Recent Articles | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

The Pipe-Smoking Community Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Chicago Pipe Show

May 1, 2026 by Kayla Ivan

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Pipe makers and collectors are gathered in a small hotel room, smoke clouding the room, and a buzz of energy, chatter, and excitement fills the space. It's 4:00 a.m. and no one has slept. But there's community and joy to be had, so sleep can wait. A picture like this ... Read More

Pipe-Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: May 2026

May 1, 2026 by Isabelle Kern

1 Comment

It's May, and a new month calls for eight fresh images — for download in two high-resolution formats — for your desktop and mobile backgrounds. As always, be sure to check back here next month for another round of photos to enjoy. ... Read More

Mystery Review: April 2026

April 28, 2026 by Shane Ireland

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Welcome to another episode of Mystery Review our monthly series in which our panel of experts attempts to identify a mystery tobacco. For April's edition, our guest Inquisitor is Jennifer Murray, Production Supervisor at Cornell & Diehl. Will her mysterious submission leave us bewildered, or will we correctly guess the tobacco she's presented to us? Join us as we discuss what ... Read More

Bamboo in Modern Pipe Making: Natural & Unique Beauty

April 24, 2026 by Kayla Ivan

2 Comments

Pick up a piece of bamboo destined for a pipe and you're holding something a maker may have pulled from the ground themselves, hunted down on eBay, or selected from a pile of dozens for its particular curve, coloring, or the way its knuckles appear. That level of intention, and the craft required to honor it, is what defines bamboo's place in modern pipe making. A few weeks ago ... Read More

Catching Up with Steve Saka at PCA 2026

April 24, 2026 by Shane Ireland

I had a chance to catch up with Steve Saka again at the very end of PCA 2026 at the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust booth to learn the upcoming releases he has in store this year. ... Read More

Top 5 Aromatics for Beginners

April 23, 2026 by Andrew Wike

6 Comments

Today we're gonna be talking about some of our recommendations for Aromatics for those just getting into the pipe-smoking hobby. We get this question a lot. Let's get into where we recommend starting. ... Read More

Diving into the Montecristo White Series

April 21, 2026 by Tyler Caldwell

Today we're smoking the Montecristo White Series, an absolute staple for every humidor around the United States. The name Montecristo is synonymous with Cuban tobacco, but on the US market we have the Altadis-branded version of the Montecristo line along with a few other non-Cuban versions of Cuban classics ... Read More

History of the Lancero

April 17, 2026 by Davin Hylton

2 Comments

In Miramar, a residential district of Havana, Cuba, lies a picturesque two-story mansion framed by towering palm trees. The grounds are immaculately manicured; the front steps laid with marble; the facade lined with columns; the many doors and windows cased with decorative exterior ... Read More

First Pipe Stories: Shane Ireland

April 17, 2026 by Kayla Ivan

11 Comments

You never forget your first pipe. Here at Smokingpipes, there are plenty of pipe smokers who have memorable stories for how they began their journey in pipes. I recently spoke with Shane Ireland about his first pipe, and he remembered joyfully starting his adventure ... Read More

ADVentura x Smokingpipes Exclusive Blue Eyed Jack's Revenge Patapalo

April 16, 2026 by Shane Ireland

I recently hopped on a video call with Henderson Ventura of ADVentura Cigars to chat about the exciting release of the Smokingpipes exclusive ADVentura Blue Eyed Jack's Revenge Patapalo, the first Lancero in the brand's popular line ... Read More

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