Tobacco Talk

Introducing Bankside, the Inaugural Blend of G.L. Pease's Zeitgeist Collection

November 4, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

17 Comments

The Kansas City pipe show used to annually host a remarkable pipe-carving competition that created seven-day sets of North American pipes. It was good for the carvers, whose pipes were all pictured in Pipes and tobaccos magazine, which photographed each entry and published its image with the carver's contact information along with an article about the contest and the show. ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: October 2022

October 26, 2022 by Shane Ireland

9 Comments

We filmed this month's episode live at the Las Vegas International Pipe Show, where Truett and I reviewed multiple blends submitted by convention attendees alongside our special guest panelist, head blender of Cornell & Diehl, Mr. Jeremy Reeves! With multiple, rapid-fire rounds and no takebacksies, this was probably our ... Read More

Low Country Atalaya: Blending The Familiar And The Exotic

October 14, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

6 Comments

Great pipe shops through the years have furnished their clientele with proprietary smoking mixtures of impressive quality. Consider, for example, Drucquer & Sons, Astley's, Kramer's, or W.Ø. Larsen, whose blends have maintained legendary popularity long after the originating shops closed their doors. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Low Country Atalaya

October 12, 2022 by Shane Ireland

Welcome back to Tasting Notes, everyone. On this episode, I'll be reviewing something really interesting and unique: the first limited-edition blend in the Low Country line of pipe tobaccos. For those unfamiliar with the line, Low Country's stable of mixtures are manufactured by Cornell & Diehl exclusively for Smokingpipes and ... Read More

Top 10 Cornell & Diehl Pipe Tobaccos for Perique Lovers

October 5, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

7 Comments

In 2022, Cornell and Diehl began an exclusive partnership with 31 Farms, operated by the Roussel family, who have been producing Perique tobacco since the 1700s. The Roussels have a deep connection with the growing and processing of this rare varietal and use the most traditional techniques. The tobacco ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: September 2022

September 27, 2022 by Shane Ireland

3 Comments

Welcome back to the Mystery Tobacco Review. Before we reveal this month's Inquisitor, we'd like to offer a special welcome to our newest Mystery panelist: Mr. David Wheelock! Filling the required "bald-guy-with-beard" role in these reviews, David is currently our Community Manager here at Smokingpipes and manages all of our social media ... Read More

10 Pipe Tobaccos New Smokers Should Try

September 22, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

10 Comments

For new pipe smokers, the vast number of blends available from today's blenders can be intimidating. On the other hand, it can cause what some refer to as Tobacco Acquisition Disorder, when one buys all the tobacco they can fit in their house. I experienced both in my early days smoking a pipe, going through periods of smoking only ... Read More

Joe Lankford Passes, Blender of Seattle Pipe Club Tobaccos

September 8, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

14 Comments

There are people in our hobby who may seem like ordinary folks but whose quiet contributions provide influential advancements. Joe Lankford was such an individual. He passed away on September 3, leaving behind many appreciative pipe smokers who will continue enjoying the pipe tobaccos that he originated for the Seattle Pipe Club, tobaccos like Plum Pudding and Mississippi River, two particular favorites among pipe smokers. ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: August 2022

August 31, 2022 by Andrew Wike

Welcome back to another episode of the Mystery Tobacco Review! It's the end of August and, boy, is it hot! So hot in fact that my camera nearly melted filming this month's episode, briefly leaving Shane and Truett to their own devices (pun somewhat intended). They were fine, but I can't say it helped our chances ... Read More

Top 10 Best-Selling Pure Virginia Pipe Tobaccos

August 18, 2022 by Truett Smith

2 Comments

Virginia tobaccos are arguably the most ubiquitous of all pipe-tobacco components. Few blends would exist without Virginias — even Aromatics and Latakia-forward mixtures rely on Virginia leaf for balance and condimental complexity — and some blends, pure Virginias, entirely comprise the flue-cured leaf. ... Read More