The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Podcast

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back pipe maker Ron Smith, the artisan behind Ranz Freehands. Based in East Tennessee, Ron began crafting pipes after retirement, drawing on his background in sculpture and art to create distinctive freehand designs. Since starting around 2015, his work has emphasized individuality, finish, and smoking quality, blending traditional shapes with creative twists. A longtime pipe smoker, Ron continues to refine his craft by learning from other makers and exploring new techniques, producing pipes that are both artistic and approachable. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss Virginia tobaccos.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back Rick Newcombe, a well-known collector and a familiar voice to longtime listeners. Rick has authored several books on pipes and pipe collecting, and has been a frequent guest on the show over the years. On this episode, Brian and Rick will discuss trends in the hobby — exploring what has come and gone over time, and how the pipe world continues to evolve. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome Jim York, a longtime pipe smoker and devoted collector. Jim is an active member of the Chicago Pipe Club and a familiar face at pipe shows, bringing decades of experience and a genuine passion for the hobby. On this episode, Brian will talk with Jim about his experiences as a collector, insights from attending shows, and reflections on the enduring appeal of pipe smoking. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA, and one of the only pipe tobacco producers making product in the US.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back pipe maker Nate King for the second installment of our recurring segment, "The State of Nate." Nate has been making pipes since 2005 and holds an honorary Master of Pipes degree 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 and Nate will talk about pipe shapes and trends. They'll also discuss the Muletown Pipe Show, which took place last weekend at BriarWorks, and share some observations from the event and the broader pipe community.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back Rich Esserman, a familiar voice in the pipe community and a longtime friend of the program. Rich has joined us many times over the years, bringing his deep knowledge, historical perspective, and enthusiasm for the hobby. On this episode, Rich will share his thoughts on past trends in pipe smoking — how tastes, styles, and culture have evolved over time, and what those shifts tell us about the hobby today. At the top of the show, in our Pipe Parts segment, we launch the first installment of a new coffee comparison series featuring Bo Parker of Methodical Coffee and the Pipe & Tamper Podcast 2.0. It’s a fresh addition to the program that pairs two timeless pleasures: pipes and coffee.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we feature Micah "Yeti" Cryder of Yeti Pipes, an artisan pipe maker based in Billings, Montana. Since beginning his craft in 2011, Micah has developed a distinctive style influenced by the American school of pipe making, with touches of modern industrial design and French Art Deco. His work is known for its bold lines, creative shaping, and meticulous finishes, reflecting both technical precision and artistic vision. In addition to his pipes, Micah has explored innovative materials through his Resin Project, expanding design possibilities with vibrant, vintage-inspired stem materials. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will discuss his view on estate pipes.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome Justin Dombrosky. Justin is the Vice President of the Indiana Pipe Club and co-host of the podcast Pipes, Pours, and Pals. He purchased his first pipe — a Missouri Meerschaum Hardwood — in 2017 and, like many of us when starting out, promptly scorched his tongue with a cherry Cavendish blend. What began as a simple curiosity quickly grew into deeper involvement in the hobby. In 2022, Justin and Nate Boland launched their podcast, and in 2023 the Indiana Pipe Club was formed. The Indiana Pipe Show is now preparing for its second event this September. We’ll talk about all of that and more on tonight’s show. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, we will have pipe artisan Jeff Gracik talking about the pipe making seminar at the Chicago pipe show that is coming up on April 29, 2026.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome Big John. He is a micro-blender and the creator of the Niall of Nine pipe tobacco line. His journey into pipe smoking began when he inherited his great-grandfather’s pipes, an experience that sparked a lasting connection to the hobby. Today, he’s known for crafting distinctive micro-blends that often feature rare and unusual components, including Syrian Latakia and Cuban cigar leaf. Several of his blends draw inspiration from the themes and imagery of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Another notable mixture, Aberdeen Extinction, showcases an eclectic range of tobaccos: 2015 Virginias processed as Perique, 2016 McClelland Perique, 2014 Black Cavendish, 2001 medium brown Burley, and 2018 Cyprian Latakia. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will go over an article about the iconic Connecticut shade tobacco. The industry has all but vanished as demand dwindled and land was developed, leaving Dwight Arnold — on a farm just over the Massachusetts border — as the last grower of the traditional shade-grown leaf prized for premium cigar wrappers. We also have news about nicotine pouch vending machines.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome German pipe maker Sebastian Heck. Sebastian represents a new generation of highly skilled German pipe makers to emerge in recent years. Based in Heidelberg, his interest in pipe smoking — and eventually pipe making — grew out of a deliberate desire to slow down and engage more thoughtfully with the world around him. Like many artisans, Sebastian’s path into the craft began with restoring estate pipes. From that foundation, creating original pipes became a natural progression, and he began making his own pipes in 2023. His work reflects strong influences from both the Danish and German schools of pipe design, blending clean lines with a strong sense of form and balance. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA, and one of the only pipe tobacco producers making product in the US.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome back Jay Furman, a long-time and well-respected member of the pipe community. Jay is the co-host of the Pipe and Tamper podcast, where he regularly discusses pipes, tobacco, and the people who make the hobby what it is. He also serves as a board member of the Chicago International Pipe Show, one of the premier pipe events in the world. Brian and Jay will spend the show talking about the upcoming Chicago show, including what attendees can expect this year, how the event continues to evolve, and why it remains such an important gathering for pipe smokers, collectors, and artisans alike. With his deep involvement behind the scenes, Jay offers a unique perspective on what goes into organizing a major pipe show and what makes the Chicago event so special. At the top of the show we will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl's Briar Fox.

Tonight on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we're joined by a truly fascinating guest: Dr. Cayman T. Unterborn — a researcher, data analyst, and planetary scientist whose work explores the nature and diversity of planets beyond our solar system. His academic path includes an undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy and a PhD in geology. Unlike many pipe smokers, he didn't begin with aromatics — instead, his early life in Ohio put him literally across the street from Smoker's Haven. In his own words, he was "a pretentious nerd that thought pipe smoking was cool." At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, we will get caught up on listener questions.

Tonight on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show we’re rolling out two brand-new recurring features. Our guest is pipe maker Nate King - a familiar voice who has joined us many times before. This time, we kick off a new series with him called "The State of Nate," where Brian and Nate dive into the pipe world from the maker's perspective. In this first installment, they'll talk about the dynamics between pipe makers and pipe collectors. Nate has been making pipes since 2005, holds an honorary Master of Pipes degree from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club, and is a member of the esteemed Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de Saint-Claude. At the start of the show, we're also launching a recurring Pipe News segment, beginning with updates and changes surrounding the Las Vegas International Pipe Show.

Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, we welcome longtime pipe smoker and collector Mark Berman. Mark began smoking a pipe in the late 1960s while studying engineering at Kansas State University, starting—as many did—with aromatic tobaccos before moving on to Virginias, VaPers, and classic English blends. His first brand-name pipe was a Savinelli, followed by a Dunhill, and by 1999–2000 he attended his first pipe show. Today, Mark owns an extraordinary collection of roughly 1,500 pipes, focusing primarily on American makers. His collection is so impressive that he has exhibited pipes at shows simply to share them, not sell them. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.

Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. Jon David is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. Brian and Jon David will talk about their favorite customer interactions, and after 55 years, The Country Squire is moving to a new location that will include a full cocktail lounge. This is a colossal undertaking that is quite interesting to hear about. They will be expanding their shipping, blending, and smoking lounge. They are moving into a standalone building which will ensure against complaints of smoking from neighbors. The soft opening is expected in February 2026.

Our featured guest tonight is longstanding pipe collector Tom Pfaeffle. Tom is a long-time member of the pipe collecting community and enthusiast whose experience spans decades of engagement with briar pipes, tobacco culture, and pipe show attendance. His great-grandfather smoked a corncob pipe, and he started smoking and collecting pipes in the 1970s. Pipe shows were quite different then with few to no pipe makers, and lots of hobbyist showing their collections that weren't for sale. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will discuss what are referred to as "magic pipes". This is in response to a question sent in by one of our listeners.

Our featured guest tonight is Austrian pipe maker Chris Ruetz. He is an artisan pipe maker from Tyrol, Austria, who discovered his love for pipes at 16 and later crafted his first one from cherrywood on his living room table, sparking a lifelong dedication to the craft. Since 2021 he has been a full-time maker under the name Ruetz Pipes. His work is known for its organic forms, and creative surface combinations, making each piece a unique smoking experience and artistic expression. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA, and one of the only pipe tobacco producers making product in the US.

On tonight’s Pipes Magazine Radio Show Rick Newcombe reminisces about Danish pipe making legend Jess Chonowitsch. Jess passed away on November 28, 2025. The impact he had on artisan pipe making is immeasurable. Rick is likely one of the first American pipe collectors to meet Jess going back to the year 1995. He has also been one of the biggest promoters of Jess’s work over several decades and has tons of great stories to celebrate the life of this “Great Dane” pipe artisan. Chuck Stanion does a great job of telling Jess Chonowitsch’s story: https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/monumental-loss-jess-chonowitsch-passes At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will discuss the pipes he acquired this past year.

Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker JD Wolf. JD just started smoking pipes a little over a year ago, and he started making them at about the same time. His impetus for becoming a pipe maker came from the problem that his preferences in artistic handmade pipes were out the reach of his budget. He strives to make precise smoking instruments that are also a handcrafted piece of art that the "average workingman" can afford. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a holiday gift giving guide for pipe smokers.

Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker Patrick Kehler from Marchand, Manitoba Canada. He grew up in a strict religious environment where his behavior was restricted and smoking (and drinking) were frowned upon. One day, when he was older and in the process of providing himself more freedoms, a co-worker showed him a pipe. He was captivated. Hear the whole story on tonight's show. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of four different brands of pipe cleaners.

Our featured guest on tonight’s show is Texas-based artisan pipe maker Ryan McCawley from Smokin' Barrels Briars. Like many of us, Ryan was attracted to the scent of aromatic tobaccos. Also, like many new pipe smokers, he burned the heck out of his tongue. That was a long time ago. Now he is a regular pipe smoker and he has been making his own pipes for five years now. He started with classic shapes, but now he is more interested in Danish-style freehands. At the top of the show Brian will discuss cake. Not the cake that you eat, but the cake that builds up in your pipe bowl. This is based on a question sent in by a listener.

Our featured guest on tonight’s show is Canadian pipe maker Evan Wiseman. Evan has been making pipes for ten years (minus a two year break) and is quite well-known and respected in the field. His path started with cigars in college, but they became too expensive, so he switched to smoking pipes, and then decided to make them. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.

Our featured guest on tonight’s show is the founder of the Pipe & Tamper Podcast, Mike Murphy. Mike started his podcast in 2018 and turned over the show to new co-hosts Bo Parker and Jay Furman in January 2025. Now that Mike hasn't been doing the podcast, he has even more time for pipe smoking, collecting and going to pipe shows. Brian and Mike will have an extended chat revolving around the Las Vegas International Pipe Show that just occurred the last weekend in October.

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Garret Woo. He has an undergraduate degree in Classics from UC Santa Barbara. He was a teacher for a while, and then a private investigator working with his dad that is a former FBI agent. Now he is a durometer technician and pipemaker living in West LA. He started smoking pipes when he was 18 years old. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian answers a listener's question on how to smooth down a blend.

Our featured interview tonight is with Skeet Stribling from The Story Teller's Pipe online pipe and tobacco shop. Skeet first took up pipe smoking in college. In later years, his friend Sean blended tobaccos for him, and he was the original owner of The Story Teller's Pipe. When Sean decided to retire, Skeet, also in retirement took over the online store which he runs with his wife Cindi. He is continuing Sean's blends and has added some new ones. Check out their store if you're looking for some new unique tobaccos to try. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Eugene Falco from The Uncanny! Material and the Greywoodie Podcast. Eugene is super creative in the world of pipes, art, and podcasting. His creative output spans beyond pipes, including his tobacco tin art and his role as co-host of the Greywoodie podcast alongside Nathan Davis of Kaywoodie. In addition, he helps organize the Capitaland Pipe Show. His pipe making style is characterized by a balance of traditional forms and his own quirky twist—often through bold, colorful stems and unconventional rustication techniques. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will answer two listener's questions by taking a deep dive into the size of the pipe bowl and what it means for your smoking experience.

We have a tobacco packed show for you tonight. First, Brian will go deep on aging and cellaring tobaccos. Then instead of the usual shorter recurring segment of "Ask the Blender" with Jeremy Reeves of Cornell & Diehl, we will have Q&A with him for the longer main segment of the show. We asked you to send questions about tobacco and we got enough for an extended segment. We also found some old ones that fell through the cracks. After the music and mailbag segments, Brian has a tobacco related rant as well.

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Jerry Nelson. His brand of pipes is Nelson Pipes by Jerry. Jerry was originally influenced to try pipe smoking by last week's guest, Jay Furman. They met in an online forum where Jay was posting some pipes, but it wasn't a pipe forum. The next step, with Jerry being a carpenter, was to make pipes. He has been making them for five years now. At the top of the show, in our Pipe Parts segment, Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl's Happy Hour.

Our featured interview tonight is with Jay Furman. Jay is the co-host of the Pipe and Tamper podcast. He is a long-time member of the pipe community. He started smoking pipes in the 1980s, and owns hundreds of pipes and hundreds of pounds of pipe tobacco. His first pipe shopping experience was at Wally Frank, a famous New York chain of shops, also nationally known for their large mail order catalog business. Jay loves artisan pipes as well as health and fitness. The guys talk about how they do their respective podcasts, YouTube pipe channels, what Jay sees for the future of pipe smoking and more. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.

Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. The Country Squire store is moving to a new third location to expand their shipping, blending, and smoking lounge. They are moving into a standalone building which will ensure against complaints of smoking. Jon David will talk about this and more. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will talk about a pipe that he has added to his collection and why.

Our featured interview tonight is with Pipe Artisan Jeff Gracik. Our regular listeners will know Jeff from our ongoing series, "Ask the Pipemaker". Jeff makes J. Alan Pipes and is an expert, artisan pipe maker for over 20-years. Jeff will talk about what it is like to attend the Shanghai pipe show. The inaugural show was last year, and the most recent one was August 8 - 10, 2025. Jeff attended both shows, which is held at the China Tobacco Museum. In Pipe Parts, Brian will talk about pipe shows including why you should go to a pipe show, how to prepare to attend a show, and what it's like to organize a show.

Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Nathanael Hummel. Nathanael is a renaissance man of the arts. He is an experienced and published digital filmmaker, video editor, videographer, writer, actor, and model. His debut novel, "Treasure Is My Trade - A Nate Colt Adventure" came out this past May. His youth was filled with dreams of swashbuckling adventure, danger to be caught up in, swords to swing, people to save, villains to vanquish - and it still is today in his creations. He is, of course, a pipe smoker. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will answer a listener question regarding the billiard pipe shape.

Our featured interview tonight is with Per George Jensen. Per is like an executive chef of tobacco. He never runs out of new tasty concoctions. He also always seems to land on his feet. In case you don't know, he spent many years at Mac Baren and later created blends for Sutliff as well. With the buyouts by STG, which have already been discussed at length, Sutliff is gone, and Mac Baren as we knew it, will soon be too. The good news is that the new Per Jensen Legacy Collection by Cornell & Diehl comes out next week - September 2. The four blends are tributes to Per’s father, Per Georg Jensen, a man who once wore the proud uniform of the Danish Navy. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Nate King, the "King of Pipes". Most people know of Nate as an excellent pipe artisan. He also has an honorary Master of Pipes degree from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club, and is a member of the prestigious Confrérie des Maitres Pipiers de Saint-Claude. Prior to becoming a pipe maker in 2005, Nate worked in the Indy race business as a transmission specialist. Nate has just returned from pipe shows in France and Columbus, Ohio. He will be talking to Brian about those experiences. At the top of the show Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl's Engine #611. It's an aromatic blend with black Cavendish, Virginias, and Burleys - sweetened with a hint of coumarin vanilla.

Our featured interview tonight is with Jamie Connelly and Matt McCulloch from the Milwaukee Pipe Club. We'll get some insight on how the club got started and how they run the club. It will be some good information for anyone that wants to join or start a pipe club. Jamie is the president of the club, and he also does estate pipe restorations and sales. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will talk about "The Art of Collecting" and why it's good to have more than one hobby.

Our featured interview tonight is with Dustin Patterson. He got into pipe smoking about ten years ago when he was working in robotics and automation and he learned about Sherlock Holmes' practice of figuring out problems by taking time to think while smoking a pipe. Something that was really puzzling would be deemed a "three pipe problem". Dustin wanted to see if this would really work. Fast forward to today where he had the idea of putting AI to the test with pipe related questions and to see how they compare to Brian's answers. So tonight we have AI vs. Brian. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will talk about his Disney Pipe and Tobacciana Collection.

Our featured interview tonight is with Jamie Marcey from Marcey Handmade Pipes. Jamie has been a pipe smoker since 2017, and he started making pipes in 2024. He is inspired by both Danish and English styles. He uses Italian and Grecian briar along with German Ebonite. He resides in Virginia. At the top of the show Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl's Virginia Flake.

Our featured interview tonight is with Anthony James. Anthony is a micro-blender of pipe tobaccos. He started smoking pipes in 2020, and because of his chef background he immediately became interested in blending tobaccos. He was led to pipe smoking after his wife's grandfather passed away and they found 10 Kaywoodie pipes while cleaning out the garage. Anthony was already intrigued by pipes from his own great grandfather being a tough Navy man pipe smoker in WWII. He always had this macho image of pipe smokers and when he found the Kaywoodies, that was the last push he needed. In Pipe Parts, Brian will have a list of pipe smoking related things you must at least try once.

Our featured interview tonight is with Beau York. Beau is the former co-host of the now ended pipes and tobacco based podcast, Country Squire. We'll talk about his early days of getting into pipe smoking and meeting his former podcast co-host Jon David Cole when he was an employee at the store and not the owner. You'll hear how pipe smoking is different for him now that it is not part of his job to talk about it each week along with some of his favorite memories from the show. Beau will also tell us about his new project - Midnight High Immersive Theater. At the top of the show Brian will talk about a bitter pipe that he has.

Our featured interview tonight is with Kirk Keener aka “Kaptain_Kirk32”. Kirk is a member of the Indiana Pipe Club. We'll be talking about their upcoming pipe show in Gas City, IN on September 20th. Kirk has worked as a machinist, and played guitar in bands in the past, and he has a YouTube Channel with 985 subscribers and 346 videos devoted to pipe smoking and tobacco reviews. At the top of the show, Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl's Haunted Bookshop.

Our featured interview tonight is with Paul Greenwood. Paul is the pipemaker behind Grunewald Pipes. He started smoking pipes in his late-20s and then stopped for almost 30 years. He started smoking pipes again in February 2022. Two months later he went to the Chicago pipe show and signed up for the pipe making seminar. He noticed that there weren't any pipes at the show resembling the pipes from The Lord of the Rings and decided to do something about it. He launched his Instagram in April 2023 and produces handmade pipes inspired by LOTR pipes. At the top of the show we will continue the tour of Brian's personal pipe collection with four Danish or Danish-inspired pipes.

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Yosef Zehnder. Yosef grew up in a family of artists and artisans. As a child he enjoyed painting, drawing, writing songs/poems, pottery, photography and more. In 2012, he decided to try pipe smoking and quite enjoyed it. In 2019, he started making pipes and has become quite the artisan creating high quality pipes in both standard and freehand shapes. At the top of the show in "Pipe Parts", Brian will express his verbal essay titled, "How and Why I am a Pipe Smoker".

Our featured interview tonight is with Bobby Eichorn. Bobby is the newly appointed leader of the International Charatan Collectors Society. He has been smoking and collecting Charatan pipes for decades and has one of the largest collections in the world. He has won awards for his collection at past Chicago pipe shows. His initial influence for pipe smoking was from is grandfather. He is a retired educator with a MEd in education and doctorate an EdD in Neuroscience. He resides in Virginia. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of Cornell & Diehl's Cap's Blend Tobacco.

Our featured interview tonight is with Jody Davis. Jody is a renowned pipe artisan, and the lead guitar player for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band, The Newsboys. His pipes are extremely high quality with Danish style designs, and they are not easy to come by. Jody will take on two "Ask the Pipemaker" questions from listeners as well as chat a bit with Brian. At the top of the show in our Pipe Parts segment, we will have a Pipe Smoker Gift Giving Guide for Father's Day this weekend.

Our featured guest tonight is Dan Butler of D. Butler Pipes. Dan is a part time pipe maker producing beautiful artisan pipes. He found his way to pipes after university didn't work out, then working the night shift in a mental hospital put so much stress on him that he need to find relief. First, it was relaxing with a cigar, but when he found his way to pipes, he became much more intrigued. He started off slow as he was paying off student debt, but when that was cleared, he dove in. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, Brian will have his first installment in searching for replacement tobaccos for some of the Mac Baren and Sutliff discontinued items. He will have a review of Cornell & Diehl's Virginia Gentleman, and tell you why it is a good replacement for Mac Baren's Virginia No. 1.