Buzzy
|
Hi - new member hereHi All -
I'm Buzzy and on a whim took up pipe smoking a few weeks ago. I walked past a gentleman smoking a pipe on a park bench a few mornings in a row, and the aroma was appealing. I soon bought a Peterson "gift pack" from pipesandcigars.com and enjoyed it enough to keep going.
I've picked-up two Dr. Grabow's since then - an Omega and a Royalton. I also have two non-Grabow's: a Peterson "Aran" (a "bent tapered billiard") and a Savinelli "il Meglio" (a "bent tapered bulldog"). Of these, the Savinelli has turned out to be my favorite, but the Omega is a close second. I think the Royalton is a very nice looking pipe, which is the main reason I bought it.
I like the variety of Dr. Grabow's, the filters and the fact that I don't seem to worry so much if I slip-up with the recommended use and care I've read so much about. (I mentioned I've only recently taken up smoking, didn't I?  ) I'll probably acquire more Dr. Grabows...mostly because they bring back some fond childhood memories of time spent at my great-uncle's farm in Ohio.
I had tried pipe smoking back in my 20s - a Dr. Grabow and a package of tobacco from the drugstore. I didn't really know what I was doing, it wasn't a good experience and I gave up after a few attempts. That was before the Internet made it so easy to get information, instructions, pipes, tobacco, etc. My parents were both lifetime cigarette smokers, but for some reason, I found cigarettes and cigarette smoke very unappealing (I still feel that way) and I've never tried it.
Anyway, kind of a long intro, sorry about that! I've been lurking for a few days and this seemed like a comfortable place!
|
drbridges
|
Welcome!Welcome to the Dr. Grabow Forum, Buzzy. I hope you visit and post often.
Pipe smoking for a few weeks, eh? I'll bet you are going to make some mistakes, just like I'll wager every pipe smoker here has. I still do.
Pipe smokers can be fanatics. Unlike cigarettes and cigars, pipes are not consumed. Beside tobacco, we enjoy our pipes. Something other smokers don't enjoy. They are in our hands and in our mouths. We feel them, we taste them, we smell them, we experience them. Their history and their beauty. Your pipes will become associated in your memory with events in your life. "This is the pipe I was smoking when ... "
Pipe smokers can also be obnoxious. I hope we aren't here. There is no one right way to pack, light, tamp and smoke a pipe. And you aren't wrong if you do it differently. I believe every pipe smoker has to adjust his blend, his packing style, his lighting style etc. with his smoking style. What may work for one will torment another.
Find what works for you. Use pipes that you enjoy. And don't let anyone make you feel you are wrong.
|
Sir Duke
|
Welcome Buzzy!Good to have you here.
Many, many pipesmokers start with a Dr. Grabow and "move on." Actually, I was one of them and then came back to my roots so to speak and am loving every second I spend with my grabows: searching for a certain shape or style. I love smoking them remembering the thrill of the hunt, or just feeling grateful that I got a decent pipe for $3.50 like the one pictured in my Avatar.
Pipesmokers like the "Stuff" and I find Grabows are very accessable to me and fufill the PAD ( Pipe Aquisition Disorder) need....
I jsut recently started collecting 'em but the others gentleman here have been at it for years. Its interesting to see and here their perspective and impressive to hear all they know about the "Grabow Story". Even more impressive is what they Don't Know. There is so much history to the company/companies.
What I like is the absolute ENDLESS possibilities o collecitng Grabows. There are hundreds of variations and even more anomolies. I 'spose it';; keep me busy for a long time to come.
And, as far as being a new pipe smoker smoker in general, Guys who have been smoking for DECADES are still learning different things, and yes the internet has made the hobby quite interesting. And, it is a hobby.
There are many forums on the 'net and wayyyy too many opinions. Don;t believe everything you read. Its al lies, damn lies, and statistics
Believe what works for you. Hope you enjoy yout never ending quest for the ultimate smoke." The fun is in the journey, and here at DGCF you are on the right road!
T
|
Buzzy
|
Thanks for the welcome, the perspectives and advice.
I am a somewhat compulsive collector of things (after only a few weeks, I have four pipes and seven varieties of tobacco...who knows where I'll be after a few months), and after reading your posts, I realized the collector/hobbyist aspect might be what attracts me the most. You're right on another count, the tactile sensations are appealing.
Thanks again!
|
LokoMac8
|
Re: Hi - new member here | Buzzy wrote: | | Hi All - I'm Buzzy . . . |
Howdy, Buzzy! And WELCOME! I look forward to hearing more of your experiences, your thoughts, and any information you might stumble upon that would be of interest to us crazy Dr. Grabow fanatics!
Yes, for all we know -- or think we know -- there is still much to learn and even the newest pipe smoker or Dr. Grabow owner may find information that we have all either overlooked or simply never found!
I am both a collector and smoker. Better watch that Pipe Acquisition Disorder, though. As a matter of fact, we may have to start another Forum just for that! I've lost count, but I think I got around 300 to 400 pipes, almost ALL Dr. Grabows, but a few that are historically connected to the Dr. Grabow, but are not actually Grabows. Actually, I've got a ton of pipes that aren't Dr. Grabows and I have no use for that I acquired in those darn multiple pipe auctions on eBay where I bought a group of say, ten pipes, just to get the one Dr. Grabow that was among them. I don't count all those toward my disorder as they are socked away down in the barn somewhere and nearly forgotten.
Again, welcome! --RJ--
|
|
|
|