Recent

Recently Cornell & Diehl released their 2015 Christmas blend, Golden Days of Yore, inspired by the classic carol "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." C&D gives us a glimpse into how they create this blend's unique, aromatic sauce, one small batch at a time.

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"Greece and classic are very close as you already know," says Chris Asteriou. Hellenic, Hellenistic, Greco-Roman; if one were so crass as to throw a stone in a museum exhibit on the classical world, it would be hard to make it not hit something either Greek or influenced by Greeks. ... Read More

Shelly, Ted's lovely wife, came to the Smokingpipes.com offices with a video camera a couple of weeks ago. There were interviews and explanations, and, ultimately, Shelly created a video that we have all been hoping to see for quite some time: an account of those missing chapters in a pipe's story. ... Read More

This past Sunday marked our annual company picnic. From what I'm led to believe it's usually a fairly large affair, but with this year being our fifteenth year of operation, it was an especially big occasion, with every employee, wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, child, and dog turning up. ... Read More

Shane recently sat down with Jeff Gracik of J.Alan Pipes to discuss a video he released detailing his entire pipe making process from start to finish. Jeff was kind enough to let us publish his video here, along with a short interview sourced from their conversation. ... Read More

I've been a big fan of the Rattray's Virginia blends for years. From Brown Clunee and Old Gowrie, to Marlin Flake and Hal O' the Wynd, there is something for most occasions (as far as strength and flavor go) for the dedicated VA smoker. However, there did seem to be one gap on the lighter side of things ... Read More

Chapuis-Comoy: Given how many generations they've been around, just how many decades-old, never sold, French-made stummels can this pipe-making operation have lying in storage? This has been an important question to us, since it is these very same long-obscure briars that make up the resurrected Ropp brand. ... Read More

In his 1908 apologetical work, Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton alludes to an idea that he had long had for a story: an English sailor sets out for an Island in the South Pacific, but through a navigational error lands back in England itself, believing that he had found an undiscovered country. ... Read More

Already very popular, the BriarWorks' Signature Series Calabash (designed by Todd Johnson) is nothing short of an innovation in American pipe production. A handmade, all-briar, fully-functional Calabash was the goal, and although they accomplished just that, the BriarWorks team just wasn't satisfied. ... Read More

Once upon a time the warriors, and other elites, of certain societies displayed their prestige by wearing jewelry made of iron. Far more recently in human history, aluminum was once as valuable as silver — which was what led to the pointy end of the Washington Monument being made out of it. ... Read More