Recent Articles | Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Elements of the Pipe: Rims

August 20, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

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Every pipe has one. Pipes have tobacco chambers; chambers have rims of one sort or another, and there are many sorts. Some smokers are particular about rims, especially given that, after the internals of a pipe, they require the most care and cleaning, and the different styles provide different levels of care to keep carbon ... Read More

Mystery Cigar Review: August 2020

August 19, 2020 by Andrew Wike

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Welcome back to the Mystery Cigar Review, a stogie-focused spin-off series of our popular Mystery Tobacco Reviews. ... Read More

Bertrand Russell: Mathematician, Philosopher, Pipe Smoker

August 14, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

34 Comments

Bertrand Russell's parents, Viscount and Viscountess Amberley, were progressive for their era in the late 1800s. They were advocates of birth control, for example, and Lord Amberley was an atheist. The couple asked John Stewart Mill, an English philosopher and political economist, to be their son's "secular godfather." Theirs was an ... Read More

Tasting Notes: Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream

August 13, 2020 by Shane Ireland

8 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Tasting Notes. For this installment, I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone and revisiting Aromatic blends, starting with Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream. I've long overlooked Aromatic mixtures in favor of Virginia/Perique or pure Virginia tobaccos, but I've recently realized ... Read More

Warped Cigars: Exclusively Different

August 11, 2020 by Andrew Wike

From the sizes and vitolas, to the overall construction and flavor, Warped Cigars are made the Cuban way, using techniques like the Cuban triple cap, historic covered foot, or entubado bunching, at either El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami or at Casa Fernandez's Tabacos de Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Nicaragua. ... Read More

A Closer Look At Aromatic Pipe Tobacco

August 7, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

36 Comments

Until recently, I had little interest in aromatic tobaccos. I considered aromatics to be a category of tobacco best left to newcomers, remembering how I had insisted on smoking them exclusively when I first started pipe smoking. I had wanted the most impressive-smelling tobacco possible and had terrible experiences with aromatics in those days. ... Read More

All Pipes Considered: Jeff Gracik and Ping Zhan

August 6, 2020 by Shane Ireland

On this special episode of All Pipes Considered, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jeff Gracik of J. Alan Pipes and Ping Zhan to discuss the two carvers' latest collaboration sets. Four years in the making, these amazing sets represent not only the artisans' influences and signature style, but their longstanding friendship ... Read More

The Air Pocket Packing Method

August 5, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

18 Comments

Packing a bowl is not only a necessary part of pipe smoking; it affords us the opportunity to experiment with alternative methods based on our pipe's dimensions, the style or cut of blend we plan on enjoying, and the environment in which we will be smoking the mixture. ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: August 2020

July 30, 2020 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 seven unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution ... Read More

Mystery Tobacco Review: July 2020

July 29, 2020 by Andrew Wike

3 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of the Mystery Tobacco Review, the friendly game of "Guess Who" that leaves even our most experienced pipe smokers questioning their skills (and life choices). This month, we decided to shake things up and have our Cigar Specialist Tim Vanderpool select one pipe tobacco for us to blind review. ... Read More

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