Ethan Brandt
How to describe the Chicago Pipe Show? A lot of different words come to mind: pipes, of course, but great times with friends, some that you never even knew before you arrived, wonderful conversation, and one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I was warned by Brad Pohlmann before I even attended the show that it would be Sunday night before I knew it. He was right, but after looking forward to the show for months, I enjoyed every moment of it and formed some memories that I know will last a lifetime, not to mention acquiring some really gorgeous "memorabilia".

Russ Ouellette
It’s been said that your ideal blend is out there, but I don’t necessarily believe that. I would rather say that your ideal blend is out there, but it may be in disguise. What I mean is that we all have tried a blend that is really close to what would be the perfect smoke, but just slightly misses the mark. Most people will simply enjoy the blend for what it is and will keep looking for their holy grail. For a relatively small and adventuresome group who can’t leave well enough alone, this is an invitation to try some home blending.

Russ Ouellette

Last year, I had the good fortune to be asked to be a participant in the inaugural Throwdown blending competition, sponsored by the Seattle and New York Pipe Clubs, which called upon myself, Mike and Mary McNeil of McClelland and Carl McAlister of Altadis to try to make a blend as close as possible to the revered Balkan Sobranie 759. Our BlackHouse was selected as the Grand Prize winner, and the aftermath, including the very successful commercial launch of the blend, has been uniquely satisfying.

A while back, I received a call from Matt Guss, the president of the Seattle Pipe Club, and one of masterminds of the throw down, asking me for some feedback. After a little chat, he said that the clubs wanted to invite 3 different blenders to be involved with the 2012 Throwdown to keep it fresh and vital, and I agreed that it would be wise to do so. At that point, however, I also felt a little deflated as I had enjoyed being included in the event. After our exchange, Matt asked me if I would be one of the judges for this year’s contest. I immediately agreed.

Russ Ouellette
Recently, after a long, but productive day at work, I came home and ordered a white pizza with clams. I sat down and ate my pizza, which I like to dip in peanut butter, along with a chocolate shake and smoked a heavy Latakia blend with Perique, while watching some reality TV.

When my eyelids began to droop, I headed off to bed. I fell asleep very quickly (a rather unusual occurrence for me) and was blissfully relaxed and dreaming (something to do with the GEICO gecko trying to figure out where to put a pipe, pouch, tool and lighter when going out), when my slumber was rudely interrupted by a slapping sound.

I sat bolt upright in my bed to see three men in non-descript black suits, white shirts and black ties and shoes and RayBans. One had his hands in his pockets, another was checking his cell phone and the third was absent-mindedly slapping a rubber hose into the palm of his opposite hand.

Russ Ouellette
For those who are unfamiliar with upstate New York, it’s probably far different than one would think. A number of people I talk to for work seem to believe that upstate is just a concrete-and-steel extension of New York City. Actually, most of this area is forest, mountains, lakes, farms and smallish cities, towns and villages. One other thing that surprises people is that the upstate region is home to a number of well-known pipe makers. In the area around Albany (the state capital) downstate to around the midway point between the capital and NYC you’ll find Paul Bonacquisti, Joe Skoda, the Kaywoodie/Yello Bole/Medico facility and the subject of this profile, Rolando Negoita.

On a recent Sunday, I made the hour-and-a-half trek from Albany south to the Catskill Mountain area to pay a visit to Rolando and his lovely wife, Alexandra. The last 20 or 30 minutes of the trip are through narrow, wooded roads that are spotted with homes and farms, but little traffic.

Russ Ouellette
The title of this article might seem familiar; it’s the last full line from Carly Simon’s Anticipation, and it got me thinking the other evening. I had seen a display of Pepsi’s Throwback on the shelves and remembered how different the old cane sugar blend tasted as compared to the one made with corn syrup. And then my thoughts drifted to other things like cars only using unleaded gas, how hard it is to find some old favorite items, like Teaberry gum and why cold cuts don’t taste as good as they used to.

It just seems that many, if not most things have changed in recent years, and in a number of instances, not for the better. Sure, we have better technology and things work so much faster than the old models did, but we’ve sacrificed durability for disposability and repairing electronics is basically unheard of; just throw it away and buy a new one.

… But we already knew it was cool …

By Ethan Brandt
Imagine that there is a chain gun blasting away about 20 feet in front of you. Its target: You. How do you respond? By lying down and calmly smoking a pipe, of course! At least, that’s what you would do as Robert Downey, Jr.’s rendition of Sherlock Holmes.

Naturally, this is quite a new situation for Sherlock Holmes, as is easily recognizable by even the most casual of fans. However, no matter which Sherlock Holmes we are discussing, whether he be portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr., Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, Benedict Cumberbatch, or even if he is simply a character on a page, we can be sure that he will have a particular item: a pipe. The pipe, even more than the hat, coat, and magnifying glass, is a signature of Sherlock Holmes. It defined him. The question that is rarely asked, however, is how did Holmes define the pipe?

By Russ Ouellette
"I don’t get no respect, no respect at all!" If you’re 30 or older, you can’t read or hear those words without seeing the image of Rodney Dangerfield straightening his tie. Well, from my perspective, Burley is the tobacco equivalent of the late comic. Let’s take a look at this mistreated leaf.

Burley is another strain of nicotiana tabacum, which includes virtually every type of tobacco used commercially. The leaves of this plant are moderately sized, and the plants are grown widely from the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., through the south and into the Midwest. In addition, Burley is cultivated in Canada, Malawi, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

What characterizes Burley are its low sugar content, high oils and moderate to high nicotine. The dark strains of the plant are earthy, spicy and cigar-like, and have a heavy vitamin N jolt, whereas the lighter Burleys (generally referred to as White Burley) are nutty, sometimes with a bit of a cocoa note, and a more moderate nic kick.

By Russ Ouellette
I’ve been involved in sales and marketing for over 30 years, sometimes for small local firms, sometimes for large national or multi-national companies, and I’ve seen, and been involved in, a fair number of marketing campaigns with varying amounts of advertising. I’ve worked for retailers that ran weekly Sunday newspaper inserts, have done TV spots, radio and magazine ads, billboards and more. All of these types of marketing have their place, and the return on investment has ranged from spectacular to horribly disappointing, without any way of knowing how successful the advertising will be.

When I came to work at Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe, we did a variety of local advertising, all of which worked pretty well, and we did some magazine and online ads for PipesandCigars.com. Our campaigns were pretty much "fly by the seat of your pants", and we always saw a response.

By Russ Ouellette
The implication of the title of this article would imply that I’m going to hell, and if you listen to some of the antis, they would reinforce that belief. In actuality, when I see the large number of our customers who are in their eighties and nineties who light up daily, I feel confident that some of those folks are still alive and kicking due to the peace of mind and almost zen-like relaxation that smoking a pipe can bring.

As to whether I’m involved in a noble profession, that’s a matter of perspective. And I’m certainly not doing this because of financial gain. Don’t get me wrong, I get paid fairly for what I do, but there are certainly a number of other things I could do that would pay me better. So why do it? First, I love tobacco blending. It’s the closest thing I can think of to becoming a chef without having to deal with a 130 degree kitchen in July. Plus I get the additional benefit of performing my tasks and serving people around the world.