Recent Articles | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Tasting Notes: Hoodoo Ridge

April 7, 2026 by Shane Ireland

Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes. I'm still on a mission to smoke my way through the entirety of the new Summit series by Cornell & Diehl and Jeremy Reeves. Now I am moving on to the second one of the four blends from the series ... Read More

All Pipes Considered: J.T. Cooke

April 2, 2026 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

I'm here today with a very special guest, Mr. Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand, who is visiting us at Smokingpipes. We'll be chatting about the illustrious career of J.T. Cooke, who is very near and dear to Steve, and some standout selections ... Read More

Pipe-Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2026

April 1, 2026 by Isabelle Kern

Can you believe it's already April? Now that spring is in full swing, we can look forward to simple joys outside, like going for leisurely walks in the evening, perhaps with the trusted companion of a favorite pipe! We are pleased to share eight fresh images available for download ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Palmetto Balkan

March 31, 2026 by Shane Ireland

1 Comment

Today I'm here to talk about the long-awaited return of Cornell & Diehl's Small Batch: Palmetto Balkan. Palmetto Balkan is, for me personally, one of the more memorable English blends that Jeremy and his team at C&D have put out ... Read More

Palmetto Balkan by Cornell & Diehl Returns

March 31, 2026 by Kayla Ivan

4 Comments

Tobacco production adapts and shifts over time based on many global factors — social, political, environmental, and ecological — impacting availability and consistency in the leaf tobacco blenders utilize. One of these long-lost varietals, Syrian Latakia, was the inspiration for Palmetto Balkan — a blend harkening to Balkan mixtures of old through Cornell & Diehl's proprietary Latakia processing ... Read More

Mystery Review: March 2026

March 30, 2026 by Tyler Caldwell

1 Comment

Welcome to another episode of Mystery Review, our monthly series in which our panel of experts attempts to identify a mystery tobacco. For March's edition, our guest Inquisitor is Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand. Will his mysterious submission leave us bewildered, or will we correctly guess the tobacco he's presented to us? Join us ... Read More

The Barrels That Built An Industry

March 27, 2026 by Truett Smith

3 Comments

Humans have enjoyed tobacco for literal millenia — just years ago researchers found evidencethat prehistoric peoples chewed tobacco seeds. However, its trade is a comparatively much more recent venture. Native Americans were known to carry pouches of tobacco for personal consumption and bartering, but there isn't any evidence of widespread tobacco trade ... Read More

Arturo Fuente's Rare and Legendary OpusX Cigars

March 27, 2026 by Alan Britt

1 Comment

OpusX by Arturo Fuente isn't just a cigar; it is a Dominican love story about perseverance. Today we're talking about OpusX cigars that are widely considered the pinnacle ... Read More

Talking Pipe-Making Materials with Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand

March 27, 2026 by Shane Ireland

Recently, we were joined at our roundtable with Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand to discuss his brand as well as his impact on the pipe-making industry through supplying artisans with key pipe-making ... Read More

Tobacco Selections: Cornell & Diehl Palmetto Balkan 2026

March 25, 2026 by Kayla Ivan

2 Comments

Cornell & Diehl's latest Small Batch, Palmetto Balkan, returns, and Jeremy Reeves, Head Blender of C&D, shares some insights about the blend and the unique varietals utilized to achieve the experience of smoking long-lost Syrian Latakia. ... Read More

Recent

Tasting Notes: Hoodoo Ridge

All Pipes Considered: J.T. Cooke

Pipe-Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2026

Tasting Notes: Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Palmetto Balkan

Palmetto Balkan by Cornell & Diehl Returns

Mystery Review: March 2026

The Barrels That Built An Industry

Arturo Fuente's Rare and Legendary OpusX Cigars

Talking Pipe-Making Materials with Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand

Tobacco Selections: Cornell & Diehl Palmetto Balkan 2026

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