then a month. I enjoyed myself. I learned how to clean, pack and smoke a pipe in that time. Two days before Lloyd passed on he also gave me his favorite trilby fedora. I was really upset when he left, he was my friend. I sadly don't have the hat anymore, as it got lost in my many moves at that time. I left that job and went to the Bay Area to live for a while, brought my pipe with me. Being a quasi-civilized, homeless teen with a fedora and a pipe got me weirder looks than panhandling.

May Lloyd rest his soul for helping me find a way to calm mine. 8)

 

[ZeroContent]

Easy, Cigars started costing too much. For the cost of a box of 20 cigars I can buy 400 bowls worth of pipe tobacco. Plus I was thinking of growing some tobacco and shredding tobacco is much easier than rolling a cigar.

 

[Brewdude]

Short answer - my late Pap smoked a pipe as long as I can remember. I figured if it was good enough for my Pap it was good enough for me. Even started out with the same blend that he exclusively smoked - Uhle's #255.

So there ya go......


Cheers,

RR

 

[jlong]

Easy, Cigars started costing too much. For the cost of a box of 20 cigars I can buy 400 bowls worth of pipe tobacco.

Seeing a tin of Nightcap costs what a single Cohiba costs, I can't agree with you more. A bowl of Nightcap is just as satisfying as a Cohiba if not more.

 

[taja-big dog]

My Dad. He loved Amphora ...brown pack, never the red. I've had a Brigham or a Peterson for about 40 years. My boss where I work now even lets me smoke it on the job which is just one reason I like working for him.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

My grandfather always smoked Middleton's Cherry Blend and my dad always smoked Captain Black White. This is the stuff I grew up around and always loved the smell.

It just fit and seemed natural, so when I turned 19, I bought a MM Cob (because of the price) and a sampler of house blends from Tobacco Lane in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Their house blend called 'Fireside' ended up being my favorite. Come to find out later, it was a 2:1 mix of Lane's 1Q & BCA - they have been making this exact blend for over 20-years now and it's still their best seller of the house blends. So for those of you (us) that thought this mix was relatively new, you (we) were wrong.

The shop owner/operator named Ralph suggested a MM Cob as a first pipe since they smoke great and are very forgiving. Boy was he correct. I still use cobs in my daily rotation.

He told me not to worry about how it looks, but rather how it performs. He told me that if I really get serious about Pipe Smoking, then come back in a month or two and he'll point me toward a good & affordable Briar. And he did, he sold me a Savinelli. I don't remember the name of it, but it was a bent billiard style.

I've always preferred bent stems. Even my first MM Cob had a bent stem. It just seemed so natural to me, and I have always preferred them over straights - although I do have a few straight stem pipes.

Man, doesn't seem like it's been 19 years.. Where has time gone?

 

[Churchwarden]

It's been a long time, but ... I remember liking the look of a pipe in the mouths of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the Sherlock Holmes movies of the `40's. I remember Mark Trail smoking a pipe in the strip in the `60's. Everything associated with pipe smoking spelt serenity and deep thinking. I also liked the smell of the tobaccos in drug stores.

 

[JM]

A friend of mine smoked a pipe and a fella online sent me a couple of pipes and tobacco after discussing theology...I forget how it came up. I didn't plan on smoking it but as someone else said above, I was born a century too late and pipes have an old world appeal. I had the pipes and tobacco for a month before I decided to take a cob along with me while I walked my dog. It was a beautiful day so we sat on a bank of a creek and I enjoyed my first bowl. Now I smoke a bowl once a week or more often if I'm drinking with friends.

 

[Richard Burley]

It was love at first sniff. I was a toddler who begged my uncles to light up. Been puffing since age 16, the earliest I could get away with it without being slapped around and sent to an orphanage.