Your first pipe: what, when and where?

[jogilli]

Christmas 1988.. My wife and her family bought me a really nice meerschaum pipe .. I don't remember the tobacco, but it was one that my brother in law smoked from a local shop here in Germany.. Loved it.. it was one of my favorite pipes and still is.. but in 2005 I finally ended up with a hole in the bottom of the bowl that actually left me to never smoke it since.

What I need to do is find a meerschaum repairman and have it fixed.. anybody know of one? Making pipes out of briar or Bog Oak doesn't make one a meershcaum repairman

james

 

[CyrilLucar]

When I was maybe 16 I bought a Dr. Grabow with some cherry tobacco in a pouch. Snuck off into the woods to smoke it and snuck back into the house to avoid my sensitive nosed mother. I only tried it once or twice. I will spare you what I ended up doing to that pipe.

Cigarettes, snuff, and dip and a long period of tobacco abstention later I started smoking cigars given to me by friends and I started thinking about pipes. My family gave me some money for Christmas and I ordered a Nording churchwarden from Milan. I have a Savinelli now too and I'm getting deep into this thing very quickly.

 

[whiskeywillow]

I know I've told this story elsewhere on the site, but I'm always happy to read and share first experiences with pipes!

I was introduced to pipes (and whiskey) by a friend of my father's who happens to be Irish. I fell in love with him when I was about thirteen years old, and if you've ever loved someone for a long time you'll know how their scent can stick with you forever. I'll always remember how he smelled like whiskey and tobacco. He moved back to Ireland about four years ago but we still write. He was always really nice about my infatuation, and in December 2008 sent me one of his pipes and told me about one of his favorite tobaccos - Peterson's Irish Oak - so that I could indulge in my nostalgia.

I waited for the tobacco to arrive in the mail with little patience. I threw myself into a reading frenzy, trying to digest as much pipe lore and technique as I could from websites and forums like this. I watched hours' worth of Youtube videos on how to pack a pipe. When the Irish Oak finally came, I packed it anxiously into my pipe - I realized much later that I packed it too loose and should have let it dry out a bit more first - and despite my amateur pipe-smoking status, I had one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences smoking that has yet to be surpassed to this day.

So yes. That's my story of how I came to love whiskey, pipes and older men. :lol:

 

[Gumball]

Back in the 90's I got a cheap briar and and some Clan and tried to be a pipe smoker...and failed. Lost interest until last year when I decided to pick up a pipe and have another try.

I'm still trying different brands and finding what I like (Squadron leader) and what I don't (Peterson Sweet Killarney). My pipe collection stands at 4, one of which is complete rubbish and needs to be chucked in the bin.

This forum has helped me along the path to true enjoyment of pipe smoking

 

[designwise1]

I was 18. The pipe was a bent baklite-type Medico. Grayish brown. I kept that thing until a couple of weeks ago. I gave it to my favorite uncle with several other basket pipes. The thing burned HOT.

The tobacco was even more embarrassing; some heavily cased nauseous mixture. I don't remember smoking it very often.

Fast forward several years... I saw a Savinelli and had to have it. I've been smoking ever since although that pipe was gifted to another smoker about 4 years ago.

 

[gospelman]

After thinking about it for a long time, back in the mid 70's I ventured into the Clock and Pipe Gallery in West Town Mall and bought a no-name basket pipe. I didn't know anything about tobacco, so the clerk put me on some Captain Black (white pouch).

I still have the pipe, it's in regular rotation, and is a fine smoker. I haven't spent time with the Captain in some time, however.

Mike

 

[Eric]

Very first pipe was purchased at 17 years of age. A Dr. Grabow Billiard. Socially speaking, pipe smoking just didn't work, for me, at that age.

The first pipe I really stuck with was a Stanwell Colonial Bent Egg (185). Still have it, and its still one of the best 'in the hand' feel pipes that I have. Probably the best birdseye grain pipe I own.

 

[LV9]

Summer of 2005 in the Edwards store located in Tampa a house bent brandy and the blend was house blend call Sweet Vanilla.