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Kevin Godbee
- Oct 11, 2010
- 1 min read
The latest news on the availability of Dunhill Pipe Tobaccos in the U.S. market is that they are in production now, and will be available in mid-November 2010.
Many pipe tobacco consumers eagerly await the return of Dunhill tobaccos to the U.S. market, while others have shunned the brand. Some pipesters post of their ill will in pipe smokers forums as a result of Dunhill’s past retreat from the U.S. market. They feel that they have been taken for granted and ignored. Others feel that the new production will not match the quality or taste of the old production. The initial promises of September availability, which then changed to October, and now to November are fueling further resentment and skepticism in the pipe community.
Even so, retailers report high demand, amidst myriad inquires and expect to sell-out almost immediately. Even though some pipe smokers are angry and concerned about the quality of the new production, there are a vast number of pipe enthusiasts that have never had the chance to try Dunhill tobaccos in the past and are enthusiastic to do so.
This reporter has never smoked the older Dunhill production, but has had the opportunity to smoke the new production. Everyone of them has been excellent. So even though there are frustrated defecting consumers from the Dunhill tobacco brand, our guess is they will remain in high demand and experience brisk sales.
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Recently, on the Pipes Magazine Forums, a user asked an open question about the Rattray’s Grand Lighter. I had not used or spent much time looking into those, so I thought it would be a good time to pick one up and do a review of it. When I do my lighter reviews, I generally like to do some deep digging and get in touch with the manufacturers such as IM Corona (Old Boy) or Tsutobo (Peterson, Kiribi), but in this case, there is scarce information available. Rattrays is distributed in the US by Sutliff, and you’ll find their lighters on SmokingPipes.com and other great retailers. I pinged Jeremy over at Sutliff to help me get in touch with the folks at Rattrays/Kopp and he got me connected to Oliver Kopp who was able to answer a few of my more detailed questions. The lighter that I chose to review is the Rattray’s Grand “Squares” lighter, which features a square line design on a highly polished stainless steel lighter. 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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 575. We have a special show tonight to celebrate the start of our 12th year. In lieu of an interview, Brian will be joined by another popular pipe podcast host – Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the now discontinued podcast, Country Squire Radio. Country Squire Radio ran for 10-years and is still one of the most popular pipe-niche podcasts. Having these two pipe and tobacco brainiacs bouncing off of each other for over 45-minutes will be a blast. We will be preempting our usual first segment to start right off with JD. We will have the usual music, mailbag and rant at the end of the show.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 574! Our featured interview tonight is with Michael DiCuccio. Michael is the President of TinBids.com, “The Pipe Collector’s Auction Site” where you can buy and sell vintage and rare tobacco tins, tobaccos, pipes and accessories. He has been collecting for over 30-years, and has a personal pipe collection of over 1,100 pipes. Michael also has his own IT company and is a self-proclaimed “computer geek”. At the top of the show we’ll get caught up on a backlog of emails and messages from our listeners with some great questions and comments. We will still have our regular mailbag segment at the end of the show as well.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 573! Our featured interview tonight is with J.B. “Brandon” Frady. Brandon is a new pipe maker making the Ash Cooper line of pipes which just launched earlier this year. His pipes are freehand and artistic shapes and designs. He is also a freelance writer for any type of project, but has been published for music reviews, concert reviews, and a single anomalous video game review, and other writings in a couple dozen professional publications. His full time job is with State Farm Insurance. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
I’ve never owned a four-square billiard. I’ve had plenty of pipes with paneled sides, but this venerable classic has always eluded me. Truth told, I’d always considered it something of a remedial shape, a pipe to be made when a conventional billiard exhibited too many flaws, or when the lines went wrong. And, I considered them too “simple.” For as long as I’ve been smoking pipes, this quaint but cunning shape has held little interest. Then, something conspired to disabuse me of my prejudices all at once. One day, a few months ago, an Instagram friend taunted me with photos of a beautiful example of the shape that he’d just gotten. I was instantly smitten. Then he showed another. And another. As I looked at his photos, I saw things in the shape I’d never really noticed, sending me down the rabbit hole to look at hundreds of photos of as many examples I could find. It turns out it’s far from the simple shape I’d thought it to be, but rather one that’s clearly challenging to execute well. While it shares the overall profile and proportions of a conventional billiard, including the slight forward cant of the bowl, those panels have to be even, perfectly square, and, importantly, must not destroy the balance of the shape. If the bowl doesn’t have that very slight forward tilt, it looks like it’s falling backwards. Too much tilt, and it’s just weird. If the panels are cut too deeply, the walls could become too thin, and at its worst, it makes the thing look like a cube on a stick. The cut and gentle curvature of the four vertices are as important as the panels themselves. The shank, too, must be carefully and consistently square along its length, as must the taper of the stem. 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Ironically, though the bowl had been reamed almost to bare wood, I don’t think the thing had ever seen a pipe cleaner, and it was tough work just to get a thin one through it. And, it wasn’t just the shank – even the stem was heavily caked with thick, tarry goop. The wretched stench, too, from ages of cheap aromatic tobacco was epic. But, there were no visible fills, the overall size, shape and proportions were good, and under the years of grunge, there might be some pretty nice wood hiding. Time to get to work. It took a lot of alcohol, and dozens of pipe cleaners to get the airway clean. The drilling through the shank was okay, but it was very tight through the stem, so a little blueprinting was in order, funneling the tenon, smoothing out the transitions, and opening things up to a more consistent cross section. The shellac had to go. Since the pipe was destined to be completely refinished, I sanded the whole pipe smooth, spending a little extra time on the scratched and chafed top and ensuring that the stem and shank were well mated. […]
This is the fun time of the year, methinks. Major League Baseball is winding down into its playoff madness when the Boys of Summer become the Boys of October. High school football warms up those chilly stands under Friday Night Lights. Nothing quite matches this slice of Americana. Then college football’s television spectacle on Saturdays takes over the mania button on the remote. Ah, yes, these magical Saturdays of gridiron wonder. Thank the lords of sports that we can discard for a time recent diversions. Well, sort of, weather permitting. And then, by Jove, we arrive at what the Pundit describes as “Pull up a chair, kick off the shoes, light a pipe, and open your favorite adult beverage. It’s football time in America with a dash of baseball wrapping around the keystone event of the sports seasons, The World Series!” And just so you know, the Pundit was once a hard-working pipe-smoking sports writer in the press box high above the fields of play. Puffing away and typing furiously on a portable typewriter (a what?). Yes, there were many jokes about my pipe whilst my colleagues smoked cigarettes continuously. “That pipe stinks. What are you smoking in that thing?” I heard that enough times to give me a nervous twitch and delusions. But dare I say, some of sports greatest minds were puffers of the grand aged leaf. Think of Billy Martin on and off with the New York Yankees as a player and manager. Captain Black if you please. And another baseball superstar, Sparky Anderson, smoked his pipe even in the dugout. He skippered the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers, winning championships with both teams. This time of the year always puts me in a mood of contemplation. Sports, yes sir, and of our championship pipe makers worldwide, as well as those special tobacco blends that seem to arrive around now. It takes a champion-like spirit to harness oneself to the tools of griding pipes into art and blending tobaccos to grace those works of art. Long ago, the Pundit visited the old Cornell&Diehl blending area when the company was located in Morganton, N.C. Small quarters then, which later had to be enlarged. And enlarged again. Then as history rolled on, C&D joined Laudisi Enterprises company (aka Smokingpipes.com) in 2014 in Longs, S.C., and quickly outgrew that blending and production area. And, yes, the kit and caboodle had to move into larger digs to satisfy supply and demand for those lovely tobaccos in creative tin art. Laudisi Enterprises, by the way, has a network of shops in it’s A-Z distribution tobacco and cigar shops across the nation. Just so you know. Ahem. Jeremy Reeves, C&D’s head blender and tobacco maestro, says the sky’s the limit, maybe even the stratosphere and beyond. The company, he says, “will continue growing as long as pipe smokers want our products. We keep trying to find our limits.” With C&D’s Small Batch production with uniquely sourced tobaccos, there isn’t likely to be a retraction of growth. Just sayin.’ Take, for example, Jeremy’s and C&D’s latest Small Batch, Steamworks Small Batch, released on Aug. 22, and sold out within hours, if not minutes. Little wonder. The Smokingpipes.com website defines it as a “unique Virginia/Oriental/Perique flake (that) utilizes two proprietary stoving processes and some of the rarest tobacco varietals in the world. “A study in flue-cured leaf, Steamworks presents six top-tier, Old Belt Virginia grades — ranging from dark Mahogany to brighter Lemon/Orange — in unstoved, partially steamed, and blackened formats, resulting in a deep, natural sweetness and mature flavor right out of the tin. “Elevating that flue-cured foundation is a selection of exceptionally rare 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini Oriental grades, as well as a modest portion of pure 31 Farms Perique — grown, harvested, and fermented at the Roussel family farm in St. James Parish.” Makes your mouth water, right? You had to be quick on the draw to nail this latest C&D Small Batch. It disappeared in a flash. Of course, your erstwhile Pundit was quick on the draw, doncha know! The Pundit works on the dictum given to him long ago by his first city editor, the beloved Arthur Cobb in Pensacola, Fla., at the old Pensacola News-Journal. “First in, last out.” That’s been a powerful journalistic engine driving the Pundit. So, snagged four tins, two to puff, and two to cellar. And now a Pipe Smoker of the Past: Billy Martin: Born on May 16, 1928, in Berkeley, Calif., and died on Dec. 25, 1989, in Johnson City, N.Y. Martin managed the New York Yankees five separate times between 1975 and 1988. In that span, he and the Yankees won the 1977 World Series title. And now from the Baseball Almanac, a Martin quote: “All I know is (as a Yankees Manager), I pass people on the street these days, and they don’t know whether to say hello or to say good-bye.” Martin’s choice of tobacco, as most know, was Captain Black. He even made television commercials and magazine advertising for the blend. So, it is somehow fitting that we end this yarn with a couple of quotes from the great baseball Zen master, Yogi Berra. His baseball records are still in play for today’s sluggers. Yogi played as a youngster for the famed New York Yankees (please, hold the boos), managed them for a while, and even did a stint managing crosstown rival, New York Mets. My two favorite Yogisms: When you come to a fork in the road, take it. And one of his most inciteful philosophical thoughts for all times: You can observe a lot by watching.
Good question Kevin.
“Are you pissed about past unavailability of Dunhill tobaccos and refuse to buy them when they come back, or you can’t wait to get your hands on some?”
There are some great bulk blends that are attempts at cloning the Dunhill taste, but just don’t quite cut the mustard. And, as I’m not fully versed on the reasons that prompted the decision to pull Dunhill tobaccos from the US market, I will not hold that decision against them.
I for one will celebrate the return of those classics to the US market.
Personally, I have smoked Dunhill Tobacco for the last 25 years. I think Dunhill told us what their plans are when the pulled their tobacco from the market in America and cut back on selling pipes and increased their clothing inventory in their shops. CAO has been talking about bringing back tobaccos for years, and Dunhill most recently… seems to me they are talking. It’s like we hear from the movie stars, any publicity is good publicity, even if it’s just talk.
It always takes longer to get stocks together , ship , and get them in the distribution system than first estimated . Good things are worth waiting for and I for one am patiently waiting for Dunhill to get back to the U.S. market . I’m glad they found a distributor in the U.S. . Thanks for the updates and the e-mag in general . Many thanks , Yarekim
This is good news. More choices in the marketplace is never a bad thing.
It’ll be interesting to see the return and taste them. I’m awaiting them patiently. I have nothing to compare them to but Esoterica as it was suggested that they were picking up the slack left by Dunhill. We shall see.
I never want to see a good tobacco leave us. Having said that however, the marketing manager in me has to say that the way Dunhill handled their business was very bad, many of us have moved on to other blends now.
I live in Japan, so I have access to Dunhill Blends. I Like My Mixture 965 and EMP. I look forward to smoking Nightcap, but the Pipe shop I go to in Tokyo is not aware that they are even going to bring back this blend.
That said, I think Dunhill makes some good tobacco. I personally like Squadron Leader by Samuel Gawith as my current favorite English blend.
Dunhill Nightcap is my main tobacco and it is a really great smoke. I am hoping this and EMP plus Alfreds Own will come back. I think the Dunhill Tobac is actually the best around, I have my cellar full of it. Here hoping it does not change too much.
I’m looking forward to giving them a “retry”.
They have done a very poor job in public relations in my opinion and a lot of us have moved on to other brands and blends. Until they get their act together and become a dependable resource, I will not be switching back, I might buy a blend of theirs now and then but none will be my mainstay.
Man I am seriously looking forward to smoking Dunhill. For many many years I only smoked a couple different tobaccos regularly. And, it seems that Dunhill slipped by me. I have since joined in to a few forums on all things pipe and tobaccos and been hearing alot about the Dunhill family of tobaccos. Now I am looking to see what the fuss is about.
Who’s excited ? I am !
I was a late comer to Dunhill tobacco and missed all those years that pipesters enjoyed. But I did manage to get some vintage Dunhill and really liked most of their blends. I really like Nitecap but my favorite is Early Morning Pipe. I hope that CAO is not just blowing smoke that they will deliver the tobac in November. It will be welcomed. Regarding the imitations, they don’t get close and there are a few reviewers of these tobacs that speak highly of them. They are good but no substitute.
I have been ordering Dunhill from Europe for some time now and I find that the Orlik (the current maker of the brand) has done a fine job with some of the blends and a poor job with others. I enjoy Early Morning Pipe the most and I find it very close to the Murray’s edition. I have compared the two side by side and while I prefer Murray’s, the Orlik EMP is still quite good. The 965 however has a similar taste, but really lacks the body that made 965 the outstanding blend it was at one time.
I would like to think that CAO is aware of the high demand that we will all have to deal with at the onset. I am hoping that this is what is causing the delay. It may be better for CAO to keep us waiting while building ample stock rather than have the American pipe smoker have to deal with the same type of nonsense that Gawith smokers are currently dealing with. CAO has one chance to make a good first impression. Hopefully Dunhill will be worth the wait.
Chris, that is my understanding, that they are trying to build ample stock, which is the reason for the delay.
I am beginning to wonder if Dunhill tobaccos are coming to the US. First they said August, then September, then late September or early October, Then late October, then late October or early November, then mid-November, now late November. I smell something fishy.
I would surely be interested so see if what all the anticipation is about is going to be close to what I expect in an English blend that sports the name ‘Dunhill’ and will probably be gravely disappointed if it’s not really close. I enjoyed the full line, ie. EMP, London Mixture, Standard Mixture Medium, 965, Nightcap.. even Aparatif and Durbar….. each having it’s own personality and nuance. With all this waiting and putting it off until a later date and more waiting, it better be good.. or this girls gonna be upset.. haha!
What are you all talking about when you say “COA”? I have no idea what that stands for? To stay on the subject, I am very much looking forward to the return just to see what this legendary tobacco actually tastes like? Think it might be, like most popular items, just a bit over rated.
Vid
Here in the UK we’ve had them for a few months but not Nightcap which I have to order from Germany. Whoever is running this show is doing a bizarre job of it!!