About Charles Cole
I spent the better part of my childhood in the tobacco fields. From the age of 12 I did everything from pulling the seedlings for planting to cutting the tobacco and hanging it in the barns. Working in tobacco back then was the hardest physical job on the farm, but I loved it. Three decades later I find myself pouring the same effort and dedication into my pipe making. After all these years, I'm still devoted to that noble leaf and it's why I craft my pipes with the passion and precision to deliver its cleanest and truest flavors to the smoker.
I never really thought I'd be a pipe maker, but it seems like everything I've ever done was preparing me for just that. As the youngest of four children and separated by 5 years from my nearest sibling, I spent a lot of time by myself growing up, but I didn't mind it, really. I just took that time to reflect, and I've become even more introspective over the years. I enjoy the long hours of solitude in my studio, creating, reflecting, ultimately trying to achieve perfection both in form and function. I draw inspiration from the beautiful vistas of Star Valley Wyoming as I peer out my window and try to capture that same simple and rustic beauty in my work.
For my entire life I have made a living with my hands. Working on the farms of Kentucky and as a young man trapping the rivers and streams of that state. Later I worked doing everything from welding to knife making. I have smoked a pipe on and off ever since I was a kid running the fields. In my twenties I finally got a few decent pipes and would smoke them when I wanted a little piece of mind. I had never thought of making my own pipes until I saw photo’s of high grade pipes that were not only tools for smoking tobacco but were also things of beauty. The revelation that a pipe could become a work of art in the right hands is what began my transition into a high grade pipe maker. It hasn't been easy but over the last four years I've had a great deal of help from the best American and European carvers who have pushed me toward greater and greater degrees of perfection.
Above all, I strive to create pipes that are elegant and beautiful, but that smoke effortlessly. Each time I pick up a block, I set out to create one of the most beautiful and highest quality pipes on the market. Engineering, finish, and grain quality are all paramount for me. I want for every pipe I make to become a cherished treasure for its owner, not just another pipe in the rack. For me, pipe making is about developing a relationship with my customers and them with my work. Life is about those relationships, and many are forged over a common bond. For me, that bond is the shared appreciation of a fine briar pipe and a superb tobacco.
That's my story.
Sincerely,
Charles H. Cole