Pipe Line

Pipe-Smoking Holiday Gift Guide 2022

November 25, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

2 Comments

The holiday season approaches again, with its promise of family gatherings and the rush to find perfect gifts for our loved ones. Pipe smokers can be difficult to shop for, considering the sheer breadth and depth of the tobaccos, pipes, and accouterments on offer from the many purveyors of tobacco ephemera. ... Read More

Joe Bussard: The Pipe Smoking King of the Record Collectors

November 24, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

5 Comments

For most people, the name Joe Bussard is unlikely to be familiar, though many of us have been affected by his work. Anyone with an appreciation for early country and blues artists like Jimmie Rodgers, Charley Patton, and the Carter Family, has benefited from Bussard's obsessive passion for music. That passion led him to ... Read More

Aerating a Bowl of Tobacco

November 9, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

We've all experienced the frustration of an improperly packed bowl of tobacco. It doesn't matter how experienced we are; it doesn't matter how much we've read about pipe smoking or practiced our technique; it's irrelevant how expert we've become with various cuts of tobacco or different-sized bowls ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: November 2022

November 1, 2022 by Andrew Wike

3 Comments

It's time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. ... Read More

The Devil's Pipe

October 28, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

24 Comments

Kenan was a neighbor, but I didn't know him well or like him much. We'd mutually attended a couple of neighborhood barbecues, and this was the second time I'd been in his house. The first time, I decided not to make it habitual because Kenan was a little too weird. He was a professor specializing in medieval artifacts who collected occult items and displayed them in his home, and they were disturbing: ugly dolls, ouija boards, ... Read More

The Spookiest Pipes, Tobaccos, and Cigars Available This Halloween

October 27, 2022 by Davin Hylton

1 Comment

Halloween: that time of the year when the witches, ghosts, ghouls, and haunts are at the forefront of everyone's mind. We here at Smokingpipes are fans of the macabre, sinister, and altogether frightening, making Halloween something of an event around the office. As such, we thought it'd be appropriate to highlight some of the spooky offerings on our site for those who share our collective admiration for the unnerving. ... Read More

The Kiseru: An Overview of the Traditional Japanese Smoking Pipe

October 21, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

6 Comments

While Japanese artisan pipes are world-famous for their innovative design and smoking quality, there is a long tradition of pipe culture in the island nation that stretches back over four centuries. Tobacco was introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders in the 1570s and quickly became popular among the wealthy merchant and feudal classes. ... Read More

The History, Manufacture, and Use of Clay Pipes

October 19, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

21 Comments

Long before meerschaum and briar were utilized as pipe-making mediums, clay was the primary material used to make pipes. Clay pipes were at one time ubiquitous, often smoked in taverns, churches, and homes, and even after meerschaum became available, they were the choice of many because meerschaum was expensive. ... Read More

Arne Jacobsen: Pipe Smoking Paragon of Functionalism

October 13, 2022 by John McElheny

4 Comments

We often reference Functionalism in regard to pipe making here at Smokingpipes, particularly when discussing Danish pipe designs, and we occasionally mention the name, Arne Jacobsen. If you're an enthusiast of the work of Tom Eltang, then the name should be familiar. One of Tom's most iconic designs is named after the ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: October 2022

October 3, 2022 by Andrew Wike