The word BOWL and TOBACCO just don't sound good together.

I think the Savinelli brand has produced the most consistent good smokers out of any I've tried.  They tend to be in the $40-up range.

I have smoked off and on for years, right now I'm "off."

Tongue bite is the number one discouragement of new pipe smokers, and in my experience it's about 60% due to the type of tobacco and about 40% due to puffing too hard.  A filter really doesn't do much -- if anything -- to prevent tongue bite, from what I have seen, and they tend to be very foul if left in the pipe for more than one use, so I remove all filters from my pipes these days.

I started out, like most folks do, smoking aromatic blends.  That got old pretty quick.  They don't taste like much except ass, for the most part.  I tried English blends but many of them were just too nasty to acquire a taste for.

These days I like most Virginia blends, and tend to lean towards some with perique in them.  The downside to heavy Virginia blends is that many of them can really do a number on your tongue.

Packing a pipe is pretty important to getting much enjoyment out of smoking.  For years I listened to the instructions in magazines and the 'net, and took care not to pack too heavily.  I was always having to relight the damn thing.  
I finally realized I wasn't packing the bowl tightly enough.  Now I cram it in pretty tightly and can usually tell how much pressure to use to get a long-burning bowl.  The draw must be restricted noticeably over an empty pipe, but not so much you're sucking on it.  On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is an empty bowl and 10 is completely plugged up, I'd try for about 3 or 4.

Agreed, a Dr. Grabow is a good starter pipe.  My first was a Grabow, smoked it a week and gave it away.  I'm partial to Savanelli's, bents' 3/4 bents and 1/2 bents.  A decent Savanelli can be had for around $65, and they go well into the hundreds.

My buddy at the cigar and pipe shop said he would be glad to do a tobacco of the month club for us.  He didn't think doing it with pipes was the best idea because you can't get much for $40-$50, you need to be pushing $60 and up plus the cost of tobacco and shipping.

Anyway, Scotty stocks probably 200 different types of tin tobacco plus his own blends.  We will work out details and let people know.  Not sure of his website, but if you do a google for Habana Premium Cigar and Albany you will likely find it.

I started smoking a pipe when I was 16. I'm 33 now. I started because a man in our local hardware store smoked and I was mesmerized by his smoke! He smoked Tinder Box North Sea and Sunset blended. Thats what I started on. I've smoked LOTS of blends and brands. I won't bore you with all my "reviews"! Yesterday I cracked open a couple of new ones for me. McClelland's Frog Morton on the Bayou and Mac Baren's Dark Twist. FMOTB is a Balkan blend that I would recommend after you've got a couple of bowls under your belt! Dark Twist is my new favorite! DEEEEEELICIOUS!
I never smoke when I have a cold or sinus infection. I hardly ever smoke when drinking cause to me it really amplifies a hangover(just me). When I'm well I never smoke more than 3 bowls a day, typically smoking 2 throughout the day.
It, just like all my other hobbies are best when common sense is used.
Pipe smoking is a very interesting pasttime. There is even a great magazine you can pick up at your local book store called "Pipes and Tobaccos". Lots of info.
Most of my pipes are in the $50-$75 range. I really like Danish pipes favoring Stanwell.

To take your new hobby to a new level start making your own pipes! Lots of fun and a great creative outlet! Actually, pipe making has caused more detrimental effects than pipe smoking. The dust from briar is ROUGH on the lungs!
Enjoy your new hobby! It will really make you slow down and enjoy any outdoor activity... especially FISHING!
www.pipes.priss.org
www.tobaccoreviews.com

'scuse me while I go find some matches!

Toungue Bite is a matter of PH.  You toungue will adapt and it will go away.

Scott

I've been Smoking Cigars For about a year or two and My dad has smoked a pipe for all if not more of my 35 yrs. I have a nice Petersons Of Dublin that I picked up a number of years ago. i may go looking this weekend for some pipe tobac and try it again. I also found this page a few days ago. They are the people who made all the long stem pipes seen in The Lord of the Rings. Interesting to say the least.
[url]http://www.macqueenpipes.com/[/url]

Meerschaum pipes, anyone?

I have one with claw under the bowl.  One of these day the color will show through and it would be lovely.

I agree, Hookahs are where it's at.

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/WS_Content/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?sAccountUnq=1640&iGalleryUnq=330&iImageUnq=7872[/img]

Llanero - you gonna be in Springfield for X-mas?

Hey, I thought you told me that was a lamp[BD]!
Yes, I'll be here for X-mas.  Holler at me if you're coming up here!

A technique I've been using for getting my pipe started is:

- Pack in layers, as explained above
- First light
- Repack
- And then use the straight rod (my vocabulary just took a dump) on my pipe tool to make a hole straight down through the center of the tobacco, then tamp it down just a tad more.
- Second light

The draw is easy and it seems to get a good burn.  I guess there isn't a "wrong" way as long as it draws and stays lit.

Was that use of "bowel" a Freudian slip, a typo, or intentional? [:D]

Since you last had a BOWEL?  Bet it tasted like shit!

May I suggest a high fiber diet?

I began smoking a pipe about 2 years ago. I enjoyed it, but found it a pain to keep lit, kept getting tongue bite, and found that the flavor wasn't nearly as good as the aroma you get when sitting next to a pipe smoker.

One night my FIL gave me a cigar (Padron). MUCH more flavorful, less of a PITA, and just more convenient.

I'll stick to cigars, even though I've not smoked one in more than 6 months.

I'll probably try a pipe again, but I'll need to try different tobaccos. Don't think I got good stuff (I tried several local blends and Borkum Riff, which is what Dad used to smoke.).

What a yummy thread.

Smoked cigarettes for 25 years...quit 6 months ago....fortunately I've been pysically very active all those years so the effects haven't been too bad on me. Tried a pipe afew years ago but didn't taste as good as smelling it. Also, as others have put it, its a pain carryin all that stuff around compared to a good cigar (arturo Fuente - meduro 50 ring). I'm afraid though if I smoke a cigar, it might awake the nicotene fiend!...Damnit! haven't had nicotene in 6 months

Of course my lungs are amazingly happy..:-)

I have a couple of Peterson pipes that I like.
They have an expansion chamber so the heavier tars can settle out, and the hole in the mouthpiece is out of the top, keeping it off of the tongue.  They smoke fairly cool even with a small pipe.
[url=http://www.peterson.ie/category.asp?categoryID=38]Peterson pipe shapes[/url]
A small bent stem pipe (Peterson shape 221) is nice for driving, it keeps the smoke out of the eyes.  A straight stem (Peterson shape 440) is nice for bookwork with your head tipped down, it keeps the smoke out of your eyes better than the bent stem.  Just more reasons to buy more shapes (like the Miz and reasons for shoes).
I have a huge Wellington pipe that I can rattle my thumb around in the bowl.  It is two hours or so worth of tobacco in a a single bowl.

Lots of good pipe info here:

[url]http://www.smokeshopreview.com/[/url]

This is the smoke shop HR was referring to:

[url]http://www.smokeshopreview.com/Reviews/09_2003/habanapremium/habanapremium.htm[/url]

[url]www.pipesandcigars.com[/url]

Ask for Scotty and tell him Mike from the gunboards said take good care of you...

I found this out while looking for a Meerschaum pipe.


Q.How will I care my pipe?
A.Don't be afraid to hold and handle your Meerschaum pipe. It is a pleasure smoking your pipe and watching it changing color.[red] Unlike Briar pipes which must be dried after each smoke, meerschaum pipes can be smoked many times a day because of its absorbing qualities.[/red] If your pipe becomes dirty or soiled, allow the pipe is cool and use cotton or a soft cloth with just a drop of after shave lotion or similar product containing a slight trace of clear alcohol and gently wipe it clean. Never boil or scrape your pipe.

I've been smoking cigars for about ten years now and I just started smoking pipes about a month ago(still do cigars also). Love it. This is an excellent way to start:

[url]http://secure.thompsoncigar.com/default.aspx?sid=osie5wmagrv2o155jrcp0o45&uid=752&page=product&CategoryID=51[/url]

Another great deal:

[url]http://secure.thompsoncigar.com/default.aspx?sid=osie5wmagrv2o155jrcp0o45&uid=58&CategoryID=66&page=product[/url]

Does Plano still have a huge heroin problem?

I don't smoke much anymore, but used to smoke a pipe in college.  Back then I only smoked aromatics, so nobody complained about the smell.  I did it mostly for style while I studied, and never really got into it.  Most of my pipes I bought as seconds from a $10 barrel at the pipe shop.

A few years ago, I really got into cigars.  I started having them on the weekends, while enjoying an adult beverage with my buddies.  I wanted something to smoke during the week, and cigars were too expensive so I dug up a few pipes out of the closet.  I went to the smoke shop and got some good English blends.  Man what a difference over the cheapo cherry in a pouch.

The guy in the smoke shop actually convinced me to buy some more expensive pipes. I figured he was just trying to score some coin, or that the expensive pipe had a placebo effect.  It turns out he was not lying, and the higher quality pipe does really taste better.  I purchased a few estate pipes, but they were so expensive I could not smoke them.  My best tasting pipes are in the $75-$100 range. My favorite pipe comes from Denmark, and I only use it to smoke "Best Brown".  If you have not already done so, you should invest in at least one high quality pipe for your favorite blend.  

I can warn you about a mistake I made.  Whenever I tried a new blend, I would smoke a few bowls to see if I liked it.  If I didn't like it, I would mix it in an old coffee can with all of the other blends I did not like.  Well, one day I was running low of my normal blend called "Belfast", so I decided to smoke some leftovers from the coffee can.  It was fantastic!  The only problem is, I can never make any more.

I have not had a bowl in several months, but there is nothing like a smoke and an adult beverage at the end of a long day.