I started smoking cigars in my early 20s - I was more poor than I am now and smoked factory-second Royal Jamaica cigars when they were still made in Jamaica. Great sticks.
My dad, in his mid 40s at the time, smoked cigarettes, but I remember him smoking a pipe when I was in elementary school. I remember one photo in particular of him trying to kill the rampant bamboo in the yard with a pick axe all the while a Dr. Grabow clenched in his jaw.
Since I was now enjoying cigars, I thought I'd try a pipe. It was a disaster. Without the benefit of Internet resources for tutelage, I didn't know what the hell I was doing and couldn't pack the pipe correctly or keep the pipe lit . My dad was not much help because his advice was "just put tobacco in there and light it" which probably explains why HE gave up on pipes too and turned to cigarettes! I put the pipe down and continued on an extensive pipe journey that included long-gone Cigar Boom brands and my trusty Royal Jamaica Seconds, until a hurricane wiped out the Jamaican tobacco industry.
Fast forward 30 years to just before Father's Day 2014. Still smoking cigars, leaning toward Tatuaje with my Royal Jamaica dailies replaced by Flor de Oliva torpedoes, I'm visiting my parents who live nearby and my dad, now in his mid 70s and a little forgetful, asks my mom where she "hid my pipes" because he wants to smoke them. My mom reminds him he hasn't smoked them in 40 years and she threw them out 20 years ago. Dad, perplexed, lit a cigarette and lamented the loss of his pipes. What I sensed was a great Father's Day gift opportunity and I gave him a Dr Grabow and some tobacco (Lane 1-Q, on the advice of Sophie D, the hot clerk at the B&M from which I purchased the tobacco) the very next Sunday. I did a little Internet research on how to pack and light, info I passed onto dad. He lit up the Grabow and it smelled great. Father's Day success!
However, it smelled so good, it tempted me to try a pipe again myself 30 years after the first dismal failure. To make a make this long story short, I loved the experience so much that by Father's Day of this year I accumulated a while lotta pipes and a whole lotta tobacco and a whole lotta buddies who share the passion for this incredible pastime. Ironically, as hog wild as I jumped into piping, I still spend way less than I had on cigars - which I smoke only occasionally now - since my pipe rotation (mostly estates and cobs) is set and pipe tobacco is so much less expensive. I find pipe smokers much more laid back than my cigar chaser friends. And most importantly, I can visit and smoke with the old man on his porch and enjoy his company sharing a pipe:
