I view pipe smoking as one of the greatest celebrations available to us. It is a celebration of life, an exultation of the beautiful moments with friends and family, a jubilant shout that will not allow us to forget that being happy is a goal beyond value.

In March of this year, I traveled to Weston, Missouri, to celebrate my the birthday of my closest friend, Jesse. Weston is a small city, located just a short drive from Kansas City, and is home to the oldest whiskey distillery west of the Mississippi. Also located in Weston is a fantastic micro-brewery and a vineyard.

Jesse’s lady, Alicia, had contacted me months earlier to start planning his birthday, since Jesse is a man who works many long hours and rarely gets time to relax and simply enjoy life. Then again, he works at a brewery, so I don’t have too much sympathy for his whinging. Despite all of the plans, some of the best moments were those that were unplanned and unhurried.

When I arrived in Weston after a late night’s drive, I was the first of the guests to have shown up. It was late and no lights were on on the street except for those in Jesse’s house. I got inside and could barely contain my excitement to give my friend the present that I had picked out carefully and meticulously. I passed Jesse the small green bag and watched, giddy, as Jesse slowly unveiled what waited inside. Giving presents is honestly better to me than receiving them, because I get to give part of myself in physical form and provide someone that I care about with a reason to be happy.

The rusticated Peterson with a bent P-lip fit perfectly in Jesse’s hands, though his jaw instantly dropped. I am sure that he was exaggerating his reaction, as most friends do, but the joy was genuinely apparent in his face and the giant bear hug that he gave me afterwards — next to Jesse, I look like a lethargic three year old standing next to the Hulk.

One of the greatest joys about being a pipe smoker is the community and connection that you have with fellow members. Due to the fact that there are so few of us around, we instantly create strong and powerful bonds around our briar. With Jesse, we already had a strong friendship before pipes ever entered my life, so this simply became a strengthening factor.

For the rest of the evening, which was not too long given the hour, Jesse barely let the Peterson out of his hand, leaving me terribly satisfied.

Saturday morning, I woke up to join Alicia and Jesse in going to the store to buy fresh vegetables and eggs for omelets. After we got home, I packed my black sandblasted Rubens Rhodesian II with the re-release of Balkan Sobranie and filled my cup with strong, black coffee. Truthfully, this was the first time that I had ever started my day with an English and it really illuminated why every blend containing the words “Morning”, “Early”, or “First Pipe” always include Latakia.

A short while later, the next member of our party arrived: Patrick, also known as Patch. Patch is another member of our group of friends from the St. Louis Renaissance Faire who always walks around with smile on his face that cannot help but be adopted by everyone around him. The previous Summer, this same group of friends had traveled to the Bristol Renaissance Faire, where Patch had picked up his very first pipe and tobacco. Since that time, he had become a full-fledged Brother of the Briar and brought along his newly acquired pipe.

Since I was still enjoying my coffee and pipe, Patch loaded up his pipe with an aromatic blend that he bought from a local tobacconist, while Jesse sat down across from me and “borrowed” some of my Balkan Sobranie for his clay pipe. The next couple of hours were simply beautiful, with friends who live hours away from each other united by genuine affection and pipes.

“All right, boys!” Alicia barked with a smile. “Let’s go do something.” I knew that Alicia had a plan for where we would go, so I threw on my shoes, grabbed my pipes (just in case), and headed out.

After a short walk past the distillery and brewery, we ended up in Weston’s downtown area. A few turns later, we were standing in front of Weston Tobacco. I had been to a number of tobacconists, but I have to say that this place was really fantastic.

First of all, the place is still family run by a father and son. When I walked in, the one gentleman working was behind the counter hand rolling cigars. The establishment had a modern yet rustic simplicity, with brick walls, antique desks, and shelving units made of bare metal. Even with this, the building was full of necessary comforts: there was lounge in the back with a television and leather couches, while the front of the house had a number of chairs in front of another TV, this one playing the new Star Trek movie, which made me a very happy geek.

I started looking around as soon as I walked in and was informed by Jesse that Weston Tobacconist had recently, partly due to his prodding, decided to add more pipes and pipe tobaccos to their offerings. The offerings in terms of pipes were still minimal, but it made me extremely happy to know that some tobacconists are working against the trend of eliminating pipes in favor of cigars.

For a while, I watched the owner rolling cigars, an art which I hope will never be lost, because it truly was a hypnotizing process. Once a few customers walked in, he hopped out of his seat and helped them select their cigar from the offerings found all around.

In the mean time, Jesse, Alicia, Patch, and I all gathered around the high table and stools, pulled out our pipes, and relaxed. Jesse had brought along his Peterson and looked as happy as could be. Before long, the owner had joined us once more to talk and ask a question: “What kind of beer do you all like more: lagers or stouts?”

I couldn’t help but answer the latter, but I was slightly perplexed as to why he asked. A minute later, he reappeared from the back of the store with four beers in hand, one for each of us. “Put that away,” he smiled at me when he saw me reaching for my wallet. Grateful and truly touched by the gesture, I happily sipped from both the bottle and my pipe, talking with my friends about nothing and everything, while Kirk worked to defeat the Romulan renegades.

Truthfully, I was reluctant to leave. Soon, however, we had all changed and were enjoying a delicious meal of lamb, Ouzo, and gyros. We laughed loudly, danced, ate and drank our fill, and loved life.

The rest of evening consisted of even more friends joining us, including Jon, affectionately known as “Ogre”, because of his height. Jon had brought along his pipe, too, so more celebration was in order. After Ogre arrived, the festivities included, but were certainly not limited to, many bowlfuls of tobacco, some people trying snuff for the first time (highly entertaining), and singing Les Miserables over glasses of bourbon, vodka, micro-brewed beer, and homemade moonshine.

The trip down to Weston was short, but very sweet. There was a lot of laughter, probably more drinks than were needed, great food, close friends, and many, many pipes. While I truly love smoking a pipe, it is nothing compared to smoking a pipe with your closest friends who share your enjoyment of the experience.

Hello, kind and gentle pipe enthusiasts (and Bear).

I am still working hard in Chicago and thus am not able to provide a complete post as often as I would like. I just spent this weekend visiting Alex Florov, Scott Klein, and Iwan Ries, so expect stories on all three in the coming months.

In the mean time, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a photo collage of a beautiful pipe by Michail Revyagin that I recently finished working. Be well and smoke in peace! (Be sure to click for a larger version!)

Independence Day. The 4th of July.

For Americans everywhere, these titles evoke intense happiness for many reasons. For some, it is a sense of patriotism; for others, it is remembers those who gave their lives in the defense of a country that they loved so dearly; for others, if not most, it also has to do with barbecues, burgers, and beers, family, friends, and fireworks.

Before I get into the bulk of my piece, allow me to wish every one of you a happy and safe Fourth of July. Please keep the kids away from the fireworks!

It is easy to simply crack open a beer, watch the colorful designs made in the sky, and think no more about this day. It is also easy to simply think, “Well, this is when America won its independence.” I would encourage you to think a little bit deeper and consider how this celebration connects to our lives today.

The Revolutionary War has been cited as having many inspirations: taxation without representation, alienation, authoritarianism. No matter what reason one cites, one of the most critical moments leading up the American Revolution was the Boston Tea Party, or, as it was known at the time, the destruction of the tea.

So, why did this event occur? It was primarily a reaction to a series of laws passed in 1767, which were proposed by Charles Townshend. These laws included a number of tax hikes on products like stamps, sugar, and tea. These were items that the colonists valued and the Acts took that into account. After all, the primary purpose of a tax is to raise funds and the most effective way to do that is by taxing something that people cannot live without, or do not want to as in the case of tea. This, combined with the later passage of the Tea Act, resulted in colonial jobs to be lost and a number of people to be unable to afford their daily servings of tea without compromising other financial aspects.

The result of these new taxes was a feeling of oppression on the part of the colonists. This feeling surged until it finally culminated in the destruction of the tea.

Enough with the basic history lesson. So what?

The Boston Tea Party, arguably the powder-keg for the American Revolution, was a result of a government taxing luxury items to the point of making them more and more difficult to afford. Does this sound at all familiar?

In order to control the use of tobacco products today in the United States and elsewhere in the world, taxes are being raised on these items, sometimes to the degree of over 1,000% increases of current taxes. It seems horribly ironic for a country to be committing similar offenses to those that caused the country to be born in the first place.

Quick side note: this taxation spans party lines. It is not one party or another, one person or another. It is an apparent coalition on the part of governmental figures to unite against tobacco because it is the popular thing to do.

These taxes, while not physically or legally preventing the innocent pipe and cigar smokers from enjoying his hobby, discourage the use of luxury tobacco products through financial manipulation, all the while hiding behind the shady technique of lumping both cigars and pipes in with cigarettes. While we’re at it, let’s stop playing Bach and Beethoven just because we don’t like Britney Spears.

It is an attempt to limit our freedom without being accountable for doing so. They are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. It is subtle. It is deceptive. It is powerful.

I know that “independence” and “freedom” are not synonymous. But “independence” and “autonomy” are often cited as meaning the same thing, or at least being easily interchangeable. Autonomy is the ability to act and make decisions for oneself. These draconian taxes of all tobacco products violates this concept, however.

Mind you, I am in no one encouraging a revolution. Well, maybe a little one, but not in the same way as happen in Boston in the December of 1773.

There is already an official International Pipe Smoking Day, Febuary 20th, a day that I look forward to every year. I would encourage that today, July 4th, become our National Pipe Smoking Day. Across the country, we can stand (or sit) together and declare that, while some might disagree with or not like pipe or cigar smoking, they should damned well respect our ability to make that decision for ourselves, so long as we are not imposing it on others.

There is brilliant episode of the show “Futurama” where the characters celebrate a holiday known as “Freedom Day”. They celebrate this by engaging in any activity that might otherwise be unacceptable. Let’s face it, pipe and cigar smoking both have a clear stigma attached and many of us deliberately hide our hobby in an attempt to not offend others, because we are considerate.

Today, however, I encourage you to celebrate your autonomy at the same time that you celebrate America’s independence. Make the decision for yourself and enjoy your life. Smoke a pipe or a cigar or both, and, if someone asks, just tell them that you believe independence is something to be cherished.

This week, I am extremely proud to present a uniting of forces of Pipe School and another member of the online pipe community, simply known as “quantumboy7″ to many. Jim, as he is known to those uninitiated in the world of pipes, has dedicated himself to reviewing a single brand of tobacco straight through with incredible amounts of detail and information.

One of these sagas is known as the Pease Pilgrimage. The individual reviews were published in serialized form on some pipe forums. After I read these reviews and saw the scope that they covered, along with the devotion to detail, I knew that this was something that needed to reach as many people as possible.

In order to facilitate that goal, I will be posting some of Jim’s reviews every month.

So, with no further delay, here is Jim’s review of Pease’s Abingdon. Thank you, Jim, for all of your hard work; I know it’s a tough job reviewing pipe tobacco, but someone has to do it!

Abingdon (reviewed 01-08-10)

Tin date: 03/26/09

Aroma: Smoky, but a bit more austere than Odyssey – not as rich and campfire-smoky. It just seems a bit more reluctant to release its odors, but this could be because it’s a drier tin than the Odyssey I tried recently. Odyssey is a much blacker blend, which to me would mean more Latakia, but Pease’s description of Odyssey tells us that Odyssey is “A huge Latakia blend, second only to Abingdon in forcefulness.” Not sure if that means it is second to Abingdon in its quantity of Latakia. Seems to me that Abingdon has less.

Appearance: The cut is quite coarse, with some large chunks of Latakia that really needed a little additional rubbing-out. For small chamber pipes, this coarse blend might be a little challenging. I think it works better in a large chamber pipe. The photo clearly shows that this blend does not have a lot of Latakia (I’m assuming the Latakia is the black bits). The tin description lists “Latakia,” “red and lemon yellow Virginias,” and “rich oriental leaf.” I believe all four are clearly visible in the mix. It looks like it could have been mixed up a bit better, as there were little pockets or gobs of one type of leaf here and there. It’s visually quite beautiful!

Pipe 1: Stanwell Vario Billiard

Pipe 2: Savinelli 320KS Author

Pipe 3: Dane Craft S Freehand

Flavor: The last time I tasted Abingdon is when I reviewed it on TR in May 2009, and in all three pipes it’s much more oriental-forward than I remembered. I think the balance is impeccable. I consider the definition of English vs. Balkan as a continuum, one blending into the other on a linear scale, which is consistent with Pease’s comments about some blends blurring the lines between the two. Abingdon seems to emphasize the orientals while maintaining a very significant Latakia presence.

I puffed as hard as I pleased and it didn’t bite, but of course that causes the flavors to become too burnt. As with every tobacco, this one should be respected, nurtured and contemplated, and Abingdon, due to its rich complexity and changing character, is a very special and delicious treat when smoked carefully. I think some of the change in flavors I experienced throughout a given bowl is due to the not-so-even mixture of the components themselves, along with the quite large chunks of a given tobacco. When one of those big pieces catches fire, it seems to emphasize that particular leaf during that part of the smoke. To me, this makes it interesting. But there is also a gradual change during the smoke toward a more smoky, richer flavor that just gets better and better right to the bottom.

The aftertaste lasts for a long time, a quarter to a half-hour or longer if you don’t eat or drink, and it emphasizes the orientals. This blend reminds me of the McClelland Three Oaks series. I would love to try this with Syrian Latakia just to explore the difference, but I understand Greg lost his stash of Syrian in a fire. Bummer!

It burned well with no problems. Pease suggest a lighter than normal pack, but while loading my pipes I had to pack it in with greater than average force because my tin was quite dry upon opening and the leaves were stiff. A typical gentle pack did not provide nearly enough density to get a good burn. This was not true with the Odyssey I opened last week (next week’s review). It was moister with a much finer cut.

Overall, this is an easy four star blend for me. I love the flavors and I love the complexity. The coarse cut, while it may alter your normal packing methods (or not, if your tin is moist), provides a visually interesting experience and allows you to clearly see exactly what you’re smoking. An excellent blend with which to start our pilgrimage! Please let us know your opinions!

I have dropped off the grid for the last three weeks, and, sadly, that is set to continue for the next three. I am currently in South City, Chicago, at what is known as “Institute” for Teach For America. Before I explain exactly what I have been doing, let me tell you a little about this organization. Teach For America is an educational organization that stands behind the belief that education is one of the most beneficial resources that we can ever have and that all children deserve an opportunity to receive the best possible learning experience. As most everyone knows, our educational system is not the best in the world. This is in no way going to get political, it is simply a fact. Our scores are woefully low and children who live in low-income areas are far too often doomed to poor education simply because of where they were born. Teach For America aims to change that. By sending enthusiastic, educated, and dedicated teachers into those lower-performing school, Teach For America tries to close the achievement gap by radically transforming students’ learning habits and beliefs about themselves. After all, big thought comes before big action. So, last year, I applied and was accepted to this organization. About a month ago, I was placed in one of St. Louis’s toughest, most desperate school districts. In order to prepare for that, I am now in Chicago getting intensive training and teaching summer school at a high school with a similar situation to what I will be facing back in St. Louis. I have been teaching English II to 11th and 12th graders for the last three days and will be doing so for the next three weeks. I have to tell you, the kids are amazing. The first day that I walked in, one of the girls said, “I want your hair.” I laughed and told her that she could have it, since it was going to be gone soon enough, anyway. In just three days, I have had students make amazing progress from where they were previously. It’s incredible what a difference it makes when you have someone working with you who truly believes in you. I am in no way implying that these kids are lucky to have me; on the contrary, I am lucky to have them. Just today, I encountered one of my students talking on his cell phone in the bathroom. I gave him my best teacher look and asked him what he was doing. He told me that he was on the phone with Illinois Institute of Technology applying for the Criminal Justice program. This is the same student who, just three days earlier, said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to college. The training that I am receiving involves working from 7AM to 10PM every day of the week. I teach for an hour in the morning, grade papers, and plan out lessons, in addition to attending a lot of professional development courses, including classroom management, student investment, diversity dialogues, literacy education, and more. To any and all teachers out there, thank you. Thank you for all of the hard work that you put in every single day for so little gratitude. To touch on pipes briefly, I was able to go to Iwan Ries while here in Chicago and it was absolutely incredible. I will be writing a piece about my trip soon and going back again before I leave, but I can tell you that that trip to Iwan Ries on Saturday was the difference between a pay check and medication and bed check. It really helped keep me sane and going through one of the most intensive work experiences in my young life. I tell you all of this not to ask you to respect me, but simply to tell you what has been happening in my life. And maybe, just maybe, I will be able to share an inspirational story or two that might help some people regain faith in the future. I know that I believe in the future and I have dedicated the next two years of my life to making it as bright as possible for as many children as possible.