When Did You Start?

[BriarPipeNYC]

Back in 1966 was the first time I lit my own pipe. I was 16 yrs. old and swore the girls would love a pipe-smoking teen. I was wrong. My head was more often, in the toilet staring at the porcelain instead of the girls. Freight-training on Mixture No. 79 was the stomach turner du jour, and tinted me green on many occasions.

Yada, yada, yada....... 25+ years ago, discovered Wilke's Pipe Shop on West 55th Street/NYC a bought me some properly blended mixtures. Loved, now defunct, "Gotham Court", and smoked on occasion, the unique, stronger, classic, "High Hat". Also smoke Lane's "10 Downing Street" (also defunct), and very much enjoy my own concoction that's based on Lane's "HGL" + cigar-leaf: "Pleasant Moments".

[Tsal]

'94 ish... I had a really bad chest cold and was smoking cigs back then, my father politely told me it was time to put the cigarettes down and he gave me one of his Kaywoodie's and said if your gonna smoke smoke a pipe. It took me about a month to transition over and I've been happily puffin since.

[Bamarick]

Back in 1966 was the first time I lit my own pipe. I was 16 yrs. old and swore the girls would love a pipe-smoking teen.

My first experience with a pipe was also in 1966, fresh out of HS and with a full time job in a Grocery Store. The only place in town to buy a pipe was, I think, Super X Drugs. I bought a Dr. Grabow and a pouch of something to smoke in it. I quickly wound up with two more pipes, a Yello-Bole & a Medico Pug with the three magnets in the rim that held a top that also served as a tamper. I went into the AF in Feb of '67 and there smoking a pipe just wasn't doable because of the work I wound up with and so I picked up the cigarettes. I smoked them for 33 years only quitting when I had a heart attack in '00. I didn't smoke anything until late '16 when I bought a couple cigars which I never really liked and so in the summer of 2017 I bought a Dr G Savoy and a pouch of PA. The rest is history as is often said.

[Mr Beardsley]

Started on pipes a few years ago. I was another long time cigarette smoker (16 - 34ish) gave those up for vaping. I was always a tobacco lover and nicotine was just a pleasant side effect. I missed real tobacco, vaping just didn't scratch the itch anymore, so I decided to try the pipe (oddly enough a very good friend of mine took it up for the same reason at the same time) My wife was furious at first but she's seen that it's been great for me and now is on board. Didn't go back to cigars for a while because I was a serial inhaler but those are back in the mix now as well (still don't inhale like a famous former president) I started with aro's which I fell out of love with in a hurry, dug into the otc world (SWR and 79 are still staples) as well as match blends like Sutliff rum & maple match. First time I bought a hand made pipe the carver (now a great friend of mine) gave me a sample of Penzance and Stonehaven but didn't tell me what they were or how hard they are to find. The trap was sprung and now I have a whole collection of tobacco ranging from the cheapest floor sweepings to the douchebag honor badge level and I enjoy them all equally

[JTWilliams]

douchebag honor badge level

Love this!!

[RoyOdhner1980]

1980, we were reading The Hobbit in HS lit. First pipe was a rusticated DrG and some Borkum Riff rum... burnt my tongue pretty good, but I kept at it. About six months later I bought my first "good" pipe - some no-name Italian basket pipe, a $12 (1980 dollars) Canadian with the name of the tobacco shop engraved into it. (Collins pipe shop, Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, PA). Still have that pipe, now named "The Canadian" and it's been dedicated to heavy Lakeland blends. Great smoking pipe, BTW.

[Cobman]

I started in the mid 1990's with a Dr. Grabow. I don't remember the tobacco but I would guess it was probably Captain Black. I soon found out I like cobs and bought 1 of every style they had back then and I still have most of them. I've come full circle with tobacco. I started with OTC blends and moved on to the heavy Latakia blends. Now I'm back to the OTC blends including Captain Black. I've certainly enjoyed every minute of it.

[Islayphile]

18 but it didn’t take....started back up for good at 39.

[rlucas]

Started smoking a pipe about 6 yrs ago after a heart attack to quit smoking cigs. I counseled all my Dr's including my heart Doc and all of them said, "I don't call that smoking so enjoy." Been smoking a pipe off and on ever since. I smoked cigars when I was off but now am making more of an effort to learn how to pack and smoke a pipe. Every once in awhile I get it right.

[Preacher1611]

I was 18 or 19, bought a Dr. G. "Grand Duke" and a pouch of CB "white" at a pharmacy. Been smoking a pipe ever since. I started smoking cigs at the same time, that was pretty much what I smoked regular; pipe was more of a once in awhile thing for many years. Now I smoke a pipe every day, rarely less than 4 bowls.