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A glimpse at Peterson Churchwardens

A glimpse at Peterson Churchwardens

Posted by Renia Carsillo on 5th May 2014

Perhaps the most famous type of tobacco pipe in pop culture, the Churchwarden shape features an exaggerated long stem and small bowl. Commonly known as a “Wizard” pipe, the Churchwarden is prominently featured in The Lord of the Rings films.

Peterson Churchwarden Characteristics

The Peterson Churchwarden pipes are more likely to make you imagine celtic bonfires than magic wizards. With less exaggerated length in the stem than most, these affordable cool smokers are a long-stemmed pipe you could still reasonably smoke walking down the street. These would be right at home on an Irish country farm.

The Churchwarden was one of the earliest shapes made by Peterson. As with all tobacco pipes of this shape, the long stem is meant to give the smoke time to cool before it reaches the mouth. Smallish bowls make the draw still clean and slow. Generally, these pipes offer a quick cool smoke compared to their smaller, less delicate counterparts.

Despite what you see in the movies, Churchwardens are generally considered “House Pipes,” which means they are meant to be smoked, in your library or on the porch, at home. This is because they tend to be fairly delicate and cumbersome to carry.

If you’re looking for an affordable churchwarden, here are two of our favorites:

Peterson Calabash Churchwarden

The Calabash Churchwarden, with its striking red stain and exaggerated stem bend, is a stunning show piece for any tobacco pipe collector’s shelf. The flared bowl and deeply curved stem will remind Peterson fans of the classic Sherlock Holmes Calabash pipes. This continues to be one of our favorite Churchwardens.

Peterson D6 Churchwarden

The D6 Churchwarden smokes sweet and cool right out of the box. With a gorgeous formal black stain, these Peterson’s are snooty in all the right ways. This pipe is affordably priced, but often hard to get ahold of, so pick one up when you see it in stock.

If you’ve never tried a Churchwarden tobacco pipe, try one of these from Peterson. At under $100, you’re going to be surprised what a great smoker it is.