Category Archives: Beginners Guides
Q. When a good pipe goes sour, does it have to be discarded?
Even the best of pipes may occasionally turn sour, for some unexplained reason.
History of Tobacco & Pipe Smoking Part 2
“All along the sea routes … wherever they had trading posts, the Portuguese began the limited planting of tobacco. Before the end of the sixteenth century they had developed these…
Briar – The Saviour of Pipe Smoking?
In keeping with my recent theme of looking at the history of pipe smoking and its associated parts I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some…
History of Tobacco and Pipe Smoking, Part 1
Huron Indian myth has it that in ancient times, when the land was barren and the people were starving, the Great Spirit sent forth a woman to save humanity. As…
Is it possible to be a ‘pipe smoking expert’…?
We all know that there are a plethora of Dos and Don’ts when it comes to pipe smoking and its many and varied techniques. We ourselves have published on this…
Are 1st impressions of a tobacco the right impressions?
The following article was written by one of my favourite contributors about all things pipes and tobacco, G.L Pease. A real authority on this topic, he is a US based…
The Virtues and Values of Fine Graining…
MANY and varied are the craftsmen who have plied the ancient craft of pipe-making, and varied, too, are the materials they have used. In the ice deserts of the north,…
How many pipe shapes can you name…?
There is often a large amount of debate amongst pipe makers and pipe smokers alike as to the proper name for different shape pipes. Below is a simple guide to…
Meerschaum vs Briar??
I recently read an article extolling the virtues of Meerschaum pipes and thought the subject of Meerschaum vs Briar to be an interesting one… The main advantages in the pro…
A Beginner’s Guide to Briar Pipe Care
Briar pipes will last a lifetime if properly smoked and cared for. If not cleaned regularly, tobacco pipes can develop a sour taste due to the tar and oil residues…
