2012 Chicagoland Pipe Collectors’ Club Show
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Kevin Godbee - May 10, 2012
- 11 min read
The State of the Pipe Community as Reflected at Pipe Shows
Chris P. Bacon
In the fall of 2005, a post on the Pipe and Tobacco Collector’s Blog sounded an alarm about the “demise of the pipe show” which, in the context of a somewhat standard gripe session about the state of pipe shows as a whole, made a provocative and impressive claim that predicted a coming storm accurately. The post stated that pipe shows, in overemphasizing the retail aspect of their gatherings, had become mere marketplaces, and this transformation dissolved the important yet somewhat intangible communal aspect upon which, at least anecdotally, the entire pipe community was based. Aside from striking gold in the mid-2000’s with a substantial lucrative boom in high-end pipe sales brought about by an influx of artisan carvers earlier in the decade, the pipe shows had nothing to show for decades of development and were in danger of becoming unexciting flea-markets, its visitors disengaged from the fact that, beyond the buying and selling, there was something missing, something important and communal and real.
I re-read this 2005 blog post prior to attending Chicago’s 2012 show this past week and threw it against the wall all weekend as I contemplated the state of the Chicago show, and the pipe shows in general, as we enter a new era brought about by smoking banishment and the deflation of the “pipe bubble” that had sustained many an investor years ago, setting the stage for the blog post in question.
For what took place in Chicago last weekend was a genuine attempt to bring back elements of pipe shows as a whole that had somehow disappeared from view in the rush to emphasize the retail aspect of the show, as the caveat from 2005 bannered, and the successes in doing so were not solely evident from the vantage point of one single subgroup—the carver, the retailer, the pipe guy, all with their disparate interests. But if one examines the pipe show as an opportunity to engage, to bond, to fellowship with other pipe enthusiasts, it was a rousing success, unquestionably the best Chicago show in years. It wasn’t that sort of show for everyone, mind you; if you attended looking to strike gold but didn’t, or find a buyer for your such-and-such and left disappointed, then you may not agree. But the fact that such diverse agendas exist under one roof is critical: we have arrived at the point where the fragmentation and diffusion of the pipe community is so vast that it isn’t possible to label an entire gathering a “success” based upon one dimension. This diffusion is, in itself, an indication of success.
I witnessed at Chicago this year the rebirth of the pipe show in multiple ways: as a barometer of the health of something called the “pipe community”, it was apparent now there were multiple “pipe communities”—diverse yet intertwined, each relying on the other as a sort of mutual admiration society in flux, the old school (which I have come to affectionately call “The Charatan Generation”) watching as the New Pipe Community becomes fragmented into an array of subgroups. These subgroups are not infinite: they appear to be centered around many possible vortices, such as by interest in one type or shape of pipe, or a singular theme (even the phrase “retailers” appears limited in scope at this point), or political, social, or religious affiliation (there really is something called Christian Pipe Smokers, and their representative numbers are pretty impressive), and so on. It’s an exciting moment to have attended this show, subplots and all.
The pipe show as a barometer of a “pipe community”.
I don’t recall a time when I have ever thought that there was a singular thing called a “pipe community”, but that phrase has almost no validity anymore. Nowadays, there are so many pipe “communities” that are brought to rule that I don’t think you can go to the Chicago show anymore and experience it all. Diversity is key, and anything goes at Chicago, as evidenced by the almost overloaded schedule of events, workshops, meetings, and presentations which were more than window dressing. They were substantial opportunities to tune in and communicate, to believe and behold and make sense of the deeper meaning of the art that entrances us. This was the closest the Chicago (or any) show has come to a full-blown trade show in my memory, a blur of ideas and quick-tempo events stretching until well past bedtime in the tent and elsewhere, so that those preferring to smoke may not feel left out of the action because they retreated to the tent to escape and retire. It was a nice touch to use the tent as an opportunity to include people.
I developed a feeling that the show, in its efforts to be inclusive of the diversity of the New Pipe Communities, had finally acknowledged the independent, almost rebellious nature of the act of smoking that binds us as fans, and as free spirited persons. As we are confronted with social ostracism elsewhere, and an occasional feeling that pipes are possibly simultaneously “hip” and anachronistic, the CPCC answered this dilemma by crafting an event, a happening which allowed us to find and indulge and share. The fragmentation of the community has allowed for this shift in attention to detail at the show itself, and I certainly hope the other pipe shows took good notes. It appears that the CPCC has learned the lessons of the aforementioned blog post about how simply allowing for a retail exchange isn’t going to be a sufficient draw to get people to want to come to a pipe show. Chicago’s show this year upped the ante by placing these diverse communities into context: the subgroups of the New Pipe Community are not hidden from view, or simply asterisks on a show program, they are front-and-center.
The Tent.
For those who recall the first tent show at Chicago years ago, you likely remember that there was a degree of skepticism surrounding the effect of the indoor smoking ban on the pipe show itself. It’s safe to say that by now this skepticism has been replaced by an almost anticipatory expectation that the same tent which may have inspired initial ridicule has now morphed into one of the most unique social venues associated with pipe smoking anywhere. The tent has become the visible core of the entire Chicago show, where the camaraderie of the unique interest that binds us is permitted and on full display, and where the show itself is essentially formed: novices and experts, hagglers and dealers, the interested and the curious, and old friends and strangers meet, drink (quite a bit, actually), and gather. In addition to being a social venue again this year, the CPCC reaffirmed the tent as a formal opportunity for the retail aspect of the show by moving its pre-show and swap into the tent to allow for smoking. What resulted was the literal (and one imagines, from here on out, irreversible) expansion of the showcase itself into a three-day showcase with quite a bit of validation of the concept of a “smoking show”. This decision resolves the interesting problem noted by show-goers here and elsewhere as to which “type” of show they prefer, smoking or not. In Chicago 2012’s case, they’ve got both. As always, the tent provided show-goers the opportunity to make long-lasting memories. Or, you could just disconnect from even those who come to disconnect. For those who have never attended, the tent itself is one of those huge industrial jobs that takes quite a while to assemble, and as the 2012 Chicago Pipe Show crowd found out Friday, can also get pretty humid and sultry if the conditions are right. No matter—it’s endearing itself in ways that are unexpected and fun.
Beyond its utility as a place for smoking respite, the tent is a metaphor for the community itself. Given this generation’s endless opportunities to connect without actually connecting (from message boards, to Skype chats, to other rituals), the tent is a scene, a haven to combat the loneliness resulting from the inherent disconnectedness of the YouTube era. I sensed this when I randomly spent time in the tent early on Sunday morning when it was empty. It struck me as a sort of landscape; the only sounds were the distant buzz of golf course maintenance equipment and the occasional “clink” of ashtrays placed on tables by the janitorial staff. I didn’t ever think that this tent, which was such an expensive risk, could take on so much meaning, but it has become a special place. What goes on in that tent on any given day at the pipe show is an almost spiritual and communal thing, something far greater than its physical space, something far more important than an electronic communication can encapsulate. Virtual pipe communities constitute superficial attempts to replicate connectedness, a human element to what is a very human art; this is the double-edged blade of responsibility assumed by the New Pipe Community. The opportunity provided by the tent cannot be replaced by any virtual community, however important those virtual worlds may be to sustaining things in other ways. It’s up to the ones who assume the leadership role to realize the essential importance of the tent and the show which has embraced it.
The Charatan Generation welcomes The New Pipe Communities.
I guess it’s no surprise that we live in an era where a group of young college-age men and women feel excited enough about an opportunity to engage in an literal (as opposed to a virtual) communal gathering that they appear in customized t-shirts proclaiming themselves the “Collegiate Pipe Smokers” (with a Latin phrase, naturally, indecipherable as it may have been to me). Similarly, I counted no less than 6 pipe carvers who were attending their very first show, and they appeared to be doing quite well. I mean that ideologically as well as financially; some of the new pipe carvers really have something to say in their work that is challenging and exhilarating. The evolution of the pipe community into distinct but interrelated subgroups is now at its visible extreme: the Charatan Generation gives way to a group of young enthusiasts who may never smoke a Charatan at all, but are genuinely respectful of those who do, as they propel the pipe community toward the outer limits of creativity and individuality. A collegiate pipe t-shirt-wearer told me, “I’d like to join UPCA, they do a lot of cool stuff”, a somewhat blanket statement but one which was said in the most earnest enthusiasm, as if the organization itself had enough of an imagination and energy to contain this crew hell-bent on not allowing the New Pipe Community to be ignored, intent on taking the Charatan Generation on the ride with them. This realization was important and exciting to me, as I can’t recall a pipe show at Chicago in the past decade where I saw so many younger pipe enthusiasts whose hearts were in the right place.
It dawned on me that, roughly a decade ago, a new group of exciting pipe carvers emerged who gave the pipe community a good-natured kick in the pants, which led inexorably to the highs of the mid-00’s and the inevitable letdown experienced by the author of the pipe blog post I recollected. Now, it seems the same thing is happening again: we may be in a post-something era where the Crosbys and Johnsons are the standard-bearers, and the pipe carvers and fans of the newest sort are speaking not to the conservative clang of Charatan and Parker and Radice, but to their heroes who emerged in the 2000’s. This happens a lot, and it’s interesting to see we’re at that point now. I’m reminded of the fact that there are musicians today for whom something recorded in the 1990’s represents “classic rock”.
Is there room at this table?
Saturday, I held a pipe in my hand by a pipe carver who was attending his very first show. He was eager and excited to have anyone stop by and admire his stuff—it didn’t seem to matter if I wasn’t going to make a purchase or not (although I am certain that the fact that I did was appreciated). I thought of this: his pipes weren’t “his take on a bulldog”, or “his version of so-and-so’s billiard”, or any other responsorial name-drop. In fact, he never mentioned to me who he was admiring, studying under, or biting. It seems acceptable, finally, that a “bulldog-looking pipe” can now be called whatever its craftsman wishes to call it, no matter the name of the shape it best resembles. In other words, we’re at a liberating moment, and I saw this everywhere in the past weekend at Chicago.
If we truly feel that the real cannot be removed, and that pipe shows themselves play some sort of role aside from providing a sales venue, then we should welcome the challenge posed by this year’s show at Chicago to make good on the impressive opportunity to expand the New Pipe Communities by even more diverse persons and interests. There’s a forlorn but anticipatory undercurrent at the Chicago Pipe Show that the arrival of Monday represents the closing of a door, the end of an opportunity to retreat and learn and fellowship, and the resumption of the routines of life, as it were. This year, I took something hopeful back, a sense that the pipe show and the community it drew together were both robust and headed towards new ideas while taking the older ones along. I used to gauge the show by what sort of loot I took back home, but doing so this year almost seemed inadequate in explaining how strongly the show has come back from the dualities of an economic recession and a smoking ban. It looks like those two challenges have been stared down, and the New Pipe Community that has emerged from the changes promises to keep the flame.
Written by Kevin Godbee
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His grandfather came to the US with a $50 gold coin in his shoe, opened up a cigar shop, and his most famous customer was Babe Ruth. He holds the record for the longest slow smoke in the world at over 24 hours, and he is the only man who stopped Chuck Norris from round-house kicking the Nording Pipe Statue. The most interesting man in the world, Jonathan Goldsmith, stopped by the Chicago Pipe Show this year to get kissed on the cheek by Neal Osborn. Wait, what? OK, I kid. Jonathan came to honor his friend and fishing buddy Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand at the annual Doctors and Masters of Pipes award dinner. Steve was one of the two recipients of the Masters of Pipes award and asked Johnathan to show up and add some color to his acceptance speech. Slightly overshadowed but no less important! Jay Furman was also honored as this year’s hobbyist Master of Pipes, joining me and a pipe-star-studded list of great contributors to the hobby and profession of pipes. Jay is a character in his own right. While I don’t know him as well as I would like, I’ve learned that he’s a kind-hearted collector who started the Artisan Pipe Makers Club, a place where new artisans learn, grow, and are challenged. There are around 60 artisans who participate, collaborate, and learn. Jay and Mike Bishop also started the Long Island Pipe Club, which has around 50 members and meets twice a month on different sides of the island. What is not featured here are pictures of the Doctors of Pipes. Both recipients were unable to attend: Marco Parascenzo – Doctor of Pipes, Trade/Industry Regis MacCafferty – Doctor of Pipes, Hobby Please join us in congratulating these newly inducted Doctors and Masters of Pipes. It is a great honor, and each of these men embodies what our hobby and industry strive to do: grow, educate, and cultivate its future. I encourage everyone to attend the dinner next year as it’s always illuminating. And now, on with the show. Sort of. You may be wondering what the most interesting pipe smoker in the world smokes…. I didn’t miss the opportunity to chat with this incredibly nice man, whom Brian Levine and I also remembered from one of our favorite TV shows, the A-Team. He was also in many other shows from the 80s, such as Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, and MacGyver, just to name a few. Jonathan: I actually enjoy simple and readily available tobacco like Captain Black or some black cavendish from my local cigar and pipe shop in Vermont. What about your first pipe? Jonathan: I picked up my first pipe; I think it was a billiard when I was in London many years ago at a place called James Fox. How often do you smoke? Jonathan: Almost every day. I enjoy a pipe in the morning and a cigar in the afternoon. I want to thank Jonathan Goldsmith for taking a few minutes to sit down with me and being gracious enough to snap pictures with many of us at the show; it was a ton of fun and made this year’s show even more memorable! This year, the Chicago Pipe Show kicked it up a notch with a new location, new signage, new pre-registration and payment system, new show executive staff, and lots of new surprises. Now, Tim Garrity, President of the Chicagoland Pipe Club, tells me that over 400 attendees were at the show, but they are still tabulating the numbers too, so this is subject to getting updated and expanded. We do have our dates for next year at this same location – the first weekend of May at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago O’Hare. Of course, like any good Chicago show, there was plenty of room hopping and the announcement board. The signage this year was super helpful in knowing where to go when to go, and what tables our favorite vendors were at. While the show was jam-packed, the spacing of the tables allowed everyone to move around freely and didn’t feel over-crowded as the tables and isles were spaced out to allow room for vendors and collectors to stretch out. The smoking tent was hopping all the time, but luckily, air flow and some great air purifiers by Lake Air kept it fresh. As usual, there was a great sample table with tons of things to try in the tent, and on your way to the tent, there was a conveniently placed cash bar. This year the tent was 25% bigger than last year, although you wouldn’t notice because there were more people at the show! Kaywoodie is under new Management. At the show, I chatted with Nathan “Greywoodie” Davis about how he came to take over the 173-year-old company. Tell me how this happened. Nathan: This month is my 5th anniversary of Greywoodie opening. I was friends with Bill and had a huge collection of Kaywoodies – I approached him about having them available outside of brick and mortar. He had no online presence and didn’t sell direct. He said if I wanted them to be more available, the best thing I could do was quit my job and sell them myself. He was mostly kidding because I had a really good job in the legal profession, but I wasn’t happy so one day I did give him a call and said “hey whats your minimum order,” and he said “You didn’t just quit your job because I was joking?” I did and I started out that way as an online retailer. So, in working with him, we did exclusives, and I learned about pipe making from him, both production and hand-made. We brought back some historical lines as well, and soon enough, I was helping to make the pipes I was buying from him. It was great for him to get my labor […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 605. Our featured interview tonight is with Pete Prevost. Pete is a pipe maker and the President of the BriarWorks pipe factory in Columbia Tennessee. BriarWorks is a a pipe maker co-op with several other pipe makers, including Todd Johnson, who co-founded it with Pete. Brian and Pete will be talking about what’s new at BriarWorks, and how they are getting ready to attend the Chicago pipe show. (This was recorded before the show that took place last weekend.) At the top of the show, Brian will give his report of his travels and what happened at the Chicago show.
When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. It was only because I was both perseverent, and fortunate to have a local shop staffed with knowledgeable people, that I’ve been able to enjoy the experience ever since. At least mostly… How many fledgeling pipe smokers have simply given up on an enjoyable pastime because of similar early mis-starts? Fortunately, today, it’s not hard to find helpful guidance at the press of a key or ten. But, at the same time, not all roads lead to Valhalla, and sometimes the advice offered might well be labeled with, “Here be dragons.” The other day, I came across a short video on-line in which a well-meaning tobacconist suggested packing a bowl of an “English” mixture “nice and tight.” Perhaps somewhat ironically, I was smoking, or trying to smoke a bowl that I’d filled on auto-pilot, packed too tightly, and not only was having the devil of a time trying to keep it lit, I really wasn’t enjoying the acrid smoke the tobacco issued during the brief periods in which it was actually burning. “No, no, NO!” I found myself muttering at my pipe, and at the figure on the screen, my protests joined by the guttural growling noises that sometimes accompany my discontent. Defiantly, I grabbed a pipe nail, shoveled out the dense, asbestos-like clog from the bowl, swabbed out the shank with a pipe cleaner, more out of habit than need since I hadn’t actually smoked enough of the mass to foul the shank, and started over, this time paying proper attention to what I was doing. (For as long as I’ve been doing this, I still screw it all up sometimes.) Much better. This got me thinking about a couple things that are so important to the maximal enjoyment of our pipes, yet not often enough discussed, namely how different tobaccos respond to variations in filling density, and moisture content; two separate but related parameters. Once I’d been shown the proper way to fill the bowl, or at least a proper way, everything had changed for me. I also began drying my tobacco down as a matter of course. Suddenly, there was greater cooperation between leaf and flame, the smoke was rich and flavorful, and it burned mostly to the bottom of the bowl with few relights. Given that, at the time, I smoked latakia mixtures almost exclusively, there didn’t seem to be a reason to explore beyond my “new” approach. It wasn’t until my attention turned in the direction of Virginia blends that I had to look a bit deeper. The same technique that worked so well for me with latakia mixtures resulted in bland, and often harsh smokes with Virginias. I attributed this to the tobaccos, convincing myself that I just didn’t like the stuff. At one of our pipe club meetings, I was talking with a friend who smoked Three Nuns exclusively. When he offered me a bowl. I thanked him, and told him that I just didn’t seem to get along well with Virginias, that they weren’t for me. “Maybe it’s the way you pack them. Here, let me fill your pipe for you.” I watched as he rubbed out a few coins to fine ribbons, moister than I was then accustomed to, and filled the bowl carefully in stages, pressing it tighter than I would have. Prepared for a nightmare, I was instead treated to a pipe dream. The tobacco smoldered slowly and almost continuously, delivering a rich, cool, sweet and delicious smoke. After that, I spent some time exploring the impact of these two variables, moisture content and packing density, on different mixtures and blends, always with similar results. Latakia mixtures, and to a lesser extent, those with a high percentage of oriental leaf, taste and smoke better when they’re on the dry side and the bowl is filled loosely, while Virginia blends tend to work best with a little more moisture and a denser fill. Burleys seem to work best somewhere in between, except for cube-cuts, which don’t like to be packed with much pressure at all. (Gravity fill, tap the bowl to settle the cubes. Repeat until full.) For such a simple act, pipe smoking is filled with undefined complexities! The point behind all this? Often […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 604. Our featured interview tonight is with Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the podcast, Country Squire Radio, which ended their 10-year run last year. We’ll have JD with the “From the Country Squire” segment talking about all the new things happening at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, we’ll continue our audio tour of Brian’s pipe collection.
Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 603. Our featured interview tonight is with Rick Newcombe. Rick is a well-known author of several pipe books, and he is currently working on his third book. He is a prominent collector of Danish pipes, and vintage tobaccos. He has traveled the world visiting pipe makers, and learning their different techniques. He is also the founder and chairman of Creators Syndicate, which currently represents more than 200 writers and artists. At the top of the show we’ll have a Pipe Smoking 101 segment discussing best pipe shapes and sizes that are best suited to certain types of tobacco.
What a fantastic show. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Our’s is a small yet worldwide community full of wonderful people from all walks of life. Made it home and now it is time to decompress and get back to the real world.
I fully agree with you about the symbolic nature of the tent. Despite the diversity that you point out the tent acts as a unifying umbrella under which the disparate parts come together, although not as cohesively as some may have liked. Witness our own Kevin Godbee trying to inform an audience in the tent about tobacco legislation with the din coming from the rest of the tent.
Also the smoking contest was held under the tent in a lightning storm!
Thank you for your unique observations from the Chicago Pipe Show. I am glad that this show has evolved from what it was. I say this only from reading both articles. I hope someday to be able to attend!
It is very good to see people gathering to celebrate a tradition, that is by all rights an art form of the modern era with roots deep in the past. I hope I am able to attend next year!
I couldn’t make this show, but hopefully in the next few years I’ll be there with a wad of cash in my pocket!!! Also glad to hear that the pipers in attendance like to get thier drink on. Haha. I can only imagine all the stories being told there every year. Thank you for the article. A great read.
Excellent article! Thanks Chris!
-J
This was my first Show but certainly not my last… I found the smoking tent to be a great place to hang out and meet new and old friends!!! If there is one positive from the smoking ban it’s that the tent forces everyone to congregate in a centralized area thereby fostering a more lively gathering place during the Show.
This was my first Chicago show and it was something. I wish I had gotten there in time to attend the UPCA meeting.
The GKCPC had 20 members in attendance which I thought was pretty special. I thing most of the them that had tables did really well.
To me the highlight of the show was meeting Olie Sylvester. This young man is an absolute delight. If you aren’t listening to his podcasts over at oompaul.com you missing out.
And the Doctor of Pipes Award was pretty special too.
Outstanding article Chris! I too felt this year’s show really was extra special. It was also the first Chicago show that my wife attended as a somewhat new pipe smoker herself! Yes, times are changing and that’s OK!
Before I start with the sour grapes, I’d like to say I’m glad everybody had a good time. I’m a pipe smoker, not really a collector and I’m not much of a traveler either. I’ve never been to a pipe show. If I did splurge and fly off to a show, it would probably be like the one in Las Vegas where they still allow smoking in the hotel and not where they shunt the smokers off into a tent. The tent is a symbol of society’s marginalization and demonization of smoking and I think I would be made to feel like a second-class citizen for spreading a little second-hand smoke around.
You have a point Jimbo about the marginalization and demonization of smoking. Luckily, symbols can have multiple meanings. And when the tent was first introduced, I think most people thought like you. But it has worked out marvelously. So I…ready for this?…know why the caged bird smokes!
Great article! The show was excellent and it was nice to meet, network, and smoke with pipe smokers from around the nation and the world. Aside from all of the beautiful pipes and interesting people, something I was reall yimpressed with was Kevin’s discussion on tobacco legislation and what’s coming down the pipeline. It’s great to know that we have so many fantastic people representing us on many levels!
Much thanks to all involved!
Very nice article. I had to chime about the Latin motto on the college students tee shirts. It translates as: “With Smoke there is Truth.” And wasn’t it just grand to have those young people attend with such enthusiasm!
Thanks Mitch! We had a great time at the show!
Well, going to the Chicago show is still a great way to spend the weekend, but not if you actually want to smoke. The tent is so full of people smoking so many different kinds of blends that it is hard enough to breath in there let alone enjoy an aged VA blend. The reason I go to this show is to see my friends and to check out what is new in the world of pipes. Usually I buy pipes there, not sell them, but each year is different. Kudos to the whole Chicagoland Pipe club for their continuing efforts to keep this show of shows alive! If the economy were not so slow still we would see growth of our hobby I am certain.
I am somewhat worried about the new trend of taking roll-your-own cigarette tobacco and labeling them as pipe tobacco to avoid taxes. This has brought new awareness of this issue to the feds and state tax authorities and they are now poised to pounce on pipe tobacco for increased taxes once again. To the RYO tobacco makers I say – thank for nothing.
Chicago is the best place for young carvers to showcase their talents. I saw some new faces this year and hope to continue seeing new guys each year – so that there will be pipe makers long into the future.