International Pipe Smoking Day 2026

Banner photo by Lee Skiver   Greetings, Pete Geeks and pipe smokers across the globe! The IPSD 2026 Challenge this year was a simple one with far-reaching implications: How does your Peterson pipe bring you peace or help you be a peace-maker? Every one of the responses below is worth spending some slow time with, pondering & piping, and every one of them will reward you. Beannacht le do phíopa! Happy pipe smoking!     Gilbert Ludwig CPG. FINLAND. It is the ritual. Selecting and preparing the tobacco, packing the bowl, fire it up and then maintaining the ember through gentle puffs. A mindful sequence that slows you down. I believe the value is in less the smoke itself,  but in breaking out of the fast pace of everyday life. The slowness reduces stress and engages my mind in predictable, controlled motions. It makes me calmer in tense situations. It is, then, also about personal reflection and contemplation. The pipe smoking ritual is a permission to step back and let thoughts settle. And then there’s the physical sensations of a warm bowl, the divine smell of the blend, the sound of the ember and the gentle breath-work of puffing, all of which pull attention away from intrusive thoughts. It empowers presence and embodied mindfulness. The ritual brings me peace and makes me more peaceful, and I like to believe it makes me a better person. XL18 Oom Paul Cumberland Silver Spigot filled with Pesse Canoe Oriental Flake.     Dan Chasin, CPG. UNITED STATES.  Happy IPSD! Below is my 20FB Sandblasted Supreme hallmarked 2021. I don’t know if my pipe helps me be a peacemaker, but I know it brings me peace. We all enjoy our pipes in our own ways. I don’t smoke my pipe while driving or working like I see some people do and that’s great if that’s how they get their enjoyment. For me I don’t like to associate having a pipe with work or any real tasks. For me it’s an act of relaxation. Going through the ritual of picking the tobacco and pipe that best suits the blend, usually one picks the other. There are times I really want to smoke a specific pipe and that will determine which tobacco is smoked or visa versus. I make sure I have enough time allotted because I don’t want to be “rushed” through the bowl just to make sure I finish. The whole name of the game for me is relaxing or bringing peace to my mind by slowing down. Whether I’m watching a baseball game, spending time with friends and family, if I’m smoking a pipe the act alone for me at least, insists that I relax and bring myself some peace. Hope everyone has a great IPSD 2026!!   Clint Stacy, CPG. UK.  In his 1939 essay 'Learning in Wartime', C.S. Lewis contemplates the concept of fiddling while Rome burns. Lewis argues that in times of crisis we shouldn't stop doing the things that are…