Reflection
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In this video, I share my top 3 aromatic and top 3 nonaromatic blends for beginner pipe smokers. They are certainly not the only options, but they are blends that have wide appeal and are ideal for learning the skill of packing and lighting a pipe.
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The most common reason I find people have trouble with their butane lighter working (it doesn’t matter if it is a cigar lighter or a pipe lighter) is that it needed to be purged before it is filled. So how do you properly purge and fill a butane lighter? While I demonstrate using an iM…
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There are two questions that keep coming up in the comments and when viewers see me in person. One is about my editing style, and the other is about whether or not I currently work as a pastor. I take on these two questions in this video and explain why I use all the sound…
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What should you do? How do you keep events from becoming stale? What do you need to do to make an event great? In this video, I share some of my thoughts on running events. Using our annual Peterson pipe event as an example, I share how by making some simple changes I turned it…
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I got my S.T. Dupont lighter about 20 years ago. Yes, a Bic has the same soft flame. No, the palladium does not add to its effectiveness. And no, I do not recommend them if you lose stuff. But nothing beats that Dupont “ping!” That said, it has been the most reliable lighter I have…
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Here are my picks for the best new pipe tobacco blends of 2025. While I do highlight one in particular as my pick for the best new blend of the year, they are not in a ranked order. All of the tobaccos mentioned in this video are outstanding in my opinion. What were your top…
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In my review of this year’s release of From Beyond, I mused that it seemed different from my memory of previous releases, and that it would be interesting to see if that were true and if so how. Looking in my cellar, I found I indeed had a tin of the original release of From…
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Today, October 11, 2025 is Pipetoberfest, an annual pipe event at Twins Smoke shop where we focus on beer pairings with tobacco alongside a trunk show. This year, for $20 you get a Pipetoberfest stein, a bag full of swag, and access to all five 7-20-4 Briary Blends tobaccos–Boston Tea Party, Queen City, Dexter’s Secret,…
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I often describe Esoterica’s Penzance as the “Opus X” of the pipe tobacco world. A few years ago, I smoked Seattle Pipe Club’s Plum Pudding Special Reserve side by side with Penzance and found it strikingly similar. The same feeling happened when I had my first bowl of Gladora’s Pesse Canoe Latakia Flake-40. That led…
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I always have a selection of favorite tobaccos in my bag when I head out to Twins Smoke Shop. Lately, it has been heavy on the G.L. Pease side of things. I do love his stuff! This video highlights what Pease blends have made it to the top of my list: Cumberland, Windjammer, Penny Farthing,…
Not Just Blowing Smoke with Pastor Padron 