I can't point to any hard numbers, but I think it's safe to say that among pipe smokers the ratio of facial-haired men as compared to the clean-shaven is probably much higher than among the public in general, and I can count myself among you lot with an unabashedly hirsute kisser.

I have recently noticed that anytime I smoke pipe tobacco with a pleasant scent (and not just "aromatic" tobacco, mind you), and for a while after, I compulsively curl my furry upper-lip up to my nose and take a wiff. I'm actually doing this right now smoking a sweet Japanese-market tobacco, its maple-syrup-y undertones readily absorbed by my 'stache.

And so, I have invented a term for this which I would like to officially introduce into the lexicon of pipe tobacco evaluation, fitting neatly alongside the well established scent descriptors tin-note and room-note: mustache-note. Of course, evaluating mustache-note makes one look ridiculous (in fact, I'm trying to commission someone to covertly photograph me in the act for your amusement), but not any more than, say, a wine enthusiast gurgling a mouthful of Riesling, or a "cupper"s hundred-decibel slurping of a fine espresso, and ultimately offers just one more innocently eccentric way to enjoy the smoking experience.

Assessing mustache-note requires no investment in new hardware, of course (in fact, you can go ahead and throw out your razors - a rather liberating experience), but should you feel the need to make a fresh acquisition to mark the beginning of your new life, we've around 200 pipes we're adding to the site today, including the reintroduction of Mastro de Paja. Today's update also features exquisite briars from the likes of Michael Lindner, J&J, Kevin Arthur, Ardor, Ser Jacopo, Brebbia, Neerup, Savinelli, and Peterson, along with meerschaums from IMP and a full six-dozen estate pipes.

 John Sutherland: Marketing Mngr and Sr. Photographer