Pipe Basics

Briar Curing: From Sawmill To Smoke

May 26, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

22 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

The Pipe Stem: The Most Important Component of Any Pipe

May 19, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

7 Comments

Around 30 years ago, the sharing of information between pipe makers changed. The thinking, in North America, at least, was that the craft had to be learned by performing it solo. Pimos's Guide to PipeCrafting at Home was the only resource for new pipe makers. It's a great book and thousands of people have ... Read More

How to Pack and Light Ribbon Cut Tobacco: The Gravity Method

May 18, 2023 by Truett Smith

2 Comments

Ribbon-cut tobacco is among the most ubiquitous tobacco cuts on the market, and it's also one of the easiest to prepare. Aside from optional drying time, it requires no preparation beforehand, meaning ribbon-cut tobacco may be loaded directly from the tin, pouch, or whatever container houses the tobacco. Today I'll be ... Read More

The Retrohale: A Technique for Advanced Flavor Appreciation

May 12, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

10 Comments

Retrohaling is the practice of expelling tobacco smoke through one's nose without having inhaled it. For those of us who haven't practiced the technique, the obvious question is, "Why?" What's the advantage when we can obviously taste our tobaccos already? ... Read More

Delayed Gratification Technique

February 10, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

14 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

Top Resources For Pipe Smokers

January 18, 2023 by Gabriel Bass

37 Comments

Pipe smoking, though quite traditional in some ways, is still an ever-changing hobby. From new tobaccos, to ultra-rare stampings or shapes, to the latest up-and-coming carvers, there's quite a lot to keep track of. How do we juggle it all? ... Read More

A Closer Look at Briar Grain

January 13, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

30 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

Aerating a Bowl of Tobacco

November 9, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

11 Comments

We've all experienced the frustration of an improperly packed bowl of tobacco. It doesn't matter how experienced we are; it doesn't matter how much we've read about pipe smoking or practiced our technique; it's irrelevant how expert we've become with various cuts of tobacco or different-sized bowls ... Read More

The History, Manufacture, and Use of Clay Pipes

October 19, 2022 by Gabriel Bass

18 Comments

Long before meerschaum and briar were utilized as pipe-making mediums, clay was the primary material used to make pipes. Clay pipes were at one time ubiquitous, often smoked in taverns, churches, and homes, and even after meerschaum became available, they were the choice of many because meerschaum was expensive. ... Read More

The Many Shapes and Styles of Tobacco Pipes

September 9, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

16 Comments

You may have noticed that pipes appear in a large number of different shapes. One might even say that the number is infinite, especially when accounting for variations. Most traditional shapes, for example, can be straight or bent, with varying proportions, different stem configurations, different capacities, different balance, rounded or flat rims, varying curvature of bowl, length of stem ... Read More