Articles by Chuck Stanion | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

How to Break In a Briar Tobacco Pipe

September 2, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

30 Comments

Few satisfactions in life equal that of obtaining a new pipe. Of the hundreds of thousands available, we chose this particular briar. Its lines and proportions, grain, and shape resonate with a yearning inside of us, harmonizing with our tastes and experiences and personal artistic appreciation. It's perfect, a pleasure to turn over in ... Read More

Tongue Bite: A Comprehensive Guide for Pipe Smokers

August 19, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

33 Comments

Tongue bite is perhaps the most insidious impediment to good smoking that newer pipe smokers experience and can surprise even seasoned veterans. "Tongue bite" is an accurate descriptor for the condition, which can feel like clamping your tongue in super-heated, coil-spring wolf trap. Tongue bite is the condition ... Read More

Sun Bear 2022: A Return to the Roots of Cornell & Diehl

July 29, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

10 Comments

Tobacco blends can be elevated by the smallest details. An imperceptible, untasteable quantity of Perique, for example, can help activate fermentation and reduce the acidity of high-sugar Virginias. A whisper of molasses or various subtle top notes and casings may be unidentifiable but can balance a blend's pH and flavor profile for a ... Read More

Innovation Squared: Werner Mummert

July 22, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

3 Comments

Unless already achieved, the ambition of every pipe carver is to develop a style that is easily recognizable, something widely admired and theirs alone. That's the saying at pipe shows: "You can recognize it from across the room." If a style is easy to identify, then it has already attracted attention. ... Read More

Anthology 1992-2022: 30 Years of Tobacco Excellence

July 8, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

9 Comments

Much can be achieved in 30 years: the mastering of an instrument, expertise in a complex profession, or even the perfection of an artisan craft. Cornell & Diehl, celebrating its 30-year anniversary in 2022, has achieved much as well, studying, practicing, performing, and becoming one of the premier pipe tobacco companies in the ... Read More

Kapp & Peterson Relocates Factory to Nearby Deansgrange

June 24, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

7 Comments

Peterson has always been an Irish institution. While the factory moved as of May 23, it remains where it belongs: in Dublin, where it was established more than 150 years ago. ... Read More

How Tobacco Pipes Work

June 10, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

10 Comments

Pipes are simple devices. Reduced to their fundamental essence, they are blocks of wood with two holes drilled in them (we'll be concentrating on briar pipes without filters for our purpose here, though the concepts also apply to non-wood mediums like meerschaum). One hole is the tobacco chamber and the other is the draft hole ... Read More

Doctors and Masters of Pipes: A Timeline

June 9, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

Those who regularly visit the Daily Reader may have noticed occasional mention of Doctors of Pipes. We've published profiles of several Doctors here because they are interesting people with decades of experience in the pipe smoking community, people who contribute to the history, culture, techniques, and developments that enhance everyone's appreciation for and success in this stunningly artistic and fascinating hobby. ... Read More

How to Select Your First Pipe

June 3, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

10 Comments

Many current pipe smokers started abruptly, finding themselves one day exploring the possibility of pipe smoking without a clear reason. Perhaps we observed the contentment and appreciation experienced by a pipe smoker in our own lives or in novels or films and wanted to experience that satisfaction for ourselves. Whatever the reasons, subconscious or overt, we became curious and started investigating. ... Read More

Obsidian Oil: The Solution to Stem Oxidation

May 27, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

9 Comments

Oxidation is a scourge on pipe smokers everywhere, at least those who gravitate to vulcanite stems. Acrylic stems don't oxidize, but many appreciate vulcanite's comparative softness in the teeth. Modern vulcanite is superior to that used decades ago, with less sulfur content, which is the primary cause of oxidation ... Read More

Chuck Stanion

How to Break In a Briar Tobacco Pipe

Tongue Bite: A Comprehensive Guide for Pipe Smokers

Sun Bear 2022: A Return to the Roots of Cornell & Diehl

Innovation Squared: Werner Mummert

Anthology 1992-2022: 30 Years of Tobacco Excellence

Kapp & Peterson Relocates Factory to Nearby Deansgrange

How Tobacco Pipes Work

Doctors and Masters of Pipes: A Timeline

How to Select Your First Pipe

Obsidian Oil: The Solution to Stem Oxidation

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