Recent Articles | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Ardor: Creative Vigor in Any Language

May 14, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

5 Comments

The word ardor signifies vigor, energy, and transitory warmth, all appropriate for a brand with the creative design stylings and impressive smoking properties of Ardor pipes. However, as compatible as the name is with the smoking instruments developed and executed by the Rovera family for the past four generations ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Warped Sarto

May 14, 2021 by Shane Ireland

1 Comment

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. Today I'll be reviewing the latest entry into the Warped portfolio of exclusively different pipe tobaccos: Sarto. If you're familiar with Warped as a brand, you're perhaps most acquainted with their cigars, which is where Warped's founder Kyle Gellis got his start in this business. ... Read More

Introducing Luiz Lavos

May 6, 2021 by Truett Smith

2 Comments

Regardless of their medium, artists share a need to create and a desire to intentionally and skillfully manipulate form and color in fashioning an object of beauty. Artistic minds also rarely limit themselves to one medium; different materials offer unique means of artistic expression, and while an artist may have a primary focus, the most inventive pursue multiple creative endeavors. Luiz Lavos is one such artist, and his hobbies and interests ... Read More

Psychic Pipe Readings

May 6, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

24 Comments

I noticed my supernatural powers early in life, starting with my ability to recognize when I was about to be grounded simply by sensing that my parents would surmise exactly how my brother's bedroom furniture became spray painted pink. I then applied my clairvoyance to foretell the parental retribution l would face after my brother found all of his pants legs knotted tightly together, and again after he found my pet spiny-tailed iguana, which he was terrified of, nestling against his toes when he climbed into bed. The iquana didn't object, but my brother did. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Sillem's Black

May 5, 2021 by Shane Ireland

6 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. Today marks the first episode in a new mini-installment. Over the next several videos, I will be reviewing the entire Sillem's portfolio, starting with Sillem's Black. I've been a fan of Sillem's mixtures for a long time, but honestly, I haven't explored everything that the blending house has to offer. ... Read More

Oriental Tobaccos and Their Characteristics

April 30, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

21 Comments

Oriental tobaccos differ from other tobaccos in size, character, and blending applications. These plants are small in comparison to the tobacco plants we see growing in the mid-Atlantic south. Those plants grow tall, up to 10 feet, while the plants that produce Orientals are only about three or four feet tall, and although Virginias and Burleys have large, broad leaves, Oriental leaves are small. They are also sun-cured as opposed to the fire, air, and flue curing that we're most accustomed to. ... Read More

Mystery Cigar Review: April 2021

April 29, 2021 by Andrew Wike

Welcome back to another episode of the Mystery Cigar Review, a stogie-focused spinoff series of our long-standing Mystery Tobacco Review! For this month's installment, we were honored to host a special guest Inquisitor: Head blender of Cornell & Diehl, Mr. Jeremy Reeves. Which cigar did this tobacco maestro select for the team to review? ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: May 2021

April 28, 2021 by Andrew Wike

3 Comments

It's time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. Below you'll find eight unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution formats. ... Read More

Introducing Alexander Hasty

April 22, 2021 by Truett Smith

3 Comments

One does not simply ease into artisan pipe making; it's an all-or-nothing endeavor. The start-up cost is a hurdle in and of itself, even a simple design requiring specific tools and machines, not to mention the time invested in learning to safely and skillfully operate said instruments. ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: April 2021

April 21, 2021 by Andrew Wike