It’s time to get a little nostalgic about my pipes, so if you’re into ready a little bit about one’s personal experiences then hopefully I don’t disappoint.
I grew up in a household of a pipe smoker. My father loved his pipe, amongst other things like cigarettes and the occasional cigar. However, it was those times he lit up his favorite piece of briar that come to mind today when I take a seat, strike a match and first bring flame to leaf.
My dad almost always smoked a vanilla blend of one fashion or another. Whether it be ‘designer’ or simply a pouched tobacco like Sir Walter Raleigh mixed with whatever bagged bulk vanilla he happened to have stowed away from the local shop. The room note was always pleasant and one I can honestly say I looked forward to. Personally, I hated the smell of his daily vice of choice; cigarettes. The smell of pipe tobacco, however, was and is a completely different thing.
So lets fast forward to November 2004. My coming of age hitting the feared and celebrated year of 2000, it took me a a few years to find “my thing.” It just so happened to have taken places amongst members of my fraternity and I while I was attending the University of Iowa. One brother invested in a cheap churchwarden from an online retailer and soon the smells of pipe smoke started wafting through the chapter house’s hallways. It wasn’t long before a handful of us with a piqued interest in tobacco took that as a sign to delve into another aspect of smoking.
Cigars were always at hand. Whether they were gas station snags or tobacco shop elites, it didn’t matter. With the introduction of pipe tobacco (or, re-introduction as the case was for some of us) the nostrils found themselves assaulted with several aromas, sometimes within a foot of one another.
I myself, not knowing much at all, simply walked into the local generic tobacco outlet…you know the type…it caters to the cigarette smokers and beer drinkers more than a tobacco aficionado. That, however, did not deter me in the least. I sauntered in like I knew exactly what I was looking for and eyed several baskets kept behind class full of cheap briar. At the time, I decided to “splurge” on the $20 basket and invest in a pipe market simply ‘Torino’ with ‘Italy’ stamped underneath. I also took home some of the store’s finest bagged tobacco in the flavor of rum, and by finest…I mean some of the most tongue-biting shag you can get your hands on.
It was all downhill after that. Although the taste of the tobacco at hand was lacking anything this side of delicious, the cheap pipe was a great smoke (thank you Arango Cigar Co.). It kept the smoke cool and burned to the bottom almost every time. Heck, even the horrid tobacco became palatable after a time as the casing/flavoring began to actually soak into the leaf and age a bit.
As the years went by, my infatuation continued. I dished out money for better tinned tobacco, still aromatic and often with hints of vanilla. Today, I’ve gained a better knowledge of what I like. I’ve managed to accumulate a few pipes found outside of a deal-buster bin. I’ve even found myself wanting to become more a part of the pipe smoking culture rather than just sit, hidden away at home while the smoke curls between me and the computer screen.
Now, I find myself here…wanting to share my experiences with the hobby. Both in the collecting and sampling of tobaccos, as well as the general anecdotes and stories that come with it. If you like what you read, let me know! Please post comments, whether they be constructive or you simply want to chime in with your two cents.
After all, reminiscing and sparking conversation is partially what pipe smoking is all about!
Happy International Pipe Smoking Day to all my brothers and sisters of the briar!
The Rustic Briar 