Smoking a pipe is something I’ve always fancied dabbling with, and since passing 40, I have decided to indulge my pre-mid life crisis!

So, fellow STW-ists, in particular those that do smoke a gentlemanly pipe, any tips on pipes or baccy for a beginner?

Cheers!

Smoked a pipe for a while. Could never keep my rolling papers dry when I was in the mountains. Which I was most weekends. Plus, I’m a fat old man so I could get away with it. Alsbo Black tobacco. Decent pipe with filter – Petersen? Enjoy!

Always fancied one so I could point at people and feel important 😐

Tried it. More hassle than it’s worth, IMO.
However, it is ideal for pointing at things authoritatively.
(Your family and friends may claim that you look like a tit, but they are probably just jealous).
You can have mine. I’m planning to quit tobacco. Again… 😳

Cue slippers and a nice cardigan.
Flat cap optional.

Tried it when I nicked my dads pipe at age of 9 was sick for 2 days and never smoked another thing

Real sod to keep going, and if you’re a cigarette smoker it’s really hard not to Inhale the smoke.
Smells lovely IMHO, and was better than rollies when out with dog in winter, along with flat cap.

My brother in law who is a bit of a city slicker suddenly decided to take up smoking a pipe because lots of the people in his office would nip out to smoke cigarettes at work and he felt he was missing out!

He spent hundreds on a pipe and various accoutrements and within days of him turning up at these impromptu gatherings, the numbers dwindled because they couldn’t stand the smell. Or possibly they were just avoiding him because he’s a bit of a tool.

Moved to a pipe a couple of years ago and glad i did but if you’ve never smoked please don’t start.. I was smoking to many rollies and not really enjoying them. Pipes been great, you get the flavour and baccy hit either as quick toot at work or a bowlfull in the evening when finally sitting down in front of the fire. When out and about you actually get people standing next to you rather than being shunned. Eveyone seems to have a grandad who had a pipe. Top tips? Support your LBS (local baccy shop) and get a tasty fruity mix. Starting off the vanilla ones are pretty mild and smooth. I use an old alco aluminium body pipe thats easy to clean and fairly indestructable. Looks a bit less old man but I’ve got an old peterson for home use. Don’t be tempted to go mad with to start with and watch for the gag reflex if trying to hold in your mouth. If you’re sure you wat to try it then do it. Oh, my chest/lung capacity is so much better than it was too.

Ex cig smoker, took up a pipe to get off the fags, still got my pipes and once every so often have a bowl or two.
Pipes – I have a couple of Petersons, a Stanwell and calabash styled meerschaum. You used to be able to Peterson rejects cheap but not sure if you still can. Good but expensive pipes, and I’d avoid the Peterson system pipes as they’re a bugger to clean. The pipes I tend to smoke take 9mm filters, watch for 6mm filters as they’re harder to find. The meerschaum doesn’t take filters but over the years has coloured nicely and (I’m gullible enough to believe) the meerschaum itself absorbs tar so the pipe itself acts as a filter. Maybe.
This site has reviews of pipe tobacco. My choices tend to be Gawiths Navy Cut or Bothy flakes, but as a starter you might want to head down the Aromatic route – for me it used to be Amphora Red which I don’t think is available any more but there’s an aromatic Borkum Riff which I think is similar – very sweet smell. I did pick up a sample of HU Tillerman recently, it was very nice.
As an aside, pipe smokers can join the Kearvaig Bothy Pipe Club, which Gawith’s Bothy Flake is named for. All you have to do is smoke a pipe in the bothy (which is a couple of miles east of the cape Wrath lighthouse

..amd one of my pipes is one of these
Stanwell #173 – 9mm filter, rough bottom feels nice in the hand, smokes well

40 seems a bit too early in the day, i’ve got an old pipe in a cabinet waiting for my 70th birthday, 19 years to go.