News aggregator

A special, and one-off, news update. For the very first time, it looks like a pipe show is stirring things up in the press. It takes a world-class show like Chicago’s CPCC to pull off something like that, even though it might not be the happiest news.

Without further ado, I’ll list the links I’ve found:

• Chicago Business: Seen & Noted: Pipe show finds a way for smokers to light up
• Chicago Tribune: Pipe smokers huff and puff about smoking ban
• Daily Herald: No hot air: St. Charles pipe club has to move
• KWQC TV: Illinois smoking ban tamps down puffing at pipe convention
• Al Pascia has the first pictures of the even online.

The countdown for the first show reports can start now …

Due to time constraints of its editor, the news feature is currently suspended. Not that anyone will notice.

Highlights

We can offer more news this week than we’ve covered before, but for some reason it does seem like it’s down season for pipe smokers. You’ll see what we mean as you go through this week’s news fest.

I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs. — Albert Einstein

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Anyone ever heard of Benner, a Danish pipe carver? If not, read all about it, because Martin Reck gives us the lowdown here
• Pfeife&Tabak announce their new page featuring Volker Bier.
• Thomas Looker put up more pages on his Briar Gallery offering us more pictures of Teddy pipes.
• Pipephil offers us a nice overview of Dunhill stampings as well as some odd devise made for stereo smoking
• On Smokersforums no one seems to have any clue about BBB silver stampings
• TCPR have a new Jack Howell
• The Briar Files talk about a Kaywoodie white briar.
• And last but not least, over on ASP people wonder about the color of briar.

Tobacco

• BAT moves Dunhill production to Romania, I just wonder if anyone on the planet will actually think, “ya know, me fags taste different now they packed the factory off to the back end of Dracula’s patch.” I think that is a phenomenon exclusive to pipe tobacco.
• Which brings us to the business news. BAT shows us some figures and decides it does not go forth with their ventures in the Philippines …
• Continued from last week’s news: Altria plans to save a considerable amount of money after the Philip Morris spin-off.
• Reynolds’ ratings may get an upgrade
• Imperial Tobacco gives us an update on the whole Altadis deal.
• If one would think that after Altadis, Tekel, and a couple of others it’s all over with tobacco factories being taken over, you may want to think again. Bulgaria has something of interest
• If things in Thailand keep going the way they are, more take-over opportunities may arise. Links: one two three
• It’s not all gloom and doom, some companies actually make profit
• I am not supposed to know whether this is good or bad new, but here it goes: there’s a change in the board of the South Korean tobacco company.
• Last week we linked to an article on tobacco growing in Malawi. This got a response and it brings us to the news concerning the first stage of tobacco production: growing it. If we stay in Malawi, they now sell tobacco at higher prices not to mention hitting a record
  which I guess is due to the Chinese who are buying it.
• Malawi isn’t the only place that grows tobacco, though. Things in Zambia look less rosy …
• The same could be said about Canada.
• In the case of any of our American readers who might think this is all far from their own beds and therefor not much to worry about, think again because Kentucky is rather close to home.
• Different news, then. Genetic engineering can make for safer tobacco. link one two three
• Things may go better soon, now that women seem to smoke more
• Perhaps this can lead to more people smoking pipe tobacco, for instance the one Safari Bob reviewed : Planta MMVII.

Accessories

• Jimmy Muraco buys an Old Boy.
• TCPR make another new pipe rack.
• Justin Bain buys an old pipe rack.

Scene

• Bob continues setting up his work bench.
• Neill Roan is back and writes once more about a wide variety of topics. He wonders when a collection has reached its saturation point. In other words, when is enough enough? I guess that point is reached earlier when you, as a collector, have stretched your budget to the max. Neill also talks about all the projects Rolf Ostendorff is involved in, and gives us his impressions of being reunited with a long lost friend.
• The Briar files offer another vintage pipe tobacco ad and puts up Sir Ranulph Twistleton-Wykeham Fiennes as pipe smoker of the week
• From Jon Tillman we get a status report on how things are going on the TobaccoReviews site. Also, we get to read a reader’s question about HOW Country Doctor.
• Justin Bain mentions us ! We’re famous !
• David Enrique talks us through an Anne Julie painting.
• Fumeurs de pipe point us to a comic featuring lots of pipe smokers. Links here, there and everywhere
• This week, Pipe Talk podcast talk us through legal tobacco alternatives as well as giving us some tips on how to touch base with your local pipe club. [ MP3 ]

Tips and tricks

• Top trickster Lars Wiberg explains to us everything we need to know about tongue bite, which can be a side effect of something he calls World Class Stress Relief
• The Briar Files give us some tamping and lighting tips.
• If you ever were to obtain a pipe with a thingie, here is what you need to know.

Other news …

• Smoking ban in Minnesota: The soap opera continues, the protagonists’ usual antics go on, people react and our heroes find themselves in some sort of a pickle (more here and here and here ). What we didn’t know yet, is that the ban has ties with Nicoderm.
• Smoking ban in Iowa: Still in the works, though not quite there yet. one two three four and five
• Smoking ban in Illinois: The first two bars have been cited and there have been talks of a total ban on flavored cigarettes (more here ).
• Smoking ban in India: Stricter enforcement on the way.
• Smoking ban in Idaho: Likely to become more strict as well.
• Smoking ban in Wisconsin. The fighting continues. one two
• Smoking ban in Indiana: news from Fort Wayne.
• Smoking ban in Lithuania: It doesn’t look like the prime minister seems to care, and will light up his pipe regardless of it. Links here and here and here
• Smoking ban in California: Encinitas adopts beach smoking ban
• Smoking ban in Canada: In Windsor it has been flouted.
• Smoking ban in Hawaii: It’s being discussed further. Links here and here
• Smoking ban in the UK: Smokers standing outside their offices during smoke breaks are bad PR
• Smoking ban in Colorado: In Denver the first Smoker Friendly lounges have opened.
• Smoking ban in Tennessee: turns out to have interesting implications for NASCAR racing.
• Smoking ban in Australia: more severe than ever before.
• Smoking ban in Japan: will now include taxi drivers in Tokyo …
• Smoking ban in Nebraska: The debate is whether it will save tax money or end up costing more.
• That brings us to tax increases. Do they work or not seems to be a rather valid question. In Milwaukee they’re claimed to be responsible for a drop in cigarette sales. Others plan on raising taxes, like Kentucky or the UK and still others are debating the issue, but the outcome is likely to be in favor of an increase. Examples include, but are not limited to: the UK (again), Massachusetts Sri Lanka and New York and if that weren’t enough, there are also campaigns, like in South Carolina (more here ). It’s all very democratic, it seems it is what the people want, though why they want it might some somewhat contradictory … Of course, one would like to hear some good news. Let’s just say that plans do not necessarily make legislation, as in some — admittedly rare — occasions it will not pass. Examples here and here
• I guess one can be happy about the fact that tobacco is not regulated federally (in the USA). Whether that will remain, remains to be seen. Links here and here
• Let’s keep looking at things on the bright side, though. There will always be casinos and indian reservations. Smoking will surely never be affected there. That might be a reasonable train of thought, but if that is what you truly believe, I’d strongly advise to read the following links: one two three and four
• Let’s see, surely there must be more news to ruin your days with? I could talk about tobacco advertising and sales regulations. Yes, that’s going to make everybody very happy. Australians for instance, think that packaging should be quite dull (more here) while the vietnamese insist on adding health warnings. You could, like Kyrgyzstan just ban all advertising. Canadians hope to be able to get rid of display stands in shops, just like they aim to do in New Zealand (though not with all that much success). Other places, like India, have weird clusters of legislation that still allow for interesting loopholes … One could also ban tobacco advertising at major events, like they do in Signapore ‘s Grand Prix or rodeos in New Mexico . With all that in place, some continue to complain, about candy cigarettes or free up about $17 million on campaigns, which might take a different approach this time, as it looks like death isn’t scary enough to make people quit. Oh, and just to keep your hopes up, it is n’t just the western world that has gone nuts over controlling tobacco. It’s happening in Asia, for instance South Korea as well, or even on the Dark Continent, in South Africa (more here) and Kenya (more here) for instance.
• By now you should be up for some good news. How about overseas troops being able to smoke a cigar ? (more here).
• Michael Siegel accuses the World Tobacco Conference of prostitution … Good for him.
• Not to be talking about smoking all the time, we could also mention snus … For those willing to quit smoking, it’s probably a safer alternative and a rather interesting way to get your nicotine fix in places subjected to a smoking ban as well. For these reasons, it looks like it is becoming quite popular= in the US (more here). Anti-tobacco lobbyists can’t stand clever people trying to stay in business, so they’re starting to demonize smokeless tobacco as well. For the European readership, it might be good to point out that snus regulations can have historical political consequences
• Ever heard of a fire-safe cigarette ? Link one two three four
• If you thought tobacco culture was part of the culture of native Americans, think again
• Smoking and employment is not always a good combination. Links for this week here and here but you could say the same about the place you live in
• Second hand smoke, we are led to believe, causes instant death. Perhaps not, according to some (more here)
• Law suit news. Always such a joy. Philip Morris gets sued in Nigeria while the US Supreme Court rejects smokers’ lawsuit against tobacco companies for allegedly luring teens. Doctors who do not tell their patients to quit smoking, may get sued as well. And in New Brunswick Big tobacco is being sued for all the pain they caused for smokers. (more here).
• We’ve heard most of that before, and one of the protagonists of days of yore, Dickie Scruggs is currently in trouble. Can’t say I didn’t grin when I read that. Here’s the news, all in the links: one two three four five six seven eight
• Smoking and movies. What to say about that? Some want to have films, which have smoking scenes in them, be labeled or classified separately. Yes, someone is thinking of the children . I do wonder what they’ll do about those pesky rebelious actors who smoke, like Daniel Radcliffe (more here and here) or Paul Giamatti … Stay tuned.

Highlights

The news this week will be raw and uncut. Lots of links, though. check it out.

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Justin Bain explores the effect of size on the smoking experience.
• PipePhil presents us with two unusual pipes this week.
• The Briar Files takes a look at an SM Frank Era Kaywoodie.
• Neill Roan on what he calls The Architecture of Shapes, what makes a big difference in the look and feel of a pipe.
• This is what not to do with a lit pipe.
• Smokersforums talk about having dinner with Larry Roush and also offer a video of Oldřich Jirsa pipes
  
• David Enrique covers his experiences with sandblasting.
• Jörg Lehmann wants to know your opinion on billiards
• Monpe with some lovely BBB pictures as well as some of a AF&Co Morell Mackenzie Horn.
• Sometimes smoking pipes is bad for your teeth.

Tobacco

• What’s the future for Imperial Tobacco? Gareth Davis of Imperial Tobacco talks about his company.
• More on BAT. It appeals its promotion penalty The TimesOnline reports on BAT’s growth. However, a Turkish union tries to block part of the deal.
• Blenders and manufacturers are discussed on tobaccoreviews.com.
• More Big Tobacco: Altria. These chaps are planning on spinning off Philip Morris (more here ). At the same time they claim this will lead to a better sale of smokeless tobacco products
• The Briar Files plans to post vintage ads, and here’s the first one.
• Dark tobacco growers in Kentucky and Tennessee are recognized for their contributions to the industry.
• Tobacco auction may close for good.
• Some facts and figures on China’s export of tobacco in December 2007.
• Straight Grain reviews Stanwell Vanilla tobacco.
• Tobacco sales fall after the initiation of smoking bans.
• Malawi Government Raises Minimum Burley Tobacco Price by 46%.
• Cigarette smuggling hurts tobacco farmers in India.

Accessories

• Two Cousins has something perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day.
• How to get the most out of your accessory budget.
• Fire sticks. What gets you fired up?

Scene

• Knoxville Cigar goes OFFLINE . More here
• The PowerofBabel explores action figure pipes*. Or, how about an action figure smoking a pipe ? [ hat tip one and two ]
• Northern Ireland ‘peace pipes’ sold at auction.
• An illustrated article on Sir Walter Raleigh can be found on the Briar Files.
• The Eager Beaver showcases a Buffalo NY pipe shop that he frequents.
• Lars shows off his new acquistions from the 2008 Copenhagen pipe show. More on the show here and here and it’s even been mentioned on TV …
• Joachim talks about CeBIT in Hannover.
• Something about a contest in Liège.
• Can a smoking ban do some some good?
• Neill Roan mentions a short story about Haddo’s Delight.
• Anyone interesting in a discussion on high grades ? Or even two
• Bob is getting his pipe bench in order.
• ASP moment of the year
• PipeTalk podcast talks this week about Virginia and Perique and health. They also have set up a site [ MP3 ]

Tips and tricks

• Aging tobacco provides improved smoking experiences. Justin Bain talks about jarring bulk tobaccos. These techniques are futher discussed on My Pipes Community. And slartie continues with more insights.
• Lars also talks about tongue bite
• Straight Grain discusses proper cake.
• More discussion on pipe packing methods.
• Buck on ASP found a google feature that will benefit all of us who’re willing to research anything related to pipes and tobacco. And other topics.

Other news …

• Smoking ban in Wisconsin: this has been covered a fair bit in the news this week, what with Lance Armstrong propagating it and everything. Here’s an article laying down the point of view of Jack’s Tobacco & MCS in Brookfield. More related articles can be found here and here and here
• Smoking ban in Minnesota: I especially liked the way bar owners exploited a loophole in the law. Lots of links … one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen and that’s an appropriate number to end with.
• Smoking ban in Canada: There’s a good chance that smoking in your home will be outlawed but mostly the news seems to have been on banning smoking in your car. Links: one two three four five six seven eight
• Smoking ban in New Hampshire: It looks like there might be some exemptions
• Smoking ban in the Vatican: Yes, they’re hip too.
• Smoking ban in Baltimore: People who obey and smoke outside risk getting in trouble with the police.
• Smoking ban in Western Australia: Yes, they too (more here )
• Smoking ban in Illinios*: There’s some talk about smoking licenses. As we all know, it also hurts businesses, which in turn hurts the tax revenue.
• Smoking ban in Munich: Oktoberfest will get an exemption
  (more here
• Smoking ban in Bahrain: profits go up in smoke
• Smoking ban in China: unlikely but it’s starting to be discussed
• Smoking ban in Ohio: There’s a likelihood of it, constitutional or not, not being enforced to the same extent as it used to be. Even so, people are being creative, prohibition style
• Smoking ban in Philly: smoke in a park, and risk a fine
• Smoking ban in Germany: They are not popular
• Smoking ban in Arizona: what would that mean for new student cigar groups ?
• Smoking ban in Kansas: It gets some criticism
• Smoking ban in New York: is NYC still Sin City ?
• Smoking ban in Iowa: Not really popular either. More here
• Smoking ban in Barnsley: It’s become illegal to smoke outside
• Smoking ban in the Northern Marianas: Not likely if it depends on Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
• Smoking ban in South Africa: the industry is against it.
• Smoking ban in the USA: Or a federal ban ? It’s likely what with plans for a FDA tobacco legislation
• Smoking bans and casinos: cause for controversy: one two
• Smoking ban in psychiatric hospitals: Patients have a right to smoke. More here
• Smoking bans … Are they any good ?
• Wondered what this would do to cigarette sales ? Or the hospitality industry — a specific case can be found here
• Are smokers really that bad ? Some don’t think so, and actually cater to them.
• Some cigarettes are deadlier than others.
• Anyone out there who still has hopes to be able to buy their tobacco online ? Think again as it is on the radar
• If you still smoke, I guess you can best smoke in style with one of these … Those aren’t the only ones who think smoking can be hip.
• Smoking will get a special rating in movies. News here and commentary here
• The anti smoking crowd have heard some of the pro smoking crowd’s criticisms, and tries to refute them. Apparently, Hitler was a smoker. Other, more rational claims are scrutinized as well. Which one is worse, smoking or air pollution especially when one considers stoves and fireplaces … and we won’t have heard the last about ETS either.

Highlights

A lot has happened this week, and a fair bit of it can be found distilled on this page. Most importantly is the news of the passing of Bjarne. He will be missed. Other than that, we have reviews, pipe reports, commentary, adverts, bans — the works. Enjoy!

I have probably handled more benzopyrene than all of the anti-tobacco people put together. . . Then you’d go through a whole step of reactions, and every compound I made was tumorigenic (tumor-producing) in an animal in some way or another, and I’ve still got all of my fingers and I’m still here. — RJR researcher Alan Rodgman, Lost Empire: Chapter 5, Part 3: Selling Smoke

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• The Briar Files’ AlanDP has been quite prolific this week as well. He posts about some unbelievebly dirty pipes he’s seen on a forum, which probably inspired him to start cleaning his own pipes … But there’s even more. For instance a Kaywoodie and yet another Kaywoodie but made entirely from briar, a third Kaywoodie, this time an author. There’s a post on a Bertram and a Westminster Alpiner
• Neill Roan is back. So this means he’s posting again this week, too. For instance, he posts about his love for pipes and the problems he’s having to sell them. Understandable, if you buy stuff like a Nanna Ivarsson or a Castello (which, I must admit, is not bought this week).
• Justin Bain writes us through the entire process of carving his very first pipe.
• PipePhil outdid himself once more by finding some really awkward, bipolar, “twin tower” type of pipe construction. And over on FdP there’s been a pointer to one of PipePhil’s latest endeavors : a timeline with Dunhill stampings and logos.
• Speaking of Dunhills, Mike Hagley shows us what a Vernon Dunhill fitment is.

  Vernon Dunhill was a brother of Alfred Dunhill. This type of stem was used in the 1930s. The inner tube shown on the top is inserted into the the flange on the mouthpiece and inserted into the pipe. If you never wondered, well……

• The Peterson Pipe Project mentions a Peterson Trunk Show at Peretti’s of Boston March 15, 2008. There’s also a testimony on the Peterson (what else) military mounts.
• Somewhat in the same line, Bob on the Timberwolfer blog bought new pipes: two Petersons and a Stanwell.
• Two Cousins Pipe Racks (I really should start abbreviating that, how about TCPR?) got something in the mail from Wolfgang Becker.
• Does anyone know what in God’s name is up with this ? (The Chap #37, page 5).

Tobacco

• Voortrekker is a blend I never though would be of interest to anyone. Imagine my surprise to see it mentioned here
• Bob reviews two blends this week: Smokingpipes.com’s Waccamaw and Fribourg and Treyer Cut Virginia Plug
• Lars Wiberg wrote a review as well: Orlik (or Stokkebye) Bull’s eye.
• So many reviews out there. It makes one wonder how many of those reviews are actually being read. At least, Jon Tillman does.
• Now on to news that bores no one: business news. According to BAT, 2007 was a good year

  “British American Tobacco has had another very good year, with increased profit and share growth in many markets.” [chairman Jan du Plessis]

  and like any company that’s performing well, they are seeking growth, in a market that’s already rather well occupied with takeovers. So they take over Turkey’s cigarette plant Tekel as well as the cigarette branch of Orlik’s parent company, Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S. The former is at this point not really of any concern to Pipe Lore, the latter might be — it’s still too early to tell for certain. More links here, here, here, here and here … There might be more to come, but for now this will have to do.
• Another buy-out has been spotted on SF. Altria seems to buy out John Middelton — but it’s somewhat odd that I haven’t come across this in any of the news reports I’ve seen today. I probably overlooked it, which is likely to happen.
• Because of the pipe scene’s obvious fascination and devotion to anything to do with tobacco, especially in the larger scheme of things, it’s good to point out these international little tidbits as well: there something happening in the market for machinery, and also of interest could be that tobacco is — as most everybody knows — a cash crop. To such an extent even, that a country can completely depend on it.

Accessories

• TCPR talks tampers.
• After Lars Wiberg last week, this week it’s Neill Roan who makes a case for traveling light.

Scene

• Broken pipe: Bjarne Nielsen. This must have been this week’s most important news, Bjarne Nielsen passed away and he will be sorely missed. Pipe Lore wishes to extend its condolences to his family and friends, who may have noticed that this news did not go by unnoticed: Foundations , Pfeife Tabak, SmokersForum, ASP, Pipes et tabac, MPC, Jimmy Muraco, Neill Roan and we’ll close off with Marty Pulvers
• How about some lighter, more cheerful news? What could be more cheerful than a vintage ad in the form of a comic? Here is one for Prince Albert tobacco. For a more legible format, click the picture. Wim Lockefeer has a couple more in this link
• In order to make a better site, Jon Tillman needs more information on pipe shows and aside from that, he is prepping the database and would like to know your thoughts on brands, blenders and manufacturers
• When Trever Talbert is making pipes these days, his doctor makes him look like a cheesy SciFi b-movie villain. I bet he’s loving it.
• More news from France: Guillaume rants about certain other sites
• Mike Leverette ponders why historical documents relating to tobacco seem to vanish into thin air. Here and here
• It can’t be too bad, though, as elsewhere on SF we find this lovely article on tobacco in the UK.
• Tom Martin has a new lathe
• Bob meanders on how relaxing a pipe is.
• AlanDP’s featured pipe smoker of the week, Hiram Percy Maxim looks like someone who fully understands that.
• The PipeTalk Podcast chaps have another episode up this week. They talk Burley tobacco, and ponder over what it takes to select a pipe and subsequently break it in. [ MP3 ]

Tips and tricks

• Nicolas offers some tips on how to pack a pipe with regular cut tobacco as well as with flakes
  
  
• Lars Wiberg happens to do the exact same thing: pipe packing tips for flakes, but he doesn’t offer videos. If you ever wondered why you should cellar, well, Lars has written down his thoughts about that as well.
• Which leaves us with Neill Roan, whose post is likely to make everybody interested in pipe photography happy.

Other news …

• Lots of news here, this week, so I’ll keep it as short as possible. Everything will be in the links. If you prefer something more written out, in the style of everything above, please let me know by leaving a comment in the box below. Thank you!
• Greg Pease has a nice mug
• Bahrain bans tobacco advertising during the F1 Races.
• Uruguay bans tobacco advertising
• Iowa doesn’t like bans.
• Illinios has a ban as well. Some hold a smoke-in to protest it (more here), the law scratches its head (more here) and some even are taken to court due to loopholes in the law, of which this one is likely the most brilliant.
• RJR doesn’t like an increased tax on tobacco in Kansas [ MOV , link , link ]
• Michael Siegel talks about the science behind heart attacks and smoking bans,
• New Zealand gets gory warnings on packs of cigarettes.
• Gay? Kill those fags. I wonder how that will go down amongst pipe bears, though. (Before anyone gets insulted, do check out the link first).
• Two Finnish women sue a tobacco firm: links here and here
• Smoking a new trend for women? Links here and here
• CAO cigars have a 7 minute long ad link:
  
• Probably nothing to do with the ad, but cuban cigars sold quite well last year.
• snuff is popular in school but if you don’t like kids buying tobacco* products, then you might want to invest in one of these, which is perhaps a good idea for Canada, although according to the WHO, too many people still smoke — regardless of age.
• In Vietnam, a tobacco smuggling trial begins
• Contraband cigarettes sold on Native reserves. Apparently a sensitive topic
• New legislation in MA:

FREE TOBACCO SAMPLES (H 2272) – The House approved a measure prohibiting anyone from distributing free samples of cigarettes in any public places in the state. The bill imposes a fine of between $25 and $50 for each day an offender violates the law.

Highlights

We have a lot of videos this week. Pipecorner’s Joachim has done his utter best to provide us with links to and clips of a lot of related materials. Thank you, Joachim! Alan over at the Briar Files seems to have taken over Neill Roan’s job as most prolific pipe blogger this week. Other than that, we hope you had a good International Pipe Smoking Day. Enjoy the read!

I’ve been smoking Early Morning since I started smoking pipes some 34 years ago and I still love it. It’s a good tobacco, despite who makes it. — Robert

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictate of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence — John Adams

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Over on The Briar Files, AlanDP has posted a lot this week, about several things. A WDC Wellington he recently refurbished, a short mention of some pipes he scored on eBay, a short essay about the Kaywoodie drinkless system, some words on Kirsten pipes, and to finish off, some chin resting weirdness.
• Pipes et Tabac’s Nicolas bought a Brian Ruthenberg, and really, really likes calabashes.
• Over in the pipecorner, Joachim presents us two videos. To start off, he talks about his newly purchased S. Bang:
  
  And next up, he offers us a promotional clip about Peterson:
  
• I still can’t speak, let alone read, Japanese, but I can, however, enjoy these pictures of a Loewe Liverpool tremendously.
• Smokersforums offers some good info on meerschaum pipes.
• Trever Talbert offers us a glimpse at a blowfish genesis.
• Jimmy Muraco bought two pipes this week. A Boswell and his first ever estate pipe, a Cristiano.

Tobacco

• First of all, it’s great to see that our latest article sparked up a little debate and discussion here and there: link one, link two, link three, link four and link five and that should do.
• AlanDP experiments with tobacco, and calls the end result the nightgaunt.
• Over on smokersforums, Jesper Klith wonders about new Stokkebye blends.
• For those more interested in technical business news : Malawi sets new prices for their leaf.
• Closer to home, Neill Roan has smoked McCranie’s Red Ribbon and really enjoyed that, apparently.
• Over to our German correspondent, pipecorner’s Joachim, who has tried two flakes with very original names, like Flake Nr. 1 and Flake Nr. 5. Furthermore, he offers two videos as well. The first one is one we showed a few weeks earlier already, which is an old commercial for Player’s Old England Mixture. The second one , also a commercial, is one we haven’t shown before. Condor commercial:
  

Accessories

• AlanDP reviews a smoke eleminator.
• The Two Cousins have made a pipe rack for churchwardens as well as an entire cabinet.
• Lars Wiberg makes a case for us to go back to basics by traveling light.

Scene

• First of all, this week we had the International Pipe Smoking Day which was so big a hit on the forums that I can’t even begin to list links to them. Quite a few blogs have mentioned it as well, for instance Neill Roan but also Eric Lauritzen, Greg Pease, and AlanDP. Of course, the IPSD website also has a few reports of their own, one from the New York City Pipe Club as well as a video from Vancouver:
  
• Broken pipe Robert Waughtel, pipe maker.
• Jon Tillman is getting his tobaccoreviews news blog back on track.
• And while he’s doing that, we have Neill Roan taking leave as he’s heading off to Canada. Must be why he isn’t as prominently present on this page as usual.
• News that definitely should make you start worrying comes from the Tobacco Barn blog: in the UK the use of crack pipes is now more common than the use of tobacco pipes. Link to the original article.
• As we mentioned before, the Pipecorner has discovered youtube. Joachim makes a nice presentation at first, and a little later he discovers the whole pipe bear phenomenon.
• More innocently, Guillaume has been tagged.
• My Pipes Community discusses the growth of the pipe scene.
• I’m listing it under scene, as I don’t know in which other category the second episode of the PipeTalk podcast fits best. This week, they cover aromatics and also chat away on packing methods. [ MP3 ]

Tips and tricks

• AlanDP teaches us how to make a pipe wipe cloth. aside from that, he tries to get started on cleaning his pipes but seems to get sidetracked along the way.
• Jimmy Muraco has put the Frank Method videos on his blog — you may have seen those videos on PipeLore before, though.

Other news …

• Smoking ban news: The Brits now have an anti-smoking ban blog [ hat tip ], which is probably a good thing, as (cigarette) sales drop by 4% — imagine how much of a drop pipe tobacco must have had there. It’s not just sales, as the Laurel Pub Company considers some serious restructurings due to a drop in customers.
• Smoking around the world seems to start its decline, figures can be found in the link … However, it does look like not everyone agrees to hold themselves to this ban.
• Michael Siegel offers his thoughts on the science behind second hand smoke.
• Does it come as a surprise to anyone that increasing taxation of tobacco products stimulates the sales of illegal products ?
• Cuba’s regime change offers some to ponder the future of the current ban on Cuban cigars. Both Imperial Tobacco as well as Swedish Match do some specuation.

Highlights

The last few weeks pipe forums have been awfully devoid of news. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any to report. Here we go …

The pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher, and shuts up the mouth of the foolish; it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent, and unaffected… — William Makepeace Thackeray

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Two Cousins Pipe Racks offer some pictures of a Bo Nordh pipe. They also show off their Vollmer & Nilsson pipe.
• Peter Klein settles in his new shop.
• AlanDP covers a Longchams canadian.
• Neill Roan writes a very interesting article connecting oil lamps with pipes. Click the link to find out more.
• Safari Bob bought a Tinsky.
• Joachim goes further into the matter of a previously bought Gerhard Wilhelm freehand. Also, he shows off his new S. Bang.
• PipePhil explores Paolo Becker’s homage to Dunhill.
• Justin Bain gives pipe carving a shot.

Tobacco

• Jon Tillman has a few questions: one on pipe tobacco cigarettes, one on blend availability in South Africa and on Black & Gold cavendish.
• Justin Bain reviews Germain’s King Charles Smoking Mixture.
• Joachim reviews St James flake.
• More reviews: Trever Talbert on Samuel Gawith’s Balkan Flake.

Accessories

• Neill Roan praises his Ming Kahuna tamper.
• Joachim also talks about a tamper. In his case, one from John Aylesbury.
• The two cousins have made a pipe rack that holds 24 pipes.

Scene

• Love Geiger offers a new guestbook on his website.
• Neill Roan discovers the Christian pipe smokers forum. He also thoroughly reflects on the symbiosis between a collection and the personality of the collector.
• Art Ruppelt has trouble winding down.
• FdP points us to a video from the Barcelona Pipe Club.
• SE Thile went to the St Louis pipe show.
• Over on ASP Brian points us to a new pipe podcast.

Tips and tricks

• Last week we had the Vienna Pipe Club offering videos on packing methods. We did a piece on the Frank Method a while ago, but Joachim offers us another one.

Other news …

• Pipe smoking cartoons are fairly hard to come by.
• Nicolas talks about pipes in paintings.
• MPC’s Dan points us to a pipe smoking Ford.
• £10 license to smoke. Everybody seems to have linked to the BBC article. Here’s the one from the Times.
• NY really doesn’t like smoking.
• pipes and drug paraphernalia in San Diego.
• Tobacco heals.
• Simon Rozendaal thinks cigar bars (especially in Boston) are really neat.
• When the government gets greedy, it may invent new cigarettes. When it does that, it should be surprized if smuggling becomes en vogue again. It’s Prohibition all over again …

Highlights

News. And lots of it. Enjoy.

Nowhere in the world will such a brotherly feeling of confidence be experienced as amongst those who sit together smoking their pipes. — Doctor Barnstein, The Results and Merits of Tobacco, 1844

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Neill Roan has some pipes refurbished. He also shows the Mimmo video we showed last week.
• Joachim bought a new pipe.
• PipePhil shows us a Paul Lanier pipe. He also talks about Earl Hines and his pipe.
• Rad Davis has his website renewed.
• Justin Bain gives a heads up to local carver Brian Kalnitz.
• A Japanese blogger whose name I assume is Monpe posts some lovely pictures of a Ben Wade bulldog. I wish I could read what he wrote …

Tobacco

• This week’s round of Dunhill tobacco hysteria. Oh, what the heck. Here’s another one.
• Foundations members discuss tobaccos then and now.
• Justin Bain further reviews McClelland #2020.
• Neill Roan does the same for G.L.Pease’ Maltese Falcon.
• Safari Bob, as well, has a go at it. Samuel Gawith’s 1792 Flake.
• It seems that CAO International has decided not to distribute DAN tobaccos in the US.

Accessories

• Neill Roan has nothing but praise for his pipe bag. He also shares his fondness for some of the lighters he uses.
• Two Cousins made a book and pipe desk set.

Scene

• Trever Talbert lets us know he is back in action now his computer issues have been resolved.
• Two Cousins Pipe Rack’s Mark shows us his shop.
• Jon Tillman gives us an update on the progress made concerning the TobaccoReviews site.
• Nicolas visits Brussels. Houdini was there as well and he got a thing or two.
• Art Ruppelt has problems coping with the loss of his motor.
• Karl-Heinz Joura featured on a German TV show. [Hat tip].

Tips and tricks

• The Vienna Pipe Club offers two instructional videos on how to pack your pipe.
• Justin Bain launches a new term for wet dottle: ecto-goop.

Other news …

• According to a Dutch study, smokers are less of a burden on society then non-smokers.
• The Tobacco Barn points us to an article on the rising popularity of pipe smoking amongst college students.
• Wisconsin cigar shop owners join forces against smoking bans. Apparently with success, an example of how things can actually turn out for the best if action is taken.
• Former pipemaker Elliott Nachwalter is in the news with his new, seemingly lucrative, ventures.
• Trever Talbert points us to an article that pretty much says the French reek of sweat when they’re not smoking.
• A mere quote from the next article says it all:

A Sacramento business owner is banning Califiornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger from his shop and letting the governor know where he can put his signature stogie.

• Joachim points to an article on a blocked smoking ban in Germany.

Highlights

Lots of news, this week. Heaps of it. Stacks. Piles. Lists. And it’s all here for your perusal. Have fun!

I hate the paraphernalia of pipe-smoking: the tobacco-pouch, the cleaner, the pocket-knife and the special lighter. Pipesmokers are the grandmasters of fiddling and fidgeting, and as great a bliss to our world as a missionary landing on Tahiti with a boxful of brassieres. — Philip Kerr, The Pale Criminal, 1990

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• Do you know the phenomenon where you find a pipe you once bought, but can’t remember why? Neill Roan sure does.
• He also has a pipe of unknown origins, and wonders if there’s anyone out there familiar with J.R.V..
• Productive as he is, Neill offers an hommage to the creative process involved in pipe making.
• How about an entire entry dedicated to corn cobs?
• Pipephil talks us through cigar-pipes (also known as Zeppelin pipes) and their patents.
• Jimmy Muraco posts pictures of grain.
• The Tobacco Barn Blog offers us a carver profile of Sevket Gezer.
• Nicolas shows off a pipe carved by someone named Alain.
• In week three we offered a video of a briar cutter at work. This week, we will be doing the same thing, but this time in English and featuring a real celebrity in pipe circles:
  
  [thank you, Al Pascia].

Tobacco

• A classic in the making? At the time of writing, there has been no official word from G.L.Pease yet, but shops already carry his latest concoction, and according to Neill Roan, have already run out of stock.
• Joachim reviews Orlik Golden Sliced.
• Jimmy Muraco wonders how Escudo compares to Luxury Navy Flake.
• Bob Hamlin reports that “Two new McClelland Grand Orientals are being released next Monday and there are 7 more in the works for 2008 for a total of 15 different ones in the series.”
• After one week, GLPease announces the release of his latest: Maltese Falcon.
• Justin on trying new tobaccos.
• The smoker’s lounge on Kohlhase-Kopp and the current production of Ashton blends.

Accessories

• Two Cousins Pipe Racks launch a blog.

Scene

• Amusing scene at a tobacconist.
• Frank Burla reports on the status of the upcoming CPCC sponsored May pipe show.
• Art Ruppelt mourns the loss of a trusted old motor.
• Pipe meeting in France, after the smoking ban.
• Neill Roan on Rick Newcombe’s speech at the annual Seattle Pipe Club dinner. He also reflects back on Holt’s in Philadelphia, and offers some news from the pipe world — essentially what we’re doing here. The more involved in this, the better!
• Justin ponders the merits of a local brick and mortar tobacconist.
• NYC pipe show dates are announced for 2008.
• The International Pipe Smoking Day now has its own webste.

Tips and tricks

• Jimmy Muraco offers us his views on building cake.

Other news …

• Quite some news on Ebay feedback. Here is just one example.
• Benoit Wagner gives a heads up to a comic book featuring a pipe smoker.

Highlights

This week we have a couple carvers showing pipes they made, and tell us why, some coverage on all sorts of blends, including the obligatory Dunhill rants. Smoking bans are still on the radar as well, but the thing that jumps out the most would be the finalizing of a long-awaited industry take-over. It may prove worthwhile keeping an eye on that. We hope you enjoy this week’s news round.

A smoking pipe is a piece of wood (or other material) with 2 holes in it, one bigger than the other. — Robert C. Hamlin

Weekly pipe newsround

Since it has come to our attention that some people were complaining about us linking to anything in any language we can read, but they themselves cannot, we consider it a good idea to point to online translating tools, for instance the Google Translator. We hope this may assist you in your search for pipe news.

Pipes

• David Enrique makes pipes inspired by those of Maigret.
• Even though the long lost Fat Dwarves were thought to be extinct, Trever Talbert did find some specimens that are waiting to be hatched.
• Pipes and art, a discussion that has been around for some time, now MrHolmesDrWatson sheds some light on it.
• Neill Roan confesses he’s anal about amassing pipe data. It seems that after extensive measuring, he comes to some conclusions; he likes light pipes.
• Pipephil on a Charatan cavalier.
• Trever Talbert offers us a peek at new pokers, including one inspired by MacArthur’s.
• David Enrique finds a way to carve a pipe and make it available to everyone. As a desktop wallpaper.
• Doodler pipes. More here.
• Do you have issues with precarbonned bowls?

Tobacco

• A discontinued brand of Semois. For the time being there are still other brands available, though.
• Three Nuns reviewed.
• More reviews: Justin offers his findings of McClelland #2020 – Matured Cake Mixture.
• Someone out there has heard that, oh hell and damnation, Dunhill tobaccos might be discontinued. So this is this week’s Dunhill’s-being-cancelled-thread.

Accessories

• Art Ruppelt sheds some light on the creative process involved in producing some of his signature tamper shapes.

Scene

• Broken pipe: Dura Semjaniv.
• Lars has nothing but praise for the revamped Al Pascia website.
• Maxim Engel reviews the year 2007 in pipes.
• Imperial Tobacco has finished negotiating the Altadis take-over. Shareholders are being offered all sorts of details concerning the take-over, but there is very little information on what our focus is: pipe tobaccos. In the case of the future of the Altadis pipe tobaccos, I personally suspect short phrases here and there may be subtle hints pertaining to the future of pipe tobaccos, for instance, some are stating that
  

  now […] the acquisition has been completed, Imperial Tobacco will gain full access to the Altadis business, which will now bring greater visibility of the level and timing of the cost savings

  
  I believe that Altadis blends will go the way Imperial Tobacco’s pipe tobaccos have gone before now, as they will be de facto Imperial blends. This means their production will be outsourced to Mac Baren, as a way to cut costs for Imperial/Altadis. This is exactly what happened with BAT outsourcing their pipe tobacco production to Orlik, though I doubt that this changeover will invoke the same number of tiresome rants as those on the recent production of Dunhill blends.
• Jon Tillman laments pipeshowsusa now being defunct. He promises to try and pick up where they left off with his own upcoming industry news feature. He’s also trying to figure out ways to combine working on TobaccoReviews and his day job.

Tips and tricks

• A quick guide to remove dents and scratches from your pipes.

Other news …

• Smoking bans have a negative impact on the economy. More here.
• New apartment smoking ordinance is a very poor public health policy.
• A short reflection on German smoking bans.
• Guillaume talks about German and French smoking bans and shows off his new Tom Richard.

Highlights

A lot of different news items this week, ranging from blogging to circular drilling to blending with vinegar. There ought to be something in here for everyone. Here we go.

A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end and a fool at the other. — Author Unknown

Weekly pipe newsround

Pipes

• PipePhil gives a heads up to Siamese corncobs, and posts about very weird drilling.
• After Porsche Design, there’s another luxury car brand with their name attached to pipes: Bugatti.
• David Enrique makes a case for cross grain.
• In the series Trever Talbert started, where he covers the birth of a Halloween pipe, we’re encountering the first set-back, and follow the entire process to completion. part one, part two, part three, part four and part five and part six.
• There’s a change in Castello nomenclature and stampings.
• To blast or not to blast, that’s the question.
• Sort of related: Where does ring grain come from in a sandblast?
• Elliot Nachwalter is in the news.
• With the new year well set in, Trever Talbert asks what European pipesters expect from him. Talk about customer care …
• Portrait of a pipe maker: Lasse Skovgaard [Hat tip].
• G.L.Pease gets his stem worked on.
• Dunhill’s DR Stamping. Dead Root or Extra Stamps?

Tobacco

• Safari Bob reviews Mac Baren’s Navy Flake.
• Why won’t those wild and unfounded rumors about Dunhill tobacco die?
• Here’s a discussion of bulk vs. tinned tobacco.
• G.L.Pease is coming up with a new blend which will hit the shelves at the end of this month.

Scene

• Neill Roan posts about Holt’s of Philadelphia, and a nearby safe haven for pipe smokers..
• The project for an International Pipe Smoking Day present their brochure. Supposedly, this day will be February 20. More here.
• Nicolas went to Copenhagen and reminisces.
• Visiting Rainer Barbi.
• French pipe smoker dies at 110. Newspaper scan here.
• Anonymous carver Random lets us know he is still alive.
• PipePhil celebrates its second birthday. Congratulations, ‘Phil, and here’s to many more!
• Look people! We’re being read! Neill Archer Roan sheds his light on PipeLore’s latest post. So does PipePhil.
• Eager Beaver Justin points us to Chief Catoonah Tobacconist.

Tips and tricks

• If you are like certain others, and fed up with dusting off your pipes, here are some pointers.
• For those who’re into experimenting with tobacco, apparently adding a tiny bit of vinegar could bring out the flavor of a blend, especially when it is dry.

Other news …

• Le Fumoir about a hunger strike against the new French smoking ban. Also, a pretty nice rant about the sense a