Resources

A Pipe-Smoker's Guide to Everyday Carry (EDC)

March 21, 2025 by Truett Smith

6 Comments

Today we're going to be talking about pipe smoking EDC, or everyday carry. EDC is a theme across numerous industries, but it's especially applicable to pipe smoking for those of us who like to smoke a pipe every day; We need a setup that allows us to do that as easily as possible. These are my essential tips ... Read More

Words Every Pipe Smoker Should Know: Pipe Terms

March 13, 2025 by Kayla Ivan

13 Comments

If you're new to pipe smoking, you've probably already noticed we have some pretty unique jargon. When we write our pipe descriptions, blog posts, and newsletters, we try to describe the pipes as accurately as possible; often that means using a specific set of terms recognized by the pipe community to mean very ... Read More

How to Care for Vulcanite Stems

March 7, 2025 by Rose Kiser

53 Comments

Pipes are deceptively simple. They're blocks of wood, for the most part, carved into a bowl with a stem. That's the simplest description of a pipe, it may even be the description you used when you started smoking. But as we begin to learn about the technical parts ... Read More

A Tobacco Cellarist's Best Friend: The Sharpie

October 10, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

7 Comments

They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but for pipe smokers, it depends on the pen. If it can write on glass, plastic, and metal so that we can accurately date our tobacco tins, then it is mighty indeed. Besides, carving a date onto a Mason jar with a sword is a clumsy and finger-menacing proposition. ... Read More

The Secrets to a Non-Offensive Smoking Room

August 29, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

9 Comments

Because pipe and cigar smoking are accompanied by aromas that are underappreciated by the uninitiated and uncivilized, some of us restrict our smoking to the outdoors. The outdoors is great, but it isn't perfect. We sometimes deal with blizzards, floods, hurricanes, lightning, mosquitos, bears, pterodactyls — I had a friend named Levi Jenkins who stepped outside for a pipe one night and never returned. His wife swears ... Read More

How to Start Your Own Pipe Club

August 22, 2024 by Rose Kiser

4 Comments

While pipe smoking can often be a solitary hobby, there's just something about sharing a passion for pipes and tobaccos with friends and peers. What if there's no pipe club in your area? Well, why not start your own? Follow these easy steps and you'll be hosting your own meetings in no time. ... Read More

Lighters Need Cleaning Too

April 18, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

20 Comments

I've managed to destroy a number of items by running them through the laundry in various pockets I've neglected to empty: valuable checks, essential phone numbers, flash drives, and a chocolate chip cookie I left in a shirt pocket, a cookie whose flavor was detrimentally mutated by the soap cycle. I still miss that cookie. ... Read More

How To Clean A Tobacco Pipe After A Smoking Session

September 29, 2023 by Truett Smith

20 Comments

Hey everyone, Truett Smith here with Smokingpipes, and today we're going to be talking about the end of a pipe bowl. Specifically, how do you know when the pipe is done and when you've smoked through the majority of the tobacco that's in your pipe chamber? ... Read More

How to Pack and Light Ribbon Cut Tobacco: The Gravity Method

May 18, 2023 by Truett Smith

5 Comments

Ribbon-cut tobacco is among the most ubiquitous tobacco cuts on the market, and it's also one of the easiest to prepare. Aside from optional drying time, it requires no preparation beforehand, meaning ribbon-cut tobacco may be loaded directly from the tin, pouch, or whatever container houses the tobacco. Today I'll be ... Read More

Delayed Gratification Technique

February 10, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

15 Comments

We pipe smokers have abundant options for modifying the smoking characteristics of our tobaccos. We can transform a single tobacco blend by altering its humidity, aging it, rubbing it out to different consistencies, or by loading the pipe with different compressions or modifying our smoking cadence. ... Read More