It has been just over a month since our last update and wow — it has been a busy one. We have shipped a massive amount of improvements across the entire site. Let us dig in.
The Big One: Bootstrap 5 Migration & Dark Mode
We completely rebuilt the frontend framework from Bootstrap 3 to Bootstrap 5.3. Every single page — all 37 user-facing pages and all 29 admin pages — has been migrated. Along with that came streamlined navigation labels, updated icons (including some custom ones like our tobacco leaf and balance scale), and a cleaner overall feel.
And yes — dark mode is here. The warm gold-accented dark theme is now live across the entire desktop site and all 19 mobile pages. Just hit the moon icon in the navbar to toggle it on. Your preference syncs between desktop and mobile and saves to your profile.
Pipe Makers Directory (Premium)
This is a big one for the pipe enthusiasts. Premium members now have access to a Pipe Makers Directory — a browsable catalog of pipe makers with filtering by type (Artisan, Manufacturer, Cottage Industry).
Each maker has a detailed profile page showing their information, images, and something we are really proud of — Training & Lineage. You can see who mentored a maker, who they have trained, and their collaborators. It is a way to trace the lineage of pipe making craftsmanship.
We have also added a Media & Interviews section that shows podcast appearances, YouTube features, and articles — complete with source site logos and direct links to view each appearance.
Premium members can also submit corrections or suggest media appearances for any maker with the “Suggest an Edit” feature.
Import Your Collection
We built brand new import wizards for both pipes and tobacco. These are full 4-step processes: upload your CSV, map columns, preview the data, and import. The system auto-detects columns, fuzzy-matches brands and materials, catches duplicates, and lets you review unrecognized brands with “Did you mean?” suggestions before anything gets created.
The tobacco importer works with your own spreadsheets, TobaccoCellar.com backups, or ThePipeTool exports. The pipe importer supports tab-delimited files from Pipe & Tobacco Foundations too. Re-importing the same CSV will not create duplicates.
We also added a new Pipe Series field — so you can track collections, limited editions, and product lines like Peterson Dracula or POTY 2024.
Mobile Gets Serious
Mobile has gotten a ton of love this cycle:
- Wish List — full wish list on mobile with “Find It” buttons for TurboTin, TinBids, SmokingPipes, and eBay
- Open Tins — open cellared tins directly from the mobile tobacco detail page
- HEIC/HEIF Support — iPhone photos now upload correctly instead of silently failing
- EXIF auto-orientation — no more sideways photos
- Image rotate button — fix photo orientation right from the app
- Blend catalog auto-fill — selecting a blend fills in type, cut, contents, and flavorings automatically
- Premium features on the mobile dashboard — quick links to Fun Statistics and Pipe Makers
Fun Statistics (Premium)
Premium members can now access Fun Statistics — community-wide insights including top brands, top blends, a world map of users by country, and leaderboards. See where you stack up on the Cellar Whales (top tobacco collections by value) and Pipe Whales (top pipe collections by value) leaderboards. Names are anonymized for privacy.
Security Upgrade
Behind the scenes, all passwords have been upgraded from MD5 to bcrypt. This happens transparently when you log in — no action needed on your part. We have also bumped the minimum password length to 12 characters for new signups and password resets.
Quality of Life Fixes
- Review rating tooltips on every rating category (thanks CanuckP&T / Drew!)
- Review blend auto-fill — selecting a blend fills in details automatically
- Fixed cellar grams display showing wildly inflated totals
- Pipe image tooltips — hover over a pipe name to see a preview photo
- WEBP image support for uploads
- Fixed pipe and tobacco CSV exports crashing on empty fields
- Expanded pipe export with 10 new columns
- In-app PayPal subscription cancellation from your Profile page
- Bulk delete options on the Account page with double confirmation
- Dashboard “Recent Smokes” panel showing your 5 latest smoking log entries
- Second label image support for blends with multiple tin designs
- Currency preference (12 currencies) now works correctly everywhere including mobile
Take Our Community Poll!
We have also launched our first ever Community Pipe & Tobacco Poll — a quick 5-question survey about your pipe smoking habits. What is your favorite shape? How long do you age your tobacco? Where do you log your reviews?
After you finish, you get to see how the rest of the community answered. It takes about a minute.
The poll is open through April 30, 2026. Take the survey here.
That is the highlight reel — and honestly there is even more under the hood. As always, check the Release Notes in the Help section for the full breakdown.
Log in and take a look around. And if you are not a premium member yet, now is a great time — the Pipe Makers Directory and Fun Statistics alone are worth it.
Happy smoking!