After being an occassional lurker for the past several years, I decided it was time to join up.
I started pipe smoking in 1948. Began with Mixture 79 (does it still exist?) which an older friend who introduced me to pipe smoking, habitually smoked. Very soon tired of that, and after rejecting other aromatics, settled on Dunhill My Mixture and Early Morning. Just stuck with those for many years until they became unavailable (from the original source which, I believe, was Lane Limited). Then switched to a few English blends with generous amounts of latakia (McClelland and H&H).
In 6+ decades of pipe smoking I have learned a few things.
The price of a pipe is not a good indicator of how well it will smoke.
Most pipe tobacco, as delivered, is too moist. Give it time to dry out a bit.
A pipe that doesn't smoke well can often be improved by moderate enlargement of the bore between the bowl and mortise. If that doesn't work, give up.
That's it for my accumulated wisdom. I hope to learn more by my visits here.
I started pipe smoking in 1948. Began with Mixture 79 (does it still exist?) which an older friend who introduced me to pipe smoking, habitually smoked. Very soon tired of that, and after rejecting other aromatics, settled on Dunhill My Mixture and Early Morning. Just stuck with those for many years until they became unavailable (from the original source which, I believe, was Lane Limited). Then switched to a few English blends with generous amounts of latakia (McClelland and H&H).
In 6+ decades of pipe smoking I have learned a few things.
The price of a pipe is not a good indicator of how well it will smoke.
Most pipe tobacco, as delivered, is too moist. Give it time to dry out a bit.
A pipe that doesn't smoke well can often be improved by moderate enlargement of the bore between the bowl and mortise. If that doesn't work, give up.
That's it for my accumulated wisdom. I hope to learn more by my visits here.
