Recent Articles | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

The Pipe That Saved Christmas

December 24, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

22 Comments

When you're nine years old, Christmas is the main event, the holiday that every kid anticipates. Magic permeates the atmosphere; it's the culmination of a year of school and chores, homework and play, and Christmas vacation is a wide vista of possibility. My friends and I willed Christmas to be closer, but it always seemed absurdly distant. ... Read More

Ben Rapaport: Tobacco Literature and Antique Pipe Expert

December 23, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

13 Comments

For 50 years, Ben Rapaport has contributed impressively to the literature of pipe smoking and has collected pipes since 1959. He's the author of nine books and countless articles, and a collector of antique pipes, as well as a purveyor of tobacco-related books and ephemera. He's also delivered a multitude of seminars, including for the opening of museums and at the Chicago pipe show. He's advised auction houses and museums around the world. When ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: December 2021

December 22, 2021 by Andrew Wike

4 Comments

Welcome back to the Mystery Tobacco Review! On this very special holiday episode, three of Santa's hardest-working elves — Shane, Truett, and myself — finally worked up the courage to ask Jolly Old Saint Nicholas for a promotion. ... Read More

The History and Dark Side of Frosty the Snowman

December 17, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

13 Comments

We all know that it was Frosty's hat that magically brought him to life, but I suspect that his pipe was his prime motivation. After all, any snowman can stand silently with a hat, eyes of coal, and a scarf, but a pipe requires ambulation. Try smoking a pipe without moving: you'll be disappointed. ... Read More

A Pipe a Day...

December 16, 2021 by Truett Smith

4 Comments

My friend Norm lives on a gorgeous beachfront property. A mere stone's throw from the ocean, his house is pristine, with chic architecture, endless amenities, and an overall stately air that's impressively elegant yet still reserved and inviting. It's an enviable home, and I've heard stories of A-list celebrities and other VIPs offering inordinate amounts for the estate. Norm says I'm not ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Sutliff's North Pole Peppermint Mocha

December 15, 2021 by Shane Ireland

Happy Holidays and welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. For today's installment, I have something very festive in store for you. As many of you know, I am mostly a Virginia and a Virginia/Perique smoker, but more recently I've been diving into the bountiful world of Aromatics. So, naturally,I was actually pretty excited to try Sutliff's recently released North Pole Peppermint Mocha. ... Read More

Dan Locklair, World-Class Composer and Ambassador of the Pipe

December 10, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "Music is the universal language of mankind." It's a truism that has held since humans first expressed rhythm with sticks and hollow logs, and it may be that the vocalizing of the first simple tunes helped to develop language itself. Music is felt at such a deeply emotional level that it resonates within our beings and universally transcends all other communication. ... Read More

A Visit with Ser Jacopo

December 9, 2021 by Sykes Wilford

4 Comments

In mid-2010, I visited Ser Jacopo for the first time. Smokingpipes had carried Ser Jacopo pipes for almost a decade at that point and finally meeting Giancarlo Guidi was an extraordinary experience. ... Read More

Briar to Binder: StillWell Star Bayou No. 32

December 8, 2021 by Shane Ireland

Welcome back to another episode of Briar to Binder. In this installment, our two favorite blending geniuses — C&D's Head Blender Jeremy Reeves and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust's Master Ligador Steve Saka — continue their journey through Dunbarton's new StillWell Star line, this time diving deep into the Bayou No. 32 blend: a luxury pipe tobacco cigar representing Saka's ideal ... Read More

Peterson's 2021 Pipe of the Year: The Iconic 4AB

December 3, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

25 Comments

Some pipe shapes are so inviting and attractive that they become iconic. Peterson's 4AB is such a shape, and it's return after decades of absence as the Peterson 2021 Pipe of the year was an event to be noted.

"Iconic" is a big word to throw around. A great example of an iconic shape is the Churchwarden. It was there at the beginning of European pipe smoking, long, graceful, and attending the first generations of modern smokers. ... Read More

Recent

The Pipe That Saved Christmas

Ben Rapaport: Tobacco Literature and Antique Pipe Expert

Mystery Tobacco Review: December 2021

The History and Dark Side of Frosty the Snowman

A Pipe a Day...

Tasting Notes: Sutliff's North Pole Peppermint Mocha

Dan Locklair, World-Class Composer and Ambassador of the Pipe

A Visit with Ser Jacopo

Briar to Binder: StillWell Star Bayou No. 32

Peterson's 2021 Pipe of the Year: The Iconic 4AB

Smokingpipes.com