The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Podcast

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back Glen Whelan, Managing Director of Peterson of Dublin. Peterson is a family tradition for Glen: his father spent 50 years working at the factory, eventually becoming Factory Manager, while Glen began his own career with the company as a part-time retail associate at age 16. After more than a decade in retail, he moved into sales and steadily advanced to his current leadership role.

Glen gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Peterson's manufacturing operation, from developing new finishes and testing pipes under demanding conditions to coordinating special releases without disrupting regular production. He also discusses the inspiration behind the Halloween series, subtle refinements to classic shapes, the growing market for smaller pipes, and what's coming next from Peterson, including a special upcoming release in the Charles Peterson collection. Along the way, Glen shares his favorite Peterson shape, his current enthusiasm for McClelland tobaccos, and a memorable story from a pipe-smoking event that proves you can enjoy a slow smoke a little too slowly.

At the top of the show, Brian continues with Part Three of his five-part series exploring the similarities and differences between Escudo, Peterson's De Luxe Navy Rolls, and Davidoff Flake Medallions. We will get into some of the history of Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls, and provide a review.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we continue our three-part conversation with Dennis Cullinan of Red Bell Pipes in Lansing, Michigan. In this second installment of "Story Time with Dennis," Dennis takes us through his years as a working librarian, when pipe smoking was still part of his daily routine and a pipe rack in his office was never far away. He also recalls the pipe shops of Lansing, the brands and shapes that caught his attention, and his growing appreciation for estate pipes.

Dennis shares stories from his early visits to pipe shows, including the first Chicago Pipe Show he attended in the late 1990s, and how those events opened up a whole new world of collecting. We hear about his affection for Wilmer pipes, his adventures finding and restoring neglected estate pipes, and a few remarkable bargains—including several Dunhills discovered in thrift and junk stores.

At the top of the show, Brian continues with Part Two of his five-part series exploring the similarities and differences between Escudo, Peterson's Deluxe Navy Rolls, and Davidoff Flake Medallions. We will get into some of the history of Escudo, and provide a review.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back John David Cole, head of The Country Squire, for an update on the new location in Jackson, Mississippi. Since opening the doors in May, John David and his team have settled into their much larger space, which combines the traditional Country Squire pipe and tobacco shop with a cocktail lounge.

John David talks about the grand opening, the thinking behind the new space's distinctive mid-century-modern design, and how adding the bar has changed the character of the business. He also discusses choosing pipe brands and artisan makers for the shop, what he looks for in a potential partner, the renewed interest he's seeing in smaller pipes, and the surprising growth in local pipe and tobacco sales.

At the top of the show, Brian begins a five-part deep dive into the differences and similarities between Escudo, Peterson's Deluxe Navy Rolls, and Davidoff Flake Medallions.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured guest is Waqas, The Dubai Piper, joining us from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Waqas is a relatively new pipe smoker, having discovered the hobby at age 52, but he has quickly embraced the pipe-smoking community and built a collection of around 45 pipes. With no large pipe-smoking community immediately around him, much of his journey has taken place virtually through podcasts, videos, and social media.

Waqas and Brian talk about what drew him to pipe smoking, his fascination with the 19th and early 20th centuries, and how he came to view the pipe as a kind of personal “time machine.” They also discuss his evolving tastes in pipes and tobacco, his efforts to create a Victorian-style smoking room at his home in Dubai, and the challenges of finding and ordering pipe tobacco in the United Arab Emirates. Waqas also shares his favorite pipe, and his current favorite tobaccos.

At the top of the show, we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves, Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we begin a three-part journey through the 70-year pipe-smoking life of Dennis Cullinan of Red Bell Pipes in Lansing, Michigan. Dennis began smoking a pipe at age 15 in 1956, when he walked into a neighborhood drugstore in Benton Harbor and bought his first pipe for $1.50. A week later, he was back for a $2.95 Medico, and his lifelong fascination with pipes was underway.

In this first installment of "Storytime with Dennis," Dennis takes us back to those early years, when pipes and tobacco were sold at neighborhood drugstores and he was largely on his own in figuring out how to smoke them. He also tells the remarkable story of finding a GBD billiard in a phone booth at the University of Michigan - an encounter that would eventually lead to his lifelong interest in estate pipes.

At the top of the show, Brian reviews the tinned version of Haunted Bookshop, following his earlier review of the bulk version of this classic blend.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured guest is Russell Gardner, owner of Dark Arts, a unique smoking lounge and retail tobacconist in Las Vegas. A longtime veteran of the restaurant and bar business, Russell owns several themed cocktail lounges, but his latest venture took an unexpected turn when he transformed a small back room at Grey Witch into a hidden, speakeasy-style smoking lounge and tobacconist.

Dark Arts accommodates about 25 people, and getting inside is part of the experience – you actually enter through a fireplace. Russell is also a rare Las Vegas native, and his connection to pipe smoking goes back to high school, when he picked up a pipe at age 15 after starting out with cigars. Brian and Russell will talk about Dark Arts, the inspiration behind the unusual space, and the Las Vegas pipe scene.

At the top of the show, in Pipe Parts, we'll have the fifth installment of our coffee pairing series with Bo Parker of Methodical Coffee.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back pipe maker Nate King for the fifth installment of our recurring segment, "The State of Nate." Nate has been making pipes since 2005 and holds an honorary Master of Pipesdegree from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club. He is also a member of the prestigious Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de Saint-Claude. In this episode, Brian has a list of questions for Nate to answer from the perspective of both a pipe maker and a pipe smoker.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured interview is with pipe maker Alexander Syrma of Israel. Alexander works primarily with high-grade Mediterranean and Algerian briar, sometimes incorporating distinctive materials such as mammoth ivory and exotic woods into his designs. His pipes range from lightweight, classic shapes to more expressive freehands, including Danish eggs, Rhodesians, and sandblasted diplomats.

Brian and Alexander will talk about his approach to pipe making, the materials he works with, and the inspiration behind his distinctive designs.

At the top of the show, Brian will take a look at the history of small-batch and limited-edition pipe tobaccos, including how these special releases have become such an interesting part of the hobby. He'll also give his own take on the appeal of limited and small-batch blends.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured interview is with Dutch pipe maker Martin Romijn, who originally appeared on the show in October 2019 on episode #372. Martin began smoking a pipe in 1989, at the age of 20, but it would be many years before he began making pipes. He first started making tampers and other pipe accessories as a part-time pursuit, and in 2016 he began making pipes.

What started as a side project eventually became a full-time career, and Martin has developed a distinctive style of organic, freehand shapes that allow the character and grain of each piece of briar to influence the finished pipe. Brian and Martin will talk about his journey as a pipe maker, his approach to shaping briar, and the inspiration behind his work.

At the top of the show, we’ll have another installment of our Ask the Pipe Maker segment with Jeff Gracik, where Jeff answers listener questions and shares insights from the artisan pipe maker’s perspective.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured interview is with Richard Epley of EP Pipes. Based in Kentucky, Richard began making pipe stands from bourbon barrels in 2016 before turning his attention to pipe making a couple of years later. His background with bourbon barrels has given his work a distinctly Kentucky connection, while his handmade pipes showcase his creativity and attention to detail. Richard also pours his own acrylic stems and is known for using an unusually wide range of colors rather than sticking with the traditional black stem. Brian and Richard will talk about his journey from making pipe stands to crafting pipes, his approach to stem making, and the distinctive character of his work. At the top of the show, we'll have a review of G. L. Pease Fillmore, one of the blends in the G. L. Pease line from Cornell & Diehl.