Tobacco Talk

On this episode of Tasting Notes, Shane sits down with special guest Erik Stokkebye to discuss and review a very special blend from Erik's 4th Generation brand: Small Batch Aged Virginia. ... Read More

Welcome back to the Mystery Review. On this episode, Truett, Kaz, and I sat down to smoke through a bowl of yet another Blend of Intrigue — chosen this month by our COO Ted Swearingen. ... Read More

Mark Twain didn't like Italian tobacco. He said it tasted awful and expanded implausibly at the charring light, towering precipitously above the bowl until spilling onto the nearest flammable objects and raising insurance premiums. When visiting Italy, he carried plenty of his own tobacco. ... Read More

For this month's Mystery Review, we decided to switch things up a bit. Instead of following the normal rotation, we asked Jeremy Reeves, Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, to sit in as our very first guest Inquisitor. Given the sheer variety of the blending house's lineup, we were pretty confident it was a C&D product ... Read More

In this episode of Tasting Notes, Shane revisits a blend we've all likely tried at some point: Carter Hall. Though often recommended for beginner pipe smokers, this old-school Burley blend actually offers more nuance and character as your palate grows and develops. ... Read More

In this episode of Mystery Review, Shane Ireland once again assumed his role as High Inquisitor, putting our palates to the test against a mysterious blend of his choosing. ... Read More

Among the first things we did after I joined Pipes and tobaccos in 1996 was to start publishing a tobacco review column in the magazine. I tried writing the reviews myself at first but, because I didn't like the results, my attempts never made it into the publication. The reason I didn't like them was that they sucked. ... Read More

2018's come and gone, but the Mystery Review continues. For the first episode of 2019, Kaz took to the Inquisitor's Chair to revisit one of the first tobaccos he ever smoked. Join Shane, Truett, and Andy as they smoke through a bowl of Kaz's mystery blend. ... Read More

Happy New Year, everyone! It's time for the final Mystery Review of 2018. This month, I had the honor of sitting in the Inquisitor's chair, pitting one blend of my choosing against the hyper-sensitive palates of Shane, Kaz, and Chip. Did I stump the guys with my choice? Or did their powers of foresight reveal it right away? Find out. ... Read More

On this episode of Tasting Notes, Shane revisits an old Danish mixture he hasn't smoked in years: W.O. Larsen's Old Fashioned. Perfect for the holidays, Old Fashioned is a traditional blend of Virginias and Burleys with a full, natural tobacco flavor, topped with subtle notes of maple and chocolate. Learn more about this delicious blend with Shane's full review. ... Read More