Articles by Chuck Stanion | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Ignition Sources and Nicotine

April 1, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

17 Comments

Research into nicotine absorption has recently revealed some astonishing insights relevant to those of us who enjoy pipe tobacco. A major study conducted at Growlingspann University in Sweden, under the leadership of Dr. Chamberlain Westcott and Dr. Imelda Boystenstein, has found that nicotine enters the bloodstream of smokers at different rates and concentrations according to the ignition sources employed. ... Read More

Paddy Larrigan's 100th Birthday

March 8, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

14 Comments

It's difficult to imagine anyone who has more profoundly embodied and defined the workmanship and culture of Kapp & Peterson than Paddy Larrigan, who celebrated his 100th birthday on March 7th this month. Of those 100 years, he's spent most handcrafting pipes and training new craftspeople to do the same. Paddy was ... Read More

The Refinement of an Inspiring Tobacco: Sansepolcro

February 23, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

7 Comments

Nestled into the fertile hills of Tuscany in the province of Arezzo, Italy, is a small town of about 16,000 residents. It's been there for over 1,000 years, built on the site where a pair of pilgrims returned from the Holy Land and founded a monastery. They had with them a stone from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and ... Read More

Meet Antoine Grenard of Chacom

February 16, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

6 Comments

While many of us remember a childhood of green playgrounds with soccer fields and play equipment, Antoine Grenard remembers a giant, multi-floored, cavernous pipe factory filled with storage racks, ancient ebauchons, briar dust, ancient original French pipe-making machinery, and thousands upon thousands of ... Read More

Remembering Our Pipes on Saint Valentine's Day

February 14, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

1 Comment

As Valentine's Day approaches, our hearts turn naturally to demonstrating our affection for those we love, those who support us in good times and bad, bring us joy and comfort, and make our lives better every day. ... Read More

The Evolution of Two Friends Pipe Tobaccos

February 2, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

People start smoking pipes for any number of reasons. Some remember a grandfather, parent, or favorite uncle who smoked a pipe and, evoking the comforting aroma and the satisfaction it nourished, revisit those significant experiences. Others may switch from cigarettes or seek only nicotine delivery. Still others ... Read More

Admiral Richard E. Byrd: Ice-Cold Explorer

January 19, 2024 by Chuck Stanion

6 Comments

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912, Richard Evelyn Byrd first experienced flying over glaciers and sea ice after his distinguished service in WWI. An aviator, he helped design navigational equipment for the NC-4, the first aircraft to fly over the Atlantic Ocean (1919). Commanding a naval aviation ... Read More

One Christmas Tradition's Odd Origin

December 22, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

20 Comments

For a time when I was eight or nine, in the mid-'60s, my friends Jawbone and Mothman shared my wary concern for the Middaugh brothers, who were ancient old men, the two remaining brothers, it was said, of identical triplets. Only a handful of people in our village knew the brothers' first names, and those people didn't talk ... Read More

Anthology 2023: A Compendium of Virginias

December 8, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

2 Comments

Most of us, when hearing the term "anthology," are likely transported to high-school English and the Norton Anthology of World Literature or Best Poems of the English Language. Others may gravitate to thoughts of music anthologies, and still others may think of collections of films, artwork, podcasts, or TV shows. ... Read More

J. Robert Oppenheimer: Destroyer of Worlds; Smoker of Pipes

November 17, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

Robert Oppenheimer was an unusual genius. Unlike others of similar intellectual aptitude, who are often socially awkward, he was engaging, charismatic, and endlessly interesting. Of slight build with piercing blue eyes, he was popular with women and in his youth would maintain four or five relationships at a time. ... Read More

Chuck Stanion