For nearly a decade, the American Pipe-Making Exposition has been an annual event here at Smokingpipes, each edition highlighting the work of today's top American pipe makers through the lens of a specific challenge. In the past, these themes have ranged from specific stem or finishing styles to the use of bamboo or other alternative materials, but for 2022's Exposition, we've tasked these vanguard artisans with creating pipes that reflect Calabash engineering.

It is mined 20-80 meters below ground in Turkey and Tanzania, with the Tanzanian version being somewhat younger. It is a complex magnesium silicate that contains 42.5% silicon, 42.5% magnesium and 15% clay, carbonic acid, and water - it is, so to speak, a very soft type of stone. In England clay pipes were sold in bundles of dozens or twenties, and were often free in taverns, where the tobacco was sold. McMillan, Lauren (July 2010). Put This in your Pipe and Smoke it: An Evaluation of Tobacco Pipe Stem Dating Methods (PDF) (Master of Arts thesis). East Carolina University.

Peterson is an Irish pipe brand with a long history of crafting premium smoking pipes, including calabash pipeThe iconic detective’s portrayal in various films and novels often featured him smoking a calabash pipe, which further enhanced its popularity. The calabash pipe’s popularity continued to grow throughout the 20th century, with many enthusiasts appreciating its smooth smoke and elegant aesthetic. Ho, Kwok Man (1990). The Eight Immortals of Taoism: Legends and Fables of Popular Taoism. Translated and edited by Joanne O'Brien. New York: Penguin Books. pp.93–94. ISBN 9780452010703. Despite the iconic look of the Calabash shape, what really pushed the style of pipe into prominence among smokers was its unique system of internal engineering, a product of its material construction. Since the gourd stummel is completely hollow and the tobacco is smoked from a meerschaum chamber cap, the smoke itself pools inside of the gourd, collecting there before being taken in through the mouthpiece. This secondary chamber has come to be known as both the cooling chamber and the condensation chamber, two succinct and appropriate appellations that describe the effects experienced by many pipe smokers: a cooling and drying of the smoke which made smoking more pleasurable. The Calabash pipe offers the coolest and driest smoke available so thanks to the mixture of all these materials.

Vampire Vape With more than 35 years’ experience producing flavours for the food industry, these guys really know how to create a taste sensation. Specialising in sweet shop favourites, their signature blends Heisenberg and Pinkman have become recognised internationally by expert vapers and both consistently score top marks from online liquid reviewers. Every single ingredient used during the production of Vampire Vape e-liquids are made in the UK (with the exception of the plastic bottles) and they use only the best pharmaceutical grade nicotine, PG and VG. Each product from their range has a sample stored for 15 years for future testing and maximum traceability. Meerschaum (hydrated magnesium silicate), a mineral found in small shallow deposits mainly around the city of Eskişehir in central Turkey, is prized for the properties which allow it to be carved into finely detailed decorative and figural shapes. It has been used since the 17th century and, with clay pipes, represented the most common medium for pipes before the introduction of briar as the material of choice in the 19th century. The word "meerschaum" means "sea foam" in German, alluding to its natural white color and its surprisingly low weight. Meerschaum is a very porous mineral that absorbs elements of the tobacco during the smoking process, and gradually changes color to a golden brown. Old, well-smoked meerschaum pipes are valued by collectors for their distinctive coloring. Calabash tobacco pipes were first made from gourd and Meerschaum. These were made by forming a sunken cup shape using the natural contours of the gourd for it’s shape. Think of the cap of a mushroom. The oldest varieties usually featured a silver cap for the bowl. The Calabash pipe today In Nepal, in the Madheshi southern plains, preparations other than as a normal vegetable include halva and khichdi. A variety of other materials may also be used for pipes. The Redmanol corporation manufactured pipes with translucent stems in the 1920s and a series of pipes were manufactured and distributed by the Tar Gard (later Venturi) Corporation of San Francisco from 1965 to 1975. Marketed under names such as "the pipe", "The Smoke" and "Venturi", they used materials such as pyrolytic graphite, phenolic resin, nylon, Bakelite and other synthetics, allowing for higher temperatures in the bowl, reduced tar, and aesthetic variations of color and style. [19]Unusual pipe materials include gourds (as in the famous calabash pipe) and pyrolytic graphite. Metal and glass, seldom used for tobacco pipes, are common for pipes intended for other substances, such as cannabis. The foam of the sea,’ or if you choose, the ‘scum’ of the sea, is the meaning of the name which poetical Germans gave to this singular substance before English science stepped in and called it ‘soapstone.’ Forty years ago it was not much known in England; now, combined with amber, it is in the mouth of half the lawyers’ clerks in London. It is a wondrous vehicle for tobacco; better even than the root of the bruyère or wooden pipe, which is made of the root of the Mediterranean heath, but the name of which has been vulgarized into ‘briar-root,’ and is derived, after all, from the Welsh ‘brwg,’ heather.” (Henry Kingsley, Ravenshoe, 1899, 313)

It's fitted to a Juma stem and a trim Bakelite accent at the end, but most spectacular and the highlight of this pipe is its porcelain Calabash chamber. Todd did not make it; however, he commissioned it from a Tawainese master of traditional Chinese pottery, specifically teaware, named Qiu DengFeng. Todd lived in China early in his life and maintains a fondness and appreciation for the artistry and craft of Chinese teapots. In this traditional craft, artisans use a unique type of clay specifically designed to absorb the tea and enhance the drinking and brewing experience, and these teapot artisans are incredibly respected, and their work is collected worldwide, selling for tens of thousands of dollars. It truly is an art form in and of itself, similar to pipe making. Kasliwal, Suneera (2001). "Classical Musical Instruments - Sitar" (in German). Archived from the original on 19 March 2014 – via Small Encyclopedia of Indian Instruments at India-instruments.de. In 2012, Teófilo García of Abra in Luzon, an expert artisan who makes the Ilocano tamburaw variant using calabash, was awarded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts with the "Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan" (National Living Treasures Award). He was cited for his dedication to practising and teaching the craft as an intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines under the Traditional Craftsmanship category. [44] Kalm, Pehr (1772). Travels into North America: containing its natural history, and a circumstantial account of its plantations and agriculture in general, with the civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and several curious and important remarks on various subjects. Translated by Johann Reinhold Forster. London: T. Lowndes. p. 344. ISBN 9780665515002. OCLC 1083889360. A Calabash's curvature is an iconic part of the pipe's construction, not only providing an extremely comfortable smoking posture that lends itself to clenching, but a unique aesthetic that, at the time of the pipe's inception, was utterly singular in the pipe world: The deeply bent profile of the Calabash and its expressive flare toward the bowl stood out immediately against the more conservative, traditional pipes produced by the majority of European marques at the time.Some cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas smoke tobacco in ceremonial pipes, and have done so since long before the arrival of Europeans. For instance the Lakota people use a ceremonial pipe called čhaŋnúŋpa. Other cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas smoke tobacco socially. [3] The tobacco plant is native to South America but spread into North America long before Europeans arrived. Tobacco was introduced to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century and spread around the world rapidly. In Vietnam, it is a very popular vegetable, commonly cooked in soup with shrimp, meatballs, clams, various fish like freshwater catfish or snakehead fish or crab. It is also commonly stir-fried with meat or seafood, or incorporated as an ingredient of a hotpot. It is also used as a medicine. Americans have called calabashes from Vietnam "opo squash". Jeong, Jaehoon (14 September 2016). "[정재훈의 밥상 공부] 광해군이 먹고 감탄해 벼슬까지 내린 잡채는?"[[Jeong Jaehoon's dining table study] What japchae impressed Gwanghaegun so much that he gave it a title of a public official?]. ChosunBiz (in Korean) . Retrieved 15 December 2016. Calabash pipe with meerschaum bowl. This particular example was made in the US by the Pioneer pipe company. First appearing in the late 1960s, these were sold as a cheaper alternative to European-made calabashes. [ citation needed] The Vulcanite joiner and fussy bit are distinctive signs of the company's manufacture. [ citation needed] Calabash pipes offer a number of advantages. First of all, of course, their special appearance catches the eye, which is clearly distinguished from regular pipe models by its compressed and conical shape, making smoking a real highlight.