Smokingpipes Daily Reader | Pipe Tobacco Blog

Recent

Mystery Tobacco Review: March 2023

March 30, 2023 by Truett Smith

Hello, everyone! We're back again on another episode of the Mystery Tobacco Review with Shane Ireland, David Wheelock, Alan Britt, and myself. For this March 2023 edition, we turned to Laudisi Distribution Group's National Account Manager, Kaz Walters, as our Inquisitor. Kaz has featured in the Mystery Tobacco Review ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2023

March 29, 2023 by Andrew Wike

It's time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. Below you'll find eight unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution ... Read More

Must-Have Pipe-Smoking Accessories

March 24, 2023 by Davin Hylton

11 Comments

It can be difficult to find the proper accessories to maximize our smoking experiences because of the intimidating number of choices. To provide a better understanding of the function and need for the various options available, we here at Smokingpipes have compiled a list of must-have accessories ... Read More

The Ballad of Stringbean: Life and Death on Music Row

March 23, 2023 by Gabriel Bass

5 Comments

While one may not immediately associate the name Stringbean with much beyond the green pods hanging in the garden, 50 years ago it called to mind banjo music, laughter, and grief. While people of a certain generation may remember the Stringbean from shows like Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry, he was ... Read More

Tasting Notes: The Beast

March 22, 2023 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to Tasting Notes, everyone. In this very special episode, I'm revisiting a blend I initially reviewed over seven years ago: Cornell & Diehl's The Beast. Originally released in 2016, The Beast was actually the second installment in the Small Batch line, and today I'm taking a closer look at C&D's 2023 ... Read More

Savinelli Introduces the Luisa Fiammata Series

March 31, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

Savinelli has satisfied and impressed generations of pipe smokers everywhere who leaf and flame unite. The company has been a touchstone of quality among fine Italian pipes since 1876, when Achille Savinelli opened a shop in Milan and began commissioning carvers throughout northwest Italy to make his designs, later ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2023

March 29, 2023 by Andrew Wike

It's time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. Below you'll find eight unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution ... Read More

Must-Have Pipe-Smoking Accessories

March 24, 2023 by Davin Hylton

11 Comments

It can be difficult to find the proper accessories to maximize our smoking experiences because of the intimidating number of choices. To provide a better understanding of the function and need for the various options available, we here at Smokingpipes have compiled a list of must-have accessories ... Read More

The Ballad of Stringbean: Life and Death on Music Row

March 23, 2023 by Gabriel Bass

5 Comments

While one may not immediately associate the name Stringbean with much beyond the green pods hanging in the garden, 50 years ago it called to mind banjo music, laughter, and grief. While people of a certain generation may remember the Stringbean from shows like Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry, he was ... Read More

Smokers, Light Your Pipes!

March 15, 2023 by Davin Hylton

1 Comment

Pipe-smoking competitions, sometimes referred to as long-smoking competitions, have been an integral part of the pipe-smoking community for over 100 years, offering hobbyists and enthusiasts an opportunity to test their skill, versatility, and lung capacity. These events are typically held at pipe-smoking conventions, or ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: March 2023

March 30, 2023 by Truett Smith

Hello, everyone! We're back again on another episode of the Mystery Tobacco Review with Shane Ireland, David Wheelock, Alan Britt, and myself. For this March 2023 edition, we turned to Laudisi Distribution Group's National Account Manager, Kaz Walters, as our Inquisitor. Kaz has featured in the Mystery Tobacco Review ... Read More

Tasting Notes: The Beast

March 22, 2023 by Shane Ireland

2 Comments

Welcome back to Tasting Notes, everyone. In this very special episode, I'm revisiting a blend I initially reviewed over seven years ago: Cornell & Diehl's The Beast. Originally released in 2016, The Beast was actually the second installment in the Small Batch line, and today I'm taking a closer look at C&D's 2023 ... Read More

The Return of The Beast

March 17, 2023 by Chuck Stanion

36 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

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

Tasting Notes: 4th Generation Small Batch Resolution

March 2, 2023 by Shane Ireland

Welcome back to Tasting Notes, everyone. Today's episode is very special, as I'm joined by tobacco legend and my dear friend Mr. Erik Stokkebye, who's here to help me discuss the 2023 4th Generation Small Batch Limited Edition blend. Now in its fifth edition, Erik Stokkebye's 4th Generation Small Batch Limited Edition ... Read More

Mystery Cigar Review: March 2023

March 16, 2023 by Truett Smith

Welcome back to the Mystery Cigar Review. For this month's episode, we asked Mr. Bradley Rubin from Alec Bradley — that's the Bradley in Alec Bradley, son of founder Alan Rubin, for those unfamiliar with the brand — to select one cigar for Shane, Tyler, Alan, and me to review in a blind taste test. ... Read More

Cigar Review: 15 Minutes of Fame

March 9, 2023 by Gabriel Bass

1 Comment

Originally produced in collaboration with Privada Cigar Club as the Cookie Monster, the blend that composes the 15 Minutes of Fame Lancero has proven remarkably popular, and remarkably long-lived for a limited-run cigar. All the better for us as — spoiler alert — it's a very nice blend. ... Read More

James Brown Visits Low Country Pipe & Cigar

February 23, 2023 by John McElheny

Black Label Trading Company has become phenomena in the cigar industry since the brand's inception in 2013, with scores of devoted enthusiasts following the company's progression, myself included, and last month the founder of Black Label, James Brown, attended a special event at Smokingpipes' brick-and-mortar store, Low Country Pipe & Cigar. ... Read More

Mystery Cigar Review: February 2023

February 22, 2023 by Alan Britt

Welcome back to the Mystery Cigar Review. For this month's episode, we switched things up and asked Mr. Caleb McBee, Associate Blender at Cornell & Diehl Pipe Tobacco Company, to select one cigar for Shane, Truett, Tyler, and me to review in a blind taste test. Caleb may be an expert at blending pipe tobacco, but ... Read More

Top 10 Connecticut Shade Cigars

February 8, 2023 by Gabriel Bass

1 Comment

Connecticut Shade leaf is among the most sought after of tobaccos, beloved for creating a rich, creamy smoke that offers a complex, yet mellow experience. The name Connecticut Shade can be the source of much confusion for cigar smokers, as "Connecticut '' has become an industry shorthand for the process of growing cigar leaf in shade tents, which don't necessarily have to be located in the Connecticut river valley. ... 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 Comprehensive Guide to Aging and Cellaring Pipe Tobaccos

November 18, 2022 by Chuck Stanion

17 Comments

The first time I smoked Beacon, I hated it. Beacon is a McClelland tobacco that became a favorite many years ago and accounted for the bulk of my smoking budget, but it didn't start that way. I was transitioning at the time from English blends to Virginias because my wife disliked the scent of Latakia. I wanted to smoke indoors ... Read More

How to Date Orlik Tobacco

July 14, 2021 by Andrew Wike

8 Comments

In this post, we'll take a closer look at Scandinavian Tobacco Group's most recent manufacturing codes for their US products, and teach you how to date popular blends like Orlik Golden Sliced, Erinmore, Peterson, and Escudo. ... Read More

Know Your Tobacco Cuts

November 13, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

16 Comments

Pipe tobacco offers a multitude of flavor opportunities, and the way that tobacco is cut contributes to the variety of experiences. Just as we consider the flavor properties of component tobaccos, and adjust moisture levels to our liking, we have a choice in the way our blends are cut. What's most interesting is that the way a tobacco is cut can affect not only the way it burns, but the way it tastes and ages. ... Read More

Savinelli Introduces the Luisa Fiammata Series

Mystery Tobacco Review: March 2023

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2023

Must-Have Pipe-Smoking Accessories

The Ballad of Stringbean: Life and Death on Music Row

Tasting Notes: The Beast

Savinelli Introduces the Luisa Fiammata Series

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: April 2023

Must-Have Pipe-Smoking Accessories

The Ballad of Stringbean: Life and Death on Music Row

Smokers, Light Your Pipes!

Mystery Tobacco Review: March 2023

Tasting Notes: The Beast

The Return of The Beast

Erik Stokkebye: The Fourth Generation

Tasting Notes: 4th Generation Small Batch Resolution

Mystery Cigar Review: March 2023

Cigar Review: 15 Minutes of Fame

James Brown Visits Low Country Pipe & Cigar

Mystery Cigar Review: February 2023

Top 10 Connecticut Shade Cigars

Delayed Gratification Technique

Top Resources For Pipe Smokers

A Comprehensive Guide to Aging and Cellaring Pipe Tobaccos

How to Date Orlik Tobacco

Know Your Tobacco Cuts

Smokingpipes.com