I became interested in pipe smoking at a young age. I can't really explain why. The connection to the past was likely a part of it. The delighful smell whenever someone was smoking a pipe probably didn't hurt. In the early 2000's, I began to learn about this subject on a website called pipes.org, which today is no longer in existence. There was a discussion board in which various aspects were discussed, such as proper packing and lighting of the pipe, tobacco selection, and pipe maintenance. Soon I had a Grabow Omega and a pouch of Captain Black and I was in business. Since then I have set the hobby down for a year or two, picked it back up, and put it down again. For me it is about the pleasure of the fragrant smoke of a burning leaf, the relaxation, and the introspection and wisdom that seems to be laced in to the tobacco blends.
Pipes.org Discussion Forum in late 2003
"Every morning I wake up and think good, another 24 hours' pipe-smoking."
J. R. R. Tolkien