Articles by Chuck Stanion | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

The Return of The Beast

March 17, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

38 Comments

It has been two years since Small Batch: The Beast last lumbered from the primordial swamps of Louisiana to plunder and ravage the expectations of pipe smokers with its terrifying abundance of Perique. The Beast is 51 percent Perique — enough to satisfy the most intrepid enthusiast and possibly intimidate those seasoned by conventional mixtures. ... Read More

The Junior Rusticated Series by Peterson

March 10, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

13 Comments

Diversity has always been a pillar of the Peterson catalog. From their solid work pipes able to prevail over rough daily use to their equally robust, silver-clad, smooth-grained works of technical and visual distinction, Peterson has provided for every pipe smoker's every need. It has been a few generations, however, since the Peterson portfolio has included a full range of smaller pipes. ... Read More

Erik Stokkebye: The Fourth Generation

March 3, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

Representing his family's fourth generation in the tobacco business, Erik Stokkebye has been immersed in the trade over his entire lifetime. Appropriately, Erik is the founder and driving force behind Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation tobaccos and 4th Generation pipes. ... Read More

Techniques for Smoking Extra-Large Pipes

February 17, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

16 Comments

There are pipes large and small, and both can be artfully rendered and enjoyably smoked. Some of us like smaller pipes because they're light, easy to carry and clench, and manifest a pleasing footprint and lightness in hand. Others prefer large pipes because of their reassuring mass and large surface area highlighting grain and texture, and for their large tobacco chamber requiring infrequent refilling. ... Read More

Dayton Matlick: Lifelong Tobacco Man

February 15, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

9 Comments

Dayton Matlick has passed at age 88. He was far more influential than most suspect, and no one can estimate his full contributions to our hobby. He was a quiet man who did not talk about his accomplishments, but I often lunched with him and heard some stories. ... Read More

Delayed Gratification Technique

February 10, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

15 Comments

We pipe smokers have abundant options for modifying the smoking characteristics of our tobaccos. We can transform a single tobacco blend by altering its humidity, aging it, rubbing it out to different consistencies, or by loading the pipe with different compressions or modifying our smoking cadence. ... Read More

The 25th Anniversary of Peterson's St. Patrick's Day Pipe

January 27, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

13 Comments

All kinds of pirates rampaged around the British Isles in the fifth century. The Roman Empire was disintegrating, and Roman rule had all but evaporated, leaving only roads and dilapidated structures behind. Marauders became a common threat, raiding homes and estates in different lands for anything of value, including people. Slavery was profitable. ... Read More

Rick Newcombe’s Pipe Dreams

January 20, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

Rick Newcombe's curiosity and motivation reside in the primordial lizard area of his brain stem, as basic to his survival as breathing or temperature regulation. Early in his journalism career, he became interested in newspaper syndication and became the youngest vice president of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate ... Read More

A Closer Look at Briar Grain

January 13, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

31 Comments

We've all admired beautiful grain on a fine briar. That grain is coaxed by the briar cutter and the pipemaker into sometimes spectacular visual enhancements for a smoking instrument, but it's difficult to understand grain without understanding the plants that create briar and the way that briar is prepared. ... Read More

The History of Santa Claus, Pipe Smoker

December 23, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

43 Comments

Many of us enjoy Christmastime, not only because we may find some new tobacco under the tree, but because the rituals of the season stimulate memories of past yuletides. Childhood Christmas magic insinuates itself into the present, enveloping us again in the certainty that miracles do happen. That childhood certainty may fade with ... Read More

Chuck Stanion