The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Podcast

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Brian G. Rowley of Growley Pipes. Brian is also a leather crafter and produces handmade merchandise in that area as well. He makes all types of pipe shapes, including some of the classics, but leans more towards the Danish freehand styles. He takes commissions on pipes as well. At the top of the show, We'll have our "Ask the Pipemaker" segment with artisan pipe maker, Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with novice pipe smoker Warren Byle. Warren is an IT guy that is working on a tobacco project of his own. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, (hold onto your seats), Brian will have a surprising review of Captain Black Original.

Tonight we have Rich Esserman back with us for an epic show. Rich is quite well known in the hobby. He has been smoking, collecting, and writing about pipes for over 40-years, and he is best known for collecting large-size Dunhill pipes. Last time we changed things up, and had Rich interview Brian. We are changing it up again tonight with these two experts having a conversation on various topics in pipes and tobacco. This episode will go right into the conversation, and bypass the usual Pipe Parts segment.

Our featured interview tonight is with novice pipe smoker Andrew Knapp. Andrew grew up in such a remote part of Idaho that he had to travel 86 miles just to buy groceries. Perhaps he was making up for that by later traveling to Cairo, Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, Amman and all over northern Europe. He currently resides in Washington D.C. and has degrees in Philosophy in Politics, and in Politics. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will catch up on a backlog from the mailbag which occurred during his three weeks of travel. (We will have the regular mailbag segment as well.)

Our featured interview tonight is 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. Jeremy has been a pipe smoker for over a decade and is passionate about pipes, pipe tobacco, and blending tobacco. He will be talking about the launch of Small Batch Carolina Red Flake with Perique. It launches tonight at midnight! (Eastern US time) At the top of the show Brian will go over an article with evidence of tobacco use from over 12,000 years ago. There's lots of tobacco talk with Jeremy, plus the article at the top of the show makes for a tobacco packed hour.

Our featured interview tonight is with “pipe making hobbyist”, Murph. Even though he won a pipe carving contest back in the ’80’s, he says, “I am not a ‘pipe maker.’ I am a pipe making hobbyist. I don’t make a business or vocation with my pipes. I create them as an avocation because I have the time, enjoy the creative process and love the gratification of completing something beautiful, unique and useful.” However, you can buy his pipes. At the top of the show, Brian will report on his nearly three-week trip and cruise through Greece, Italy and Croatia.

Our featured interview tonight is with novice pipe smoker Misha Zigas. Misha is from upstate NY and has a BA in Actuarial Science from Binghamton University. He currently resides in Atlanta and is an Account Executive at Gainsight. He started with cigars, and then got into pipes. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, we will have an “Ask the Pipemaker” segment with pipe artisan, Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Belgian pipe maker Bruno Nuttens. Bruno lives in France, and started in the pipe world doing restorations. He was first mentored by pipe maker Pierre Morel, who also helped him acquire specialized pipe making tools and equipment. In 2019, Tom Eltang invited Bruno for a week in his workshop to learn other techniques with him. At the top of the show, Brian will re-evaluate traveling with pipes based on how many days he’s gone for his current travels.

Tonight we have an exceptional show that kicks off our 10th year with our special guest-host, Rich Esserman. Rich is quite well known in the hobby. He has been smoking, collecting, and writing about pipes for over 40-years, and he is best known for collecting large-size Dunhill pipes. We will turn the tables and have Rich interview Brian. Brian is our regular host, and both Rich and Brian hold the title of Dr. of Pipes. At the top of the show, Rich will answer the question, "When should you get a high grade pipe?" He'll also tell you the smart way to go about it.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with novice pipe smoker Jess Steere. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will have a review of Cornell & Diehl’s Carolina Red Flake Vintage 2017.

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. We will talk about the process of creating a new pipe shape, which Jody has done. It is called the Amore, which is a variation of a heart shape. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss his thoughts on when you should buy a pipe. It is in response to Country Squire Radio's recent episode on the same topic.

Our featured interview tonight is with Todd Brugman. Todd is a full time artist, and has been creating and thinking about the visual arts since he was a child. His parents noticed his artistic interest as early as kindergarten, and signed him up for extra curricular art activities that early in life. He is also a part-time pipe maker, and we love that he always has a pipe in his mouth in all of his photos, even when it's an art focused interview. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss the origin of the word, "tobacco".

Our featured interview tonight is with retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Devo Devereaux. Devo has collected pipes from all over the world, and done pipe restoration. We'll talk about that as well as pipe smoking, and flying unmanned aircraft. At the top of the show, At the top of the show, we have another installment in our series on three must-try tobaccos within a specific genre. Tonight’s tobacco style is Heavy Latakia Blends.

Our featured interview tonight is with novice pipe smoker Matt Dixon. Matt is a professional chocolatier. You might be surprised by the similarities between chocolate and tobacco. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will have a trip report from the NASPC's Columbus pipe show.

Our featured interview tonight is with YouTuber, and novice pipe smoker, Kevin the Hobbiton Piper. The Hobbiton Piper YouTube Channel has over 60 videos with pipe and tobacco reviews, box openings, food, drink, and more. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will review Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Sun Bear.

Our featured interview tonight is with Mike Burkes. Mike is a part-time pipe maker and a full time mechanical engineer who has been learning pipemaking since 2017. His engineering experience definitely helps with the science side of pipe making. At the top of the show, we have another installment in our series on three must-try tobaccos within a specific genre. Tonight’s tobacco style is aromatic blends.

Our featured interview tonight is with Ryan Byas. Ryan is in Brian's pipe club, and he has 100 open jars of pipe tobacco. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss how to go about helping someone get started with smoking a pipe.

Our featured interview tonight is with Rob Dickey. Rob is a part-time pipe maker living in Denver, CO. He started learning wood working and metal working in high school, and makes beautiful artisan quality pipes in both English and Danish-inspired shapes. Rob also plays guitar, and he will be featured in our music segment as well. At the top of the show, we have another installment in our series on three must-try tobaccos within a specific genre. Tonight’s tobacco style is English-Oriental blends.

Our featured interview tonight is with Ryan O’Rourke. Ryan is in the bar business, and when it’s time to relax, he enjoys pipe smoking. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers (those with 3-5 years of pipe smoking experience) that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, Brian will describe a large batch of donated pipes and tobaccos for the up-coming JDRF auction that’s guaranteed to make you salivate.

Our featured interview tonight is with Greg Guffey. Greg is in the insurance business, and when it's time to relax, he enjoys pipe smoking. He is also a musician, and will be featured in tonight's music segment. This episode is another installment in our series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, we have our second in a series on three tobaccos that you must try within a specific genre. Tonight's tobacco style is Virginia/Perique.

Our featured interview tonight is with Paul Leadbeatter. Paul is from Australia. He is a new pipe maker, and does pipe restoration, as well as being a pipe smoker. He also has a home building and restoration company. At the top of the show, Brian will do a review of Wessex Red Virginia Flake from its current production.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with Russ Wymer. Russ is a journeyman machinist, and part owner of a machine that makes custom machine parts in Toledo, OH. This episode is a new installment in our series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, we start a new series on three tobaccos that you must try within a specific genre.

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe makers Michael Parks and Nate Rose about their exclusive project they are working on along with Les Wood for the Pipes2Smoke.com website, Commonweal Pipes. The pipes are all classic English shapes, all handmade, and production is limited to under 35 pipes a year. (Of interesting note, Michael was the first ever interview on the debut episode of September 27, 2012.) At the top of the show Brian will have a tobacco review of a “really old” vintage Capstan Blue.

Our featured interview tonight is with Matthew Sanchez. Matthew has a bachelor’s in criminal justice, and is a Sheriff’s Deputy in San Diego, CA. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Matthew is our sixth in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show Brian will answer the rest of the experts questions.

Our featured interview tonight is with Benjamin Spence. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Benjamin is our fifth in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show we will have “Ask the Pipemaker” with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Morley Surcon. He has fallen in love with pipe smoking, and collecting, and has been doing it for three years. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Morley is our fourth in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show Brian will give his answer to two more of the seven questions for seven experts.

Our featured interview tonight is with Ryan Bingaman. Ryan is a full-time fire fighter, and has been smoking a pipe for nearly three years. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Ryan is our third in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show we have an “Ask the Pipemaker” segment with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Robert Buczek. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Rob is our second in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, Brian will discuss federal legislation on tobacco, which hasn't been a happy topic in a long time. (Hint: buy as much as you can now.)

Our featured interview tonight is with Declan Pollard. After having seven shows with seven questions for seven experts, Declan is our first in a series of novice pipe smokers that we pose seven questions to. He is a 22-year old dual American / British citizen living in Singapore. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, Brian will start giving his answers to the questions he posed to the experts in the previous series.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with Jon David Cole. Jon is the owner of The Country Squire in Jackson, MS. The Country Squire is a 50-year old tobacconist focused on pipes and their own exclusive pipe tobacco blends. Jon is also the co-host of Country Squire Radio. This show is our seventh, and final in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, we have “Ask the Pipemaker” with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with Fred Hanna. Fred has a PhD. and teaches at the Chicago Campus at Adler University. He is also author of the book, The Perfect Smoke. This show is our sixth in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, Brian will have a review of Rattray’s Black Virginia.

Our featured interview tonight is with Sykes Wilford. This show is our fifth in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Sykes is the Founder and CEO of SmokingPipes.com, and Laudisi Enterprises. Laudisi distributes Savinelli Pipes, Peterson Pipes, Rossi Pipes, Cornell & Diehl, G.L. Pease, Gawith Hogarth & Co., BriarWorks, and Kiribi lighters. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, we will have an "Ask the Pipemaker" segment with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Linwood Hines. Linwood has been in the business and the hobby for years and is one of the founding members of the Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers (CORPS). This show is our fourth in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, Brian will prove the importance of a pipe’s stem with a tale of two stems.

Our featured interview tonight is with Rick Newcombe. Rick is a well-known author of several pipe books, and a prominent collector of Danish pipes, and vintage tobaccos. He has traveled the world visiting pipe makers, and learning their different techniques. He is also the founder and chairman of Creators Syndicate, which currently represents more than 200 writers and artists. This show is our third in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, Brian will have a tobacco review comparing an old version, and a new version of Capstan Blue.

Our featured interview tonight is with Steve “PipeStud” Fallon. Steve has one of the most popular consignment-auction businesses for estate pipes and vintage tobaccos that he’s been running since 2006. If you know Steve, you know he’s a big fan of the original Dunhill blend, Royal Yacht. This show is our second in Volume II in our series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. At the top of the show, for our pipe parts segment, we will have “Ask the Pipe Maker” with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with Rich Esserman. Rich is a well-known collector of pipes and tobaccos. He is best known for his love of extremely large pipes, many of them Dunhills. Some of the extra large pipes he has were actually made as attention getting window displays, but he smokes them anyway. Why not? Just be careful when he shows up at the tobacco-sharing table with one of them. ;-) This show is our first in a series of “Seven Questions for Seven Experts”. Over the course of seven weeks, we will ask seven prominent pipe collectors the same seven pipe related questions, and see how their answers compare. (The seven questions can be found on the blog post when the show comes out at 8pm eastern.) At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, Brian will answer a question from a listener pertaining to pipes in extreme, or cold weather.

Our featured interview on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show tonight is with Mike Zicha. Mike has some of the stereotypical pipe smoker attributes. He is contemplative, analytical, and smart. He has an MBA in statistics, and owns and leads his own market research firm. He also has one of the best tobacco review forms, which you can download. We’re going to get pipe and tobacco geeky on this episode with a vertical tobacco tasting. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, we continue the theme of a technical show with “Ask the Pipe Maker” with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with Mike Couch. Mike is a part time pipe maker, and full time teacher at a private Christian school in north Idaho. He started smoking pipes in 2012, and in 2014 got serious about making pipes. Mike makes about 70-80 pipes a year. He makes standard shapes, and Danish-influenced freehand pipes. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, Brian will discuss two pipes you should own but never smoke.

Our featured interview tonight is with John Jensen from Rev’s Pipes. He played the crazy role of a Forcados in Portuguese bull fighting (look it up, or just listen to the show), is a minister, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, and a pipe maker. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, we will have “Ask the Pipe Maker” with Jeff Gracik.

Our featured interview tonight is with David-Dorian Ross from The Virtual Pipe Club. The club is a Facebook Group that was started on March 12, 2020 in the wake of COVID lockdowns. They currently have about 2,000 members, and have regularly scheduled live streaming shows, and hangouts with David-Dorian as the host. He is also a Tai Chi Grandmaster. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss a former medical use for a tobacco pipe. This one is not for the faint of heart.

Our featured interview tonight is with pipe artisan, Juan Pablo Urquiza. JP has been making pipes since 2015. He hand crafts exquisite custom pipes from briar, morta and olive wood in classic and artisan shapes. At the top of the show in the Pipe Parts segment, Brian will have a Q&A with answers to key questions as we got a little behind on emails, and then we will have the rest of the mailbag in its usual segment later in the show.

Our featured interview tonight is with Danish pipe artisan, Tom Eltang. Tom is considered to be one of the best pipe makers in the world. He cranks out around 500 handmade high grade pipes a year in all shapes and sizes. A few years back, he also became co-owner of the iconic Danish Pipe Shop in Copenhagen. At the top of the show, Brian will describe the process of making and aging of his own pipe tobacco blend.

Kyle Weiss talks tobacco, working at Tinder Box, and has a cool way to rehydrate tobacco.

Per Jensen Interview

John Semel Interview

Russ Hicks Interview

Mystery Man Interview

Steve Webb Interview

We have a star-studded line-up of guests that make for some extremely interesting pipe and tobacco conversations. Brian recorded his Saturday Afternoon Zoom Pipe Club Chat, which included Jim York, Marty Pulvers, Tad Gage, Fred Hanna, Steve Fallon, Chuck Stanion, and more. At the top of the show, in Pipe Parts, Brian will discuss, Pipes of Occassion.

Rainbow PiperGirl Interview