I started with one pipe in the 50's, by the end of the 60's I had 8 but, I smoked my pipe all day and I didn't use a pipe cleaner until day's end. I never had one sour on me. I think pipes are more forgiving than a lot of people think.
@motie2 Believe it or not I discovered this video last night and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. The guy has a great attitude and the pure joy in his face when discussing pipe smoking is contagious. Need a few 'on the fence' people who have been considering the hobby to see this. It should push them over-the-top.
@Motie2 The guy in the video spoke of beards being some kind of factor . . . They're not quite so significant up here. Recently when my wife and I went out to eat, from my seat in the restaurant I could see eight guys with beards besides myself. I wonder sometimes if Maine has the highest beards-per-capita of the 50 states.
Saw that video last year. I too thought it was a great video. Because of him, I put together 3 "starter kits". Only gave 2 out, but both have since purchased their own blends and seem to partake from time to time. My last one will go to my young neighbor across the street. He's a cigar man so, who knows...
He had a good idea about the starter packs’... I give those too..I have a beard, a neatly trimmed one,, I wonder if he is aware of how much of a ‘turn-off’ his overly grown beard is,, even to a fellow ‘beard’ grower,,,, I am surprised at hte number of people i know who compliment my beard and say they are glad I don’t grow it to ‘ridiculous lengths.
@KenofShelby - I personally don't find his "overly grown beard" to be a turn-off - or a turn-on for that matter. It is just what it is and has been throughout history, which is a long beard. Throughout history, long beards have been a sign of wisdom, knowledge and age. Some cultures and religions today still consider the long, unkempt beard to be the norm. Not saying they are right or wrong, that is just their culture or beliefs.
I personally let my beard grow long from about July until New Year's eve. It helps with the Santa persona I have in November and December. Others grow their beards long and wild to look more like Gandalf and other wise wizards like Dumbledore. Some because they want to look like a dwarf or the guys from Duck Dynasty. It's all a matter of personal choice.
By the way, as a mall Santa this year, I had visits with believers from one-week old to 96-years old. Some of them touched my beard to make sure it was real but none of them said it looked scraggly. A few of the ladies over the age of 21 even asked if they could snuggle up to my beard.
I understand Pappy Joe,,, we all have out preferences,,,,thank you for your kind and detailed explanation....I still prefer the Shawn Connery look, or maybe Ernest Hemingway.....?? Who knows... Gosh , if we all agreed, it woiuld certainly be boring,,,,,,,,,,we do need something to discuss as we smoke.
Pappy Joe, I have been thinking about your post, and reread it several times. First I noticed Gandalf and Dumbledore are fictional characters as, almost are the guys from Duck Dynasty......I mean they do play fictional characters on TV. Then I have tried to find historical references to ‘long beards being a sign of wisdom and knowledge......age yes, but the other two,,,,having difficulty finding facts.
However, that being as it may,, I tried an interesting experiment. I met with a group of 16 people, 9 men and 7 women,,,we are friends, and meet often. I showed pictures of 5 different beard styles.....and if I can remember how I will post them here... I asked them to ‘vote’ which they liked best, thus placing the five beard styles in order of preference......I was surprised,,,,,,, the wild, long shaggy beard came in fourth...... the fifth place which was unanimous was a style that I don’t know the name of,,,,,,one of the ladies gave it a rather vulgar name.....It is a mustache , and a little beard down each side of the mouth, and a small beard on the chin,, it was disliked by everyone. Interesting, velly interesting.
I would say a new corncob pipe and then let them sample the tin notes of the major types of tobaccos in your tobacco collection, Aromatics, Virginia, VaPer, Burley, Oriental, Latakia? Let them pick one they like and go from there. I would also say don’t discount the OTC “codger” blends, they have been around a long time and are readily available for a reason.
Beards worn by Jewish men have been visual shorthand for centuries, while for Sikhs the beard is a gift from God and something to be cherished. Facial hair is similarly central to Muslim men.
Over time, beards have also been used in art to represent wisdom. Renaissance paintings commonly included beards as shorthand for age and sagacity. One famous painting of the elderly Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, depicts him with a full white beard.
Thank you for the info, Papy Joe,,,However, let’s not disrupt this thread any longer, If we want to discuss beards, let’s go to another thread. This one is about introducing newcomers to pipe smoking,,, I apologize to all for getting this off topic.
That's what I like about TPL @KenofShelby and @PappyJoe ... We all feel free to disagree without being disagreeable (boy THAT was a mouthful)... We never seem to lose sight of our common bond. Most other blogs unfortunately don't have that quality... 👍
And to quickly weigh in on beards, I like the crazy, bushy beard style. For me, it reminds me of the past, with men in old photographs at the turn of the 20th century. I can see how some might find them obnoxious, especially if it's just for a trend. One of the reasons I have a sidestache is that it reminds me of that older time. I'll still have it, even when they're out of style.
There are a lot of websites where one can learn about pipes and tobacco, but I really think having a monthly catalog -- a hard copy, as it were -- would be educational and informative for a newcomer to pipe smoking. When I resumed pipe smoking after a couple of decades without, I found http://www.pipesandcigars.com pretty quickly, and they feature a real nice monthly catalog. (https://www.pipesandcigars.com/help/request-catalog/) It was the P&C catalog that enabled me to shift from the English/Latakia mixtures I smoked in the '70's and '80's to the aromatics I prefer today [De gustibus, y'all.). Of course, the online reviews at P&C were also helpful, and almost as good as the ones at http://www.tobaccoreviews.com. The hard copy catalog was the reason I began ordering from P&C, although there are several others that I've ordered from, including http://www.smokingpipes.com (which features a literary e-mailing about pipe smoking about once a week). I order from SmokingPipes and others when P&C is out of stock. But most of the bigger online pipe and tobacco merchants are good; prices occasionally vary, and bargains and sales are to be had,
Comments
Pipe Smokers: The Next Generation
https://tobaccobusiness.com/pipe-smokers-next-generation/http://thepipeguys.com/how-to-smoke-a-pipe/
So many of us pipe smokers are pogonotrophists; I don't know the reason.
starter packs’... I give those too..I have a beard, a neatly trimmed one,, I wonder if he is aware of how much of a ‘turn-off’ his overly grown beard is,, even to a fellow ‘beard’ grower,,,, I am surprised at hte number of people i know who compliment my beard and say they are glad I don’t grow it to ‘ridiculous lengths.
I personally let my beard grow long from about July until New Year's eve. It helps with the Santa persona I have in November and December. Others grow their beards long and wild to look more like Gandalf and other wise wizards like Dumbledore. Some because they want to look like a dwarf or the guys from Duck Dynasty. It's all a matter of personal choice.
By the way, as a mall Santa this year, I had visits with believers from one-week old to 96-years old. Some of them touched my beard to make sure it was real but none of them said it looked scraggly. A few of the ladies over the age of 21 even asked if they could snuggle up to my beard.
However, that being as it may,, I tried an interesting experiment. I met with a group of 16 people, 9 men and 7 women,,,we are friends, and meet often. I showed pictures of 5 different beard styles.....and if I can remember how I will post them here... I asked them to ‘vote’ which they liked best, thus placing the five beard styles in order of preference......I was surprised,,,,,,, the wild, long shaggy beard came in fourth...... the fifth place which was unanimous was a style that I don’t know the name of,,,,,,one of the ladies gave it a rather vulgar name.....It is a mustache , and a little beard down each side of the mouth, and a small beard on the chin,, it was disliked by everyone.
Interesting, velly interesting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/fashion/what-your-beard-says-about-you-the-mirror.html
History Extra has this: https://www.historyextra.com/period/5-things-beards-tell-us-about-history/
Beards worn by Jewish men have been visual shorthand for centuries, while for Sikhs the beard is a gift from God and something to be cherished. Facial hair is similarly central to Muslim men.
Over time, beards have also been used in art to represent wisdom. Renaissance paintings commonly included beards as shorthand for age and sagacity. One famous painting of the elderly Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, depicts him with a full white beard.
https://thebadgerpiper.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/my-pipe-journey-pt-4-my-first-pipe-smoking-experience/
Give the P&C catalog a try: https://www.pipesandcigars.com/help/request-catalog/
https://www.smokingpipes.com/information/howto/
5 videos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDwUuXr3nOybE2YH-NAYaSIMsFtR9jAPp
How do you properly smoke a tobacco pipe?
https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-properly-smoke-a-tobacco-pipe