Articles by Chuck Stanion | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

The Magic of Pewter: Larry Blackett Pipe Tampers

August 30, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

We all need pipe tampers, except those tough enough to prefer a forefinger calloused by years of fire exposure. But most of us like an accessory for the purpose, and there are plenty to choose from. They can be as utilitarian as a wooden dowel or as luxurious as fine jewelry. They can cost nothing or thousands of dollars. Some, though, are as substantial, attractive, and luxurious as precious metals ... Read More

The Secrets to a Non-Offensive Smoking Room

August 29, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

10 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

Letter From the Editor

August 22, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

3 Comments

Premium smoking is different today than when I started 45 years ago. You're reading this online, for example, presumably because the subject interests you. "Online" back then meant the telephone party line was in use, and we couldn't make a call because Mrs. Miller was online telling her niece in graphic detail about Mr. Miller's hernia complications. But now, it means the world is instantly accessible. That's quite a shift in reality. If ... Read More

Peterson's Pipe of the Year: A Retrospection

August 16, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

8 Comments

Peterson's first Pipe of the Year, a barely bent Bulldog with a P-Lip mouthpiece, appeared in 1997; the 2024 Pipe of the Year is a Deluxe System Rhodesian with a tapered stem. These two pipes bookend a series that now spans 27 years. It's a full generation of pipes, and they make an impressive collection. There must be Peterson collectors out there ... Read More

The Legend of the Sun Bears

August 9, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

5 Comments

Long ago and far away, deep in the Black Locust Forest of the Solvation Mountains, there lived a bee colony that, for thousands of generations, had specialized in the most delectable honey ever known. The nearly immortal black locust trees of this enchanted forest were of singular quality. Their wood was dense, hard as ... Read More

Shanks for the Memories

July 26, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

Pipes are not complicated instruments. They've been called blocks of wood with two holes, a definition that would make them among the simplest devices, but we pipe smokers know they're more than that, especially those who appreciate fine craftsmanship. However, for a pipe to function, it requires only fundamental components. ... Read More

The History of Caldwell Cigar Company

July 19, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

1 Comment

Building a successful cigar company is pretty straightforward. All it takes is talent, creativity, vision, and a willingness to abandon your personal life for years to do and think about nothing else. ... Read More

Linwood Hines and 40 Years of the Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers

July 12, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

5 Comments

Although he's perplexed at the very idea, Linwood Hines is a highly respected and even revered figure in the pipe community. He thinks he's a regular, uninteresting guy, but everyone else thinks he's an icon. ... Read More

Eight State Burley: A Delectable Salute to the Burley Belt

July 5, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

14 Comments

Burley tobacco has been with us since 1864, when a tobacco grower named George Webb planted some seeds from Bracken County, Kentucky, on his land in Ohio and found that the leaves were lighter in color and responded well to air curing, resulting in an exciting new varietal. Three years later, he sold a crop of the new tobacco: 20,000 pounds of it, and it has been consequential ever since, grown throughout what would become known as the Eight State Burley Belt. ... Read More

Grandpa and the Tobacco That Ruined Independence Day

July 3, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

4 Comments

Grandpa and the 10 Tobys (all of his dogs were named Toby) agreed on almost everything. The Tobys were always accommodating and excited whenever Grandpa was ready for a hike or some hunting, and they liked to help with any project he might be working on for his small farm, from tractor repairs ... Read More

Chuck Stanion