Pipe Line

In Appreciation of Lighters

April 25, 2025 by Rose Kiser

Across every smoker's toolkit is some form of a lighter. From matches and gas-station Bics to Dunhill high rollers, a lighter is essential and often a representation of the smoker's personality. I'm rather fond of lighters. I've been collecting them ever since I discovered my dad's small collection of lighter mementos in high school. While my collection started ... Read More

Franco Coppo: Castello's Driving Force Passes

April 18, 2025 by Chuck Stanion

4 Comments

Castello pipes have represented innovation and quality since their inception by Carlo Scotti in 1947. Scotti's vision was to divert from the typical Italian pipe making of the time, which concentrated on inexpensive, high-volume factory pipes. Scotti transformed Italian pipe making ... Read More

The History of Meerschaum Pipes

April 18, 2025 by Kayla Ivan

35 Comments

As a history lover, I actively seek out and absorb as much interesting information about the past as possible. Fortunately for me, that curiosity translates well into my current job and my interest in the pipe-smoking hobby as a whole. That endless, enthusiastic drive for wisdom is a foundational pillar for Smokingpipes ... Read More

Five Things To Do While Smoking a Pipe

April 11, 2025 by Rose Kiser

25 Comments

If you're like me, more often than not in the evening, or the weekend mornings, you've got some downtime to enjoy a pipe in relative peace. While I enjoy a good observation of the world, sometimes you have an itch to do something while you smoke. The obvious answers are something along the lines of read, write ... Read More

Letters to Sherlock Holmes

April 4, 2025 by Chuck Stanion

15 Comments

A book of some interest to pipe smokers is Letters to Sherlock Holmes (1985), by Richard Lancelyn Green. Most of the correspondence was addressed to 221B Baker Street, the address first mentioned in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel, A Study in Scarlett ... Read More

Pipe-Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2025

April 2, 2025 by Kayla Ivan

Spring has arrived, and with it, a new batch of desktop backgrounds blooms here on our Daily Reader featuring lovely photos of the month from our expert photographers. Deck your desktop screensavers and mobile device backgrounds with eight gorgeous images available for download in two high-resolution formats. ... Read More

Anyone Can Become Filthy Rich Just By Smoking Some Pipes

April 1, 2025 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

On paper, I'm a wealthy man, and I owe my riches to one thing: pipe collecting.

When I started smoking pipes, I didn't realize how lucrative it could be. In fact, I was at first concerned about the expense: Nice pipes ... Read More

The Why and How of Estate Pipe Purchases

March 22, 2025 by Chuck Stanion

30 Comments

When I first learned about estate pipes, back when I didn't know a Billiard from a bathysphere, I was horrified. Used pipes? Pipes that had spent years in the mouths of who knows who smoking who knows what while fraternizing with who knows who from who knows where? Why would these pipes have any value? Sanitizing a used pipe, I deduced, must require an hour in boiling water. ... Read More

Zen and the Art of Pipe Maintenance

March 7, 2025 by Rose Kiser

9 Comments

Ritualism is part of being human, and that doesn't mean drawing arcane symbols on the floor of the basement. The definition of ritual greatly varies depending on the context of the researcher, but for our purposes we'll define a ritual as a specific act or series of acts performed in a precise manner and often repeated. That definition provides a wide range of what ... Read More

Pipe-Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: March 2025

February 28, 2025 by Kayla Ivan

1 Comment

A new month's beginning calls for a new collection of desktop backgrounds featuring the most stunning photos of the month from our talented photographers. Deck your desktop screensavers and mobile device backgrounds with eight gorgeous images available for download in two high-resolution formats, showcasing ... Read More