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Everyone has a first pipe story. Whether you think yours is a "good" one is up for debate. Recently I shared Shane Ireland's first pipe story and it seemed to resonate with several of you, and was enjoyable to learn and read about. So, without further ado, let's dive into Andy Wike's first pipe story.
Andy's First Pipe
Andy loved The Lord of the Rings movies and thought a Churchwarden was the coolest thing. "I didn't know anything about pipes," he says, "but I could recount at length the meta-lore of The Silmarillion." His first pipe was, as he puts it, "a ridiculously long Churchwarden I bought sometime around 2010 or 2011 when I was a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill. I don't remember the specific retailer — most likely eBay or some similar marketplace."
To the best of his memory, the shape was Dublin-esque and had a roughly 12-inch hardwood stem with a short acrylic mouthpiece. It was dressed in a smooth finish in a deep brown-red stain. "I don't remember the maker," he says. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't briar — most likely cherrywood or some other less heat-resistant material, because it cracked within the first 30 bowls or so. I have no idea whether it had any grain worth talking about. I just loved the shape." If he could go back in time, and knew what he was doing (or had a sagely mentor like him today), he would have started with a modest Billiard or Apple.
It's intriguing to see how differently Shane and Andy respectively got into this hobby. For Shane, he was always drawn to the pipe and gravitated to a basket Peterson without quite knowing the reason. For Andy, he picked his first pipe because of a movie franchise he loved. Everyone has a different entrypoint into this world, individual to the person and their particular interests.
Early Tobaccos
Andy believes his first tobacco was something like Captain Black Gold, which he picked up at the Walgreens near campus, back when drug stores still carried pipe tobacco. He took a more traditional Aromatic-to-bulk-to-tin progression, whereas Shane's arc was English-forward. He eventually moved to Stokkebye bulks, PS24 Nougat being one he returned to often and would buy at the Tinderbox store in Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, NC.
His first tin of tobacco came later when he was studying abroad in Spain around 2012. While there, he started a small, informal pipe club with a few locals and other students from his program. "Capstan Blue was the tin that came out of that," he says. "It was the first Virginia I'd ever smoked, and would become my go-to blend for nearly a decade."
Everyone has a different entrypoint into this world
The Grotto
Andy's first smoking experience happened in a specific place on his college campus with some specific social weirdness attached, which perhaps others will relate to. "UNC had strict rules about smoking on campus — you had to be a certain distance from any building — which effectively meant there were only two places a student could legally smoke: one was beside the flagpole at the center of the Quad, fully exposed and always with an air of defiant rebellion, and the second was a spot at the southern end of campus housing called the Grotto."
The Grotto wasn't really a grotto; waterfalls and alcoves were traded for a picnic table and a couple of chairs on a deck above the creek between two walking paths that connected a few dorms. Andy's roommate also bought a similar Churchwarden around that time, so one night they packed their pipes in their dorm room with tobacco they had picked up from the Walgreens near campus. While the "cool" kids in the hall were getting ready for a night out, Andy and his roommate tucked their pipes up into their jacket sleeves with the bowls cupped in their hands, trying to be inconspicuous on their walk to the Grotto.
"When we arrived, there was already a group at the picnic table smoking cigarettes. We asked if we could join them. They said yes. Then we proceeded to produce our foot-long Churchwardens from inside our jackets."
Of course, there were questions and some teasing involved. "But over the course of the next hour and a half, we got pretty good, pretty quickly, at running through the anticipated FAQ: yes we are smoking tobacco, yes this is a pipe for smoking, no I am not a wizard, despite my best efforts."
During this period in Andy's pipe-smoking journey, he experienced more sidewalk explanations than connoisseurship. Andy and his roommate stayed as group after group came and went until their bowls were down to dottle.
yes we are smoking tobacco, yes this is a pipe for smoking, no I am not a wizard, despite my best efforts
Despite the initial confusion, the pipes disappeared from the conversation and they spoke to strangers they would have never met otherwise. "That's the moment that's stuck with me — not the embarrassment of being the weird Churchwarden guys, but how quickly that became incidental." Perhaps others can resonate with this simple experience.
The Upgrade
Eventually, this Churchwarden cracked. One day, Andy noticed a fissure after he had been using it for some time. "I didn't know anything about pipe maintenance at the time, so it could have been user error, but it also wasn't briar, so it was probably some combination."
The second pipe he owned was a classic Italian briar Pot under 6 inches with a vulcanite stem. Although he's unsure of the brand nomenclature, he remembers that it was a step up in quality, but a step down in spectacle.
His first name-brand pipe was a Savinelli Tortuga 673KS, which he purchased for himself as a graduation present.
Advice For First Pipes
As for his recommendations for first pipes, Andy would say to trust your gut and push it further. "Pick whatever excites you. Pick the pipe you'll actually reach for. You don't need to start with a famous maker. You just need a pipe you want to smoke." His only caveat would be to stick with briar for your first real pipe. "It's forgiving, it handles the heat, it breaks in well, and it's going to outlast the alternatives while you're still figuring things out. Corn cobs are a great supplement if you want a rotation while your briar rests — inexpensive, smokes well, no fuss. But the first one should be briar."
Advice for a Younger Andy
If it was possible to speak to a younger version of himself, he would tell 18-year-old Andy to put down the Churchwarden and pick up a Billiard instead. "Smoke it in private until you know what you're doing. Save yourself some sidewalk explanations. But then I wouldn't have the Grotto story. So I'm not sure I'd actually change it."
Pick the pipe you'll actually reach for. You don't need to start with a famous maker. You just need a pipe you want to smoke
Was Andy's first pipe story anything like yours? I'd love to hear your story in the comments below. For those who are new to this hobby and are hoping to get some inspiration before diving in, I hope this was helpful for you.
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Comments
Great article! One quick note though: *Silmarillion, not "Simarilion" :)
Lol, you're such a stickler 🔬🕵🏻
Got that edited. Thank you, Truett!
My 1st pipe Was a corn cob, Cheap as dirt and a pouch of Captain black white label, It didn't remind me of a cigarette which was great but The ashtray mouth Was what almost discouraged me From pipe From pipe smoking, I ain't no quitter, I kept saying that to myself Over and over, I've tried several different tobaccos Over Over the last several months While I learned How to sip not puff like a freight train It's getting better with every bowl!
I’m enjoying this series a lot. I didn’t get into pipe smoking (or any smoking) until later in life, so stories from those who started at an earlier age are a lot of fun.
Not long after my daughter was born I reached for the pipe. I went down to my local B&M. When I entered I had no idea what I was in for nor what I was doing. I was greeted by a dimly lit room. Old leather furniture sat about the room like they were ready to tell stories. Like they had seen things.
Tobacciana lines the walls. Some cigars I’d heard of, some I had never heard of. A velvet tin caught my eye. From out of back lounge door way comes a middle aged man came through the hanging smoke, parting it like a curtain. He was chewing on a cigar like it owned him money.
He introduced himself as Paul and stubbed out his cigar in the oversized Arturo Fuente ashtray containing carcass of other smoked jokers. I proceed to tell him I was interested in the hobby, that I would later come to value as a quality of life.
He would go on to give me a crash coarse on everything a beginner needed to know. How to pack, how to tamp, how to clean. He recommended I start with a corn cob incase it didn’t resonate with me and I wouldn’t have invested a bunch of money into something that didn’t work out. I reached for a MM Rob Roy.
He asked me how I drink my coffee, black or sweet. I said black. He offered me a blend I can’t remember the name of now, but after years of searching unable to find this same blend I would later find out might have been PS classic Natural. He set me up with a Czech tool and some Decatur cleaners and I was on my way. Little did I know that that shop closed not long after that visit.
See Paul was set to retire. The shop is now reopened as Peduros and seems to be a really nice spot. So now here I am. 5 years later, 5 everyday carry’s. Tons of blending components, a cellar (my grandmothers old trunk.) I owe it all to Paul and his Smokey shop. I hope he’s well.
My first pipe and experience was almost my last. I admire all things associated with Ireland and Britain. So I went to a tobacco shop and bought a pipe (Peterson) and some British tobacco. The tobacco was REAL strong and made me sick. Luckily I stuck it out and tried another tobacco and liked it.
My first was a Falcon and some Holiday tobacco. All circa 1953. Got off the school bus and picked up my dog Cookie and then off hiking. I am quite old now and still remember those wonderful days.
When I was 16 my dad caught me smoking a cigarette. He said you can’t smoke cigarettes but you can smoke a pipe. What was 1961. So I started smoking a pipe and cigarettes. Long time ago. I can’t remember the pipe much. Long time ago.
I started smoking a pipe when I started college in 1959. I lived in a small town and attended a small college. I went to the local drug store and bought one or two cheap pipes and probably picked up Sir Walter Raleigh and some pipe cleaners. It was not a good beginning, but Professors I admired smoked beautiful pipes. I was too shy to ask them anything. Soon, I bought a Dr Grabow, my first halfway decent pipe. And I migrated to Mixture 79. Shortly after that I bought a Royal Stewart bulldog. It was not long until one of my ROTC instructors recommended Sail yellow. An improvement. In the fall of 1960, I went to Houston to a pipe shop near downtown and bought a Comoy’s tradition bent bulldog. My first better pipe. In the summer of 61, I was in Ft Worth and visited a pipe shop on Houston St and bought a Colossals Apple. It, too, was a good smoking pipe. In the fall of 61, back in Houston, I bought 2 pipes on 2 trips from a pipe nook in a pharmacy across the street from the Rice Hotel: a Comoy’s London Pride squat bulldog and lattice meerschaum. The grandchildren of the woman who operated that pipe nook still operate The Briar Shop in Rice Village in Houston. Finally. In the fall of 1962, I was introduced to English blends at The Pipe Shop at 5th and Main in Ft Worth. And, thanks to them, better pipes.
I was introduced to pipe smoking by a fellow shipmate, while in the Navy. Cheap briar and some Captain Black cherry, enjoyed at the weather deck "smoke pit". Our ship moored into Victoria, British Columbia as they celebrated the 100th birthday of the Canadian Navy. Various navies were there as well. First time I went to a tobacconist shop and hooked up with better tobacco and a new briar pipe. Shipmates watched me smoke, while I received a few laughs. I laughed right back and puffed away.
My Dad smoked Chesterfield and Pall Mall nonfilter cigarrets as well as Prince Albert pipe tobacco (when the tax increased on "ready roll " cigarretts). Six years after his death, I was about fifteen, I found his pipe and severely dried tin of Prince Albert. With Mom at work, I packed the straight billiard and fired it up. Needless to say, this was definitely not a pleasant experience. I ended the experience with stage four tounge bite and spark burns on my shirt. After my eighteenth birthday and a little more experience, I went to the local pharmacy and bought a bent apple Dr. Grabo, a Medico pipe tool, and a pouch of Borkum Riff. My choice simply due to the nautical themed packaging.
Was early eighties. Was reading The Lord of the Rings for the second time when when the realization that I was now 21 (or 22 as it may have been), and I drove to the mall and walked straight to the Tinderbox. Inside i was shortly enchanted by a pipe that radiated “Middle Earth” energy to my sensibilities. It turned out to be a Nording Freehand and it was 55-60$, not at all an inexpensive pipe in 1982-3. But no other pipe called out to me and as the kids say these days, “I pulled the trigger”. Started on the fruity sweet stuff in the jars, but they burned hot and left an artificial aftertaste into the next day. Thankfully i eventually gravitated to what I then called Latakia blends. Smoked my pipes (a friend gifted me two Petersons from his trip to Ireland, a 1988 Dublin Millennial Celebration pipe and a smaller Tankard. I later visited Ireland and purchased a Churchwarden.), off and on for close to 20 years before getting lazy and just smoked cigars. Back in March of 2026 the Prodigal Pipeman has come home and has been spending his retirement money here at Smoking Pipes and enjoying the pipes more than ever.