Kevin Godbee
As you may already know from previously reading in these pages, Lane Limited, the 122-year old tobacco company, (that may be best known for Captain Black Pipe Tobacco), was sold to Scandinavian Tobacco Group of Denmark, in January of 2011. Reynolds American Inc., finalized the deal to sell the company in March of the same year.

Typically, when pipe tobacco companies or brands take on new ownership, many pipers become skeptical that their favorite pipe tobacco blends will stay the same, or even remain available. There were some concerned reactions earlier this year when the sale was announced. However, it was soon realized that Lane Limited was in much better hands with STG. Scandinavian Tobacco Group was already the largest pipe tobacco company in the world, versus Reynolds American, which put a quite low priority on pipe tobacco. (Lane Limited also produces roll-your-own tobacco and small cigars, but for the purposes of our audience here, we will concentrate on pipe tobacco.)

By Kevin Godbee
Richmond Virginia is steeped in tobacco history and tradition, and that makes it a great location for an exposition dedicated to pipes and tobacco. The second weekend of October was the 27th year in a row that the C.O.R.P.S Exposition & Celebration was held. It’s quite impressive, and no small feat to have a show catering to pipe smokers with a 27-year history.

C.O.R.P.S. stands for Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers. They are one of the largest pipe clubs and have been based in Richmond since 1984. This year the show changed venues from the Holiday Inn to the more posh surroundings of the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa. The hotel is in the Richmond area, but technically, the actual town is Short Pump, VA.

By Nikolaj Liberoth Nielsen

The Danish Pipe Shop is more of an institution in Copenhagen as being one of the oldest businesses on the famous pedestrian street in the center of the city. The late Steffen Nielsen ran the shop from 1969 until January this year. Now, in the hands of Steffen’s family, the shop still stands strong - mostly due to an ongoing love affair with the talent of Danish pipe makers.

Steffen Nielsen died on Monday the 31st of January this year on his way to work. He didn’t make it to the shop and took his last breath 50 meters away from the front door. This was not only a catastrophe for me personally as I lost my father and my best friend, but also because of the quick decisions we as a family had to take on behalf of the pipe shop. One choice was to close it and/or sell it. Another choice was to continue it in the spirit of Steffen. We made the last choice.

By Kevin Godbee
In Part II, and the conclusion of our Orlik Factory Video Tour, you will see some interesting contrasts in production. There is some highly impressive automated machinery, but the video opens showing the handwork that goes into making of Luxury Bull’s Eye Flake. Watch carefully as the intro photo slideshow goes right into the Luxury Bull’s Eye Flake production as the music continues. We kept the music going here as there was a lot of noise from the factory and all of the conversion was inaudible.

Next, you get to see the de-stemming machine, which is actually called a "threshing machine". The process of de-stemming tobacco is referred to as threshing. You get to see the casing machine in action, and much more. After the video we have a few photos of parts that weren’t shown.

By Kevin Godbee
The Orlik Tobacco Company in Assens Denmark is one of the largest pipe tobacco factories in the world. Even if you are not a pipe smoker, it is an impressive place to visit, and if you are a pipe smoker, it is truly amazing. I had the opportune pleasure to tour the factory with my friend, the owner of SmokingPipes.com, Sykes Wilford. In our video tour below, you can hear Sykes in some of the conversation, but you don’t get to see him as he volunteered to be the cameraman. Aside from the immensely impressive operation and huge campus, one of my favorite parts of this video is the discussion. You have three guys that love tobacco, talking about tobacco. If you’re a tobacco fan, (and what are you doing on this site if you are not?), then I think you’ll enjoy the dialogue too. You may learn some interesting things, not only about tobacco, but about the tobacco business as well.

By Kevin Godbee
The world’s largest luxury tobacco products trade show took place July 17 - 21, 2011 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Venetian Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas NV. After two years in a row in New Orleans, the show came back to Las Vegas for its 79th year with an increase in attendance from last year. The IPCPR Show is the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association’s annual trade show, where the industry showcases new products and retail tobacconists place orders. The show had over 250 exhibitors with more than 1200 booths. There were 40 new exhibitors this year as well.

Most people seemed to arrive in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 16, which makes sense. You get the benefit of the better airfare with a Saturday night stay, and hello!?!?! … Saturday night in Vegas! What more do we need to say? I love Vegas, and this was my 16th trip there in 9 years. I will be going back 2 more times this year, but you’ll hear about that when it happens. I stayed at The Palazzo, which is the mirror image twin of The Venetian with the two resorts connected, and really pretty much one in the same with the convention center right in the middle. Every room is a suite at the Venetian / Palazzo, and it is one of my favorites along with The Palms.

What does a Cirque du Soleil performer, gourmet chef, and a knife juggler all have in common with the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club?

They all make what they do look like it’s easy.

The 2011 Greater Kansas City Pipe & Tobacco Show was held on June 25 & 26 at the KCI Expo Center, adjacent to the Kansas City Airport Holiday Inn.

Pulling off a successful pipe show is a demanding task. Doing so while making it look easy takes even more work. The hospitality, vigor, and professionalism demonstrated by the club was over the top. I don’t think I stopped smiling all weekend. Every time I encountered a different club member I was thanked for attending, and told how happy they were that I was there. These guys really know how to make someone feel welcome, and it wasn’t just me. They made sure everyone had a great time.

As a matter of fact, the Kansas City club is so classy that they presented a framed calligraphic certificate of appreciation to every participant in the show. (Somebody in the club must have read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends & Influence People”.)

Going to the Chicago Pipe Show doesn’t really feel like going to a show at all. It feels more like going to a magnificent 3-4 day party where you get to hang out with your best friends that you haven’t seen in a long time. Sometimes I even experience a little post-show depression because you are on the highest high when you are there, and then it is suddenly over. However, I am still smiling thinking back on the show and enjoying all the goodies I brought home with me.

The official name of the show is “The 2011 Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show”. It took place at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL from Wednesday, May 11 though Monday, May 16. I was looking forward to a break from the hot humid Florida weather, but when I arrived in Chicago it was 88 degrees and humid … the exact weather I had just left. However, we had a perfect example of “watch what you wish for” as on Friday the temperature went down to 46 degrees with wind and rain. No matter what the weather is, the Chicago show is always a pleasure.

The Pheasant Run Resort is a great place. It is somewhat rustic and luxurious at the same time and I enjoy staying there each year. (Although, I was puzzled as to why they were still doing work on the outdoor pool since last year.) The resort is extremely accommodating to us pipe smokers. The staff is always exceptionally friendly and it’s obvious that they appreciate all the business the show brings them each year.

St. Charles, Illinois is a charming Midwestern town just one hour Southwest of Chicago. It has beautiful landscapes, canoes and kayaking, tempting boutiques, and restaurants in a quaint downtown. It is also the home of the Chicago Pipe Show at the exquisite Pheasant Run Resort. This is what brings us here. However, St. Charles is also the home of the Bull & Bear Tobacco Shop, and it is a shop that pipe smokers will enjoy. Their current inventory includes over 500 pipes from makers such as; Design Berlin, Moretto, Armellini, Charatan, Winslow, Ferndown, Servi Meerschaum, Savinelli, Parker, Butz-Choquin, Peterson, and several others.

Bull & Bear also has a wide array of pipe tobaccos to choose from including; Cornell & Diehl, Dunhill, Samuel Gawith, Mac Baren, Peterson, Esoterica, Dan Tobacco, Rattray’s, McClelland, Ashton and several more. As well, there is a large selection of bulk tobaccos to choose from. The 1,400 square foot store also includes a smoking lounge with the obligatory plush leather chairs and couches, a wide screen TV along with coffee and other beverages available on site. Store owner Zita "Z" Harmon tells us that she has a regular 3:30 crowd that comes in to watch Jeopardy while enjoying their smokes. She goes by "Z" since most people pronounce her name incorrectly. Her name is often mispronounced like "Rita", however the "I" is short, like in the word "sit".

This year’s “St. Louis Pipe Show” took place February 19, 2011, and PipesMagazine.com Publisher, Kevin Godbee was in attendance to cover the show. The show is remarkably in it’s 23rd year, and the official name of the show is, “The Gateway Area Pipe Show and Swap“. Organized by The St. Louis Pipe Club, the show was held at the Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center, in St. Charles, MO.

The well-appointed banquet hall was about a 15 - 20 minute drive from the St. Louis Airport. The show is a 1-day event on Saturday, but as you can imagine, it can evolve into a full weekend for many that travel and stay at the official show hotel; the Quality Inn & Suites. The hotel had smoking rooms and was just across the street making it a 15-minute walk, or a 5-minute drive to the banquet center. The hotel offered a free full breakfast with choices of eggs, sausage, waffles, coffee, juices, fruits and yogurts. The reasonable rates combined with the free breakfast certainly helped allow for a bigger budget for buying pipes and tobacco at the show.

On Friday night, the St. Louis Pipe Club had a Hospitality Suite that was filled with pipe smokers enjoying the camaraderie, which was lubricated not only with the relaxedness of the pipe smoking, but also the self-serve open bar. Prior to enjoying the hospitality suite, there were several restaurants within a minute or so walk, including a steakhouse, Chinese, Japanese, and the author’s favorite; Mexican cuisine.