Red head Ted,... I like it!
I don't smoke often. I'll enjoy a cigar now and then, but I had never tried a pipe. Long after my dad died my mom was going to toss his pipes, and me being sentimental and a hoarder I said I would take them. I had foolishly tossed the remnants of his last can of tobacco years before because I figured it couldn't possibly be any good anymore and I needed a can for something.
Anyway, after I got the pipes I went to the local tobacco shop and bought some cleaners and a couple of different flavors of tobacco to try them out. I have to admit, some of that is really good.
I know some people detest the smell, but I remember really enjoying the aroma of dad's pipes as a kid. It's probably personal preference and what kind of tobacco one uses, because much like cigars, cheap cr@p smells like cr@p but a good tobacco smells really good. And a pipe offers a lot of different blend options.
It's kind of a shame that it's gone away. Maybe it's because it's tied to memories of my dad, or just because I grew up in a time when it was more common, but I think we've lost something. The times I've tried it I found it was a very relaxing, contemplative thing to just sit back and enjoy a short, fragrant smoke on a quiet evening.
Outside of course. The wife would flip if I lit up in the house. I gotta work on that exhaust fan for the basement workshop.