Not Just Blowing Smoke
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Sun Bear has been a popular Small Batch offering from Cornell & Diehl since it launched in 2019. Each year the blend of tobaccos has been largely unchanged along with the use of silver tequila and elderflower. But each year the honey has been from a different source, and that change has had significant impact…
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A few days ago, Toscano’s Maestro Puccini made its sophomore release. Puccini is an all-Dark Fired blend featuring Toscano’s own Italian Dark Fired along with North American Dark Fired Kentucky. Is this release worth tracking down? I unbox a tin and give you my thoughts.
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Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop, recently came across a cache of estate pipes, accessories, and tobaccos. Among them was an open but well-kept tin of Capstan Blue Navy Cut from around 1960. I open this up and share my thoughts with you on this 65–70-year-old tin, which was one of the blends favored…
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Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop, recently came across a cache of estate pipes, accessories, and tobaccos. Among them was an open but well-kept tin of The Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture, which research showed to be from around 1960! I unpack this vintage in, show what is inside, and (of course) light some up!…
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Derringer is a Virginia ready rub blend from Cornel & Diehl. While not new, it is a new addition to the selection of tobaccos at Twins Smoke Shop and will be one of the tobaccos featured at our upcoming Pipe Club dinner in August–more details about that will be coming soon.
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In this video, I unbox and light up Midnight Orchard, a new release in Cornell & Diehl’s Small Batch series, and the series’ first true aromatic. Midnight Orchard is a Virginia/Perique featuring steam blackened Bright Virginias, Red Virginias, and Perique from 31 Farms. The goal was to do an aromatic that had more depth and…
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Every year, one of my favorite traditions at Twins Smoke Shop is welcoming back Erik Stokkebye, founder and president of 4th Generation Tobacconist. Our 2026 event, Pipe, Pint & Podcast, brought the Twins Pipe Club community together at the 603 Brewery & Beer Hall in Londonderry, NH for an afternoon of pipes, conversation, bratwurst, and…
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The newest release in the G.L. Pease Zeitgeist Collection, Metropolitan is a complex blend of Red and Bright Virginias, Italian Dark Fired, Perique, Turkish Latakia, and semi-fire cured Kentucky. I unbox a tin and share my thoughts about it with you. Is Metropolitan another hit for Greg Pease?
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Cornell & Diehl’s Eight State Burley arrived this week, and I open up a tin and share my thoughts. There were some changes in the blend this year, so I also do a side-by-side comparison with Eight State Burley from 2021. There are significant differences, and it is not just from the age of the…
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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.
