Hi guys, im Jeff, 56, from Birmingham Al. Not new to smoking, but new to pipelife. I'm an avid golfer, but only play every morning and evenings, lol...any way, love nostalgia. Like old ads and stories on pipes, and tobacco history.
Welcome to the group @Ron191, enjoy your pipe and continue exploring the site. Lots of good information on here and feel free to ask any questions. There are a lot of friendly and knowledgeable people who are willing to help answer questions and give suggestions.
Welcome to the group @Jeff20, Glad to have you with us. There are lots of old ads, stories on pipes, and tobacco history on here so enjoy and please feel free to ad to them!
Newcomer here. Names Ron. 27 years of age. Was inspired to try a pipe because I like the smell/taste of tobacco but hate cigarettes and find that dip/cigars are too harsh for me. I’ve got a basic pipe to start. Bought online here: https://www.cupojoes.com/cup-o-joes-pipe-starter-kit/
Been able to smoke a couple times so far but don’t plan to do it every day. More of a couple times a week or so to unwind. Tried a couple packing methods but have found that the Frank method works best for me so far. So far have only smoked Lane Limited 1-Q.
A hearty welcome to the brotherhood of the briar @Praider8 ! Seems like you made the right choice with a starter kit, as that bundle has everything you need to get going. Don't be afraid to hop into some conversations and chat in the topics. We're all pretty friendly here, and more than happy to give you advice and help you out.
My personal advice?
1) Be patient- Everyone has trouble when starting their pipe journey. No amount of research and advice will solve all the issues or problems you'll encounter. Pipe smoking is a lot of trial and error, and it'll take some time before it becomes second nature to you. Don't give up out of frustration, as you might be on the cusp of a breakthrough.
2) Relighting is normal- Most people think that to truly be good a pipe smoking, you should only have to use two matches. This isn't true. We all relight our pipes multiple times, even with years of experience. It's not a slow smoke competition, so just relight when you need to.
3) Packing is key- The secret to a great pipe smoking experience is making sure your pipe is packed properly. Always test the draw to your pipe before lighting. If there's no airflow, dump out the pipe and pack again. When you draw through your pipe, there should be enough resistance to it that it's like drinking a milkshake through a straw. Too much resistance? Dump and refill. Too little? Pack the pipe a bit more.
4) Develop a rhythm- Pipe smoking is all about developing a good rhythm between puffing and tamping down the ash in the bowl. Don't tamp too heavily, or the tobacco will be too tight. Tamp too little, and the pipe will go out. You'll get a good feel for it over time.
5) Cobs- You already have one, but it's a good idea to have a few cobs around for rotating your pipes. I suggest picking up a Country Gentleman, Twin, or a Diplomat. Once you have a few briars, your cobs will still be useful. They're great for trying new tobacco, as some tobacco will leave their flavors in the bowl of a briar. Cobs don't ghost easily, so they're worth keeping around.
6) Briars- When you're ready to buy a briar, you don't want to go with the cheapest option. You can get a good Stanwell or Morgan Bones pipe for around $50. You also don't have to spend $500 for a good briar pipe. Most quality briars can be found between $50-$100. Estates on ebay are a good option, too, but be sure to inspect the pictures and info on the pipe first before bidding.
7) Tobacco- Definitely start off with finding some good aromatic blends, as most smokers were drawn to the pipe due to the aroma of an aromatic. Ignore pipe smokers who look down on aromatics. They're snobs. Once you get accustomed to aromatics, give an English blend or two a try, as well as a Navy Flake. My advice for good blends to try: MacBaren Vanilla Cream Flake and Navy Flake, Boswell Aromatics, C&D's Autumn Evening and Exhausted Rooster.
Welcome to the group @Praider8! Glad to have you on board. I have nothing to add as @thebadgerpiper gave some excellent advice. Fell free to jump in any of the threads and share.
@Praider8 -Welcome to the forum. You'll find plenty of answers to your pipe smoking questions on This Pipe Life. One thing @thebadgerpiper forgot to mention was that there is also a learning curve when it comes to how fast you smoke your pipe. If you are puffing too fast, you will burn your tongue. If you puff too slow the pipe will continually go out. Eventually you will find the "Three Bears" speed where everything is just right.
I will warn you though that smoking you pipe only a couple of times of week to unwind is at the top of the slippery slope to smoking once a day to unwind. LOL. Soon you will be a daily pipe smokers like the most of us.
@Praider8 Welcome I too am still learning the fine art of pipe smoking. Like you I started out with Cup-O-Joes starter kit. This is a good core group of smokers with lot of good advise follow and learn as I have and we with both enjoy THIS PIPE LIFE.
@thebadgerpiper a lot of good advice. Thank you. I’ll be trying some of those tobaccos soon. Which brings me to my next question. Storing my tobacco. Will several 3 oz jars of different kinds suffice?
@PappyJoe oh I know the slippery slope all too well but was able to quell my old habits. That and the wife hates all things tobacco. It’ll be a lot of work to try to hide the pipe from her every day. Hence the couple times a week.
Thanks again to all who welcomed me and I will be popping up around here occasionally so I’m sure I’ll see you all around This Pipe Life.
Welcome, Praider8 and RandyB, ...these are a bunch of good and knowlegable guys, you cant go wrong listening to them..I to have learned a lot in the short time I've been here.
@Praider8 To answer your question about storing pipe tobacco, the 3oz jars should be good for now. You're just starting out, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue at the get go. But as @PappyJoe alluded to, if the pipe bug takes hold, you'll want to invest in more, and larger mason jars to hold your pipe tobacco. It's natural to eventually experience PAD (Pipe Acquisition Disorder) and TAD (Tobacco Acquisition Disorder), and you'll want to have jars to store your favorite blends.
Welcome Praider8, As a fairly new member here myself, I will say, your in good company, this is great and knowledgeable group. I have no advice to give you with one caveat; if you do find that your developing the pipe bug as it were, there is only one thing you can really do and that is embrace it and Enjoy the ride!
I'm Tim, a 62 year old newbie. I just recently decided to take up pipe smoking and heard about the site from Country Squire Radio. Still learning the ins and outs of the hobby. I am, however, rather proud of myself this morning, I somehow managed to smoke a bowl of 1-Q in my Missouri Meerschaum Legend without a re-light. Looking forward being part of the community.
Welcome @oldnewbie from a fellow newbie. Everyone here is awesome so far and have great advice. Post any questions you have and they’ll be happy to help.
Comments
Newcomer here. Names Ron. 27 years of age. Was inspired to try a pipe because I like the smell/taste of tobacco but hate cigarettes and find that dip/cigars are too harsh for me. I’ve got a basic pipe to start. Bought online here: https://www.cupojoes.com/cup-o-joes-pipe-starter-kit/
Been able to smoke a couple times so far but don’t plan to do it every day. More of a couple times a week or so to unwind. Tried a couple packing methods but have found that the Frank method works best for me so far. So far have only smoked Lane Limited 1-Q.
Any advice for a new guy?
-RA
One thing @thebadgerpiper forgot to mention was that there is also a learning curve when it comes to how fast you smoke your pipe. If you are puffing too fast, you will burn your tongue. If you puff too slow the pipe will continually go out. Eventually you will find the "Three Bears" speed where everything is just right.
I will warn you though that smoking you pipe only a couple of times of week to unwind is at the top of the slippery slope to smoking once a day to unwind. LOL. Soon you will be a daily pipe smokers like the most of us.
@thebadgerpiper a lot of good advice. Thank you. I’ll be trying some of those tobaccos soon. Which brings me to my next question. Storing my tobacco. Will several 3 oz jars of different kinds suffice?
@PappyJoe oh I know the slippery slope all too well but was able to quell my old habits. That and the wife hates all things tobacco. It’ll be a lot of work to try to hide the pipe from her every day. Hence the couple times a week.
Thanks again to all who welcomed me and I will be popping up around here occasionally so I’m sure I’ll see you all around This Pipe Life.
-RA
As a fairly new member here myself, I will say, your in good company, this is great and knowledgeable group.
I have no advice to give you with one caveat; if you do find that your developing the pipe bug as it were, there is only one thing you can really do and that is embrace it and
Enjoy the ride!
-RA