Recent

As noted in my previous post, I resolved at the beginning of 2014 to smoke my way through the G.L. Pease line of tobaccos. My original plan to complete this project within the year went up in smoke — literally — but not frequently enough it seems, as I now find myself in a new year with several blends yet to smoke ... Read More

One of my fondest memories from high school days was one afternoon when an old friend showed up on my parents doorstep, and asked, "You want some food?" Yeah, I answered, I could eat. "Philly cheese steaks sound good?" he followed. I answered affirmative again. ... Read More

The cigars we love are composed of three main parts: the wrapper, the filler, and the binder. Nothing steals the show or commands more attention than the wrapper component. Largely, the taste of a cigar is led by the leaf that wraps it, and the wrapper furthermore is an important part of what makes a stick appealing enough to pick up and smoke in the first place. If cigars were plays, these below would be the leading performers. ... Read More

The day after last year's event, Jeff, Adam, and I sat at Jeff's kitchen table and decided it was something that needed to happen again. Furthermore we wanted it to again be free for the attendees. We wanted it to be more like a prestigious academic conference to which one is invited, rather than a training workshop for which one pays. ... Read More

Rope tobacco is truly unique, not to mention one of the oldest styles of cuts — originally used by miners and sailors whose profession prevented them from smoking on the job. In this edition of SPC University, Jeremy will show you how he prepares his rope tobacco using the sandwiching technique. Check it out! ... Read More

A few months ago, we were in Vegas for the IPCPR show when we spotted a well-known pipe enthusiast and noticed his one-of-a-kind pipe bag — we're familiar with just about every brand out there, yet couldn't place its maker. After chatting for a few minutes, he told us that it was a birthday gift from his daughter, an up-and-coming and talented luxury goods designer in New York. ... Read More

So far we've discussed the origin of these correspondence and briefly touched on one or two folios, highlighting their importance in the history of the modern tobacco pipe. After scanning hundreds of blueprints, drawings, and letters, however, I noticed there was one shape that appeared more frequently than others in Sixten's commission requests and sketches. It was his "Peewit" shape. ... Read More

So far we've covered ribbons and flakes, but how about packing crumble cakes? In this episode of SPC University, Jeremy shares some of his personal methods of preparing this unique cut. ... Read More

The Greek phenomena was strange: several younger artisans all cropping up at the same time, all with great appreciation of (and skill in rendering) classics — and none of them starting out with any connection to each other. The Chinese one that I suspect we're seeing the first nascent signs of is arguably even stranger. ... Read More

In the pipe world we talk a lot about pipe lighters, whether they be IM Coronas, Kiribis, or the trusty old Zippo. But what exactly is a pipe lighter? Or, maybe more to the point, what makes a pipe lighter distinct from any other lighter? ... Read More