Ageing without hoarding

[fathandle]

Going to buy a bunch of 3 Sails, Virginia tobacco. It can be blended if it gets boring. I smoke it in cigs but no inhale. Might smoke 1 cig or bowl of tobacco in a day with days off.

I blame myself for starting smoking commercial cigs. I knew they were bad and thought I could smoke a bit and not get hooked. Wrong. Now, I do not inhale and do not buy commercial smokes. I was not even buying cigs legally when I started as a teen. A warning on the pack would not have any effect on 17 year old me.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

In case anyone's interested, here's the five-part list I'll be making my shopping decisions from. It's incomplete at the moment, as there's a few samples here that I want to try before deciding which list to put them on.

Some of these I've tried, most I haven't. There's none of the popular American brands on here (C&D, Esoterica, etc), as they're not available this side of the puddle. That doesn't leave me short of options though.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Going to buy a bunch of 3 Sails, Virginia tobacco. It can be blended if it gets boring. I smoke it in cigs but no inhale. Might smoke 1 cig or bowl of tobacco in a day with days off.

I blame myself for starting smoking commercial cigs. I knew they were bad and thought I could smoke a bit and not get hooked. Wrong. Now, I do not inhale and do not buy commercial smokes. I was not even buying cigs legally when I started as a teen. A warning on the pack would not have any effect on 17 year old me.

I'm currently consuming at that rate due to being inundated with samples. It will settle back down though, probably to 6-8 tins per year, or thereabouts. That's why I settled on 20 as my stock level, four aged tins per year (five years is my cutoff), plus whatever "ready to smoke" tobaccos my fleeting whims dictate.

17 year old me happily ignored the "20% of packaging area" warning text, but photos of medical abnormalities and bits missing might well have been more discouraging. For a long time, I didn't want to stop, but wished I'd never started.

 

[Columbo]

I'm currently consuming at that rate due to being inundated with samples. It will settle back down though, probably to 6-8 tins per year, or thereabouts. That's why I settled on 20 as my stock level, four aged tins per year (five years is my cutoff), plus whatever "ready to smoke" tobaccos my fleeting whims dictate.

17 year old me happily ignored the "20% of packaging area" warning text, but photos of medical abnormalities and bits missing might well have been more discouraging. For a long time, I didn't want to stop, but wished I'd never started.

Funny you mention that. Many years ago, when still younger and making those key life choices, I recall seeing some photos of a lung from a deceased smoker of menthol cigarettes. Here in the States, the brand would have most likely been Salems. Absolutely gruesome. I know it completely chased me from cigarettes (menthols in particular), and I eventually gravitated to pipe and seasonal cigar smoking as a result.

And with the ‘64 Report on pipe smokers, I’m glad I did. I think it’s right; us pipers do live longer than everybody else. There are few more relaxing pastimes than lighting a fresh bowl at the end of the day.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

And with the ‘64 Report on pipe smokers, I’m glad I did. I think it’s right; us pipers do live longer than everybody else. There are few more relaxing pastimes than lighting a fresh bowl at the end of the day.

I think the secret lies more in the meditative actions, and regularly taking time out for a period of quiet, than in any chemical benefits. Even being "retired on health grounds", I'm sure that moment of shutting out the world for a while, and aligning my thoughts, does me a heck of a lot of good. More than the same chemicals being ingested my other means.

It took me a while to get there though. I started recently enough (7 years or so) to remember that each pipe bowl was a period of frustration, impatience and disappointment The revelation of making it work by letting go of everything else, took quite some time to arrive with me

 

[fathandle]

No excuses here, I went to 7th Day Adventist school and saw plenty of diseased lungs in sideshows they did. Just thought I could take or leave cigs as I could do with pot. Key point here is, do not smoke filtered or manufactured cigs. Do not inhale and you have the same risks and lack of addiction that is inherent with pipes or cigars with the ryo.

The filter and the mild tobacco make inhaling almost a given with store bought cigs. I think they freebase the nicotine in the tobacco a bit with Marlboro and similar brands which makes it all more addictive.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

No excuses here, I went to 7th Day Adventist school and saw plenty of diseased lungs in sideshows they did. Just thought I could take or leave cigs as I could do with pot. Key point here is, do not smoke filtered or manufactured cigs. Do not inhale and you have the same risks and lack of addiction that is inherent with pipes or cigars with the ryo.

The filter and the mild tobacco make inhaling almost a given with store bought cigs. I think they freebase the nicotine in the tobacco a bit with Marlboro and similar brands which makes it all more addictive.

If I put a cigarette in my mouth, I will inhale. There's as much chance of me not inhaling, as there is of me chewing a juicy medium rare sirloin steak then spitting it out.

I think (might be wrong) that the acidity of cigarette smoke is different too. The acidity needs to be different for the bioavailability of nicotine absorption through lungs vs mouth tissue. All I know for sure, is I'm better off sticking with the briar "everlasting rizlas" than going back to rollies.

 

[RookieGuy]

That and the crap "preservatives" they spray on them. I'm slowly making the transition myself.

AimlessWanderer is right though. Sometimes you need to go sit on the porch for an hour or so and just watch the world go by. And, for right now, a cigarette is a 5 minute version of that. I have a 2 year old. I need those 5 minute breaks!

 

[steveclarkus]

The labelling won't dissuade me from my current path, but might have helped dissuade me from 25 years of cigarette smoking earlier in life. Part of me wishes it was in place back then for that very reason, even though I'd rather not look at that imagery today.

My "fully stocked" level of pipe tobacco is 1kg (20x50g tins), although I have between 7 and 8 kilos of nasal snuff, from prior shopaholic tendencies. It's largely that which stops me repeating it with pipe tobacco, so maybe it was worth the money in that respect. If it disappears, so be it. If taxes rise astronomically, so be it. I don't want to make shopping decisions out of fear anymore.

That said, I may wobble in future, I'm only human after all. However, I am already at the point of looking at the tobacco drawer, and feeling guilty of excess, so that's a positive sign as far as I'm concerned. I'm reasonably confident I can maintain moderation, and will take steps to recover should I falter in that. I swear my excess snuff shopping reduced my enjoyment of snuff somewhat (I snuff now, less than 1/4 of what I did prior to amassing the hoard), and don't want to ruin this too.

That statement is absolutely brilliant Al! I could get along very well with only two tobaccos, Sutliff Victoria and Sutliff Edgeworth and it May well come to that. As far as your snuff problem is concerned, I, out of the goodness of my heart, will kindly help you dispose of at least half of it . Hoping you are having a wonderful day.
Steve

 

[steveclarkus]

No excuses here, I went to 7th Day Adventist school and saw plenty of diseased lungs in sideshows they did. Just thought I could take or leave cigs as I could do with pot. Key point here is, do not smoke filtered or manufactured cigs. Do not inhale and you have the same risks and lack of addiction that is inherent with pipes or cigars with the ryo.

The filter and the mild tobacco make inhaling almost a given with store bought cigs. I think they freebase the nicotine in the tobacco a bit with Marlboro and similar brands which makes it all more addictive.

Cig manufacturers no longer use chopped tobacco. They emulsify the tobacco into a slurry then add more nicotine and God knows what other chemicals to increase addition. They then roll this mess out into a sheet of paper which they chop up for cig filler. Definitely avoid manufactured cigs.

 

[steveclarkus]

That and the crap "preservatives" they spray on them. I'm slowly making the transition myself.

AimlessWanderer is right though. Sometimes you need to go sit on the porch for an hour or so and just watch the world go by. And, for right now, a cigarette is a 5 minute version of that. I have a 2 year old. I need those 5 minute breaks!

If you think a two year old is bad, just wait 12 more years .

 

[steveclarkus]

Funny you mention that. Many years ago, when still younger and making those key life choices, I recall seeing some photos of a lung from a deceased smoker of menthol cigarettes. Here in the States, the brand would have most likely been Salems. Absolutely gruesome. I know it completely chased me from cigarettes (menthols in particular), and I eventually gravitated to pipe and seasonal cigar smoking as a result.

And with the ‘64 Report on pipe smokers, I’m glad I did. I think it’s right; us pipers do live longer than everybody else. There are few more relaxing pastimes than lighting a fresh bowl at the end of the day.

I expect it is the reduction in stress. Stress is hugely damaging to a body and it is rarely addressed as a health problem much to our demise.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Steve's on a roll today. He must be riding that White Elephant pretty hard

 

[brandaves]

Steve's on a roll today. He must be riding that White Elephant pretty hard

Al...it's called "stress relief".

 

[Kentos]

In case anyone's interested, here's the five-part list I'll be making my shopping decisions from. It's incomplete at the moment, as there's a few samples here that I want to try before deciding which list to put them on.

Some of these I've tried, most I haven't. There's none of the popular American brands on here (C&D, Esoterica, etc), as they're not available this side of the puddle. That doesn't leave me short of options though.

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Very organized and thorough. Any chance you are an accountant or an engineer?

 

[steveclarkus]

Steve's on a roll today. He must be riding that White Elephant pretty hard

SG Celtic Talisman my friend - another wonderful flavor. May cause a 25g tin at some point. I still fear that fat elephant may yet step on my toes in a moment of attention failure. You English have beer and snuff down pat but your weather sucks

 

[steveclarkus]

Al...it's called "stress relief".

No, it’s called effing nuts.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Very organized and thorough. Any chance you are an accountant or an engineer?

I spent 25 years in heavy engineering. Generally up to my neck in utter chaos, but can organise things well when there's a project on the go

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Talking of projects...

Pipes - sorted!
Advance tobacco purchases - sorted!
Next part of the project - me!

My smoking has crept up since I dove head first into the samples. By the time those samples are finished, I want to be back down to 25g-35g per month, or 6-8 tins per year. Otherwise, the tins I'm trying to age, won't stop in the drawer long enough. I might move to weekly rations, but haven't decided yet.

I also want to ease back on the vaping, and start using a little more snuff. Batteries have started dying in the pen vape, so I've just ordered a small mod, which is less pocketable than a snuff box. I do keep dipping in and out of snuff, but have been using the vape heavier than I want to.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've just ordered a few more samples too.

The advance purchases have all been tins so far for ease of storage. Now that's done, I can turn my attention back towards samples of loose tobacco. 15g each of the following should be here next week...

GH Reunion Series No.27 Perique Flake
GH Reunion Series Brown House Roll Cut
GH No.7 Broken Flake (smoked before, and enjoyed)
GH Dark Flake Unscented
GH Bosun Flake
GH Jamaican Flake
GH Ennerdale Flake (smoked before, and enjoyed)

Reordering samples I've tried before, gives me chance of a few smokes of an old favourite, which I wouldn't get around to for years, if I stuck to the plan.