Articles by Truett Smith | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Mystery Cigar Review: October 2020

October 21, 2020 by Truett Smith

Welcome back to another episode of the Mystery Cigar Review, the stogie-focused spinoff of our long-standing Mystery Tobacco Review series. For this month's installment, our cigar specialist Tim Vanderpool served as the Inquisitor, selecting one cigar for Shane, Tyler, and me to blind review. ... Read More

The History of Pipe Design: France and England

October 9, 2020 by Truett Smith

25 Comments

Unlike other artistic mediums and styles, such as Impressionist paintings or ancient, Grecian sculptures, discussing pipes as pieces of art is a relatively new endeavor and lacks formal exposure. (I've known many students who have taken Art History classes; never before have I heard of a class related to pipe history.) ... Read More

Warped Cigars: The Core Portfolio

August 26, 2020 by Truett Smith

1 Comment

In an earlier article, we profiled Kyle Gellis, detailing how he grew and developed in the cigar industry and discussing the history and vision of Warped as a brand. It highlighted Kyle's respect for traditional Cuban production methods and flavor profiles and lauded Warped's achievements and reputation — its cigars ... Read More

A Quick Look at Pipe Finishes

July 22, 2020 by Truett Smith

10 Comments

A pipe's finish, while not directly related to its function as a smoking instrument, plays a major role in a pipe's aesthetic appeal. It's one of the most obvious visual aspects of a pipe, and the finish is also one of the main features with which a smoker interacts, second only, perhaps, to the lip button. ... Read More

6th Annual American Pipe Making Exposition

July 7, 2020 by Truett Smith

Since 2015, the American Pipe Making Exposition has been an annual Smokingpipes tradition that showcases the work of US-based artisan pipe makers, as they create pipes specifically for that year's theme. Previous years have focused on accenting materials or finishing styles, with last year's expo themed around bamboo ... Read More

Castello's SPC 20th Anniversary Pipes

June 19, 2020 by Truett Smith

1 Comment

This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of Smokingpipes, and to commemorate such a milestone, we've partnered with numerous members of the pipe-smoking community to develop and release several projects throughout 2020, such as Peterson's 20th-Anniversary pipe with stunning silver-adorned sandblasts ... Read More

Mexican San Andres Cigars

June 11, 2020 by Truett Smith

In the San Andrés Valley of Veracruz, Mexico, a family farm of over 2,000 acres grows tobacco in the region's rich, volcanic soil. The Turrent family is the largest cultivator of Mexican San Andrés tobacco, the family's devotion to the leaf dating back to 1880 when Cuban émigré Alberto Turrent settled in San Andrés and planted tobacco seeds from Cuba. ... Read More

Small vs. Large Pipes: A Dialogue

May 27, 2020 by Truett Smith

41 Comments

Small pipes or large pipes? Attention, all pipe smokers, this is a Public Service Announcement from yours truly, Truett, declaring that ... Read More

On the Periphery

May 21, 2020 by Truett Smith

8 Comments

The rhythm of the reflective green slats was perforated by that of the telephone poles illuminated every few dozen yards by the car's 3AM headlights, like snare drum hits accompanying the kick drum mile markers. Meanwhile, the dotted line dividing west-bound I-80 added the frenetic beat of a rapid hi-hat. ... Read More

Collecting Pipes As Souvenirs

April 22, 2020 by Truett Smith

9 Comments

The word "souvenir" is an English noun borrowed or, rather, inherited from French and its word for "memory" or "memento," a somewhat curious linguistic adoption since French and English find themselves on different branches on the linguistic family tree. We English speakers have William the Conqueror to thank for that. ... Read More

Truett Smith