why did you started smoking a pipe ?

[Hendu]

this may have been asked before but just out of curiosity, why did you guys choose / start smoking a pipe ? I started beacuse my grandfather smoked a pipe and i always loved sleeping over there as a kid and falling asleep by the delightful smell of the smoke. and just a little of it came from Tolkien and his hobbits lol

[sepia5]

Because it horrified my parents.

[dmkerr]

My dad smoked a pipe.

It seemed the best way to wean me off cigarettes.

I liked the aroma of pipe tobacco.

All those cool looking tobacco tins!!!!

And mostly, once I got the hang of it, pipe smoking became a sublime pleasure, the type of which I had not yet experienced. The subtleties of the various tobaccos, the cut and grain of the various pipes, the knowledge of other pipesters... it was (and is) a great fraternity and I was happy to be part of it.

[DBCcigar]

....Just something different to try

[dogsplayinpoker]

I was interested in the pipes at the tobacconist. The images I had of pipe smokers was that of Bing Crosby in White Christmas and Norman Rockwell paintings, both being some of my favorite celebrities/artists.
Also was feeling a bit "old" and "responsible" having just become a Dad 2 days before my 19 birthday.

[Vrbas]

My friend smoked one my Freshman year of college (now my roommate) and i thought it smelled great and provided a much more positive, soft, and friendly image than cigarettes and even cigars. Weird, i used to always be super anti-smoking. Still am for cigarettes, can't stand them, can't stand the ones that do. It'll even be a deciding factor in whether or not i approach a pretty girl Now a girl with a pipe....

[Mad Hatter]

This time around it was looking for the simpler pleasures in life that led me to the pipe.

[VFD421]

It was a spur of the moment decision for me. I dipped Copenhagen snuff for over thirty years and kicked that habit. Then I briefly tried cigars and one day at the store I just happened to see a cob and some Borkum Riff like my dad smoked and here I am.

[morefifemusicanyone]

I sought smoking pipes for the tradition and ritual associated with it. I am also interested in things such as tobacco and alcohol that are affected by the growing (or distilling) process as well as the aging process.

Then there is just the plain coolness factor.

[Dedalus]

I'm with Fife on this one. I was a life-long non-smoker up until six months ago when I decided to take up the pipe. I was having trouble relaxing, feeling generally stressed-out, when an older colleague suggested the briar. Life has been lovely ever since.

[JacksonCognac]

I was initially drawn to cigars... we used to drink and smoke crappy cigars and I enjoyed that... so much actually that my friends and I would often meet up and smoke crappy cigars while deciding what we were going to do that night... eventually I got into better cigars... thankfully I more or less avoided cigarettes...

Pipes seemed interesting... I liked the meditative qualities and the enjoyment of tobacco... also it's much healtheir then smoking cigarettes and far cheaper then cigars. Now that I have smoked a bit longer I really appreciate the variety of tobaccos.

[BigDaddyJ]

I started smoking a pipe my freshmen year in college. It's hard for me to nail down exactly what it was that interested me in pipes but part of it was simply the beauty of the pipe itself. Another part of it is that a pipe, unlike a cigar or cigarette, is a tool that with proper care will last a lifetime and can be used again and again. Also, as an avid outdoorsman, I could just envision myself smoking my pipe while standing waist deep in a trout stream casting my fly line or taking a break during a day of bird hunting to sit down under a tree and enjoy a smoke. I've always been the sort of person to take the path less traveled by. Pipe smoking is old school and I like to keep those past traditions alive. At any rate, I've always enjoyed it and God willing, I hope to for many years to come.

[morefifemusicanyone]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyJ

I started smoking a pipe my freshmen year in college. It's hard for me to nail down exactly what it was that interested me in pipes but part of it was simply the beauty of the pipe itself. Another part of it is that a pipe, unlike a cigar or cigarette, is a tool that with proper care will last a lifetime and can be used again and again. Also, as an avid outdoorsman, I could just envision myself smoking my pipe while standing waist deep in a trout stream casting my fly line or taking a break during a day of bird hunting to sit down under a tree and enjoy a smoke. I've always been the sort of person to take the path less traveled by. Pipe smoking is old school and I like to keep those past traditions alive. At any rate, I've always enjoyed it and God willing, I hope to for many years to come.

Well said Jeff.

I forgot to mention one of the things I liked about pipe smoking vs. cigars was that for the dollar value you got a lasting product (the pipe). I still enjoy cigars, but I collect my pipes.

[maboman]

I quit cigarettes August 2007. Six months later I had a tremendous craving so I broke out the pipe instead of slipping back to the Marlboros....

best choice I ever made!

Maboman

[Cheroot]

Strictly because of this forum. I started off with cigars, like many others. I saw this sub-forum, and all the descriptions of enticing tobacco names, flavors and aromas. Plus there was this mystique of a pipe, it says something about a person who takes the time to smoke one properly. Plus, it's much cheaper than cigars... that never hurts either.