Why pipes are for older people doesn't make sense

[evazan]

Since I started smoking the pipe about 2 weeks ago I have been thinking a lot about this. Among people in my age group, college students, cigars are a much more common method of enjoying premium tobaccos then pipes. In a lot of posts I have read here people talk about how their SO believes the pipe makes them look too old or like a grandpa. However, due to one predominant factor I think that this line of thought is backwards.

A huge aspect of college life is being poor and as a result we are as cheap as possible. I have had numerous discussions with friends on how to eat for less then a dollar a day. At parties only the cheapest beer and liquor is consumed and as a whole we pirate more movies and music then any other age group. Why then is it the norm to be smoking a 5 dollar cigar rather then a bowl of tobacco worth .

I wasn't aware of the huge price difference between pipe tobacco and cigars before I started. If I was aware of this I would have picked up the pipe much sooner . To top it off, I believe that I enjoy the pipe better then cigars. It could be the fact that since the tobacco is so much cheaper I am able to try out more kinds. In my two weeks of pipe smoking I have been able to try as many different blends of tobacco as different cigars I have smoked in two years. Plus I am also not worried about the fact that I'm smoking 5 days worth of food!

It would be great if this stigma could be broken. In the 90's we had a cigar boom, now it is time for my generation to discover the joys of the pipe.

[SR Mike]

Some believe the pipe boom is already on its way. For me, growing up I have seen two groups of people that smoke pipe, the elderly and those between 16-30, that is the way I have always viewed pipes. Either way, I will always enjoy cigars too.

[wharfrathoss]

i think this is one of those stereotypes that's gonna be real hard to break-i'm 34 but i get strange looks anywhere but the B&M when i'm smoking my pipe-it was even worse when i had dreadlocks 1/2way down my back, you can imagine-i think people may lean toward cigs & cigars more due to the learning curve w/a pipe-w/society being so fast paced, a lot of people just won't take the time to sit & smoke a bowl-since my old lady won't go for cigar smoking in the house but will deal w/the pipe, it fills an important purpose for me-gotta say i've been smoking less cigars since i picked up the pipe again, quit cigs too so i'm saving $ in all kinds of ways

[parris001]

I think it's less stigma than it is convenience. The pipe takes more practice and experience. I'm a pipe smoker because of the price and the fact that I find the baccy selection more flavorful.

[JacksonCognac]

Yeah I'm with ya evazan. After getting back into pipes this past year, I wanted to pick up a few cigars. Truth be told, I can't afford em.

Another thing for college kids always moving around and stuff is maintaining the humidor... it's pretty difficult unless you are really dedicated. I happen to enjoy the no frills aspect of a pipe.

[DubintheDam]

In my entire life, I have only ever seen 1 pipe smoker under the age of 45, and that was about two weeks ago, a rasta style dude smoking American Spirit in a pipe. He looked pretty cool.

It seems to me that in the USA there does seem to be some trend for people to smoke a pipe when they go to university, this I have only become aware of since joining this forum. I think there is a element also of younger people smoking pipes partly because there is such a strong anti cigarette smoking social movement in the States.

I know I bought my first pipe when I was forty (I will be 42 this Saturday), I felt I had earned the right of passage so to speak. I'm all for young people smoking a pipe as a somewhat healthier and more pleasurable experience than cigarette smoking, however I dislike the idea of people smoking a pipe just because it projects a more intellectual image or form of academic superiority. But above all I dislike pipe smokers who consider themselves 'BETTER' than any other type of smoker...that's called being a 'snob', plain and simple.

[PipesandGOP]

Being of college age I can definately agree that cigar smoking gets quite expensive for us younger BOTL. I've been pretty into cigars for the past couple of years and had really gotten used to having one after work and a couple on the weekend. Then all of a sudden the enjoyment just started kind of fading. Soo I'd mentioned some time back that I really wanted a pipe but could never see spending the money to buy one so my girlfriend figured it'd be a good gift and it was. Ever since I got it there's been no better time than the hour and a half I sit outside drinking a cup of coffee and just kind of well... enjoying not having one single care in the world for that little bit of time. Not to mention I can pack a bowl in the car (not while driving of course ) and enjoy it all afternoon. Another great thing has to be all the different blends out there and unlike a cigar, it doesn't cost 10 bucks each to try them.

So yea, for me being younger part of it did have to do with money, but a big part of it just had to do with being willing to do what I enjoy without really worrying about whether or not people are going to walk by and go "haha look that guy looks like an old man" or whatever.

So I don't know, maybe they think it's just cooler to smoke cigars, or they dont have the gonads to just try something new. For me I just realized hey I have everything I could want right now in life, why worry about stuff like that (although I have to admit, I have thought about this same thing and also like pictured an old man smoking when I see people with a pipe).

[Ultravox]

I started smoking the pipe about a year ago, when I was 17. I certainly agree with the price argument concerning pipes vs. cigars, but either way us Brits still get screwed through taxes.

Since going to university, whenever other students see me with my pipe, their first reactions are usually to ask why the hell I would smoke a pipe at my age, since it's (apparently) for 80 year olds and Hugh Hefner only... That's usually followed with their summary of me, that is to say that I'm 'pretentious'. I was under the impression that students were supposed to be open-minded and radical. Oh well.

Having said that, I popped into my local B&M with a couple of friends so one of them could pick out a cheap pipe to 'test the waters' and help him off of cigarettes. I've been in the shop before, but I don't think the gentleman behind the counter recognised me. Anyway, he was rather receptive of us lot and our interest in pipes. He gave my friend a brief rundown of what to do and such, and seemed to appreciate our interest in such a stigmatized hobby. It seems the older chaps are happier to see us members of the younger generations contented with a pipe than my peers. I suppose it has to do with accessibility and the 'quick-hit' of the cigarette that my generation seeks; something that the pipe is far from.

Personally, I think it quite suits the image of an English Literature student even if I don't fit the bill of a typical pipe smoker.

[BamBam]

Originally Posted by evazan

Since I started smoking the pipe about 2 weeks ago I have been thinking a lot about this. Among people in my age group, college students, cigars are a much more common method of enjoying premium tobaccos then pipes. In a lot of posts I have read here people talk about how their SO believes the pipe makes them look too old or like a grandpa. However, due to one predominant factor I think that this line of thought is backwards.

A huge aspect of college life is being poor and as a result we are as cheap as possible. I have had numerous discussions with friends on how to eat for less then a dollar a day. At parties only the cheapest beer and liquor is consumed and as a whole we pirate more movies and music then any other age group. Why then is it the norm to be smoking a 5 dollar cigar rather then a bowl of tobacco worth .

I wasn't aware of the huge price difference between pipe tobacco and cigars before I started. If I was aware of this I would have picked up the pipe much sooner . To top it off, I believe that I enjoy the pipe better then cigars. It could be the fact that since the tobacco is so much cheaper I am able to try out more kinds. In my two weeks of pipe smoking I have been able to try as many different blends of tobacco as different cigars I have smoked in two years. Plus I am also not worried about the fact that I'm smoking 5 days worth of food!

It would be great if this stigma could be broken. In the 90's we had a cigar boom, now it is time for my generation to discover the joys of the pipe.

I'm 26 and I enjoy smoking a pipe also. Although not as much as a cigar. But that is my reference. I understand what you are saying though about the age stigma. Sometimes when I smoke pipe at work I get some strange looks, as well as neing called "Popeye" or "Admiral". But that's okay when I light that pipe up its like a light to a moth. I normally get a group coming around just to enjoy the smell. Popeye Out.

[ShaulWolf]

I'm 22 and I have four pipes, mostly gifted from dad. I get a couple odd looks downtown from the college-hippie-knowitalls but most of the guys around me say that they love the smell and that the pipe looks sharp. Maybe it's just going to a military college, not sure, but I haven't had anyone say anything negative.

[evazan]

I would say I agree with most of what is being said. I hope I didn't portray in my first post that the only reason to smoke a pipe was because it is cheaper. That was just an extra advantage I discovered after I began. At this point in time the cigar still definitely has its place for me. I haven't broken the pipe out in public yet and I'm not really sure when I will. For me the two offer very different experiences and the experience I'm looking for more often comes from the pipe. When I'm smoking a pipe I prefer to be alone and use the time for private contemplation. Once the weather gets warmer and I start backpacking again I could just imagine the pleasure of waking up and lighting up a bowl. However, If I'm with some buddies the cigar is still my go to smoke. I find cigar smoke tends to take away from the experience of the pipe anyway.

So for all I know I could be surrounded by a bunch of closet pipe smokers such as myself. Either way I'm enjoying the experience.

[ShaulWolf]

I know exactly how you feel about the two being completely different experiences. I do the same thing: pipes for personal time and cigars with friends. Not sure what it is but smoking a pipe and being by yourself just seems to be really relaxing and lets you think things over a little more. At the same time there's nothing like hanging out with the guys and smoking stogies.

[ML1980]

I don't care what pople think. LOL I love Tobacco, It don't matter in what shape are form, Chew, Cigars , Cigarettes, Pipes, I even like buying different cigarette tobacco and rolling my own. And I think alot of people here feel the same.

[dogsplayinpoker]

Price of the cigars that I enjoy has always been a factor for me at 18 and now at 34. Pipes are an expense, to be sure, but a more long term payoff than cigars. The idea of pipe smokers as "old" has many flaws. Most non-smokers who make this comment are stuck on an image from the past. They see the pipe as old-fashioned but what they fail to understand is that throughout time, pipe smoking was very trendy and many age groups participated. I don't particularly care what others think of my pipe smoking but if they get the impression that I am smarter or more mature, that ain't bothering me. They are decidedly incorrect but what they don't know doesn't hurt me.

[tazziedevil]

when i smoked my pipe at college, I would always get lots of people asking "Dude, is that weed in there?" and after assuring them it wasn't, they would give me a strange look and walk off again.

I did go to the University of Oregon, though. Might explain part of it.