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You may recall the sad news that we reported in mid-November of the passing of Jay Jones, of Hermit TobaccoWorks.
We received a letter today from his widow, Louise Pavonetti Jones, that she requested be posted as an open letter to the pipe community.
Dear Fellow Pipe Smokers,
"Another day in Paradise" is how we started each new day. On November 16, 2011 Jay Jones ascended to a Paradise like no other. With serene grace and dignity Jay died peacefully in the comfort of his home, embraced in love and devotion. Truly a reflection of all he believed in.
Jay also believed in Hermit Tobacco Works Company. Together, with a simple pipe originally owned by Captain Earle, Jay and I envisioned and built our company over the years. Attending pipe shows, designing our website, and blending some of the finest tobacco blends ever. Jay was a Master of them all.
We would end each day with "Live life to the fullest" and this is what I wish to share with you all. Hermit Tobacco will continue to be part of the Briar Brotherhood. To honor our gentle art of smoking, to appreciate all the uniqueness we have as pipe smokers and to relish each moment we have with our pipes, our tobacco and our friends.
Thank you all for your kind words and sincere condolences. Thank you for your continued support of Hermit Tobacco Works Company.
Sincerely,
Louise Pavonetti Jones
Online tobacconist overcomes poor economy, product shipping restrictions, high taxes and stiff competition to achieve their most successful year of sales of cigars, pipes and pipe tobacco.
Albany, NY - PipesandCigars.com is pleased to announce a 10% increase in orders from 2010 to 2011, making their 17th year in business their most successful to date. This increase in sales of cigars, pipes, pipe tobacco and accessories has necessitated a number of changes within the company including significant increases to the production staff and expanding the corporate workspace to include a brand-new office dedicated to the sales and customer service call center.
When completing the year-end sales totals, PipesandCigars.com reported sales of over 20 tons of bulk pipe tobacco, which is sold in increments as small as one ounce. The bulk tobacco represents just a portion of the online tobacconist’s total sales, which also include boxes of the best cigars on the market, pipes and pre-packaged tins of pipe tobacco as well as a variety of accessories. The company estimates using over 160 miles worth of packing tape to safely secure all their packages for shipping, and has increased efficiency to the rate where one package is processed and shipped every 1.36 minutes.
"2011 was a banner year for PipesandCigars.com," said the company’s owner Scott Bendett. "Being in the tobacco industry is more difficult than ever. Since I started in this business 17 years ago, New York State’s tobacco tax has risen from 37% to 75%. Additional exorbitant federal taxes on both cigars and pipe tobacco have been implemented. The different kinds of tobacco products we are allowed to ship via mail-order has been repeatedly restricted, and the competition from other online tobacconists to offer the lowest online cigar prices is more fierce than ever. With the recession economy keeping people from spending on luxury goods like cigars and pipe tobacco, the industry is in a very difficult place. It gives me a real feeling of pride and satisfaction to overcome all of those hurdles and have had a year as successful as we did in 2011."
When asked why PipesandCigars.com is succeeding despite so many obstacles, Marketing Director Travis Lord stated, "With the cigar industry in its current state, you can’t make any mistakes. Operating efficiently with a low mark-up is essential, as well as exceeding the customer’s high expectations when it comes to product selection and customer service. Having a well-optimized website that is easy to use is also a key point in attracting new customers and keeping them coming back. Our goal is to use current technology to provide our customers with the experience of shopping with a small tobacconist like they remember from years past, but with added convenience and the ability to visit from anywhere in the world. We truly care about providing the best cigars and the premier overall tobacco experience from start to finish and I think that sets us apart from many companies who just want to push out a box of cigars and call it a day."
The company began humbly in 1994 with just owner Scott Bendett, 15 boxes of cigars, and kiosk in the local mall. The business quickly expanded to a mall storefront, and then eventually its own building, which is when Bendett took his tobacco to the Internet. Increasing sales forced the company to relocate again in 2006, and continued growth facilitated the most recent move in 2010 to the company’s current home, the state-of-the-art PipeandCigars.com headquarters that also houses the company’s destination tobacco shop and smoking lounge. A true small business success story, Bendett employs over 30 Albany area residents and maintains an active presence in the community, contributing to a wide variety of local charities.
For more information, please contact PipesandCigars.com
G.L. Pease Lagonda has been a huge hit this past year … so huge that it is now available in a tin four times it’s original size. G.L. Pease tobaccos in their standard tin size of 2 ounces are already a great deal, as you are getting 14% more tobacco than other brands that sell a 50 gram tin. Pease’s (and Cornell & Diehl’s) 2 oz. tins equate to 57 grams.
Lagonda has received rave reviews. If you like blends in the genres of Latakia, English, Oriental or "Balkan-style" pipe tobaccos, you will love Lagonda. Read our Lagonda Tobacco Review here.
Lagonda is a pipe tobacco that is easy to buy half-pound tins of on a regular basis and smoke all the time. We give it our highest recommendation, and it is certainly a great idea to order the new Lagonda 8 oz. tin … or 3.
It should be arriving at your favorite retail tobacconist any day now.
Photo courtesy of http://glpease.com/
PipesAndCigars.com announces the introduction of three new pipe tobacco blends as part of their Marquee Series.
This line has only been in existence for about a year but has garnered strong accolades. The first three blends, Magnum Opus, Sweet & Savory and Lakeland Brickle have been well-reviewed and continue to sell very well. The Series has become so popular that there are now eight blends, including the 2011 Balkan Sobranie 759 Throwdown winner, BlackHouse. The three new blends are a mixture of old and new approaches to pipe tobacco.
The first is Sierra Nevada, which was made for the 2011 West Coast Pipe Show. This is a unique mixture of three quality Virginias, great Orientals, Perique and a bit of earthy Burley to make a one-of-a-kind rich blend that’s hard to describe. A portion of the proceeds will go to the continued support of the West Coast Pipe Show.
The second blend, Virginia Night, is only the second all-Virginia blend in the Hearth & Home line. We wanted to do a tobacco that would feature the “dark side” of Virginia, so we started with a dark toasted red Virginia and added a matured red Virginia along with an excellent red Virginia ribbon-cut, and then we rounded it out with a stoved black Virginia. The result is a deep, rich blend with a smooth sweetness and a dark dried fruit character.
The last new item is Virginia Memory #10 which is our take on a long-missing but well-loved blend- Sobranie Virginian #10. This combination of smooth and sweet Virginias, fragrant Orientals and a very creamy cigar leaf results in an easy smoking blend that has a wonderful naturally sweet and rich flavor and aroma. It’s taken well over a year of tinkering and reformulating with the feedback and input of Virginian #10 fans to achieve a mixture that we’re proud to put our name on.
Columbus, Georgia - According to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, the news media and general public are being duped into widely reporting and believing a new tactic of many tobacco prohibitionists who are issuing so-called post-smoking ban studies that supposedly show declines in illnesses like heart attacks.
The IPCPR cited studies reported by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the states of North Carolina and Oregon that have been shown to be either false or misleading. The association’s position is based on analyses by Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor of social and behavioral sciences, mass communication and public health and public health advocacy in the Masters of Public Health program in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health in his blog http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com.
By Kevin Godbee
Pipe Smokers and Retail Tobacconists should mark their calendars for International Pipe Smoking Day.
Referred to as IPSD for short, the "holiday" is not exactly new, but in terms of other holidays’ age, it is one of the youngest, coming into its’ 5th annual celebration on February 20, 2012.
Indianapolis, Indiana - The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association says the Indiana prohibitionists who want to pass a more stringent statewide smoking ban are blind to the jobs- and business-killing repercussions such a ban would have throughout the state.
"Our position hasn’t changed: business owners have the right to decide the smoking policies of their own establishments. When the government tells them what to do, it is going too far. Legislated smoking bans are a product of the ‘Nanny State’ and put businesses at risk, jobs in jeopardy, hurt local economies, and leave consumers with no choices," said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR.
Spann said he was speaking on behalf of the more than 2,000 tobacconists who are members of the IPCPR and own neighborhood cigar stores, as well as their customers and the 85,000 Americans employed by the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of premium tobacco products.
"Legislated smoking bans run contrary to the individual rights upon which the United States was built, Spann said. "Besides that, jobs and businesses are at stake with such draconian smoking bans."
Spann cited a Federal Reserve Bank report that used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to officially note the negative impact on businesses and jobs that such bans can have on local and statewide economies. He also referred to Indiana’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, which showed that banning smoking in casinos and horse racing establishments could cost the state about $190 million annually.
"If a smoking ban in gambling establishments could negatively impact those businesses, it could easily hurt other adult-oriented businesses, like bars. And since when should veterans and other members of fraternal clubs be denied their enjoyment of premium tobacco products like hand-made cigars and pipe tobaccos?" he asked.
"Why any legislature would let itself become preoccupied with such non-productive measures, is beyond reason. Instead, legislators should be finding ways to create more jobs and raise more tax revenues by boosting Indiana’s economy in a more business-friendly environment, instead of tearing it down," Spann said.
"Finally, when prohibitionists say smoking bans are necessary to limit exposure to secondhand smoke, it should be known that the American Cancer Society, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington and others have shown that the federal government’s permissible exposure limits are up to 25,000 times higher than levels for components of secondhand smoke normally found in bars and restaurants that permit smoking.
"For all these reasons, we urge Indiana residents to insist that their state legislators devote their time and energies to creating new jobs and a better business environment to sustain them instead of wasting it on unnecessary jobs-killing legislative proposals," Spann said.
The new G.L. Pease In Celebration of Briar 2012 Calendar is now available.
This is the 6th year that Pease has produced a calendar for the pipe enthusiast. It may be the only calendar specifically catering to the lover of smoking pipes. Pease has been a professional photographer for 43-years, and it shows in the extraordinary, exquisite photography of 12 gorgeous pipes.
This is the perfect calendar for the pipe lover and the perfect gift for your pipe smoking friends - so remember to get at least two - one for yourself, and one for a friend. Then you will have one more holiday present crossed off your list.
From the G. L. Pease Site:
In Celebration of Briar - 2012 is published on demand and distributed by Lulu Press. It is printed on heavy-weight, coated stock, and is 13.5" x 19", spiral bound at the top. Interior photos are high resolution, 13.5" x 9.5", and show amazing detail. This is as close as you can get to individually custom printed images without the high cost.
Lulu prints in several countries, and ships world-wide, so the calendar is available everywhere, without high shipping costs. The price is $35. Click the link below to purchase a copy. Previous editions are also still available, and can be ordered here, for those who may want to collect the set.
You can see all of the wonderful photos and read the back story on GLPease.com, and you can order here (and remember to get one for a friend too).
Source: Official Press Release
The legendary Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture has now been reintroduced by Arango Cigar Co. The brand was originally produced by Sobranie of London in 1920, and became a top-selling brand worldwide. But, it disappeared in 1998, when Gallaher Group Plc, withdrew its tobacco products from the US market in order to avoid potential liability from class action and other lawsuits.
J. F. Germain & Son, Ltd., has obtained the recipe and is manufacturing the brand, in their factory on the Channel Isle of Jersey, Great Britain. Arango Cigar Co. is now the exclusive distributor for Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture in the United States.
Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture was the product of the Sobranie company, founded by a Russian family in 1879, making it one of the world’s oldest tobacco companies. The English mixture’s Virginia tobaccos mellow the latakia, while oriental and Cavendish leaves add balance and a "round" flavor. Smokers delighted in its medium-to-robust body, incense-like aroma, and satisfying taste.
The mixture disappeared from retailers’ shelves, to the disappointment of English-blend smokers worldwide. Now, J. F. Germain & Son, the venerable tobacco blending house, has revived the authentic recipe. It is available in 50-gram (1.76 oz.) tins, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing in the $12.00 range.
According to Michael Gold, Arango’s president, "J. F. Germain is the perfect choice to recreate this time-honored mixture. We became acquainted with them, when we acquired the Butera Tobacco Company’s inventory and distribution rights of Germain. They continue to make several of Butera’s finest mixtures for us, including the well-respected Esoterica. So, we know their reputation for selecting and blending tobaccos of the highest quality and standards. I know smokers will respond positively to the reintroduction of Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture, and that the blend’s iconic white can will again top the list of many pipe smokers’ favorites."
Read the Review of New Balkan Sobranie - Balkan Sobranie Re-Release Review And Comparison!
It is with deep sadness, shock, and regret that we bring you the news of the untimely passing of Jay Jones of Hermit Tobacco. We received second-hand word over night, and have been waiting for confirmation and details until now. We have confirmation from different industry sources that he has indeed passed, but we do not have other details, such as the official cause of death and his age. Suffice it to say that he appeared at least two to three decades away from old age.
Jay passed on the morning of November 16, 2011. We have been told that he finished his morning chores, and then told Louise that he felt tired and was going to take a nap. He never woke-up. Speculation is a stroke or heart-attack, but is not official.
Jay was known and loved by many in the pipe community. You could see him and Louise at almost all of the pipe shows, and it seems fitting to describe the man as a loveable guy. He was the creator of the Hermit line of tobaccos and was also an avid Dunhill pipe collector, amongst other areas of collecting.
We send our deepest condolences to his partner in business and in life, Louise, and to the rest of his family and friends.
More information on Hermit Tobacco, Jay’s collecting and other interests can be found at http://pipestyle.com/
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