Articles by Chuck Stanion | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

The Renaissance of Caminetto Pipes

November 3, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

3 Comments

Caminetto is a one-man pipe company run by Tommi Ascorti, whose grandfather, Peppino, launched the brand in 1968. Tommi now designs and makes all of the pipes, and when he can find the time, he travels the world promoting them. He's tireless, working 12-16 hours a day, often seven days a week, and he loves what he does. ... Read More

The Return of From Beyond

October 20, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

8 Comments

When I learned that Jeremy Reeves of Cornell & Diehl was resurrecting a Small Batch blend, The Old Ones: From Beyond, I immediately dashed for my car. It's been two years since Jeremy last attempted to domesticate this blend and I thought, with good reason, that he would have destroyed the recipe and done his best to forget it. What could he be thinking? We were lucky to escape with our lives the last time. ... Read More

Niels Bohr: The Pipe Smoker Who Fathered Quantum Mechanics

October 5, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

10 Comments

Denmark has brought some remarkable advancements to the world, including moving-coil loudspeakers, insulin, dry-cell batteries, and, yes, LEGO. Danish pastries are great, too, though they originated with Austrian bakers working in Denmark who modified their previous recipes, and the new ones found their ... Read More

Introducing Peterson's Pipe of the Year 2023: The X160

August 4, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

12 Comments

The most premium of all Peterson annual limited editions, the Pipe of the Year has become a window into the company's storied past, renewing iconic shapes from earlier epochs of Peterson history and reinvigorating the lost designs that our great-grandfathers enjoyed. ... Read More

Introducing Small Batch: Sun Bear Tupelo, The Latest Iteration of C&D's Most Popular Summertime Blend

July 21, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

16 Comments

What often differentiates good tobaccos from great tobaccos is nuance. It's the subtle alterations that commend a particular mixture, perhaps through a well-aged component, the minimalist addition of a proprietary top note, or the application of long-term pressure. It doesn't take much to modify a blend in interesting and ... Read More

Common Tobacco Pipe Materials: Briar, Meerschaum, and More

July 7, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

26 Comments

Modern pipes are made from a number of materials: briar, meerschaum, clay, various woods like cherrywood and olivewood, corn cobs, morta (also called bog-oak), and gourds are the most popular. They've withstood generations of use and have proven to be good performers. For someone just deciding to explore pipe ... Read More

Enhanced Pipe-Smoking Flavor and Comfort with Breath Smoking

July 6, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

Many of the challenges encountered by pipe smokers can be minimized or terminated through the practice of breath smoking. Breath smoking, when mastered, dispenses with excessive moisture and gurgle, tongue bite, frequent relights, and flavor compromised by the inordinate generation of heat. ... Read More

Smokingpipes' Own Shane Ireland Has Joined The Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers De Saint-Claude

June 30, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

22 Comments

The discovery of briarwood as a medium for pipes was perhaps the most important technological advancement in pipe-making history. Before briar, fragile clay and meerschaum pipes dominated the choices of pipe smokers, supplemented by pipes of various kinds of wood: boxwood, cherry, beech, maple ... Read More

Proper Pipe Tobacco Humidification

June 2, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

47 Comments

The most wonderfully flavorful tobacco I've ever hated is Dark Star by McClelland, which is no longer manufactured. It was deliciously complex, with a fruity spice flavor and a sweet, complex, multi-flavored smoke. However, I was never able to keep it lit and it frustrated me. ... Read More

Briar Curing: From Sawmill To Smoke

May 26, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

23 Comments

We've all experienced the "break-in" period, loading bowl after bowl into a new pipe while it shows no gratitude whatsoever and delivers acrid, hot, astringent smoke to our bewildered palates. Its online photos had accurately depicted the wonderful shape and finish, but the flavors it's delivering do not match the pipe's ... Read More

Chuck Stanion