African Queen

Examining Charl Goussard’s #1307 Tom Spithaler I grew up in the Pittsburgh, PA area playing the drums, and had some rather successful years in the music industry playing, writing and recording. Some of my work can be heard on records/CD’s to this day, but clearly not something that you would have remembered, or I would …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

Patrick Slazansky Pipe Review

Slovakian Newcomer Makes His Mark Tom Spithaler It seems there is always one ‘thing’ about a pipecrafter’s style that draws my attention. There is always one sort of standout characteristic that tells me, "You need to get to know this guy!" Things like Bruce Weaver’s blasting techniques, the finishes of Dotter pipes, the classic ‘tough …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

Dotter Pipes

Croatian Creativity: Black Bamboo Freehand #84 Tom Spithaler In 1989 I went through Infantry Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, SC. I was sworn in 7 September, and left basic training 14 December and was assigned to Ft. Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington. Basic Training is designed to mold a young man into a soldier. Training is …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

Testing a Teipen

A Free-Hand Dublin of Excellence Tom Spithaler Nestled in west-central Indiana, the city of Cloverdale has a population of 2,172. It hosts a single McDonalds, an Econo-Lodge and a beautiful natural attraction called Cataract Falls along Mill Creek. Cataract Falls is the largest waterfall in Indiana with a drop of over 80 feet cascading over …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

The Breakfast Egg

The Brilliance of Thomas Bazant Tom Spithaler When I was young, I was a little different than the other kids. I suffered from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis that was diagnosed at the age of five. Because of the growth variables and bone and joint weakness caused by this disease, from age five to eight, my activities …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

Experiencing an Innovative Difference

The Morgan Briar Cigar Tom Spithaler As pipe smokers and collectors, we are always looking for our next favorite pipe, or our next favorite tobacco blend. Typically, we don’t have to wait too long until a pipe or blend comes along that piques our interests and gets our heart pumping to get our hands on …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

How to Smoke a Vegetable

James Gilliam’s Hand-Crafted Squashed Tomato Tom Spithaler How a shape appears to a pipe-carver as they sit and stare at a raw block of briar is a mystery to many of us who are collectors and smokers. Perhaps not so much to the artisans that are actually doing the carving, but as for me, I’d …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

East Coast Bias: Part 2

Pipe Crafter Kurt Huhn Goes Formal Tom Spithaler In last month’s review we looked at the first of two pieces that Rhode Island craftsman Kurt Huhn made and submitted to be scrutinized under my malevolent elucidation (insert your best evil laugh here). But seriously, looking closely at the Chubby Billiard he sent (see previous review), …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

Luciano Pipes Shape Chart

What is so extraordinary about Luciano Pipes is that they devised a way to provide a very high quality Italian pipe at a kind-of "artificially" low price. They are "Hand-Finished" Italian pipes. This means that part of the process is machine-assisted, but the most important parts, like drilling the holes, are done by hand. This …

Pipe Reviews & Pipe Makers

East Coast Bias Pt. 1

A Look at Classic Pieces by Rhode Island Pipecrafter Kurt Huhn Tom Spithaler I grew up in western Pennsylvania. As kids, my parents had taken us on several trips to the homes of friends of the family that lived in Kentucky. I remember much about those trips in spite of the fact that I was …

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African Queen

Patrick Slazansky Pipe Review

Dotter Pipes

Testing a Teipen

The Breakfast Egg

Experiencing an Innovative Difference

How to Smoke a Vegetable

East Coast Bias: Part 2

Luciano Pipes Shape Chart

East Coast Bias Pt. 1