French Pipe Championship 2026: official pipe and tobacco

Pipe enthusiasts have a date in the Jura in September. The 47th French Pipe Smoking Championship 2026 will take place on Saturday 12 September 2026 in Morez. A few days before the competition, the pipe chosen for the event and the tobacco blend that participants will use are now known.

This edition will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Pipe Club de Morez, which organises the event.

A Chapuis-Comoy pipe for the 2026 championship

To take part in the event, competitors will all use the same pipe model so that they start on comparable terms.

The pipe selected for this 2026 edition is made by Chapuis-Comoy, a house well known in the world of the French pipe — the same Saint-Claude manufacture that produces Chacom pipes. The chosen model has a slightly bent shape with an ovoid bowl.

A choice that once again places the championship in the French pipe-making tradition, particularly strong in the Jura and around Saint-Claude.

The model is designed to take a 9 mm filter. For the competition, however, it will be used without a filter thanks to an adapter.

Which tobacco will be smoked during the competition?

The pipe is of course only one part of the equation. The choice of tobacco also plays a role in a slow-smoking contest.

For the French Championship 2026, participants will discover a blend specially prepared for the event. It has been made from several varieties supplied by Swiss providers.

The composition notably combines:

• Virginia;
• Kentucky;
• Latakia.

The blend was prepared by Le Boa Fumant, a specialist shop based in Geneva, in collaboration with the organising club.

These three tobacco families have distinct profiles: Virginia often serves as a base, Kentucky brings more body, and Latakia is known for its smoky notes. Pipe tobacco and cigar tobacco are not worked in the same way either.

How does a pipe-smoking championship work?

Contrary to what its name might suggest, the aim is not to smoke quickly. It is instead a slow-smoking contest.

Competitors have the same type of pipe and the same quantity of tobacco. The aim is to keep their pipe lit for as long as possible while respecting the rules of the competition.

Control of packing, lighting and smoking pace therefore becomes decisive. Combustion that is too fast can sharply reduce the time achieved, while a pace that is too slow increases the risk of the pipe going out.

The programme of the French Championship 2026 in Morez

The event will take place at the Espace Lamartine in Morez. The day will not be devoted solely to the competition, since several activities and exhibitions will accompany the championship.

• 1:30 p.m.: welcome and opening of the exhibitions;
• 2 p.m.: competitors’ registration;
• 2:45 p.m.: speeches by the presidents of the Pipe Club de France and the Pipe Club de Morez;
• 3 p.m.: start of the championship;
• 5:30 p.m.: announcement of the results and prize-giving;
• 6 p.m.: reception;
• 7:30 p.m.: gala evening.

The 50th anniversary of the Pipe Club de Morez also in the spotlight

The 2026 edition will also mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Pipe Club de Morez.

For the occasion, an exhibition devoted to the club’s history will be set up in the Espace Lamartine. A pipe exhibition and sale is also announced, with the presence of several names from the pipe world including Chacom, Ben Védé, Rostiak, Cédric Maréchal and Genod.

Commemorative creations have even been designed specially for this anniversary. Ben Védé has notably produced a limited series of twenty pieces, while Rostiak will present anniversary models made in briar and morta.

Aged tobaccos for the gala evening

Enthusiasts will also have another curiosity to discover during the gala evening: a tasting announced around tobaccos more than forty years old.

Several historical references are due to be presented on that occasion, including Early Morning Pipe, Capstan, Mac Baren, Prince Albert and Half & Half.

A way of adding to this day a strand devoted to the history of pipe tobacco blends.

A date to watch for pipe enthusiasts

Between competition, pipe-making, a blend specially prepared for the contest and the organising club’s fiftieth anniversary, the French Pipe Smoking Championship 2026 looks set to be one of the autumn dates for enthusiasts.

The competition is announced as open to all. Participants will therefore meet on 12 September in Morez to see who manages to keep the Virginia, Kentucky and Latakia blend burning longest in the Chapuis-Comoy pipe chosen for this edition.

Reminder: smoking tobacco involves significant health risks and leads to addiction.