Category Archives: The Pipe Pundit

Law of Binding Energy

This may sound a bit over the top, but our pipe community is held together by some equivalent of the law of binding energy. So sayeth Dr. Pundit. Harrumph! Simply […]

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A Trip to Tobaccoland

From Left: C&D's Palmetto Balkan, Savinelli's new and beautiful Ottagono sandblast and Peterson's amazing Emerald Rusticated P-Lip XL-90 along with two other standby blends. Photo by Fred Brown

We are not in Kansas any longer, Toto. No. We are in Tobaccoland, nirvana, land of honey and Virginia, latakia, perique, and cavendish blended to a taste of the extraordinary. […]

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Once More, Dear Lads, Once More

Ah, the joys of spring. April showers bringing May flowers, trees budding, birds flitting in fits of joy, and hope springing eternal. As our friend e.e. cummings said, “always it’s […]

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The Everyman Pipe

Sherlock Holmes Smooth Dark Stained Hudson is center stage. It came with Cornell& Diehl's St. Patrick's Day Special Reserve 2022 small batch blend of Bright Virginias, hazelnut, vanilla, a variety of canvendish and a smooth creamy topping. A lovely blend. In the background is 2021/2022 4th Generation limited edition Jubilaeums Flake, a tobacco blend dedicated to Erik Stokkebye's grandfather, Erik Poul. Photo by Fred Brown

Here is the thing. As we all know, there are skilled artisans and wonderfully-crafted pipes in today’s pipes and tobacco marketplaces. And over time, the Pundit has managed to purchase […]

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One True Sentence

L-R: The “missing pipe formation” of the meerschaum collection; Author pipes galore! And “Folklore” tobacco blend from the latest Small Batch creation by C&D’s Jeremy Reeves, Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl. Photo by Fred Brown

Hitherto in the long back time when the Pundit fashioned himself the new Hemingway, ahem, he learned of a new pipe offering, known as the “Author.” Oh, almighty thundering yes, […]

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Pipes in the Dark Days

A couple of new members of the pipe herd and new tins for cold wintry nights. L-R: Iwan Ries Blue Star Aromatic; Cornell & Diehl Wintertime Reserve Alpine Lodge; Peterson St. Patrick's Day 2022 XL17 Fishtail, a beautiful copy of the Sherlock Holmes Watson design; next up is the Ropp Heritage Blast 353 Straight billiard, created from old-stock stummels from the Chapuis-Comoy factory turned many years ago; and finally what would be a relaxing winter night without G.L. Pease’s Quiet Nights of The Old London Series. Photo by Fred Brown

“Tis the times’ plague, when madmen lead the blind.”—William Shakespeare “How now?” “Even so quickly may one catch the plague?” — William Shakespeare There we were, thinking the plague seemed […]

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A New Year: New Pipes and Tobacco

MacArthur Corn Cob Pipe and Tobaccos

Here we are on the cusp of a new year. Like Satchel Paige, I am just a bit fearful these days to look over my shoulder. Something might be gaining […]

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Pax Vobiscum!

Some favored tobacco blends and new pipes from left: L.J. Peretti 150th Anniversary Virginia Flake blend; new pipes L-R: Peterson XL02 Rua Fishtail (red fox) in a crimson-and-black contrast-stained sandblast and the Peterson Halloween 2021 System Pipe B42 P-Lip with its acrylic red and black stem and black sandblast; two Claudio Cavicchis, L-R, Lovat brown sandblast and CCC Canadian; two tobacco cans, Cornell & Diehl’s Autumn Evening and Sutliff Tobacco Co.’s Edward G. Robinson’s Pipe Blend. Photo by Fred Brown

Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast—William Shakespeare  Ahhh, yes, the hurly-burly holidays have fallen upon us with a vengeance. In this supply-chain-choke-hold-chaos of Thanksgiving and Christmas flapdoodle, […]

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An Upstart Crow’s Mincer Experience

Gift from old newspaper pal, described as a Tracy Mincer Custom-Bilt years ago at a pipe show. (Photo: Fred Brown)

Rummaging around the pachyderm-sized briar herd recently, I ran across old friends and one surprising ancient addition. You know how it is. For sentimental reasons, you begin to yearn for […]

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Drink the Wild Air

Fall is a special time of year for those of us lucky enough to reside near forests. Here lush deciduous trees light up the mornings and evenings with color come […]

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