513. Pete Geek & Blender Martin Kollman // CP Mark Twain Cobble // Return of the Wax Inlay “P” // “Briar to Pipe” Video from Chicago Pipe Show

Brew a fresh pot and fill your HAND-MADE, PUB pipe or perhaps two favorite Petes!

PG & TOBACCO BLENDER MARTIN KOLLMAN

I met Martin Kollman at the Las Vegas Pipe Show a couple of years ago after corresponding with him via email for awhile and then enjoying some of his fabulous No Name Tobacco Works blends, which he creates at an astonishing rate but consumes at an even more prodigious pace! I finally had to ask him, between his work as an academician, tobacco blending, hiking all over Colorado, cooking for his family and entertaining his friends and fellow pipe smokers if he could squeeze a few minutes into his schedule to tell us a little bit about his blending as well as how he got into Peterson pipes. Here’s what he sent for us:

Biographical sketch: Growing up on a farm/ranch straight out of a Gunsmoke episode, Martin Kollman was the chief peon of the family farm and learned that if someone else made it, so could he, or at least fix it. Some how he made it off the farm and fell in with a bad crowd in academia and ended up being an educator/administrator in postsecondary colleges and universities along I-70 for the last 30 years.

The lessons learned on the farm served him well with the mentality of if someone else can…., which led him to take up scuba diving, fly fishing, whitewater rafting, riding motorcycles across the country, and smoking a few pipes along the way. He finally landed in No Name, Colorado with this lovely wife and two tax deductions just outside of Glenwood Springs, CO, where he started blending his own tobacco and enjoying pipes along the Colorado River.

Local Culture of Pipe Smoking: Colorado is the west in the truest sense, with a lack of interest in rules and a “you do you” motto stamped on a lot of bumpers. That being said, the nearest pipe tobacco shop is 90 miles west in Grand Junction and the local, as well as excise tax, are quite high, so most tobacco comes from the internet and shipping is often a challenge. There are a number of pipe smokers from CO that I have met online, but only 3-4 regular pipe smokers in the valley that I have run across. A lot of the old guard who used to enjoy a pipe back in the day and a few neighbor ladies who wanted their own corn cob pipe rather than just cigars when they drink their whiskey on Saturday night are the only ones who have shown interest. Most people enjoy the smell and ask questions, but you can’t smoke indoors in Colorado, so all this usually happens on one of my walks.

This is literally out his side door and down a few yards. We pity Martin, right?

Life as a pipeman: I get a lot of crap for sending pictures to my pipe smoking friends from this part of the world with its majestic mountains, waterfalls going down canyon walls, or tranquil rivers and streams flowing in the background while I am smoking my Peterson. It is really hard not to send this kind of picture when most of my environment is somewhere you want to walk through or sit down and contemplate all that nature has laid out, and nothing is better than a good pipe to do that. I find my bent large bowl PUB and House Pipes are my favorite to take out, as they hold up to the wind, hang comfortably over rough terrain, and have enough capacity to get me home before I run out.

The last nine years in Colorado have probably done more to move my pipe smoking from a couple times a month to a daily enjoyment, as it is a companion on all my walks down the trail with my wife and our dog.

About 5 yards from the house.

The 307 model is one of my favorites on the veranda watching herons and eagles pick trout from the river with a nice VAPer. Pipes are like fly rods, each one has a different purpose and some work better than others in certain situations, so having a good selection to match the mood and blend is somewhat of a necessity. While I have other brands of pipes that I really enjoy, Peterson has just settled in as a consistent one that I gravitate towards, as the classic shapes, ease of smoke in any condition, and P-Lip is my favorite bit style. Just look at my two overflowing pipe racks and storage container in the closet if you want any proof.

First pipe and tobacco: Like many college-age students, the urge to try a few of the forbidden vices of the mid-west is strong, and a chance stroll by a shoe repair shop enticed Martin to wonder why it had pipes in the window. Ten minutes later, the shop owner told Martin he sold his favorite blends so he could smoke for free while he worked, and then convinced Martin he needed a Charatan Belvedere [Charatan photo]billiard and $3.25 worth of Captain’s Crème blend.

Pipe smoking only lasted about a year and then it became an on/off hobby for the next 15 years, but a microbiologist neighbor suggested they enjoy a beverage and a pipe in the backyard one night. He had a collection of bent pipes and the one that looked and smoked the best was a Peterson.

After that, the billiard went into a box and several bent pipes were purchased, but no Petersons, as the one pipe shop in the area didn’t carry them and eBay was still a new thing that was mainly used for finding fly rods to catch warmwater species, trout, and saltwater fishing for bonefish, tarpon, snook, and permit.

Tobacco choices were limited to whatever the pipe shop owner “Grumpy” decided to stock and recommend based on conversations hanging around the counter or backroom. A pipe full was always encouraged to try it first, once you were an established customer and hadn’t done anything shady in the store.

This is doubtless what cemented our friendship: Martin and I both adore the 307.

Favorite Petes: My first favorite Peterson pipe was a 307 [307 photo], as it is an easy to hold shape in the mouth or hand and lends itself to smoking any blend very well. I am drawn to bent pipes more than anything, as that gentle curve from the mouth down along the jaw line is comfortable and really takes on a natural smoke when I am working in the shop, in the yard, or down the trail.

After that I really like the PUB and House pipes, as a large pipe just fits my personality and smoking habits, with their palm-size design and large bowls for a longer smoke and slowing down. No one goes for a run or plays tennis with a House Pipe, but he can mow the lawn, putter in the shop, or sit in a comfy chair and read a good book.

My absolute favorite Peterson is a yellow stemmed Kapp-Royal XL12, but a recent 306 Premier Natural is a close second for comfort and a habit of smoking the bowl to the bottom. The XL12 wins out as it is a hanger that was almost made for my face and just makes me happy every time I see it.

I also like the Peterson community—there isn’t a kinder group, more knowledgeable, and slightly wacky one—but that is what I love about all the Pete Geeks.

I am all over the place when it comes to pipe tobacco and go in waves on certain types or blends, but that seems to be the norm for a large number of pipe smokers. To have only one or two blends on hand is not something that anyone has to do, and the American palette seems to be always wanting for something new.

Most of the times I like a red/bright VAPer as a go-to, but then dance heavy into the English, Scottish, and Balkan blends in the wintertime when the snow flies and the wood stove is crackling. Nothing better with a PUB or House Pipe and a good glass of Redbreast 12 yr in the glass. Fall and spring are all over the place for temperatures and weather conditions, so I will often reach for a Robert McConnell Scottish Flake, or one of my own Virginia-based blends that is perfect for mud season.

Tobacco Blending: I started blending about a year and a half ago. The first attempts were less than stellar as I had no clue what I was doing and found a lot of misinformation on the internet. Through trial and error, a lot of help from the pipe community, and learning what components and processes can do to a blend, I have to say that most of my favorite blends are my own. Of course they are designed for my palette, so why wouldn’t they?

Right now, I have a Pirates of Penzance that resembles Penzance, a Bratwurst Balkan, a Sun Cured (orange VAPer), and some Irish blends that I am really enjoying that have been aging in the jars under my desk.

[Other Pursuits: While I do enjoy fly fishing, scuba diving, whitewater rafting, and cooking, it is pretty clear that tobacco blending for my own enjoyment has become my primary hobby. It just checks that box of endless possibilities and a creative outlet that I can share with others or enjoy on my own. Like cooking, you learn what works and doesn’t, but you can also throw caution to the wind and try something that is a weird fusion that just works. That is where the Bratwurst Balkan came from, talking to Mark about what could you do with tobacco that no one would expect.]

A good part of my success has come from using AI, like Google Gemini, as every bit of information about tobacco blending, blending descriptions, and speculation from online forums is part of the information base. While it isn’t perfect, a good prompt into AI can give a new blender a place to start and explain why it made the choices it did. This is where the human part comes in, as AI has no clue what “taste” or personal preferences are when it comes to the blend it suggests. It just gives an average of what all the data suggest and produces a result, so I end up changing choices of tobacco, percentages to add, and what toppings will compliment the flavor profile I am going for.

Sample Google Gemini Prompt : Create a pipe tobacco blend that Mark Irwin of Peterson Pipe Notes would enjoy in his study with his trusty dogs. This should be similar to McClelland Dark Star.

Response: To craft a blend that captures the scholarly, history-steeped atmosphere of Mark Irwin’s study, we have to pay homage to the legendary, lost art of McClelland’s Virginia leaf processing.

McClelland Dark Star was famous for being a triple-stoved, jet-black Virginia flake. It was deeply sweet, carrying notes of molasses, dark stewed fruits (figs, plums), and that unmistakable, tangy fermentation aroma. Because it was heavily stoved under immense pressure, the starches converted completely into rich sugars, making it incredibly smooth but notoriously difficult to keep lit without some drying time.

To replicate that depth without McClelland’s proprietary machinery, we combine a heavy base of dark stoved Virginia with rich Red Virginia for body, and a touch of Perique to mimic that deep, fermented fruit tang.

Here is my recipe for “The Thinking Man’s Flake”—a blend designed for a slow, contemplative sip in a favorite Peterson system pipe, with a pair of hounds resting at your feet:

Sutliff 507-S 65%
C&D Ribbon Red Virginia 25%
James Parish Perique 10%

1. Case and Blend: Day 1. Mix your Red and Stoved Virginias with the Perique thoroughly. If you want to lean into the classic McClelland “tang,” a very light casing of pure, diluted organic apple cider vinegar (just a fine mist) can help jumpstart the acidic fermentation profile. Let the leaf rest until it’s uniformly pliable but not wet.

2. The Noodle Press: Weeks 1–4. Pack the blended leaf tightly into a tobacco press. Compress it firmly into a dense plug. To truly mimic the Dark Star depth, apply gentle heat to the press if possible (around 130°F / 55°C) for the first 48 hours to force the juices to intermingle, then let it sit under pressure at room temperature for at least a month.

3. Slice to Flake: Remove the consolidated plug and slice it cleanly with a sharp knife or tobacco cutter into thin, broken flakes.

4. Before Smoking: Because of the high concentration of heavily stoved leaf, this blend will hold moisture tenaciously. Advise the smoker to fully rub out a flake and let it air-dry on a piece of paper for 30 to 45 minutes before packing.

That being said, AI has ramped up my learning curve and given me guidance where there hasn’t been the time or freedom to search the web endlessly. Asking it to replicate or emulate long gone blends will give me a ballpark of what could be in the mix and further prompts can explain the reasoning and what was going on at the time with the company that might have influenced their choices.

It takes seconds to develop a starting recipe and begin the tweaking, which allows creativity to happen at 9:47 pm and have the first attempt at the recipe done by 10:18 pm. Assuming that all the blending components are on the shelf waiting to jump into my wife’s mixing bowl to make a 10-20g batch and a bit of tweaking before jumping to a 100g batch that will be on the way to a “good” blend.

Then you still have to wait. . . and wait. . . Generally, it’s two weeks before you know what it might taste like after sitting in a jar or a stainless-steel noodle press from China. [noodle photo]

Sure, you can smoke some right away, to dial it in as much as you can, but don’t fool yourself, it will evolve. After a month, most blends have mellowed and the flavors are truer to what it will be from then on. Yes, it will continue to evolve and sugars will change, but you should know if the blend is a good one or goes on the “pipe community” who may or may not enjoy it.

Out of the 40+ blends I have made, there are 6-8 that I really feel are blends that I will make repeatedly, as they hit all the notes for me and happily share with friends. Others are good or seasonal, so they set in the old wine bottle rack, in my office closet, or under the desk to age and evolve. Some of those have really surprised me and may move into that repeat rotation, but one can only smoke so much tobacco and the creative streak assures me there will always be another new blend waiting to come out.

PETERSON NEWS:
RETURN OF THE WAX INLAY “P”

Glen Whelan, Managing Director of Peterson, sent me this fabulous photo of some Drac 701s at the end of the week. Dial in, if you will, on those “P”s on the stem. Do you remember them? Glen writes, “We’ve decided to stop using the hot foil machine for applying the P logo on the stem and are instead returning to hand application of the P with the wax coloured inlay. This gives a much crisper and cleaner result and frankly, I think it looks much nicer!” I couldn’t agree more, and it sent me to my pipe racks to look for examples in my own rotation.

The wax colored inlay was in use for decades and decades, but isn’t seen as often as you might think on the estate market because older pipes have often been buffed with no regard for these stampings, which can be erased without a bit of precaution, which most tobacconists weren’t interested in doing.

THE CHARLES PETERSON COLLECTION
MARK TWAIN COBBLE

Unless I’ve lost count along the way, there have only been three special offerings for 2026, the St. Patrick’s Day, Barley Spigot, and now the Charles Peterson Collection Mark Twain Cobble. I wouldn’t have known about the MT Cobble until well after the drop if The Peterson Piper, Josh Sherif, hadn’t texted me. By the time I saw it in my email, of course, they were gone, and no wonder! Josh Burgess at Laudisi told me it was a very small release, about 53 pipes he said. Being a Charles Peterson Collection release, that seems appropriate.

I’d love it if Laudisi had time again to send us a few days’ advance notice just so I can send everyone a drop time, but I know they’re crazy busy like the rest of the world. For all of us who missed it, however, The Peterson Piper has done a wonderful video on his vlog, which you can see here:

I haven’t asked anyone yet, but I’m wondering if the measurements given at SPC are simply average, or if the Cobble MT is really this much different from the original Penzo MT in regard to the chamber? The stummel used for this release is the fabulous one created for the POY 2022 and a pretty dead-on replica of the Patent 14B.

Length: 6.03 in./153.16 mm.
Weight: 2.40 oz./68.04 g.
Bowl Height: 1.90 in./48.26 mm.
Chamber Depth: 1.31 in./33.27 mm.
Chamber Diameter: 0.87 in./22.10 mm.
Outside Diameter: 1.53 in./38.86 mm.
Stem Material: Vulcanite

The Charles Peterson Collection 308, if you recall that release from 2023, was created using the “original,” that is, 1981 / 2010 Mark Twain stummel. Because (and I’m guessing) these were bowls found in the move from Sallynoggin, they were all rusticated. They didn’t fly out the door , as not everyone loves this rustication as much as me–but they were a rare opportunity to get some old wood, a sterling ferrule, and the old-style vulcanite stem (c. 2000) all wrapped up in the original MT bowl. It was a fitting homage and near-replica of the old 308s.

As you can see, the 1981/2010 stummel, it turns out, was actually quite close to the 14 / 308 of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

MARTIN also sent recently a fairly rare pipe, a JOHN AYLESBURY Classic Lines 01S for 6mm filter. If you’ve never heard of Peterson’s JOHN AYLESBURY, no worries. Many folks haven’t, although their tobaccos are sold through SPC. According to SPC’s advertising copy, John Aylesbury is “a collective of retail tobacconists from Germany who grouped together to form a wholesaler. Specializing in distributing pipes such as Big Ben, Peterson, and Brebbia, the group also has its own private label line of pipe tobaccos.” They were founded in 1974 in the Mülheim/Ruhr area. I think it’s interesting that German pipemen have for so long preferred filters and I’m curious as to why. Was there some nefarious propaganda about pipe smoking and cancer set loose on the German public earlier than elsewhere?

CHRIS HERATH’S DAILY READER “BRIAR TO PIPE” VIDEO
FROM THE CHICAGO SHOW

Finally this morning, for those who may have somehow missed it, the superb video Chris Herath of Laudisi filmed for the Chicago Pipe Show’s Peterson presentation was put up at The Daily Reader. It’s great to see it–and what I mean is that those who attended the Chicago show could only see it more or less intermittently, as it was presented at the back of the smoking tent and there was far too much sunlight filtering in and out. From watching this, I believe that Giacomo Penzo, who narrates, probably recorded his talk after returning to Dublin–it was too noisy in the tent to have made the recording there, I’m thinking. Brilliant job. And if you look really close, you may find a surprise.