Pipe Line

Staff Show and Tell

August 29, 2014 by Shane Ireland

4 Comments

It goes without saying that we here at Smokingpipes are very passionate about pipes. Have have you ever wondered what pipes we enjoy in our personal collections? Well, we intend to show you.

Pipes in Korea Part Two

July 28, 2014 by Eric Squires

3 Comments

Common throughout Korean pipes both utilitarian and elegant, and marking a notable variation from the Japanese kiseru, was bowl-size. Due to the great abundance of tobacco being produced natively, Korean pipes typically sported a chamber of much greater depth than those of their Japanese counterparts, albeit with much the same diameter. ... Read More

Pipe Smoking in Korea

July 25, 2014 by Eric Squires

3 Comments

When coming upon the phrase “pipe smoking in Korea”, you may well have pictured something like the image above, a photograph of the famous hero and U.S. Army chaplain Emil Kapaun, or this man, the renowned Captain Reginald Walter Saunders of Australia: Well, they did smoke pipes, and they were in Korea. The subject of this entry, however, reaches farther back and deals with the common-day. ... Read More

One Man's Rotation

June 17, 2014 by Eric Squires

4 Comments

Rotation, collection, by one name or another, it’s the collective pile of pipes you smoke. For some of us this means polished cases of Dunhills chosen for particular shapes and vintages, for others, a repurposed spice rack of craggy Custombilts and well-weathered clenchers, kept as workhorses that have proven to provide a good smoke. ... Read More

Pipes Around the World

April 28, 2014 by Bear Graves

1 Comment

By the time you receive your pipe from us, your briar or meerschaum has passed through more than a dozen sets of our hands and eyes. Though our individual investment in a given pipe can range from a quality inspection upon arrival, to a near-bonding experience when describing, that new friend which just arrived in your favorite brown truck ... Read More

Spot the Pipe

April 15, 2014 by Eric Squires

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that we all do it - see a sufficiently old photo, start scanning the crowd for a hand or clenched jaw containing a pipe. Sometimes you can spot them right away, sometimes you can see a photo a half-dozen times before realizing there was a pipe hiding somehwere in there. ... Read More

Pipes in Days Past

April 1, 2014 by Eric Squires

2 Comments

Looking back at older images of people with their pipes, there seems to be a natural theme. From sailors to passengers, being out on the water seems to be the perfect time to strike a match, which is what brings us to this somewhat nautical look at pipes in days past. ... Read More

Half a World and a Lifetime Away

February 11, 2014 by Denis Riley

10 Comments

Long ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth (way back in the 1980s), I spent a few years in the Meerschaum Capital of the World. I was in the Air Force, stationed at Incirlik Air Base in the Republic of Turkey. In addition to experiencing the beautiful Turkish culture and lifestyle I had only read about in books, I saw some examples of the most amazing artistry and craftsmanship one could imagine. ... Read More

Pipes and the Southern Cross

February 4, 2014 by Bear Graves

In 2001, my wife and I went on a Scuba trip to Belize. It was a fantastic trip; being an avid underwater photographer, we elected to stay on a live-aboard called 'The Wave Dancer,' a 120' vessel that went all over the Belizean coral reef and allowed me to dive and shoot up to six times a day (breathing oxygen enriched EANx Nitrox II). ... Read More

To Each His Own

January 6, 2014 by Eric Squires

The second car I owned was a 1967 Chrysler Newport. Though Chrysler was very much a luxury marque back then (no minivans, and their cars came in one size: full-size), the luxurious features on mine began and ended with a vinyl top. It was a four-door, translating it into a collector value of, roughly estimated, zilch. And I loved it. ... Read More