Articles by Shane Ireland | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Tasting Notes: Gold Block

October 13, 2020 by Shane Ireland

6 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. In this installment, I continue my journey down Memory Lane, exploring Aromatic mixtures that I haven't smoked in ages. You see, for the past several years, the main focus of my rotation has been Virginias and Virginia/Periques, and before that, I was obsessed with English ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. Three

September 30, 2020 by Shane Ireland

3 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. Over the last several weeks, I've been tasting my way through four newly available blends from Chacom. I began with Chacom No. 4, because it was the blend I was most interested in. What's been really interesting about this exercise, however, is that it forced me to get out of my own comfort zone in terms of what I normally smoke and try blends like Chacom No. 1, a delicious medium-bodied and well-balanced English Mixture; Chacom No. 2, which renewed my interest in Aromatic blends in general; and now Chacom No. 3, a genre-bending Aromatic that I'm excited to review today. ... Read More

Smoke Rings: My Father The Judge

September 8, 2020 by Shane Ireland

Welcome back to another episode of Smoke Rings. Today we're going to discuss one of my favorite offerings from My Father's Cigars: The Judge. Available in four distinct vitolas, The Judge combines Nicaraguan filler with two Nicaraguan binders, all enveloped in a naturally sweet Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. Two

September 3, 2020 by Shane Ireland

1 Comment

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes, a video review series all about discovering (or rediscovering) some of the best pipe tobacco blends on the market. Continuing my journey through Chacom's tobacco portfolio, today I'm taking a closer look at one the brand's more recent additions ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream

August 13, 2020 by Shane Ireland

8 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. For this installment, I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone and revisiting Aromatic blends, starting with Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream. I've long overlooked Aromatic mixtures in favor of Virginia/Perique or pure Virginia tobaccos, but I've recently realized ... Read More

All Pipes Considered: Jeff Gracik and Ping Zhan

August 6, 2020 by Shane Ireland

On this special episode of All Pipes Considered, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jeff Gracik of J. Alan Pipes and Ping Zhan to discuss the two carvers' latest collaboration sets. Four years in the making, these amazing sets represent not only the artisans' influences and signature style, but their longstanding friendship ... Read More

Smoke Rings University: Cigar Humidification

July 23, 2020 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Smoke Rings University. Throughout my career, I've often been asked, "How do I keep my cigars from drying out?" Well, today, we'll be discussing exactly that: the various methods and equipment designed to keep your cigars stored at the proper humidity levels and temperatures. ... Read More

Mystery Cigar Review: July 2020

July 16, 2020 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to the Mystery Cigar Review, a stogie-focused spin-off series of our popular Mystery Tobacco Reviews. For those unfamiliar, the idea is fairly simple: Each month, one of our cigar gurus selects one cigar for our panel to review in a blind taste-test. All packaging and bands are removed, which means the guys have to trust ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. One

July 2, 2020 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. In this installment, I take a closer look at Chacom's #1 blend, which is a mellow English mixture comprised of Virginia, Black Cavendish, and Oriental tobaccos with a touch of Latakia. ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Chacom #4

June 18, 2020 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. In this installment, I take a closer look at Chacom's #4 blend, which features various Virginias combined with a small portion of Perique for some added strength and a touch of fruity spice. One of four new recent additions to Smokingpipes' portfolio of Chacom blends, this ... Read More

Shane Ireland

Tasting Notes: Gold Block

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. Three

Smoke Rings: My Father The Judge

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. Two

Tasting Notes: Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream

All Pipes Considered: Jeff Gracik and Ping Zhan

Smoke Rings University: Cigar Humidification

Mystery Cigar Review: July 2020

Tasting Notes: Chacom No. One

Tasting Notes: Chacom #4

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