The holidays are just around the corner, and some folks can be harder to shop for than others. With pipe smokers, it can be frustrating because you know they love their pipes and tobacco, but you’re not sure that you know enough on the subject to pick the right gift. It’s like someone said they …

Choices, choices, choices. There are plenty of choices to make in this pipe smoking hobby, and most of us love that variety. Still, it can cause some frustration, especially for those getting acquainted with  tobacco pipes. But once we do our research, the fog is lifted and we can appre …

With so many things in life, getting started can be the hardest part. No doubt that applies to pipe smoking. So if you’ve ever wondered how to start smoking a pipe, this guide is for you. One of the best things about smoking a pipe is the vastness of options. Pipes come in any number …

One of the exciting things about getting into pipes is the way you start to notice and appreciate when they turn up on the screen. They offer a nuanced insight into a character—not just their being a pipe smoker at all, but more specifically, what the individual pipe says about the individual pipe s …

Silicon Valley may be famed for its garage-to-riches success stories, but tech isn’t the only place where a modest household beginning signals great heights. The tobacco community has our own narrative to crow about—Cornell & Diehl, a source of exceptionally fine tobacco since 1992. That’s the y …

Alright, let’s have a little fun here. There’s excellence to be found in tobacco blends from all over the globe but categorizing our favorites in varied ways provides the piper a method of talking about difference and distinction. It’s what allows us to put disparate elements into new conv …

When it comes to the items men carry around on a day-to-day basis, no two guy’s pockets look exactly the same. As men, we only have so many ways to personalize our style and accessories, so everyday carry — or EDC — items tend to be very personal and purposeful.If you’re still assembling your ideal …

Piping – the pastime with endless vistas. You can smoke morning, noon, and night for decades on end, but the blends keep coming out, the palate continues to improve, your collection of briar, meerschaum, and morta swells, and your friendships in the dedicated piping community flouris …

The great rivalries: Packers vs. Bears, Montagues vs. Capulets, Churchill vs. Chamberlain, blonde vs. brunette. And to this storied list of squabbles, we can tack on Aromatic vs. Non-Aromatic and English pipe tobaccos. While it’s true that certain smokers straddle the divide, many find themselv …

The piping community is one indebted to the unmatched wisdom of history. While we celebrate newcomers who have just picked up their first Missouri Meerschaum, or those greenhorn shapers who are testing out their father’s lathe, or backyard blenders who enliven their favorite tobaccos with …