Smokingpipes.com Blog

New Mac Baren Pipe Tobaccos at Smokingpipes.com! ~eric~

2013-05-22T17:21:00-04:00

Red alert! Green, too -- and yellow. And... cube? Those of you who are particular fans of Mac Baren blends may already be guessing where this is going: today we have a special update, to introduce a selection of Mac Baren's finest, which just arrived at our door not more than an hour ago. Effective immediately, the Halberg Red, Green, and Yellow blends are now available here at Smokingpipes, as well as the Bronze, Silver, and Gold smoking mixtures of the Cube series as well. Finally, for aficionados of the much-in-demand Old Dark Fired, we're also introducing a ready-rubbed, bulk tobacco rendition of that famously dark and flavorful flake too. Oh -- and hefty, 1-pound pouched slabs of the regular flake version of O.D.F. as well.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Kidnapped ~adam~

2013-05-20T16:00:00-04:00

This past weekend was a good one for me, as my wife "kidnapped" me on Saturday. I wasn't sure what we were doing, or where we were going, but admittedly found it a little suspicious that she didn't care that my hair was a mess or that I was going outside simply dressed in blue jeans and a gray T-shirt, but there I sat in the passenger seat of her car on our way to try something new. Because my birthday was May 11th, and she had to work all day long, we only had a little time together that day, and this one was making up for that. The sun was shining and I didn't ask any questions; figuring we were on our way to a nice breakfast or, perhaps, clothing store to make me look a bit more respectable. Two hours later I realized where we were going (her friends had suggested she blindfold me, but that's a bit intimidating in a car for such a long time). We crossed over the bridge and entered beautiful, historic, Charleston, South Carolina. After we parked the car, she couldn't hold her secret in any longer; we were going to spend two days in Charleston doing whatever I wanted; which meant a lot of good food and historical museums. As we waited for our reservation at HUSK, a fine establishment of Southern food and brainchild of celebrated chef Sean Brock, I sipped a 1780-recipe for punch (tea, lemon, whiskey or rum and a huge chunk of ice) while sitting on the front porch. This is what front porch relaxing is all about in the South.

Two days were spent exploring new restaurants and indulging in whatever sounded good. After dinner on Saturday, we went to a nice tobacco shop, which was different years ago, but now focuses on mainly wines, cigars, and only - sadly- a few pipes and tobacco selections. She really wanted to pack my pipe and tobacco, but thought I would get too suspicious, and I was hoping to buy an older tin of Virginia Flake and possibly a corn cob. When I asked the owner if he had any Virginia Flake tobacco, he said they did not, and really didn't even know what I was talking about. Choosing a nice Arturo Fuente maduro cigar, he clipped it for me and lit it (I had kindly asked if I could light it myself, and was a bit surprised when he firmly and dismissively said "NO"). He toasted the foot with a torch lighter, which is what I do anyway, and then practically stuck the cigar in my mouth asking me to puff as he blasted the foot with the torch (something which I prefer not to do is to puff on super-heated gases) because a Mr. So-and-So showed him how to light a cigar this way. Thankfully the cigar I chose could handle the excessive heat, and my wife and I retired to the chairs outside on the sidewalk; me relaxing with my cigar and she with a glass of wine. So many places in cities don't allow smoking, but it appears some sort of permit was grandfathered in at this place, so I was allowed to puff relaxingly as we people-watched. It was surprising how many folks passed by remarking how wonderful the cigars smelled. Next time I will be sure to take a pipe, though.

The weekend reminded me a lot of the time I visited Will Purdy and his wife Georgia in 2008. They are the kindest of people you could ever hope to meet, and we spent much of my visit eating oysters, drinking local brews, and taking in the splendor of the Rocky Mountains. We'd even had elk for dinner one evening in a mountain-top restaurant. After so many years of knowing Will and his pipes, we're thrilled to finally be able to offer his work for sale. Will Purdy pipes are unique, lovely, designed from his own mind, and - if you believe that a pipe carries with it some of that creative spirit and magic (I do) - will bring you quiet peace and relaxation. We've also a splendid selection of pipes from Lasse Skovgaard, Radice, Castello, and others going up this evening, as well as new tobaccos from Daughters & Ryan. For you cigar fans out there, we also have new smokes from St. Luis Rey. The weather is turning pleasantly warm, so we hope you can relax with a "punch" of your choice and take in some quality relaxation time.

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

The Pipe-Scented Air Freshener (TM) ~sutherland~

2013-05-16T16:00:00-04:00

Earlier this morning I heard Adam Davidson leading our marketing bullpen in a chorus of "Schoooool's out for Summer... Schoooool's out forevaaah!" Well, he was trying to, at least. I guess this marks the unofficial start of Summer, which here in Myrtle Beach means Bike Week, beach days, and the associated influx of tourists. More generally, in the Northern hemisphere at least, this means plenty of BBQ's and parties with an outdoor component, which of course also means plenty of time for social pipe and cigar smoking.

I was at a party just this last weekend, and a Star Wars-themed one at that. Unfortunately I neglected to bring a pipe, but pipe tobacco did come up in conversation (surprisingly quite organically with no prompting from yours truly). A buddy, dressed as Boba Fett in a business suit, mentioned that he had no interest in pipe smoking, but if he could he would "fill his whole house pipe tobacco just for the smell." This statement immediately took me back to the first time I walked into our Low Country Pipe and Cigar B&M, and how immediately transfixed I was by the fragrance of the place, and how since then I've often had the same sentiment as my friend, the sharply-dressed bounty hunter from a galaxy far, far away.

This has got me thinking, as I'm sitting here staring at my Red Velvet Cake-scented air freshener (no need to turn in my man-card; I bought it because I thought it would better blend with the smell of old smoke than other more fruity offerings, because it is black, and because I like cake)... Why has no one bottled pipe-smoke up and tried to market it? This is a fairly common sentiment among non-pipe smokers. In the realm of often musky or woodsy scents marketed towards men, I'd find the generic smell of aromatic pipe tobacco, as loosely defined as we all know this to be, much preferable. One of the more enterprising among you readers should take this idea and run with it.

Enough of my olfactory musings, you folks are here for the pipes. Today we've got a pretty stellar batch of artisanal pieces from G. Batson, Peter Matzhold, and Pete Prevost. We're also refreshing our Ashton supply with a full dozen count, along with pipes from L'Anatra, Randy Wiley, Claudio Cavicchi, Rossi Pipes, Brigham, Nording, Savinelli, and Peterson. Being that it's Thursday, we've also an eighty-four pipe batch of estates for your perusal.

John Sutherland: Marketing Mngr and Sr. Photographer

"And Here's Your Kisser!" ~eric~

2013-05-13T16:01:00-04:00

This past weekend was Adam's birthday. Some of you may be wondering, "What do you give a man who can make his own pipes?" The answer is: You let him feed. That may not make much sense if you don't know Adam, and perfect sense if you do. Adam loves hosting, preparing meals for others, and getting people to try new things. And so that was, pretty much, what a bunch of us let him have free reign to do this weekend - yes, both Saturday and Sunday. If what Adam enjoys most is indulging his guests, that was precisely what we were going to indulge him in. Bear in mind, we aren't talking a plate of hors' d'oeuvres and some white wine here. I was with Adam on Thursday when he picked up the main courses: two steaks measuring about four inches thick and a foot across, and half a pig -- plus its head, which the butcher kindly tossed in for free. Literally. His exact words, in a New York accent I'd thought they'd stop issuing generations ago, as he lobbed it onto the pile of animal protein already filling up much of Adam's trunk: "And here's your kisser!" It's hard to find service like that these days.

Along with massive grilled steaks and even more massive amounts of grilled pork, there was of course also some great cheeses and IPAs, and he gave several of us our first chance to try beef-marrow and parsley on crisp toasted bread, which may be one of the most fantastic foodstuffs ever devised by man. In essence, it's as if some wonderfully mad alchemist distilled an excellent steak down to a concentrated, butter-textured essence. Along the way he also taught me how a sprig of parsley served with steak isn't just there for decoration: eating a little piece between bites cleanses the palette, keeping well-prepared beef's flavor as prominent and savory as the very first taste. It's a useful tip that I figure is worth passing on, especially if any of you happen to find yourselves, in the near future, facing such massively generous proportions as we did over the past two days.

And of course, given that this was a Smokingpipes family shindig, pretty much every minute we didn't spend eating, we spent sitting out on Adam's back patio, enjoying our pipes, good conversation, and fine weather. Hopefully you'll all get plenty of opportunities to do much the same this summer.

We'll do what we can to help make that possible, of course, in the way of offering plenty of the necessary materiel: pipes, tobacco, pipes, pipe accessories, and more pipes, of course. And so with that, we come to the meat of today's update. This Monday we roll out, appropriately first and foremost, new pipes from Adam Davidson himself, joined by briars from fellow American artisan Bruce Weaver as well. Following up you'll find loads and loads of other offerings, including fresh Dunhills, Petersons, Savinelli, Stanwells, Tsuges, Chacoms, Vauens, and Lucianos, plus of course plenty of estates. For cigar guys, we're introducing both several different sizes of Quesada's "Tributo", and QueAmerica's latest Oscuro. Finally, if you'd like a bit of summer reading, there's a new edition of Rick Newcombe's Still Searching for Pipe Dreams, which now includes two bonus chapters.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Dunhill Bulk Special Starts Today! ~ted~

2013-05-09T16:00:00-04:00

And so we're back. With boxes. Twenty-five boxes, to be exact. All of them filled with pipes, tablecloths, pipes, buttons, t-shirts, pipe stands, more pipes, tins of tobacco, notepads, pens, lamps, power cords, pipe bags, and tons and tons of pipes. It all needs to be unpacked. Soon. For now, however, I'm up here writing this intro. Because it needs to get written. Unraveling the aftermath of the great Chicago show can wait a spell -- serving our customers cannot.

Of course, I'm smoking my pipe as I write. A lovely aromatic from our friends at Mac Baren, in a Rhodesian design by a Russian fellow you may have heard of: Vladimir Grechukhin. As is true with so many things, time spent at a keyboard is best done with warm briar, under fragrant plumes of smoldering tobacco leaf. After a week of heavy smoking in a tiny hotel room, usually in the company of anywhere between three-to-fifteen other fellow pipe smokers, I made a promise to myself on the flight out of Chicago that I'd "take a break" from smoke for a few days. Just to reintroduce my lungs to some fresh air. Foolish? Absolutely. It didn't take.

Which is a good thing, because I'm just in time for our Dunhill tobacco special. From now until the end of the month we're pleased to announce that we're offering 10% off Early Morning Pipe and My Mixture 965 in loose leaf. You can find these timeless favorites under the Bulk Tobacco section of the site. Just like many of you, I'll be taking this opportunity and stocking up.

Coinciding with that, in today's update you'll also find new pipes from Kent Rasmussen and Werner Mummert, alongside fresh works from Ardor, Mastro de Paja, Savinelli, Neerup, Nording, and, last but not least, Peterson. And you can add to that seventy-eight estate pipes too, rounding out this afternoon's selection. Tons of briar, tons of fun -- and more on the way soon, with all that we picked up in Chicago! In concluding, now I suppose I'm off to help unpack!

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager

Chicago 2013: An Introduction ~dennis mann~

2013-05-08T15:42:00-04:00

I would love to say that I was prepared to take on whatever could be thrown my way, but that would be a drastic overstatement. You see, I’m a bit new to the business of tobacco pipes. I’ve enjoyed a pipe for over 3 years, but that only amounts to about half of a percent of the pipe retail world. When I said I was new to the business, I didn’t mean a few months on the job or even weeks. In fact, at the time we left for Chicago I could count the number of full days worked at Smokingpipes.com on one hand. At the end of my first week, I was whisked away to the Chicagoland Pipe Show for a week of total immersion in everything pipes and tobacco. It wasn't just sales and such going on, but the meeting and befriending of some of the finest pipe makers on earth, while trying not to look like a twit. I've had little exposure to people of celebrity status in my life. Sure, I've read about noteworthy people, but almost never come face to face with them. So imagine my reaction when Adam Davidson is now a coworker, and I've just ran into Benni and Lasse, Lars and Nanna, Tokutomi, Eltang, Armentrout, Lobnik, and so many more. Luckily, the great many pipe makers I talked with were most personable. They were accepting, and willing to answer the most basic of questions, ones they’ve been asked countless times. Interestingly enough, our conversations would frequently stray from pipes and arrive at subjects like photography, music and vinyl records, or the day to day of our home lives. If a week spent with pipe makers taught me anything, it taught me that this is not an industry of competing production, but a family of very talented craftsman and artists who are proud to have common ground.

As exciting as all of this was, there was the other side of the coin: the logistics of presenting Smokingpipes.com in the flesh. Moments before our departure, I was up to my neck in some of finest pipes I’ve seen, assisting in their safe transportation. Then was the task of creating a visual display that represents Smokingpipes in the same way you'd expect from viewing the website. No pressure, right?

When I came to Smokingpipes.com, I imagined I would use some of the skills I acquired as a Firefighter/EMT such as logistics, inventory control, and communications skills. I didn’t realize, though, that I would also make use of skills like working while sleep and food deprived, working under intense pressure, and organizing chaos. Fortunately, we had a dedicated group of people traveling, backed by some top notch folks at the home base, and a world-class shipping department, so as a team we overcame the obstacles and pulled off a great show. I enjoyed meeting those of you who came to visit us, and I'm looking forward to meeting many more pipe enthusiasts, carvers, and collectors. My door and inbox are open to those seeking answers or conversation, and my thanks go out to those who have welcomed me so warmly into this community. I'm happy to be the new Pipe Manager, I'm happy for the freedom to make this unique position my own, and I'm happy to be considered part of the Smokingpipes.com family.

Dennis Mann: Pipe Manager

Back in the Office ~adam~

2013-05-06T16:00:00-04:00

The Chicago Pipe Show was held this past weekend, but it's much more than a two-day event for nearly everyone who attends. Pipe makers work until the last minute, not necessarily to try to finish all of their wares at the same time (though it happens to many), but more of them (guilty) in trying to finish just one more, often applying the final polish only hours before our flights. Retailers also always have a lot to do in preparation for the show, both in the office and on-location, and Sykes was the first to arrive in Chicago last Monday, later followed by many others on Tuesday or Wednesday. It's a great time to meet up with collectors, friends, and other carvers we may only see once a year.

The CPCC did a fantastic job organizing the show (as always!) and we want to express our deepest appreciation to all of the members for their annual hard work! If you've never attended the Chicago show before, we encourage you to try to attend next year. Many of the carvers we showcase on our site were in attendance and you can be sure we've purchased plenty of beautiful pipes for future updates, so stay tuned in the coming weeks. As I am writing this, some of the crew is currently arriving back at the office looking as though they attended a party that lasted four days (which, in part, is true).

Today you can find a wonderful assortment of briars from Maigurs Knets, J&J, Rinaldo, Castello, Radice, and dozens of other pipes from various popular brands, and remember we're running a 40% discount on all new Ser Jacopo pipes through the month of May. Even though a good chunk of our team was out of town for most of last week, the staff that stayed behind wanted to make sure there wasn't a dull moment in preparation for your enjoyment of this update. Enjoy!

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

Show Time ~sutherland~

2013-05-02T16:00:00-04:00

It's that time again; the Chicagoland International Pipe and Tobacciana Show now is upon us. For the uninitiated, this is the pipe event of the year. Nowhere else and at no other time is there such a large gathering of pipe smokers, makers, distributors, retailers, tobacconists... pretty much anyone with any relation to our great hobby.

Of course, Smokingpipes.com is in attendance. How could we not be? We're in room 1401 should you be around, and we'll have a few tables set up on the floor once the show opens Saturday. Make sure to stop by and say hello; really it's always great fun for us to chat with our customers. Plus we've got pipes -- lots of 'em! We're also posting updates and photos to our Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter feeds should you not be able to make it and want to see what all the fuss is about.

Unfortunately not all of us are able to attend. We've our own bi-weekly show to run. In fact, we have a pretty spectacular promotion beginning today: From the time that you receive this very newsletter through the end of the month all Ser Jacopo pipes are 40% off. Did we wait 'til upper management had left town to sneak this one in? I'll plead the fifth.

As far as today's site update goes we're introducing Rossi Pipes, a brand of affordable yet fantastic pipes manufactured in Italy's first pipe factory. We also have for you pipes from Rolando Negoita, Paolo Becker, Ser Jacopo (of course), L'Anatra, Randy Wiley, Claudio Cavicchi, Brigham, Nording, Brebbia, Savinelli, and Peterson, along with a bevy of estate pipes and a new bulk pipe tobacco, "Black Raspberry", from Lane Limited.

John Sutherland: Marketing Mngr and Sr. Photographer

The Joy of Labor ~eric~

2013-04-29T16:02:00-04:00

Many a time one or another of us here at Smokingpipes has started off a newsletter speaking of just how busy we've been during the preceding days. Sure enough, I could properly double-down on that theme this Monday, as between the Castello event (special offer still ongoing, for the record -- though tomorrow's your last chance at it), preparations for the Chicago show, unexpected visitors, and various projects, and so forth, we have, indeed, been very, very busy. And yet, blessedly, there have been a few opportunities to relax, as well.

This past Wednesday, for example, Brandon generously agreed to help me out with doing a little work on my old Lincoln. The plan was simple: We'd head over to his place after work, knock out the old, worn-out pins and bushings from my driver's side door, install new ones, and then I could return here to finish up my work on a project for his department. Fifteen minutes, tops, we figured. As luck would have it, however, either Ford spent the 1980s installing hinge pins made out of an alloy of truly phenomenal resilience, or just as likely, those on my car became magically fused in place at some point during the past twenty-plus years. Either way, fifteen minutes turned into three hours -- but an enjoyable three hours, I must say, as we variously hammered, chiseled, and filed in vain. Yes, in the end we counted ourselves lucky just to get the door back on straight on the first attempt, old pin and worn bushings still in place, but along the way there was plenty of camaraderie to be had. And since by that time it was too late to go back to the office anyway, we settled instead for sitting in his garage, smoking and shooting the breeze -- though not before enjoying a good home-cooked meal, courtesy of his wife. (She happens to be the sort of woman who will make guests eat, and, as fortune would have it, also the kind of cook whose offerings will make those same guests enjoy being made to eat.)

The next day, that of our Castello event, saw everyone from Sykes, to our IT department, to the guys in our brick & mortar abuzz with related activity. Those of us in marketing had by and large tied up everything we'd needed done on that project, but that of course meant immediately turning around to catch up on other work (such as that I had planned on having finished off the evening before, until Brandon and I had our chance meeting with the aforementioned, amazingly tenacious hinge pin). Once again, however, when all the effort and toil was complete, we found ourselves able to appreciate the onset of a bit of calm all the more sweetly. All loose ends in their place, I clocked out and headed up to the shop, spending the rest of the evening in the company of Sykes, Marco, Ted, Brandon, Bill, Dave, Vinnie, and all the customers both old and new who came in, relaxing, conversing, enjoying a bit of good food, and , of course, plenty of good smoke as well.

I recall a certain song from my teenage years, from which the key theme and verse was, pretty simply, "joy of labor set you free". Indeed it does, and these past couple weeks, I've seen plenty of very motivated labor indeed, something which of course comes only from people who are very motivated about what they're doing. But it also makes those times when the labor is done feel that much better as well; relaxation is always at its best when one has done all they can to earn it.

Fortunately, today as we all arose and began making our ways towards the office and the final preparations for this update, South Carolina's typically bright, sapphire skies decided to hammer down with a double-dose of rainfall. In other words, perfect pipe-smoking weather. This, naturally, is just what I'll be getting down to as soon as I've signed off on this newsletter. (No doubt many of you will have already beaten me to it -- to that, I say, good for you.) And after that? Well, there is this Thursday's update next on the calendar -- and it's certainly not going to get itself done.

And now that I've rambled sufficiently for one day, let's see what we can offer you today. This Monday brings us excellent artisanal briars by both Michael Parks and Gregor Lobnik, joined by English classics from the esteemed Dunhill. Following up comes a broad selection indeed, covering pipes by Peterson, Savinelli, Johs, Chacom, Stanwell, Tsuge, and Vauen -- plus three-dozen freshly restored estate pipes. Then on top of that, there are three new bulk tobacco offerings by C&D, sticks from Perdomo and San Cristobal, and a whole pile of Zippos to introduce, most notably those designed just for lighting up a good pipe.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

The Pretense Was Work ~ted~

2013-04-26T08:34:00-04:00

The pretense was that what I’d be doing would involve work. But the truth is I went to Morganton, NC to play with pipe tobacco. I work in tobacciana (obviously), and so, technically, it would at least be work-related play.

See, I’ve visited Cornell & Diehl a couple of times now. Ordinarily I get to hang around the factory for two or three hours. Although one can see every part of the factory there is to see in about forty-five minutes, what goes on there is sufficiently complex that a few hours will only provide a very cursory understanding of what the folks at C&D do. My previous visits were enough to test the water only, so to speak. I was looking to get waist deep.

“What do you want to do while you’re here?” Chris asked over coffee shortly after my 9AM arrival.

“I want to work.” My delivery was as stern and ambitious as I could make it, like I was applying for a job.

“Good, because that’s all I ready had planned for you.” He followed up with his signature laugh.

Ten minutes later and I’m under Ted’s wing. Ted is 76 years old, but a spirited individual who doesn’t look a day over 60. Largely, he spends his time at C&D blending tobacco to fill orders, and the demand for C&D’s blends certainly keeps him busy. All the guys work from a small, tattered card catalog filled with handwritten tobacco recipes in a strange code of argot and numbers. For the most part, they’ve got all this committed to memory. For a newbie like me, there was no sense to it. Everything had to be explained to me through every step of the process. Like I was a baby. And to these expert old hands, I guess that’s pretty much what I was when it came to blending tobacco from scratch.

So it was that I spent the next five or six hours blending, saucing, bagging, tinning, and labeling tobacco for orders under their guidance. The Cornell & Diehl plant is like one humungous crafts project scaled into a formidable and efficient operation. I was warned that at the end of my shift I’d want to stuff all the clothes I was wearing into a bag and quarantine it from the rest of my laundry. And they were right. Even my hair smelled like Latakia.

Just as I was getting the hang of things (in my opinion, at least) my time was up. Although I did leave Morganton with a far better understanding than ever before of what the fine folks at Cornell & Diehl are up to each day, I figure I’ve still just barely scratched the surface. Looks like I’ll have to put together and polish a convincing argument or three as to why Sykes should let me go for a full week next year.

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager

Castello Pipes Live Event ~christopher~

2013-04-25T16:00:00-04:00

At Smokingpipes.com we always do our best to bring you the best pipes, cigars and tobaccos, but today, we are also bringing some extra-special pipe-related goodness.

This afternoon at Low Country Pipe and Cigar, our brick & mortar location, Smokingpipes is hosting a Castello pipe event. From 4:00 PM (EST) through 7:00, special guest Marco Parascenzo will be on hand from Castello. (Aside from his services to Castello, Marco also runs the widely renowned Novelli Pen & Pipe store in Rome.) The evening will be full of food, drink and conversation (about pipes, naturally).

Of course, not every one of our customers can make it here to sunny South Carolina for the event, and we don't want to leave anyone out. So, we are extending the event to the cyber-world via GotoMeeting.com and their virtual meeting software. All you need to do is go to GoToMeeting.com and download their free software. Instructions on installing the software and joining the meeting can be found at the top of our website -- just click on the "Castello Live Event" image at the top of our website after 4:00 o'clock and a snazzy pop-up window will offer you a step-by-step walkthrough. We're featuring an interview with Marco at 5:00, hosted by Sykes. You definitely won't want to miss that, and Phillip, one of our distinguished customer service reps, will be available for chat.

To help celebrate the event, we are also running a special with Castello pipes. With the purchase of any new Castello pipe, customers will also receive a Castello tobacco pouch, usually retailing at $70 value. That's not just one per order, mind you, but one free with each and every new Castello pipe. And that special is running right now, so you can beat the rush.

Meanwhile, let's get back to this update and today's pipes. We have pipes from Tokutomi Pipe Company and Rad Davis, as well as from Ardor, Mastro de Paja, and meerschaums from the new AKB brand. There are also Neerups, Nordings, Savinellis and Petersons aplenty. Joining them all are a variety of estates from Danish, English, Italian, American and other pipemakers.

Christopher Huff: Copywriter

Special Castello Update ~eric~

2013-04-25T11:27:00-04:00

As previously indicated, today we're bringing you a special promotion. It's quite simple, really: We've acquired a whole, extra-large bunch of fresh Castellos for a live event to be held tomorrow at our brick & mortar, Low Country Pipe & Cigar, and an even larger number of Castello tobacco pouches (normally retailing at $70 a pop) to be given away with each Castello pipe purchased. Why more pouches than pipes? Because we aren't limiting the deal, nor the pipes themselves, to just those of you who happen to be able to stop by in Little River, SC -- that's why. Nope. Instead we're offering the same deal to all of our customers, wherever you may happen to be, and with the purchase of any new Castello pipe at that, not just those from the forty-eight specially acquired for said event. We're even extending the timeframe of the online offer as well, which will begin today and continue through the 30th of this month, while supplies last.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Earth Day and Appreciation of Briar ~adam~

2013-04-22T16:00:00-04:00

Today is Earth Day, which was first introduced in 1970 to be the first day of spring (March 21st), but later changed to April 22nd, went international, and is recognized in more than 140 nations around the world. Where would we be without our beloved planet, and everything in our lives that mother Earth has provided (which is everything except for meteorites, star 'dust' and sunlight)? Indeed, this is the day we try to reflect how lovely the planet is and try our best -if even for one day- to try and preserve it for the future. Don't run the water as long; be sure to shut off a light when you leave a room; try your best not to waste gasoline revving your engine at a red light when the little old lady in the next lane is revving hers while giving you the "I can go from zero-to-my-age in six seconds" look.

Plant a tree. Plant a flower. Do your best not to cut down a tree or smash a flower. You get the idea. For generations, people around the world have done a fair job of re-planting after a harvest, and the briar harvesters around the Mediterranean (I would assume) do the same thing. Briar takes a long time to grow, and comes from a plant that we all hope will continue to be around for generations. This lovely material is coveted by all of us for its unique characteristics and beauty when worked by a skilled pipe carver (after being skillfully boiled and cured by a cutter). It's questionable whether or not any pipe makers are reading this newsletter today, because they're probably hard at work preparing for the Chicago pipe show in early May, but you collectors out there know a nice pipe when you see it. We carvers appreciate a beautiful block of briar and are reminded where it comes from; in the ground, surrounded by sand and dirt (some specks of which inevitably reveal themselves during the pipe making process, and which we pipemakers always hope are only skin deep). Many craftsmen feel a connection to their chosen material, and its source, just like those who puff happily on the finished piece.

We've an impressive variety of pipes for your perusal, including work from Hiroyuki Tokutomi, Benni Jorgensen, Rinaldo, and Radice. Other brands, such as Butz-Chouqin, Tsuge, Stanwell, Chacom, Savinelli, and Peterson offer unique styles and finishes smokers the world over have come to love, while there are also estates to ponder from Ireland and Italy. Also, if you're looking for Castello pipes, later this week we've got a promotion lined up just for you, which will be accompanying a live event in our Low Country Pipe and Cigar Store. Stay tuned for more info!

Six Macanudo smokes are going up for you cigar enthusiasts out there. Perhaps after you browse our site tonight and find some interesting pieces to add to your collection, you will be able to escape to some serene place to puff on a wonderful leaf - tobacco - courtesy of that unique floating marble in the vastness of everything; Earth.

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

Gearing Up for Pipe Show Season ~ted~

2013-04-18T16:00:00-04:00

There's much abuzz here at Smokingpipes.com. After all, it's that time of year; the show season is nearly in full swing. This past Saturday we were in Raleigh, NC for the TAPS Pipe Show (which, as usual, was awesome; the club members are fantastic and it was a beautiful day for a pipe show), and of course we've got the big ol' Chicago show just around the corner here. There's much to do in terms of preparation.

On Monday and Tuesday my wife and I spent the day up in Morganton, NC at the Cornell & Diehl factory. As many of you well know, we visit the fine folks at C&D annually (it's a relatively short haul from Little River, SC), however, this year I made a point to take some extra time to get down and dirty at the plant. And by that I mean I got to blend tobacco, tin tobacco, and put labels on tins. It's exciting to think that those tins that I put together from start to finish are going to be opened and enjoyed one day and that I had something to do with it. That's exactly how everyone at Cornell & Diehl feels about their product. It's a wonderful operation, and it was really inspiring to listen and learn first-hand about the passion that goes into what those guys do every single day. You can bet that we'll have a piece for the blog up soon.

In the meantime we'll be getting down to doing what we do best: serving up fresh pipes. This afternoon we're pleased to introduce Gamboni pipes to Smokingpipes.com. Gian Maria, a Rome based pipe maker, got his start in the craft back in 2007 with a little help from the Musico workshop. He seamlessly blends Danish, German, British, and other design sensibilities into a cohesive and attractive aesthetic that is very much his own. Also, the pipe maker must be big into golf what with grades like 'Hole in One', 'Putting Green', and 'Stableford'. Both good-humored and clever.

We're also featuring four new pipes from the ever-so popular Michael Lindner, in addition to fresh work from Randy Wiley, L'Anatra, Savinelli, Nording, Brigham, and Peterson. All this on top of a whopping 84 recently restored estate pipes. Huzzah!

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager

Insights from a (Semi-Inanimate) Owl ~eric~

2013-04-15T16:00:00-04:00

This Sunday morning I stopped by the office, and as I walked towards my desk I took a start when I noticed a rustling sound -- like something small and quick scurrying somewhere unseen. I turned quickly, alert to potential danger - was it possible one of the local semi-feral felines had somehow slipped into the office? A wayward water moccasin, perhaps, in extreme confusion over having somehow slithered its way up from the river the night before, and into our building before realizing, too late, only after I had turned the lights on, that it had meandered completely out of its element?

It was an owl. An owl, smoking a pipe. This was Katy's doing, obviously - it was on her desk, after all. A diminutive, evidently solar-powered owl, waving its round little head from side to side, and wagging a tiny origami Billiard at me in the process. Well, trying to, anyway -- the pipe had become somewhat dislodged, and now hung straight down from its beak to drag across the ground at its feet; back and forth, back and forth. This was the source of that rustling that had startled me in the first place. Cautiously, I approached and set to correcting its pipe-smoking technique. With everything in order, it was free to continue with its slow, tireless oscillation in silence.

Of course, even with the rustling sound gone, I still had the problem of feeling like I was being watched by a tiny, yet evidently relentless little owl -- and an owl that smoked a pipe at that. Just the sort of owl, I thought to myself, likely to be particularly adept at observation, and inclined towards patiently working things out.

As I looked back over at it, I noticed that it was flanked by several pipes -- full-sized human pipes. Katy doesn't even smoke a pipe, but she still keeps several around her desk. That's when I started working some things out for myself, as well. Pete, Kat, Kelly -- none of them smoke pipes, but they all had pipes on their desks; particular pipes which they always kept on their desks. Why? The only reason that I could come up with was: people, or a lot of people anyway, just like the sight of a pipe. Pipes are old-school, pipes are classical; pipes are, quite simply, charming. So it may be that even people who don't smoke them, or don't even smoke at all, might still like to keep a few around for atmosphere, waiting there just out of the corner of their eye. Much like that owl was still doing.

Well, they're welcome to it -- and so is the owl, too, I suppose, so long as I never find myself, alone in the office, glancing over to discover him having somehow moved closer while I wasn't watching. The more people who take pleasure in pipes, even if just aesthetically or sentimentally, the more people there are who will be happy to leave us to enjoying pipes in our own way -- by smoking them. And to that particular end, the smoking of pipes, we here at Smokingpipes have, of course, a fresh update waiting for you all.

So, here it is: From Greek artisan Chris Asteriou, there's a fine quartet of beautiful briars, and from American pipemaker Ernie Markel, a fine trio too. From England come the classic pipes of Dunhill, and from Russia, P.S. Studio's impressive modern pieces. Joining them you'll find a vast array of briars assembled from the offerings of Savinelli, Peterson, Vauen, Luciano, Nording, Johs, Stanwell, and Tsuge -- plus of course some estates as well. Finally, we have several new pipe stands from Savinelli.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Some Fancy Felines ~kathryn~

2013-04-12T12:24:00-04:00

Recently, circumstances made me look like the crazy one in the office, and not in the “we all go insane,” marketing meeting kind of way. Preparing for the update, people were chattering about the new Claudio Albieri pipe stands we’d received. Intrigued by talk of magnets and chairs that resemble bucket seats, I asked for one to be set aside for me to look at.

I didn’t notice it when I came back to my desk, but as I set down the estate pipe I was looking over, I was suddenly greeted by a smirking black cat, whom I’d apparently just invited to smoke. I couldn’t suppress the laughter. Here was this fine-looking pipe stand, praised throughout the office for its sleek masculinity, trim design, and quality leather, but all I could see was a cat. After getting many strange looks, I gained enough composure to take a picture.

Although I was delighted with how it looked, when I re-arranged the pipe chairs the way they were probably meant to be, the cat disappeared and I was able to see some of the more impressive points in their design. The magnets allow the individual pipe holders to grip tight to the base, which has sheet-steel under that beautiful leather, but can also attach to a tin of tobacco, (or any other metal thing that I tried in the office) allowing the convenience of a stable pipe pretty much everywhere. Additionally, the rests can be bent or molded to fit the unique shape of your pipe, to guarantee it doesn’t topple or slip, a pretty ingenious detail in my opinion. The leather is soft and there are no pointy edges to be found, ensuring the finish of your briar stays the way it is.

They are available in six color combinations, (black, red & black, black & red, blues, browns, and black & yellow) making them aesthetically adaptable to any living room, office, or man-cave decor. Of course, if you choose to arrange it the way I would, you get a friendly cat as well... meaning your wives and girlfriends may not hate it the way they do the mechanical fish on the wall that sings when you walk by. It’s a win-win.

Kathryn Mann: Social Media Liaison

From a Block of Wood to an Exquisite Object ~adam~

2013-04-11T16:00:00-04:00

Pipes are beautiful to me, but they are just pieces of wood to some people (not any of you reading this, I would hope). Chairs can also just be pieces of wood. Baseball bats, tables, and a million other products could also be looked upon by someone unenthusiastic about them as simply pieces of wood shaped to perform a function. It's that magical (and skillful) craftsmanship and artistry that evolved over centuries -through trial and error- that elevate something that could just as soon be busted up to keep a home warm with fire into something that warms our souls and passions.

Finding the best wood for the project or craft takes a lot of time and skill. This is why white oak is used by a cooper to make barrels (which is an extremely high skill!), hickory is often used for tool handles (because of its hard grain and shock resistance), curly maple was/is one of the choicest woods for flintlock rifles, and briar is the chosen material for pipes. In centuries past, a craftsman was necessary because most people from farmers to butchers needed tools, and everyone needed containers, and objects for everyday life -- and all of these were made by hand. These craftsmen learned what to search for in their raw materials, knew they had to be properly cured before use, and only after this would they start taking more time to make the perfectly-made object more beautiful. The maker's mark guaranteed the products, built a reputation, and were always applied with pride. (As Eric has mentioned to me, even in medieval times there were those who would unethically copy a famous smith's mark onto swords.)

Some barrels were guaranteed for thirty years against leaking or warping; flintlock rifles -with their highly-figured stocks- could sometimes look like some of the most beautiful contrast-stained smooth briars of today. It's safe to suggest that the first pipes made from briar weren't cured, stained, or polished with carnauba wax. Sandblasting briar, introduced and patented by Dunhill, opened a new door to the beauty of our chosen smoking instruments. Carvers experiment with different textures, colors, finishes, and have a lot of failures along the way, just like those other craftsmen and artists before them. Trial and error, experimentation, and learning from both successes and failures drives a pipe maker to achieve and to proudly stamp their maker's mark on a product they stand behind. After all, if those first carvers of briar for tobacco never took risks to make their products more attractive, the wonderful root, with its often stunning grain, might simply just as well be another piece of wood.

Today we have over two hundred examples of pipes from dedicated craftsmen and artisans. J&J, from California, continue to push their own boundaries and are producing some really lovely stuff. Askwith and Larryson are great examples of English makers who strive for beautiful finishes on an already-wonderfully-made pipe. Il Duca pipes push the boundaries and materials by utilizing briar, olivewood, strawberry, and morta. Ardor continues to experiment with textures and colors, as does Kevin Arthur. Everyone has something to contribute, and each hopes you will thoroughly enjoy the pipe coming from their shop.

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

Good Company, a Good Smoke, and the Benefits of Perseverance ~eric~

2013-04-08T15:48:00-04:00

Things have been hectic around here the past week -- but then that is more often than not the case anyhow, and most of us are used to it by the time we have our first year at Smokingpipes under our belt. Marketing meetings, emergency meetings, super-secret meetings, and of course, pipes, pipes, and more pipes. One thing that helped me get through it all was one of my favorite go-to tobaccos, MacBaren's Old Dark Fired. For once, it occurred to me to actually buy two tins when it last came in -- rather fortunate, that, as by the time I did the four-hundred tins we'd received little over a week before had already dwindled down to a few dozen. Many of you, it would seem, are of a like mind in appreciating this unique dark flake.

As busy as things about the office may be, though, we do still manage to squeeze a bit of R&R in over the weekends. (Well, we try, at least.) This past Saturday, for example, Ted called me up and asked me to haul my carcass over to a local marina, in order to join him and his wife for a few drinks and a bite to eat. Good company, good food, and a few pints of Guinness were in order, as was a bowl of Old Dark Fired. While the weather was clear and pleasantly cool, it was however, also more than a little breezy, and I found myself going to considerable lengths trying to find someplace I could successfully light my pipe. Rather than give up and do without after the sixth or seventh match was extinguished before it could even touch the tobacco, I found myself leaving the balcony, winding down the stairs, and eventually attempting to wedge myself into a two-foot wide alley, just to escape the breeze coming off the water. Even that proved for naught -- whether I underestimated the breeze, or overestimated the sheltering properties of such a confined space, I had no better luck there, either. Eventually my perseverance proved worthwhile, nonetheless, as by holding the bowl of my pipe right up against a down-wind wall, and cupping my hand over it, I managed to at last to achieve a promising billowing of fragrant smoke, and was able to return triumphant to our table.

Later on, come evening, I would rejoin the young couple for dinner at their place, following which Shelly took to keeping herself entertained with a jigsaw puzzle as Ted and I retired to smoke and enjoy a bit of obscure cinema -- the Italian-produced Violent City, starring one late, great Charles Bronson, and a soundtrack by none other than maestro Ennio Morricone himself. Though one of the best he ever starred in, I suspect this gem-noire may not have ever been particularly well known stateside, despite having been filmed in the U.S., and in English. One aspect in particular that suggests this is that a considerable amount of the original English voice-track seems to have been lost, and the movie will suddenly break into and out of subtitled Italian during the course of various scenes. (This varies from version to version -- the one on Amazon's Instant Video service seems to do it the least, the DVD I had brought to Ted's, the most.) Ted noted that they seemed to break out Italian voice-actors whenever something particularly poetic or romantic was about to be spoken. In turn I speculated that, in Bronson's case at least, this may have been because the quiet, sinewy block of a man, who'd began working in a coal mine at an age when most boys were still mowing lawns, may have stared down the director, refusing to utter the intended lines. I can't imagine very many people in the film industry were comfortable telling that man "No." back when he was in his prime.

As we watched, enjoying our pipes and cigars, I considered possible drinking games applicable to this particular film. I don't engage in such games myself, but the devising of them can be an entertaining mental exercise in and of itself. The first and most obvious, of course, was to take a drink each time someone smoked. Having been filmed in 1975, however, this proved unworkable unless your intention was to wind up sprawled and incoherent on the floor -- every major character smoked, and often. Next came "a drink every time one character or another engaged in an act of betrayal". Again, unworkable -- despite Bronson's character being a hired killer, he seemed to be the only one not stabbing someone else in the back with every other scene. (Any scene in which an act of betrayal was not occurring, of course, simply depicted the set-up for a later-revealed betrayal.) The appearance of a ridiculous outfit that could have only seemed possible to wear in public during the 1970s? Far too copious again, ranging from the monochromatically-orange three-piece suit of another assassin to the psychedelic tunic of a waiter. My last attempt was "count each time Telly Savalas waves his hand while talking, and then divide by three". Hopeless -- utterly hopeless. I knew this was far too dangerous a theme when I counted to eight hand-waves halfway through a single line, before giving up. Even Dionysus would have been reduced to a weeping, hugging, old-girlfriend-calling, gibbering mess trying to keep up with that man's conversational gesturing.

Still, so long as there was good company and a good smoke to enjoy, I was willing to accept this defeat, at least.

And, fortunately enough, today we are once again ready and able to provide you with all you need to enjoy the latter (though the former, being quite a bit more subjective, we'll leave up to you). So what is in store for this Monday? Pipes, of course -- and loads of them. Fresh artisanal pieces arrive on site from Werner Mummert, Radice, and Castello, joined by a bevy of briars by Stanwell, Chacom, Tsuge, Butz-Chouqin, Savinelli, and Peterson. You'll also find batches of Italian, English, and Danish estates as well, plus more cigars by Kristoff, the introduction of Missouri Meerschaum's deep-chambered "Freehand" cobs, and, lastly, new accessories from Savinelli, in the form of bowl-protecting leather pipe sleeves.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Inevitability Strikes ~ted~

2013-04-04T15:38:00-04:00

It finally happened. I broke a pipe.

To be fair (to me), I didn't break anything. Rather, some crude combination of sloppy baggage handler and a soft leather pipe case (that I now have some very serious doubts about) double-teamed up against one of my most prized smoking pipes and snapped the tenon right off from the mortise. So I suppose it's more accurate to state that I now own a broken pipe that used to be not broken.

Nevertheless, I still feel responsible. As well I should. It's my pipe; I am its custodian. It survived eighty years relatively unscathed and I volunteered my charge of it. If I had packed the pipe for journey more carefully or had learned by now that I ought to travel with 'beater' pipes the thing would be fine. Coulda, woulda, shoulda -- we all know the drill.

The good news: it's repairable. The pipe, which is honestly one of the top three smokers I currently possess, can be amended and put back into regular service. And that's exactly what I intend to do. Or more appropriately, that's what I intend to have done as I long ago realized that I'm without the faculties required to repair just about anything (that's why Mother Nature invented guys like Ronni Bikacsan).

But truth be told, a replacement tenon will bug me. Yes, it brings down the value of the pipe, but I never had (and likely never will have) any ambition to sell it. I think it just rubs some weird intellectual node in the very wrong way. I guess it's like the same way a lot of car guys will sooner bore-out and rebuild the same, original, decades-old engine in their prized project rather than replace it with something new and modern. (Or so Eric informs me -- I'm not really car guy. It's a matter of those faculties, or lack of them, again.) And so I think I'd rather not intellectualize it any further than that.

Maybe the lesson is this: a broken pipe can happen to anyone. I think I take pretty spiffy care of my pipes (better than others, not as good as some), and it happened to me. It's like when a motorcycle instructor tells you that going down on your bike isn't a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when'. Because it's going to happen. Because on a long enough timeline, it's an inevitability. Maybe it's the same with the pipes you smoke.

Sorry to sound so fatalistic, you guys. I just broke one of my favorite pipes.

Still, perhaps if you yourself have recently suffered a similar misfortune, we may be able to turn that frown upside down. There's much to be excited about here today. For instance? Well, we've got new work from legendary pipemaker Lars Ivarsson to show off. Son of Sixten, father to Nanna, Lars' pipes are arguably the most highly sought after work currently produced. The pipes are just that good. And that's why we're so pleased to showcase a couple of them here this afternoon. Also in today's update you'll find fresh pipes from Kent Rasmussen, Rolando Negoita, Randy Wiley, and Claudio Cavicchi in addition to a hatful of new pipes from Peterson, Brigham, Winslow, Nording, and Johs. Oh, and be sure to check out the new series we're offering from Savinelli! New pipe stands from Neal Yarm also hit the site today (they're very cool, by the way). And as usual, there are a whole slew of estate pipes newly available. So let's just be glad it's Thursday!

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager

In the Workshop: Michael Parks ~eric~

2013-04-02T12:04:00-04:00

Just a little while back, we had a visitor. You’ve probably heard of him: Canadian pipemaker Michael Parks. He’s made quite a name for himself with his great interpretations (and re-interpretations) of traditional designs, not to mention some really stellar sandblasting. And, of course, we feature his pipes in our regular updates.

He flew down here a few weekends ago to spend several days collaborating with our own resident pipemaker, Adam Davidson, and I was asked to join them in order to observe and report – the latter of which I’m doing right now. John also joined us on my second day there, and between the four of us conversations ranged across such subjects as the evolution of the “behaviorally modern human”, pipes, automobiles, pipes, flowers gardening, pipes, what to do if attacked by a bear in Canada, and of course, pipes. Michael is a proper outdoorsman, Adam was raised in a small town in Indiana, and though I grew up in New Jersey, my parents’ families hail from the outskirts of the Appalachia on one side, and deep in the hills on the other – resulting in quite a bit of common context between three thirty-something fellows who grew up hundreds of miles apart.

And of course, we all enjoyed a good meal. And because Adam is Adam, it was only natural that excellent, home-cooked fare was provided each evening. (He also took Michel out to a Cracker Barrel breakfast on Sunday morning, and, as is only fitting to a true Canadian, Michael made sure to taste and assess the maple syrup before applying it to his pancakes.)

But the real reason we were there was pipes, or more to the point, pipe-making, and regarding that there was plenty to learn of and observe. Between one day and another, John, Kat, or I had cameras at the ready to document Michael and Adam at work, and a picture is, as ever, worth a thousand words. So let’s all have a look at what went down, shall we?

Conceptualizing - Failing to plan is planning to fail, as the saying goes. While there are those out there who can just pick up a piece of briar, or stone, or a blank canvas, and create something technically proficient and aesthetically engaging on the fly, they are very much a minority – akin to those who can produce the answers to complex mathematical problems at a moment’s notice. For the rest of us mere mortals, forethought and preparation are in order. As a special project for this visit, Michael and Adam were handed a big chunk of plateau briar, with the idea of producing a pair of matched-shape pipes. Not identical, mind you; the artisans would each apply their own final tweaks, as well as their own finishing techniques, but both pipes would share in a common concept, as well source material. Even this foundational step in the pipemaking process (developing a shape) absorbed plenty of time and a lot of thought, Adam and Michael sketching, rubbing out, re-sketching, and passing the block back and forth, all while carrying on a running discussion covering flow, aesthetic balance, engineering, and grain.

Shaping – That sleek, modern Dublin seen above is Michael’s. He spoke to us about how when hand-filing he gets into a deep focus that he thoroughly enjoys, and how the time flies as he works to perfect the pipe’s design. And, sure enough, once he started, he was off in a world of his own, patiently puffing on his pipe and making no noise but the measured rasping of wood and steel, and the periodic scratching of a pen as he paused to plan out his next moves. The results speak for themselves, even when looking at an unstained stummel, sans stem, and still sporting some of Michael’s pen-marks– I really liked this pipe. The ability a pipemaker has to develop and intuitively conceive a design in three dimensions, and confidently understand how altering a line or plane in one place will affect other aspects of a shape’s balance, is, by itself, impressive.

Drilling, Engineering, and Stem-work- It’s all well and good to make a pipe look fine, but if the drilling and engineering isn’t solid, looking fine as it sits collecting dust may be all it ends up doing. Both Michael and Adam recognize this, and though they had different methods for ensuring that chamber and draft-hole were cleanly executed and precisely aligned, each clearly put a lot of thought into the process. As artisans, they don’t just want their fellow pipe aficionados to purchase and collect the briars they create, they want them to smoke them, enjoy them, and, hopefully, praise them to others. A lot of work, as well as a whole lot of patience goes into building up a reputation as an artisan whose works can be counted on as an investment – pipes that one can trust to provide enjoyment for years to come. Developing and maintaining habits and methods that produce consistent results were clearly a point of pride for both Michael and Adam. At the same time, both were more than willing to observe and learn from the other.

Adam also demonstrated his stem-making to both Michael and me. As with most things, Adam takes a systematic approach. Even with the aid of a lathe set up specifically for the task, buffing wheels, etcetera, it can take two or more hours to complete a single, custom-shaped stem. Quality of stem work is something many consider to be a major aspect of pipemaking, distinguishing the skilled artisan. Although I wasn’t there to catch Michael working on his stems, I did get to see the materials he’d brought along, including some really gorgeous cumberland. As with the briar from which bowls and shanks are fashioned, for an artisan, after investing countless hours developing your skills, making the best of your efforts begins with acquiring appropriately high-quality materials to work from.

Silverwork - Annealing is an important step, preventing the sterling silver (hardened by its extrusion into tubes) from folding or cracking during shaping into a mount. Adam was kind enough to display for Michael and me just how important this step is, by first attempting to shape a mount from silver he hadn’t annealed. Granted, this wasn’t intentional – it was a piece that he had thought he’d annealed previously - but it was instructive. As Adam good-naturedly put it, “There goes about five dollars. As you can see, making mistakes with silver can get expensive.”

R & R - Both days that I was present my arrival didn’t come until afternoon. For Michael and Adam work began around 9:00AM. This meant that by the time I’d been poking around for several hours, everyone was hungry, and both artisans could use a bit of a wind-down to refresh their grey matter and give their hands a break. (And just let me say, I’ve yet to meet a pipemaker with anything like a weak handshake.) Grilled meat, a bit of drink, and plenty of coffee and tea were provided by our host in short order – all of it excellent. Along with this came of course a bit of simply lounging around, passing about our various personal supplies of tobacco, and enjoying our pipes while the birds chirped, cats wandered through the yard, and the lathes, sanding disk, and what have you cooled off in silence.

Final Notes– Like I said, I really liked this pipe. (Also, while I’m not a terribly photogenic fellow, I do think I looked damn good in this picture, rather stately - so onto the internet with it.) Michael and I had discussed various marques the first day I was over, and one that had come up was the old Kriswells, which had given Stanwell a lot of competition back in the 1960s, offering as they did a lot of lean, trim, streamlined designs. Though Michael’s design featured a touch more substantial bowl than most of the old Kriswells I’ve seen, (which often looked like sharpened-up variations of the Sixten Ivarasson look) I saw in it the same kind of confident dynamism in line, form, and posture that I think of when I picture one of the really good, vintage Kriswell shapes. This struck me as something of a happy coincidence, given both that I’d not even seen this pipe yet when we’d had our discussion, and Michael mentioned that this design was something of a departure from the variations on classical shapes that he usually concentrates on. I think both the classic shapes and this more dynamic, direct, and active style strike as a natural fit for a man who is both an artisan and an outdoorsman, and hope to see plenty more from Michael in the future.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

The Rabbit Catcher ~adam~

2013-04-01T15:46:00-04:00

Ever since the get-together at my home and workshop on St. Patrick's Day (which was sunny, warm, and beautiful), it's been rather cold, rainy, and dismal here in the area. When checking the weather last week, it was reported that the month of March - for many parts of the United States - was actually colder (on average) than the month of January! What the heck! Pipe smoking friends of mine have been grumbling about not being able to smoke comfortably outside, and who wouldn't be a little antsy for sunny warm days this time of year?

As my wife and I talked about having some friends over for Easter, she pretty much had just one wish; to hold a bunny - sunny day or not. A seemingly simple idea once you understand that she and I have observed a few unusually docile rabbits in our yard chewing on sprouts -- believe it or not our neighborhood has a handful of beautiful cats that walk around and seem to be friends with the rabbits (something usually not seen outside of animation). My wife suggested we try to trap one of the floppy-eared things. I told her that if we succeeded, I would surely let her pet it before firing up the grill.

As it turned out, Easter was a beautiful day. Sunny, warm, and the perfect day to leave the garage door open while a few of us sat outside having a few drinks while a duck was slowly smoking on the grill. The day was picture-perfect for puffing my pipe, and the open door alleviated my guests from sitting in a too-fragrantly-smoky room. Between pouring a pint, showing a friend how I made silver caps for military-mount pipes, and discussing various topics, the girls (and admittedly me, too) kept scanning the tree line for floppy-eared creatures. Then, while checking on the duck, my wife squealed as we all saw two brown-and-white rabbits hopping through our back yard. As the sun was setting, we saw a woman getting closer and closer to them (they'd by now worked their way around to our front yard). Eventually she caught one and we discovered they were actually her pets. My wife got her wish to hold a bunny on Easter. His name is Timothy Flowers. It was nice to meet some of our new neighbors and learn of their unusual hobbies, but then again they met me. I suspect their high school guidance counselors had never asked if they'd ever considered a career in making tobacco pipes, somehow.

With that story, we're happy to announce that for the month of April we are running a Dunhill tinned pipe tobacco promotion: buy four of the same Dunhill blend, get a fifth free. We're also showcasing five beautiful pipes from Michael Parks today. Michael, you see, visited me last weekend and our offices last Monday. His pieces are meticulously made and inspirational in their perfection. We've also got creative pieces from Ichi Kitahara, displaying the sort of "balanced asymmetry" he learned from Tokutomi, along with a whole lot of his own personal inventiveness, Dunhill, dozens of fresh briars from other popular brands, and thirty-six estates -- along with some new accessories, plus "little cigar" kreteks from Djarum. Perhaps, like my wife on Easter Sunday, today you might just find something you've been wishing for!

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

Anthropological Musings ~christopher~

2013-03-28T16:00:00-04:00

As I sit here, smoking my fine Peterson Churchwarden with its smooth Ebony finish and silver band, a question comes to mind: How the heck did we come to this, to an entire industry and culture of smoking dried leaves in a wooden bowl with a straw attached?

Sure, we know about the European explorers coming to the Americas and finding tobacco use amongst the natives, but I am talking about earlier than that. How did man first come up with the idea?

I imagine some poor schmo sent out to try a bunch of plants to see if they are edible. He comes across a tobacco plant, nibbles on a leaf, spits out the foul tasting weed and starts to move on. But then he notices something: a strange, yet pleasant feeling. (Remember, this is the first exposure for the entire human race. There are no genetic dispositions or any individual resistances to nicotine at all). He comes back to the bad tasting leaf, tries it again, chews and spits, getting a little kick.

Excited about the find, he picks a few specimens and makes his way back to the tribe. Hoping to impress all the other men with his find, he offers them some around the evening fire. However, unimpressed by the taste, they scorn him and toss the weeds in the flame. That might have been the end of it, but the unique scent of the burning leaves enchant the men, and perhaps the warm nicotine glow starts to make them feel unusually amicable. So the tribe starts using the leaves of the tobacco plant as a regular part of their evening fires.

As time goes by, the scent, and pleasant feelings produced by the smoke, draw them closer and closer to the fire, trying to attain more of this pleasing effect. But the fire is too hot to really enjoy cuddling up to. They try building smaller separate fires, but it is more trouble than anything else.

Finally, some smart guy carves a bowl, out of stone perhaps, and burns the weeds in that, being able to hold the bowl under his nose and inhale deeply. This is nice, but the smoke still stings their eyes, so another brilliant chap grabs some nearby reeds, trims it down and uses the hollow tube to suck in the smoke from the top of the bowl.

While some others take a shortcut, and begin rolling the first cigars, after all this, it is just one refinement and improvement after another until we're back to our briar stummels and vulcanite stems.

Of course, this is just a silly daydream, musings about the nature of our love of pipe smoking, and certainly should not be taken too seriously. Fact-checkers put away your red pens.

However, for our modern day tribesmen looking for a new bowl to inhale the pleasing effects of burning tobacco leaf, we have plenty of new pipes to choose from. There are pipes from Tokutomi Pipe Co. and Peter Matzhold, as well as updates from Mastro de Paja and Ardor. There are new lines from Savinelli and some new, or long lost, lines from Peterson as well. There are also updates from Johs, Brebbia and Neerup, and a whole slew of estates of various origins.

Christopher Huff: Copywriter

An Alternative to Matches and Lighters ~ethan brandt~

2013-03-27T16:21:00-04:00

So, what do you use to light your pipe? Are you a Zippo type of person, with the oh-so-famous click? Do you like to live hot and dangerously with the torch lighter? Maybe just a simple Bic lighter is enough for you, or you like to do with the fancy Old Boy. On the other hand, you might like the classic appeal of plain matches. Did I cover just about everything? Yes?

Wrong. I have an alternative to all of these to recommend for you, but you have to keep your mind open. Okay, toss out all of your preconceptions about lighters and matches and what you think is best. Did you do that for me? Okay.

Most people tend to agree that a lower internal temperature in the tobacco chamber yields a more flavorful, more enjoyable, and (naturally) cooler smoke. There are two main ways of achieving this lower temperature: puff slower and don't over-light your tobacco. Many people tend to avoid the torch lighter because they have a higher temperature, which transfers more heat to the tobacco and thus to the smoke.

A Bic lighter, for example, burns around 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Butane torches frequently reach up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Propane lighters tend to get between 2,000 and 3,000 degrees. Matches, on the other hand, are composed of an ignition agent, such as sulfur or phosphorus, and wood. Once the ignition agent burns away, which typically disappears after two seconds or so, a match burns at about 1100 to 1500 degrees. While that is still ridiculously hot, that different of between 500 and 2,000 degrees can make a lot of difference on the temperature of the smoke.

There is another option that burns at an even lower temperature, is very affordable, and avoids most of the toxic chemicals associated with lighters or matches. That option is hemp wicks.

I first heard of this when I saw Dustin using it at the 2012 Chicago Pipe Show. I'll admit, it's strange looking to use. But since hemp is not a gas and is a less-dense material than wood, it burns at a lower temperature than both matches and wood. I did some searching, but could not find the exact temperature, though some rough guesses placed it well less than 1,000 degrees, closer to 500, actually. I cannot confirm that and will happily change my numbers if any of you find more exact information.

Every little degree can make a difference. From personal experience using hemp wicks to light my pipes, I can tell the difference. Well, at least I think I can. Sure, it's possible that it is entirely a placebo effect. However, we know that a cooler smoke often yields a better smoke, so I will happily use a different means of lighting my pipe to increase the ease of achieving that cool smoke.

So, go on, Try something new. I hear it's catching on...

Ethan Brandt: Guest Blogger

Tuesday Therapy ~kathryn~

2013-03-26T11:20:00-04:00

Tuesday isn't particularly important for the Smokingpipes team. It's a graceful point in the week after the stress of Monday's update melts, and before the stress of Thursday arises. It's the hour of orange glow between night and day. It's a moment for us to slow down and recollect ourselves. For some, this could be turning the music up a little, or shooting rubber bands at one another. For many, it is an opportunity to pull out some nice tobacco and have a long smoke. Whatever your Tuesday therapy may be, there is something else to add to that routine, starting today: YouTues! (YouTube Tuesday) Today we bring you a video tour of Lasse Skovgaard's workshop, and a conversation between Sykes and Lasse about his first experiences with making pipes. There is more to this interview, which will be making its way to YouTues soon, along with many others from Eltang, Heding, and our recent visit with Michael Parks. We will post most of them here, but don't forget to follow our channel to stay up to date. So, without further delay, Happy Tuesday, and Happy YouTues!

Kathryn Mann: Social Media Liaison

A Visitor from the (Great White) North ~eric~

2013-03-25T15:57:00-04:00

It's been a particularly eventful (and busy) weekend for several of us here at Smokingpipes. Adam Davidson, you see, has spent the last several days entertaining and collaborating with Canadian pipemaker Michael Parks, swapping ideas about technique and approach while working on some pipes destined for our website. And along with that, cooking, eating, enjoying lots of fine coffee and tea, as well as many a bowl of great pipe tobacco. I know this because I was graciously welcomed there in Adam's workshop for two days, soaking it all in for a future blog piece. John also joined us Sunday, to make sure we had plenty of photos of the two artisans at work. It was a learning experience for all involved, pipemakers included -- which is just as it was intended. Adam and Michael each learned about each other, as well as the ins and outs each other's practices and experiences in crafting artisanal briars, John and I learned from both, with loads of live demonstrations, and Michael learned more about us. And by "us", I mean Adam, John, and I as individuals, and the collective "us" of Smokingpipes and how we all operate together. In fact, he's here right now. Michael just finished going over some of the pipes he brought in this morning with John, and the two have vanished off into our photography room so that Michael can see some of what comes next.

But you'll be hearing plenty more about this special visit soon enough. For today, we have an update that needs rolling out. So, without further ado, here it is:

This Monday we have at hand beautiful briars by Lasse Skovgaard, Castello, and Rinaldo, joined by a massive variety of Savinellis, Petersons, Stanwells, Johs, Sebastien Beos, Butz-Chouqins, Tsuges, and Vauens. In addition, there are freshly available selections of Italian and English estates, including some rarer Dunhill finds. Finally, as the icing on the cake, just in are two choice, matured-leaf cigars from Savinelli, each in a variety of sizes. So, have a look, knock yourself out, and rest assured you'll be hearing more about our time with Michael Parks in the days to come.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Time to Rebuild ~ted~

2013-03-21T15:17:00-04:00

As we grow as pipe smokers our tastes change. I should say mine have, at least. Whereas once upon a time I cherished those full-bodied, handsomely dark latakia mixtures, for the last year I've settled into sweet Virginia blends almost exclusively. And I don't see myself going back anytime soon. This is just my trajectory, mind you. It's a unique journey for us all.

The sad part is this: my cellar is full of many, many pipe tobacco tins the contents of which no longer interest me like they did when I acquired them in such quantity. I suppose that one day my tastes are likely to evolve, or at least my fancy to wander, all over again, and that one day I might just decide crack open that tin of Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream Flake after all, but I find it unlikely. In the meantime, I've got a whole lot of tobacco just sitting there. I guess that's the point of a cellar anyhow -- if, when you do finally return to once-favored blends, they'll at least have had a chance to properly age.

The bright side is that as I steer away from old favorites in place of the unknown and potentially new flavors, I get to reinvent my tobacco cellar; build it up from the ground anew, as it were. That's one of the most fun aspects of our little hobby methinks. It's quite multifaceted. Besides, acquiring more tobacco never gets old. If nothing else, like a filled-out wine rack, a jam-packed cornucopia of tobacco tins produces a satisfying aesthetic. It's always good for inspiring curiosity in (smoke-friendly) visitors as well.

Speaking of buying untried pipe tobacco, we've got a new blend from Cornell & Diehl hitting the site tonight: "Morning Drive Time"; a mixture of red and bright Virginias carefully blended with Turkish leaf, Perique and latakia. And, as usual, we've got a ton of new pipes available this evening too, including fresh works from Hiroyuki Tokutomi and Nathan Armentrout, in addition to pipes by L'Anatra, Savinelli, Claudio Cavicchi, Brigham, Peterson, Johs, Winslow, and Randy Wiley. Also, we're adding a whopping 84 estate pipes to Smokingpipes this afternoon!

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager

St. Patrick's Day Smoker ~adam~

2013-03-18T16:00:00-04:00

There was a small gathering at my home yesterday in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which was something I'd been planning for a while. Whenever the opportunity arises to host some friends, and force-feed them like an Italian grandmother, I have a lot of fun. It all started when I purchased a ten-pound salmon on Friday, cut it in fillets and other pieces, cured it with salt and brown sugar over night, and slow-smoked it over hickory at a very low temperature for about nine hours. On top of this, two corned beef brisket tips and a dry-rubbed pork butt got the first kiss of smoke early Sunday morning for a long, slow, smoky experience. Eric pulled up to the curb a little after noon, so I gave him a tour of the place and workshop. Ted and his wife arrived soon afterwards, followed by Brandon's family. The idea for the day was casual relaxation in the warm sun, some leisurely snacking, and anticipation for the meats later. A blob of dough was rising in a bowl while a gallon of milk was slowly forming into curds on the stove. Guinnesses were poured, as well as red wine for the ladies, and everyone was hanging out in the garage (workshop) puffing their briars, taking sips, and engaging in various conversations. As things finished in the kitchen (mozzarella pulled into taut strings, rolled with olive oil, salt, and pepper came up first), everyone seemed to be enjoying the beautiful day. The salmon (especially the almost bacon-like belly) over sticky rice with sugar snap peas were handed out in little bowls, followed (hours later), by thin slices of smoky, succulent, pastrami-like corned beef and eventually crusty French bread warm from the oven with avocado oil and sea salt. Taking various breaks to sip my own Guinness and smoke a pipe with the fellas, I noticed my hands were developing a rather impressive pink 'smoke ring' from fiddling with grill and hickory chunks all day.

We all shared tobaccos -young and bright or wonderfully aged. Eventually, hours later, the others had to part, though, and it was just Eric, my wife, and I telling stories ranging from the discomfort of school busses (which my wife never experienced in Russia, as she always walked to school) to the ideal life we would live if money was no option. All well and good, but the pork was still not done. Eric didn't seem to mind, as he was sampling some 1997 Taylor Fladgate port, while on my part I opened the bottle of delicious red wine he'd brought. It's fun being a host for friends, especially when there is good fellowship and food. At 2:00 a.m., after 17 hours smoking on the grill, and two hours after even Eric (known for sleeping little) had to leave, the pork butt was finally finished and stored in the fridge. The day had been sunny and warm, it was definitely one packed with flavorful smoking and friendship.

Today we've got a number of impressive offerings for your smoking pleasure, including thirty-six estates and new offerings from Sergey Senatorov, Dunhill, P.S. Studio, and other brands. For cigar fans we're putting up Trinidad Paradox Robusto and Toro cigars, as well as a new Smoker's glass candle. Enjoy!

Adam Davidson: Pipe Specialist

Trial by Fire ~eric~

2013-03-14T16:00:00-04:00

"Try new things," we are often told. And it's not bad advice. How else are we supposed to learn what we like, and what we can do without, after all? I've tried stress-fractures and sprained ankles, for example, and I can assure you that ever since I've been much more careful about doing without them. On a more pleasing note, I've also recently tried two things I have indeed found much to my liking: the Camacho Triple-Maduro, and 1792 flake. Somehow, I suspect that the ability to appreciate both of these is often overlapping.

For some time now I've favored maduros and strong Nicaraguan-leaf puros, both for their flavor, and the latter for their strength as well. While the Camacho Triple-Maduro is composed entirely of Honduran leaf, what it lacks in Nicaraguan-ness it more than makes up for in maduro-ness; filler, binder, and wrapper alike are dark, aged, fermented, and, in short, packing a whole lot of experience into a single stick.

Then there's the 1792: To some, famous. To others, infamous. I can understand either opinion. It isn't a blend for the faint of heart, or, as some might propose, any heart not rated to run off of diesel fuel. The flavor may be well-suited to anyone who appreciates those darker smokes, but as many of us already know, it isn't this blend's effect on the taste buds that so strongly divides those who've tried it between "love it" and "drive a stake through its heart and bury it far outside of town". It's a powerhouse. Even with my Nicaraguan puro habit, I have to be careful with this stuff. Paced right, however, a modest-sized bowl can keep your thoughts, and all the rest of the contents of your cranium, swimming like a dream (a febrile dream, perhaps, but a dream nonetheless) for a good, long, relaxing spell.

My point, in short, is try new things. You never know what you may enjoy, regardless of what others' impressions of it may be. Granted, you also never know what might result in you passing out on the couch, and yet waking up underneath it, possibly in an unfamiliar forest, but I ask you, are such adventures not what a full and rich life is made of?

As luck would have it, we have many, many new things worth trying today, in the form of a huge selection of fresh pipes. The wares of independent artisans Michael Lindner and Mark Tinsky appear today, as well as fine briars from the workshops of Ardor, Mastro de Paja, and Ser Jacopo, plus loads of Nordings, Neerups, Savinellis, Petersons, and Brebbias. And if you're in the mood for something old instead, there's a full 84 estate pipes cleaned, polished, and inspected up on offer too.

Eric Squires: Copywriter

Punches and Paper: Making Pipe Posters ~kathryn~

2013-03-13T11:48:00-04:00

Since our 2013 poster not only accompanied the most recent issue of Pipes and Tobacco Magazine, but was also promoted on our social media, and was announced in our newsletter, hopefully most of you have seen it by now. If not, the images can be seen HERE. But this isn't about the official images. This is about the folders full of various unofficial, behind-the-scenes photos that I believe should be seen too.

The first side of the poster features a step-by-step guide to making origami pipes (disclaimer to the more impressionable: please do not try smoking these). Since it was originally Ted's idea, he oversaw the process. It seemed like the entire marketing department was folding tiny papers into letters and figures for hours, but eventually they all came together. Katie (who made many of the tiny pipes and things) was asked to take the poster photo, and if you ask me she did a great job. Although the photos of this process don't lend themselves to blooper-type humor as those from the other side of the poster did, it was still a lot of fun.

The other half of the poster went through more of a journey, and I had the pleasure of taking the photos as we worked on it. Brandon's idea evolved from old-timey boxing photos to Monty Python-like taunting, from solidly black and white, to playing with slight color and saturation.

It spawned team-building exercises like rubbing hot pipe-ash on one another because "we need to look period-correct dirty," and, in one case, actual sparring that Brandon took way too seriously. What ensued made us realize that John, normally the most laid-back and cheerful person in the marketing department, is probably not to be messed with. And of course, we learned that it's hard to make a pipe (and yourself) look good while fighting and making menacing faces.

Hopefully we'll have time to put more of the blooper shots up in a Facebook album soon, but until then, you don't need fisticuffs and mustache wax to have fun smoking your pipe. Enjoy.

Kathryn Mann: Social Media Liaison

The Unwanted Bowl ~christopher~

2013-03-11T16:10:00-04:00

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. I think I have had a rather good run, but all good things must come to an end. I have come across a tobacco I don't like. This happens to every pipe smoker eventually, and I am sure that it probably happens sooner than later.

Since I've only been smoking a pipe for about half a year, I've had a chance to sample a large variety of tobaccos (at least in my opinion). Working here at Smokingpipes.com, surrounded by a variety of more experienced smokers, I get offers to try this blend or that flake. Overall, they've been positive experiences. I've favored some tobaccos more than others, but never tried one I didn't like.

I finally hit one, however. This one - and I am not going to name names because everyone has different preferences, and that's not the point here - actually made me sick to my stomach. The thought of it even turned me off my pipe for a while. In an attempt to be fair, I went back and tried it again, to make sure it wasn't a bad lunch that tainted my first try. While the effect was not as dramatic, it still was unpleasant.

The good thing about pipe smoking is that there are hundreds of different tobaccos. Sure, there are hundreds of cigarette brands, but beyond menthol and regular, the flavors don't vary much.

There are many variations and flavors with pipe tobacco, and blending can really fine tune the pipe-smoking experience. One bad experience is just a little bump in the journey.

Of course, here at Smokingpipes.com, we have a vast selection of tobaccos for you to choose from, in both bulk and tins. Why premiereing today in this very update is the highly-anticipated People's Choice Winner from the 2012 John Cotton Throwdown, manufactured by Leo. We're also adding three new bulk blends to the site from Lane.

And what good is all that wonderful tobacco, if you don't have something to smoke it in? Well, in this update, we have just as wide a choice of pipes. There is a selection from pipe maker Grant Batson, as well as pipes from Rinaldo, Castello, Tsuge, Savinelli, Peterson, Stanwell, and Vauen.

Christopher Huff: Copywriter