Explore every episode of the podcast Country Squire Radio

To The Depths: Screen Actors and Pipe Smokers

Episode 69: A look at 2 of our favorite pipe smokers from history and fiction! This episode: Albert Einstein and the Chronicles of Narnia's Puddleglum

Episode 68: Talking Tobacco Blends Cornell and Diehl Bayou Morning and McClelland Christmas Blend 2014

Crazy to think this was our second ever Thanksgiving episode and here it is coming back around... in August. Enjoy.

Episode 66 | In this episode we discuss best practices for breaking in a new pipe. Funny enough, this was originally called 'Breaking Briar' but apparently there is another episode from the earlier archives that had a Breaking Bad reference in the title... What a mess. Enjoy!

This episode we have some excellent whiskey and pipe tobacco pairings! Specifically Old Charter with Sutliff Black Swan and Laphroaig 18 with Mac Baren Old Dark Fired

Episode 62: Vol 3 of our Pipe Culture Series

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO | Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 58: We take a look at that most famous of Pipe Smoking Heroes: Sherlock Holmes

Episode 47: Where do pipe smokers come from?

Episode 57: Great expectations... or measured. Let's discuss.

Episode 54: Tales from the Country Squire's First Long Smoke Competition - Our 4th Heroes of the Bowl! I think... math is hard. Who are they? Listen to find out :-)

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO | Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 94: Tobacco Talk: GL Pease: Haddo's Delight & Blue Ribbon

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO | Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 92: Wow! It's amazing how different White Rose turned out from what was originally discussed here but consider this a look behind the scenes at it's early iteration.

Episode 90: A Look At Clay Pipes | BTW I still use this biscuit cutter and it is amazing. We also use it to make donuts some Sunday mornings as well.

OVIEDO WOOD PRODUCTS: https://www.instagram.com/oviedowoodproducts/?hl=en

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO | Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 89: A look at Moonshine Pipes

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO | Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 87: Squire Select - Kentucky Vintage & Oban 14

FULL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE TO PATRONS AT PATREON.COM/COUNTRYSQUIRERADIO

Subscribe on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ILdCGgYOTF4DsvQa2cCjl

Episode 86: Talking Tobacco 

Episode 84: The process of aging pipe tobacco | One note: Obviously since we recorded this episode Disney purchased Fox and Wolverine and the X-Men have moved over to the MCU. Also the 'smoking ban' on Marvel characters has clearly lifted as we've seen characters smoking in the MCU, the latest that comes to mind being 'The Cavillrine'

Episode 82: The Grain Game... actually that would be a good title too.

Episode 81: A look into the pipe smoking documentary Father The Flame

Episode 80: Johann Sebastian Bach and Merlin

Episode 42: We take a look at 2 epic pipe smokers from history and fiction. I think this was our 3rd 'Heroes of the Bowl'

Episode 36: An overview of briar pipes. Ok ok I think I remember this... after we recorded Episode 35 we realized we may have gotten too fringe so we wanted to get back to the core of what CSR was all about. "back to the briar" you could say. I think the result is one of our best episodes.

Episode 32: Pipe Collecting. We all do it! Here's an episode about it!

Episode 30: Best practices for keeping up your pipe.

Episode 21: A look at the History and Uses of Latakia Tobacco | Latakia Leaf: A look at the History and Uses of Latakia Tobacco

Episode 20: Pipe Weed of the Shire: The Pipe Tobacco of Middle Earth made in collaboration with TheOneRing.net

Episode 18: A Look at the Churchwarden Pipe Style

Episode 17: A History of the Italian Based Pipe Manufacturer

Episode 9: A general history of Pipe Smoking

Episode 7: Stories from along our pipe journey

Episode 3: A look at one of our pipe collections!

Episode 2 of Country Squire Radio

On Aug 12th 2013, this first episode of Country Squire Radio was recorded. Enjoy and happy IPSD!

It's a look back at Country Squire Radio Year One! Funny enough we allude to an event that we would like to do... and it took us 10 years to actually make it happen... enjoy.

That's right! It's Episode 500 recapping the past 10 years of Country Squire Radio and brining this series to it's conclusion in front of a live audiance at (or at least right next to...) the Country Squire in Jackson Mississippi! We were stunned by the amount of support we got and the overwhelming numbers of folks who showed up for this event, including some major personalities in pipedom.

As mentioned at the top of the show, the Country Squire Radio Final Episode Tin is available for purchase at TheCountrySquireOnline.com while supplies last. Enjoy!

Alright... that's it. Let's go have a day everyone!

The end times are truly upon us... Enjoy this very silly episode of Country Squire Radio as our 499th and Pen Ultimate gift to you! Cheers!

...and a little shop called The Country Squire. Enjoy.

Formerly ‘Heroes of the Bowl’, The Half Bowl Histories series takes a look into the history, lore, and legacy of individuals, places, and events of interest that helped shape the world we know today for good and for ill. Here we get a chance to revisit some of the famous pipe smokers we’ve covered in the past and shift the focus from what they loved to who they were and the complexities of their lives. This week: The Inklings

Pipe Question:  

• Good morning gentlemen! I have a pipe question for you. How does (if it actually does) the chamber size and shape affect the burn and smoking characteristics of the tobacco? Blessings, Gabriel Roper

Listener Feedback: 

• Hey Guys I'm huge fan of the pirate and tobacco series. Nov 3 I was on a cruise to Nassau Bahamas where they have a pirate museum. Which was amazing . As walked around the island I got to learn alot of pirate history while puffing on my cob with captain black. It was amazing. I had downloaded and listened all the pirate ands tobacco episodes on the plane ride. Good job guys can't wait to hear more tells from the sea. - Antwan Butler
• With all the Pirate-themed episodes you are doing I thought you might like to listen to Alestorm, they are a Scottish Pirate Metal band. I recommend Keelhauled and Hangover to start. Not pipe related, but it is pipe adjacent. Thanks for what you do, I love the podcast and really hope to make the pilgrimage one day. A little planning coming from Ireland, but you never know. Cheers - Dwain Dunn

What is the pipe's role in modern mythology? Have we lost the narrative entirely? And what responsibility does the modern pipe community have in telling our own stories? Get ready from some major soapboxing this episode.

Pipe Question:  

• Jeremy Dukes - pipe cleaners. They come in “soft’n’fluffy” and “hard’n’bristly”. I’ve always tended towards the hard cleaners because I refurbished so many pipes and used those bristles to really get the gunk out, but some swear soft is the only way to avoid damaging the stem. What are the two different cleaners intended to be used for? Is it preference or do they actually have separate functions?

Listener Feedback: 

• Hi Beau and Master Jon David, Gerson here. I am writing you guys to share with you and all Country Squire Radio community a bit of a special Brazilian folklore character deeply connected with pipe and pipe smoking called Saci Pererê. The Saci Pererê is considered one of the main characters in Brazilian folklore. Of course, there are many versions of his lore, but he is commonly depicted as a young one-legged black kid who wears a red hat and is always smoking his pipe. There are a few stories to explain how he lost his leg, but the most common one is that he lost it fighting capoeira (a Brazilian type of martial art with African roots) or had it chopped off by slavers when he was enslaved himself. It is believed that Saci moves around as a wind swirl and there are ‘techniques’ to capture and imprison him in glass bottles. He likes to play tricks (usually harmless) on people wherever he goes, such as topping people’s hats, spoiling food, and scaring horses.  It is believed that he lives up to 77 years of age and then he is transformed into a poisonous mushroom. There are other versions of this mystical being in other South American countries, such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. However, in Brazil, his lore originated in the southern region during the 18th century among the indigenous people know as the Guarani but throughout time, it incorporated European and African influences. But let us get to the point. As I mentioned, Saci Pererê is always depicted smoking his pipe. Of course, there is no way of knowing what he smoked in it, but I guess it was some type of cured twisted tobacco (or “rope tobacco” as we call it here in Brazil), very common among pipe smokers of the past who lived in small towns, villages and farms on the Brazilian countryside. Symbolically, the smoke represents the connection between physical and the spiritual worlds, as it does in many African-based religious ceremonies. The smoking element originates from its indigenous roots but is also influenced by the African culture. Some versions of Saci depict him as having a through-and-through hole in his hand which has the purpose, among other things, of facilitating the emptying of his bowl by knocking the pipe on his hand. Some say the hole is where he keeps the cinder used to light his pipe. I included below a few illustrations o this amazing Brazilian folklore character. - Gerson Fernandino de A. Neto

Over the past few weeks we have been overwhelmed by the amount of emails sent in to the show and we thought what better day than International Pipe Smoking Day to record a special 'Mailbag' episode to ensure we can get as many of your messages on air as possible before the big 500.

Speaking of which, get your tickets for episode 500 today at TheCountrySquireOnline.com

The Library or Study has long been the haven of the contemplative pipe smoker. In our ‘From The Library’ series, we take a look into the musings, writings, poetry, and more that pique our interest and consider the mind of the author and how we can, or perhaps can’t, relate from our own experience. This week we have an article from Psychology Today on Integrity

Pipe Question:  

• So I had been smoking my first tin of autumn evening and was enjoying about halfway through the tin I started getting a very sour note that burned the back of my throat I thought it might be the pipe ,but it tastes fine either other aromatic tobaccos. I also smoked it in a different pipe first half of the bowl was good ,but the second half turned sour again why might this happen? - Jared Froese

What would a pipe tobacco podcast be without a good deal of pipe tobacco reviews? Loose leaf, tin, and even the hard to find stuff will all find their way into our pipes and into our heads as we review the entirety of each pipe tobacco from the packaging, marketing, tin note, texture, flavor, and smoke. This week: Tobacco Talk: Savinelli 140th Anniversary and Taste of Temptation

500th Episode Event

Join us live on March 4th at the Country Squire to celebrate our 500th episode with music, food, and fun.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.thecountrysquireonline.com/product/episode500/

Pipe Question:  

• Good morning brothers, I just finished listening to the episode “caught you blending” from 12 sep. 2018. I’m really excited to try out blending with some better knowledge now. A month ago, I took about 3 pounds of various high quality tobaccos that didn’t make the rotation, mixed them all up, and pressed them in the “poor man’s press” y’all talked about in a previous episode. It’s ready to come out now so I’ll send some along soon. Let me know what you think. That reminds me, someone asked you about making a highland grog coffee flavored tobacco on an episode recently, and you confessed to not knowing what that was. So, I’m sending you a bag of both kinds of highland grog that I know of. Let me know what you think eh? At the end of the episode in blending, I had one question for you, what are the general ratios for the different “standard” blends? English, aromatic, VaPer, Virginia etc - Thanks for all you do, please keep it up! - Gabriel Roper 

Quickfire Questions: 

•  Back to your childhood (Joda):
• Action figures or Legos 
• riding your bike or playing outside games
• breakfast cereal or Eggo waffles 
• Saturday morning cartoons or sleeping in
• Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Listener Feedback: 

• Hi JD and Beau, - I just finished listening to the vintage tin art episode and was surprised to find out that I have actually tried a tobacco that neither of you have. I am speaking about the 5 Brothers, I was a bit surprised that given how long it's been around you haven't had it, so I thought that this time the listener could advised the hosts. In my experience 5 Brothers is best in a small corn cob pipe like the short stop or Morgan from Missouri Meerschaum. The reason behind this is 5 Brothers is a very strong nicotine forward blend and is best enjoyed in small amounts. This last piece of advice regarding 5 Brothers is crucial, do not smoke it in your home. I have a very understanding wife in regards to my pipe smoking and doesn't mind when I partake in the leaf, except this one, it's the only blend I have that I am 100% forbidden to smoke in the house due to how close it smells to cigarettes. Anyway keep up the good work with the show and I'm looking forward to hearing the next episode. - Dave aka DRAlien

A pipe is the perfect complement to a good meal and a good drink is the kind companion to a good pipe. But these days there are so many options to pull from when walking down your local package store. Here we pair beverages with pipe tobacco to find an ideal combination to enhance the enjoyment of both.

Pipe Question:  

• From Don - Maybe you can help me with an issue i'm having. Any time I have something with burley in it, i find that i have a lingering harshness in the back of my mouth/throat that stays for many hours. It doesn't seem to matter how cool i smoke, or if it's an aromatic vs non. The only consistent thing seems to be if burley is present. Many english blends don't leave me with this issue. Any idea if it really could be the burley and, if so, is there a way to fix the issue? Thanks. - Don

Listener Feedback: 

• Hey Guys - Listening to your most recent episode. I didn’t look you guys were aware but there was at one point a limited edition Sinatra Jack Daniels. It’s supposed to be higher end. I’ve never had it but it may be worth coming back to, if you’re willing to dole out the dinero for it. Cheers!  - Kane Mastin
• Jonathan Montalvo - Hah! You should make a tobacco that intentionally tastes like chocolate covered raisins. Out of spite!

500th Episode Event

Join us live on March 4th at the Country Squire to celebrate our 500th episode with music, food, and fun.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.thecountrysquireonline.com/product/episode500/

Pipe Question:  

• Hey Beau and JD, found you guys a few months back and I can't stop listening, I'm finding every episode a breath of fresh air in my otherwise dull life here in Japan. I have a question regarding cellaring tobacco in warmer climates such as Japan. I put my tobaccos in glass mason jars, but unfortunately as my air conditioning is not running all the time every square inch of my house becomes really warm, even my dark cupboards out of the way. Will this affect the aging progress of the tobacco and is there anything I can do? Hope you both are having a great week - Charlie from Japan

Quickfire Questions: bookstore edition (Joda):

• Shiny and new books or old and musty books
• paperback or hardback 
• cat in the hat or green eggs and ham 
• e-book or physical book 
• Heavily illustrated or pop-up book

Listener Feedback: 

• Francois Cardier (patron) - Hello! I cant believe It took this long for me to find the show. You guys are great.
• Randy Westbrook - Absolutely loved the getting started for $1000 episode! Wasn’t sure when I read title but it was great! Had to think about my collection. Glad I bought my first meerschaum at the Squire when I was there last February! One of my favorite pipes! Great episode!

Episode 490: The Time Has Come...

Join us in Jackson, MS at The Country Squire on MARCH 4th 2023 for the grand finale of Country Squire Radio! Details at TheCountrySquireOnline.com

To see the pictures of Jon David from the earliest days of recording be sure to check out patreon.com/CountrySquireRadio

Listener Feedback: 

• Mitchell Chambers - Hi Beau & JD, I am a new listener who discovered the CSR podcast about a week ago. I've been a pipe smoker for almost a year now and today I signed up for your patreon at the listener level. Thank you both for so many incredible podcasts. I have been bingeing some older episodes and today I found myself getting quite emotional while listening to the episode on the soldier and sailor archetypes. It made me thinking of all the WW2 vets that I went to church with when I was a kid. Sadly, they've all passed on now. In the show you mentioned the famous Marine, Alabamian, and pipe smoker, Dr. Eugene Sledge, who was my granparent's neighbor at one time. Dr. Sledge taught biology at the university in my hometown of Montevallo, Alabama. He died when I was still quite young. But I've been told he was a private man who was often seen smoking his pipe and bird watching. Thank you both for the incredible work.
• Jeremy Dukes - I hope you both had a wonderful holiday season with your families. Looking back on all the new-style-format shows in ‘22, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how well they fit with the tone of the show itself. I often listen to Country Squire Radio while working in the woodshop, and I found the intimacy of the episodes felt similar to when friends are over shooting-the-breeze with me while I pine away on some project. In fact, a couple of the “Father to Father” episodes were so poignant, I stopped whatever I was working on, sat down with my pipe, and listened intently because I was connecting so well to the conversation as a young(ish) father myself. Love what you guys do and appreciate you both for doing it.
• Hello Beau and Master Jon David, I hope you guys are doing well. I would like to know your take on pipe smoking while eating. As a predominantly evening pipe smoker myself, this is the time of the day when my wife and I sit down to nibble some food and enjoy a glass of wine or beer while talking about our day. This moment of interaction and relaxation seems perfect for a nice bowl of tobacco. However, by this time, I am already hungry and need to eat something. At first, I avoided ‘pairing’ pipe tobacco and food but, as time went by, I kind of got used to it. Now, I do not mind smoking my pipe while eating. Of course, I do not do it Hobbit-in-fallen-Isengard style, but rather keep altering between eating, drinking, and smoking. Well, I hope I am not committing any heresy here, but that is how things typically go for me. LOL And I would not give up this moment of partnership and communion with my wife for nothing in this world. Love the show. Love you guys (if I am allowed to say that). Keep up the good work. Cheers from Brazil, Gerson FernanDINO (let’s see if Beau gets my surname right this time) LOL

For the new pipe smoker who is just getting started, there can be a ton of barriers to entry that some of the more seasoned among us take for granted. Decision fatigue, trust, and the overwhelming amount of information out there are just a few of the topics we address in this week's Pipe Smoking 101.

Support Country Squire Radio at patreon.com/CountrySquireRadio

If this episode seems a little out of order... that's because it is! The opportunity to record 2 shows from the Las Vegas Pipe Show room floor threw off our scheduled release a bit but as always we strive for evergreen content that you can pack a pipe with at anytime! Who knows? Maybe you are enjoying this one with a bowl of Former's Private Flake or Ruins of Windsor right now... Enjoy!

It's that time of year! And we are changing it up again as we are want to do here on Country Squire Radio, blending our annual Best of series with our on going 'Top 3' series! This year: Best Top 3 Pipes and Top 3 Tobaccos of 2022! Enjoy!

The Christmas Spirits of Pipe Tobaccos Past, Present, and Future on upon Scrouge McCole...will he rediscover his love of pipe tobacco in time for Christmas!? And what of Tiny Quinn? Beau! Humbug! Enjoy.

Step into the Country Squire Tobacconist on any given day and you’re likely to find a group of diverse men of all ages sharing their lives, triumphs, and troubles, over a bowl of quality pipe tobacco. In our Father To Father series, we try to capture the realness of conversation you find at your local pipe shop as we share our experience navigating fatherhood as two dads of young kids. This week we are sharing our faith journeys and how that impacts us as fathers.

Listener Feedback: (Jim Friedemann)  Hello Beau and Jon David, It’s been a while since I’ve emailed you guys. I love your podcast and look forward to it each Wednesday. You mentioned in this week’s episode (David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Address) how everyone worships something, even if they don’t recognize it as worship. I loved your discussion around this. It got me thinking… there have been times when I’ve allowed pipe smoking to become an idol. I’ve had to watch how much I focus on it during the day. It’s so easy to muse on “what blend am I going to try today” or “I wonder if I’ll get the winning eBay bid on that Castello”  or “I wonder if I could find any Esoterica on TurboTin today.” And if that wasn’t enough there’s always the pipe smoking forums, websites, podcasts, pipe clubs, publications, etc. out there that can easily eat up so much of my focus during the day. I’ve found that anything that competes with my attention to and affection for the Lord and others should always be suspect. Even good things like our amazing hobby can become an idol if we allow it. Any way, you may not want to read this on a pipe smoking podcast but it’s something I think is important for living a balanced, healthy and purposeful life. I so appreciate your perspective and voice in the pipe smoking community. Keep up the great work, guys!! - jfreedy