A few years ago, I remember it well, I received in the post an unexpected gift of the sort that inspires the instantaneous rendition of an awkward happy dance. I’m […]
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I remember the first time I heard someone else say it. “How many pipes do I need? Just one more.” It’s glib, sure, a bit of a joke, but it […]
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There’s a pipe in my collection that I cannot bring myself to smoke, though I’ve had it for more years than I care to recall. It’s old, or shall I […]
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Something has been rattling around in my noggin for years, the result of many late night conversations with a lot of folks in a lot of fields, like chefs, winemakers, […]
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The other day, I was having a conversation with a friend about tobacco moisture. He tends to believe that a freshly opened tin presents the blender’s notion of the ideal […]
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On Friday, 31st May, 2024, a big thing happened: I was inducted into the Confrérie des Maitres Pipiers de Saint-Claude, along with 12 others, including my dear friend Nate King. […]
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Some time ago, a good friend, an astute and seasoned pipe man, brought to my attention a very long running discussion over whether two tobaccos were, in fact, the same […]
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When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well […]
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I confess. I’m a Latakiaphile. Ever since I first smelled the smoke of the dusky leaf, I’ve been in love with it. I know this is no surprise to anyone […]
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“Don’t you have enough pipes? Why do you need another one?” It’s a fair question, though one I’m never happy to hear, especially when it’s coming from a voice in […]
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Recent Posts
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 666. Our featured interview tonight is with Bobby Eichorn. Bobby is the newly appointed leader of the International Charatan Collectors Society. He has been smoking and collecting Charatan pipes for decades and has one of the largest collections in the world. He has won awards for his collection at past Chicago pipe shows. His initial influence for pipe smoking was from is grandfather. He is a retired educator with an MBA and PhD, and resides in Virginia. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of Cornell & Diehl’s Cap’s Blend Tobacco.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 665. Our featured interview tonight is with Jody Davis. Jody is a renowned pipe artisan, and the lead guitar player for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band, The Newsboys. His pipes are extremely high quality with Danish style designs, and they are not easy to come by. Jody will take on two “Ask the Pipemaker” questions from listeners as well as chat a bit with Brian. At the top of the show in our Pipe Parts segment, we will have a Pipe Smoker Gift Giving Guide for Father’s Day this weekend.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 664. Our featured guest tonight is Dan Butler of D. Butler Pipes. Dan is a part time pipe maker producing beautiful artisan pipes. He found his way to pipes after university didn’t work out, then working the night shift in a mental hospital put so much stress on him that he need to find relief. First, it was relaxing with a cigar, but when he found his way to pipes, he became much more intrigued. He started off slow as he was paying off student debt, but when that was cleared, he dove in. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, Brian will have his first installment in searching for replacement tobaccos for some of the Mac Baren and Sutliff discontinued items. He will have a review of Cornell & Diehl’s Virginia Gentleman, and tell you why it is a good replacement for Mac Baren’s Virginia No. 1.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 663. Our featured guest tonight is Austin Bourdo of Pathfinder Pipes. He is an Army Veteran having the highly specialized role of Pathfinder. (Find out what that is on the show. It’s super badass cool.) Austin is a father and husband living in his native Wisconsin. He does social work full time and makes pipes part time. It all started when he found his grandfather’s pipes, started smoking, and he already had a lathe for bowl turning, so making pipes was a natural progression. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, we will continue the virtual tour of Brian’s pipe collection with two estate Comoy’s pipes that have a great background story.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 662. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about their experiences and Jon David’s purchases at the Chicago pipe show. There is also news on the Country Squire’s bulk tobacco / custom blends program that was impacted by the closure of Sutliff Tobacco Co. In our opening Pipe Parts segment we will get caught up on a mailbag backlog with four great questions from listeners.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 661. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Fernando Keops. Fernando is a renowned sleight-of-hand magician, particularly known for his work with cards and gambling effects. He is celebrated for his performances that blend magic, sleight of hand, and a poetic style. He is of course, also a pipe smoker and he attended the Las Vegas International Pipe Show in 2024. Already a full time magician, he started smoking a pipe when he was 22-years old. Another magician that he was working with that was a pipe smoker, and 82-years old at the time, bought him his first pipe. At the top of the show in our Pipe Parts segment, Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl’s Opening Night.
