Greetings from the Washington, D.C. area. I started smoking the briar during my deployment to Afghanistan in 2011 where I ordered a glossy Viking briar pipe, some Boswell Cherry Smash and Christmas Cookie tobacco and a Zippo pipe lighter. My only instruction was from watching Youtube videos and reading pipe smoking blogs. I immediately learned that the tobacco was not as flavorful as eating ice cream. These days I have added several pipes to my collection and am broadening my tobacco horizons beyond aromatics. I still consider myself a learner and look forward to relishing in the knowledge of the members in this prestigious club