First day is the toughest.
So you talked me into it
- Thread starter RookieGuy
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- #542
Cigarettes are gone. Pipe consumption is up. It's not the same at all. But it's a good enough substitute. Keeps the nic withdrawing demon that is me at bay. It'll be rough, but completely doable.
So what I do now is load up a pipe and have a bunch of 5 minute smokes. It's been nice. Not a full smoke, but enough to calm myself and shoot the bull with coworkers. So I'm not really missing out.
Field and Stream was a good choice for me. Really hard to screw up that. Or yesterday's Carter Hall. F&S gets a little different when I do those 5 minutes smokes. The bowls change, the first hit is different. Not worse, sometimes a little better.
So what I do now is load up a pipe and have a bunch of 5 minute smokes. It's been nice. Not a full smoke, but enough to calm myself and shoot the bull with coworkers. So I'm not really missing out.
Field and Stream was a good choice for me. Really hard to screw up that. Or yesterday's Carter Hall. F&S gets a little different when I do those 5 minutes smokes. The bowls change, the first hit is different. Not worse, sometimes a little better.
Most important thing is to enjoy the day given to you and look for ways to get well again and be healthy. Glad things are on the upward track for you!
I do that quite often, the smoking in installments. I like the fact a pipe lets you do that. Sometimes I might just have a couple of toots, and other times, half a bowl. I think that's one of the reasons I smoke so little, as I don't smoke while doing something else. I just take a little smoke break, till I get the impetus to carry on what I was doing, or start something new. A "full size" bowl (20mm wide x 40mm deep) can often last me two days.
That's smoking inside. For whatever reason, I'm more likely to smoke a full bowl outside, though I still might drift away from the pipe for several minutes mid bowl.
steveclarkus
Goose Poop Connoisseur
I have at least two bowls with my morning coffee just to get my day of smoking going.
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- #546
I'll be there by the end of the week I'm sure! Only thing is usually my mornings start too early for me to have a bowl with coffee. Oh, I'll stand at the door and puff away on some CH with my instant decaf watching the news. But to sit down, relax, and enjoy, during the week that's not going to happen.
And that's really ok. I'm still enjoying my bowl on the drive in. Now it's with a bottle of water instead of coffee. And it really gives me something to look forward to on the weekends! To enjoy that coffee and pipe watching the morning unfold.
And that's really ok. I'm still enjoying my bowl on the drive in. Now it's with a bottle of water instead of coffee. And it really gives me something to look forward to on the weekends! To enjoy that coffee and pipe watching the morning unfold.
steveclarkus
Goose Poop Connoisseur
A great benefit of retirement is weeks on end of seven Saturdays.
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- #548
23 more years to go!
steveclarkus
Goose Poop Connoisseur
I did my time and you will do yours. Pleasure awaits.
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- #550
This past 4 day weekend has been good for me. I've really gotten the rest I need. And the pipe has really started to fit into my way of life. Or, rather, my life has adjusted to be more accepting of a pipe. I've really taken to its ability to be partially smoked, put out, and put back in my jacket pocket. It's started to become a kind of prop. Pointing with the stem, fiddling with it as a way of stalling, derisive exhaling a a way to show contempt. Smoking a pipe has become something I wish I started earlier, around when I picked up my first cigar.
I'm becoming very happy with the blends I like. And I'm learning to deal with the blends I don't. Some pipes I have are pieces of functional art. Others, their beauty lie in their abilities. And an incredibly little thing that has been a most wonderful surprise, the birds at my feeders seem to prefer pipes to cigarettes and cigars. Not near as many fly away when I light up a they do other forms of tobacco.
As far as the blends I like, obviously those "American burleys" that are shown a picture of a casing (our beloved codgers) lead the charge. For a little while, it was the leathery smokey Latakia coming in second. Now lately it's been the vaper category filling that role. My feelings of latikia as a condiment hasn't changed, I still very much like it, but as I've gotten more practice slowing down those vapers have really started to grow on me. That bite has become a little nip, but in a good way. Like the nip of a decent whiskey, just enough to let you know it's there.
I have some Virginia heavy mason jars stashed away in my cellar. I think my next order in going to really load up and age several. By next summer they should be ready to start enjoying in my rotation. I have some now I like fresh/ young. Sutliff Victoria, LTF, LBF, and a few C&D blends of Virginia and ___. Oh, and my tin of Escudo of course.
But all in all, I really feel I'm starting to hit my stride. Especially over this last week, when that's about all I have.
I'm becoming very happy with the blends I like. And I'm learning to deal with the blends I don't. Some pipes I have are pieces of functional art. Others, their beauty lie in their abilities. And an incredibly little thing that has been a most wonderful surprise, the birds at my feeders seem to prefer pipes to cigarettes and cigars. Not near as many fly away when I light up a they do other forms of tobacco.
As far as the blends I like, obviously those "American burleys" that are shown a picture of a casing (our beloved codgers) lead the charge. For a little while, it was the leathery smokey Latakia coming in second. Now lately it's been the vaper category filling that role. My feelings of latikia as a condiment hasn't changed, I still very much like it, but as I've gotten more practice slowing down those vapers have really started to grow on me. That bite has become a little nip, but in a good way. Like the nip of a decent whiskey, just enough to let you know it's there.
I have some Virginia heavy mason jars stashed away in my cellar. I think my next order in going to really load up and age several. By next summer they should be ready to start enjoying in my rotation. I have some now I like fresh/ young. Sutliff Victoria, LTF, LBF, and a few C&D blends of Virginia and ___. Oh, and my tin of Escudo of course.
But all in all, I really feel I'm starting to hit my stride. Especially over this last week, when that's about all I have.
brandaves
With a great avatar comes great misidentification
The LNF, LBF, Newminster 400, and general budget VaPer/Virginia offerings are really tough to beat. In particular the LNF for me is a huge winner.
Glad to hear you are doing so well Rookie. Keep it up!
Glad to hear you are doing so well Rookie. Keep it up!
- Thread starter
- #552
I tossed into my cart 4 ounces of the Newminister and LNF. I have a few ounces of LBF already, so only 2 more ounces of that. And 3 of LTF because that's so good. And a 2 ounces of Sutliff Virginia Flake because why not?
So I realized I have about 3 ounces of LBF coins that are about 6 months old right now. I realized too late that when I open that jar, they'll be however old forever. I don't really smoke a ton of vaper blends. I like them, but I tend to reach for a burley or mild English more often. I'm wondering if baby food sized jars, with smaller stack of coins or flakes would be better. That way I'm not stopping 3 ounces from aging, just 3/4 to an ounce.
Something to think about.
brandaves
With a great avatar comes great misidentification
I began doing that. Most of my cellar is stored in 2oz portions. It makes for a "bigger" cellar with more peices but allows for longer aging as well. I recommend it.
steveclarkus
Goose Poop Connoisseur
Same here. I use the 4oz Mason jars to keep my samples in as I rarely smoke them. Speaking of storage, I keep my daily use stock in these containers. They are long wide and shallow making it easy to load my pipes without scattering tobacco around. I have nine in use presently. They are air tight and stack neatly.
Yep I use the mini jelly mason jars for flakes since volume wise you can get a lot more in a jar vs a ribbon.
I'm mainly sticking with tins for ageing, it's simpler, but I do have ten little (120ml) screw top jars too. I don't want to get cluttered up with larger jars at the moment.
Yeah . . . once I sort out what I am going to "stock", I will be doing the small jar route, as well. Might even throw in a small boveda pack with each one, just to keep them around 62% rH.
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- #558
That's a fun stage to be in though. The sorting out what to stock part. Sampling is fun!
Going through withdrawals for the last few days, though . . . made some REALLY spicy Butter Chicken Mac 'n' Cheese, and my mouth and tongue were really hypersensitive when I lit a bowl that night. Going to give it until Friday to heal, then back into it.
- Thread starter
- #560
So I paid a visit to my favorite pipe B&M today. I walked in with $145 and the thought of a basket bent pipe and way too much tobacco. The tobaccos they carry is a whole ton of Sutliff, Mac Baron, and a few standards (Peterson Uni Flake, St. Bruno, Capstan, etc.). The pipes they sell run from Comoy, Brigham, Petes, Savs, a couple 4th Generation along with 2 grades of baskets. Anyone visiting Gettysburg, PA would be well served stopping in.
But my plan was the basket, buy them out of H&H Virginia Flake, and a pouch of something aromatic. A pipe and aros for work.
I walked out with a Comoy Tradition #87 (Zulu) shape and a single tin of Sutliff Eastfarthing. It was heavily recommended by a patron with a 10" grey and white beard smoking a Dunhill Oom Paul. What hell, an endorsement like that is worth the $14 benefit of the doubt.
I'm running a bowl of Bayou Morning through her now. It's a mistake. It's very windy and it's a struggle to keep it cool. But despite that, it smokes beautifully. Nice open draw, hangs nice and light, and looks pretty good in my jaw.
There's a smile in there, I promise.
But my plan was the basket, buy them out of H&H Virginia Flake, and a pouch of something aromatic. A pipe and aros for work.
I walked out with a Comoy Tradition #87 (Zulu) shape and a single tin of Sutliff Eastfarthing. It was heavily recommended by a patron with a 10" grey and white beard smoking a Dunhill Oom Paul. What hell, an endorsement like that is worth the $14 benefit of the doubt.
I'm running a bowl of Bayou Morning through her now. It's a mistake. It's very windy and it's a struggle to keep it cool. But despite that, it smokes beautifully. Nice open draw, hangs nice and light, and looks pretty good in my jaw.
There's a smile in there, I promise.