Based in Visalia, California, Jared Coles has been fashioning quality tobacco pipes since 2011, and like many carvers, his journey as an artisan was catalysed by his love for pipe smoking. Coles began smoking a pipe when he turned 18, but it wasn't until he discovered the handmade work of artisan pipe makers Jeff Burt-Gracik of J. Alan pipes, Todd Johnson, Hiroyuki Tokutomi, and Takeo Arita while in college that he was inspired to make his own.

In 2009, Coles became friends with John Klose, a fellow pipe smoker with an interest in pipe making. The pair started learning how to make pipes together in 2009, and in 2011 they established their own workshop, crafting handmade pipes under the name J&J. At the end of 2015, though, Coles and Klose amicably dissolved their partnership to pursue solo pipe-making careers.

In the early years of his career, Coles visited and spent time with veteran carvers Jeff Gracik and Todd Johnson, helping to refine his craftsmanship and hone his techniques, and since devoting himself to artisan pipe making, Coles has established himself as one of the United States' premier pipe makers. He's built a portfolio of artfully designed and expertly engineered smoking instruments, and his shaping style often merges design elements championed by Japanese masters with stylistic aspects of American pipe design. Coles sources only the best briar from Italy, pairing it with entirely hand-cut stems, and often uses accents of orange wood, bamboo, or gold and silver leaf — the orange wood sourced locally from central California and the bamboo grown by Coles personally. All of his pipes are stamped with his logo, initials, and the year of completion, and Coles' best work is distinguished by his Oak grade: a stamp of the California-native valley oak's acorn and leaf.

Jared Coles pipes are renowned for their smoking properties and evocative style; they're pipes made for pipe smokers by a pipe smoker. Coles most regularly enjoys Orlik Golden Sliced, and when not in his workshop, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, tending to his family's chickens and fruit tree, and drawing artistic inspiration from the gorgeous mountainous landscape of his home.