The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 139
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- The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 139
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Kevin Godbee
- May 12, 2015
- 1 min read
Kevin Godbee
Thank you for joining us for The Pipes Magazine Radio Show—the only radio talk show for pipe smokers and collectors. We broadcast weekly, every Tuesday at 8 pm eastern USA time and are available on nearly all podcast sites and apps. Listen on your computer, tablet, phone and even in the car! Our Featured Interview tonight is with Dan Nemets. In 2009 (the same year that PipesMagazine.com started) at just 19-years old, Dan was mentioned and pictured in a Wall Street Journal article about the resurgence of pipe smoking amongst young adults. He is one of the original members of The Order of Collegiate Pipe Smokers, and now the owner of AmericanPipeMakers.com. Pipe Parts will about Unsmoked Aged Pipes from this forum thread.. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Sutliff-Tobacco.com, CupOJoes.com, SmokingPipes.com, Missouri Meerschaum, 4noggins.com, Cornell & Diehl, and Savinelli Pipes and Tobaccos. Please give them some consideration when making your next pipe or tobacco purchase.
We hope you enjoy our 1-hour show produced just for you—the pipe smoker and collector. The following link will launch a pop-up player. Alternatively, you can download the show in iTunes and other podcast sites and apps after the initial broadcast is complete here.
Dan Nemets, Owner of AmericanPipeMakers.com
(L to R) – Craig Cobine, (Director of the Chicago Pipe Show), Brian Levine, (Sales & Marketing Director Mac Baren USA / Sutliff, and Pipes Magazine Radio Show Host) and Dan Nemets, (Owner of AmericanPipeMakers.com)
Written by Kevin Godbee
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We’re in the dog days of summer, and in the heat and humidity I find my palate tends to become as erratic as the extreme weather. To be more precise, my entire biochemistry is busily making the continual adjustments that keep this finely-tuned machine old jalopy of a body in top form hobbling along, and my taste buds are a good indicator that the system is preoccupied with regulating itself. Therefore it’s no surprise that McCranie’s Roanoke, the tobacco that I’d been favoring since the winter months and regularly returning to between other review blends, just wasn’t hitting the spot anymore. We live in fortunate times that present no shortage of novel and interesting blends to try, so some speculation toward new flavors is in order. This month’s spotlight will thus fall on a couple of summer sequels, of a sort: first, the latest installment of Per Jensen’s Pipe Force line, Episode II to be exact; second, a new incarnation of Seattle Pipe Club’s Hogshead, this time with a bourbon barrel-aged twist. Much like The Empire Strikes Back improved on the previous film in that series, Episode II is a generational improvement on the English profile offered in Episode I. To my personal taste, while I enjoyed Episode I quite a bit, it didn’t have a definable hook for me; this iteration of a similar ingredient list hits much closer to the mark. Here again it is a Latakia-forward mixture presented with Katerini concoctions and stoved tobaccos, but with more variety and, for my money, more interest. From the tin: A mellow, sweet mixture of Bright, Red, and Stoved Virginia offers the exceptional base for smokey Latakia, floral Kentucky, spice of Stoved Katerini and the ambrosial berry and spice of Katerini Perique. The result is a harmony of flavor in perfect balance. The bouquet in the tin is tart, heathery, and leathery, in equal proportion. The aroma is dry and smoky with clear clay overtones and, as advertised, faint berry notes from the tin. In the bowl the sweetness sneaks in immediately, displaying a wonderful synergy between the Katerini Perique (Periquini? Katerique?) and the Virginias, offering a flavor unique and quite apart from the usual raisiny range commonly found in Virginia / Perique meldings. Conversely, the Latakia’s smoky, burning-rubber character is also influenced by the Katerini, directing it toward a very pinyon-esque range of aroma that lingers distinctly the room note afterward. Speaking of room note, it can become rather tart after repeated bowls—advise any expected visitors that no, there isn’t a diesel fire in your house, you’re just savoring your time with a new blend. It’s offered as a tight 50g crumble cake, easily broken apart for preparation. As if it needed any more curb appeal, every 10th tin of the series includes a challenge coin featuring the tin’s artwork inside, and this was a lucky tin. It’s a great way to have fun with the series, makes a great addition to the random tchotchkes adorning one’s desk, and serves as a very tactile fidget toy that doubles as a brand reminder—is it time to stock up again? In my testing it seemed at its best in a wider, shallower bowl; the ember was easier to tend, breath pacing allowed a fuller flavor, and it didn’t veer too strongly to the tarry tones that Lat can have. Of the flavors there were many—often varying from bowl to bowl, and very dependent on accompanying beverage or previous meal, it seems. It’s an unfocused blend, but not to its detriment in this regard; it had a very consistent overall tone, with each bowl eliciting some new and interesting flavor moments—my notes are all over the spectrum, with observations like popcorn, maple bacon, charred cardboard, the aforementioned diesel fumes, burnt beef ends, dried silage, musky oak, swamp water (peaty!), and dried vodka. Appreciably, those who enjoy Latakia will read all these descriptors and understand that none of them are negative. It was so fun to keep chasing these disparate flavors that I did incur some mouth fatigue, just this side of bite, after rapidly repeated bowls. Slow smoking and pacing are advised, as the nicotine was mild enough to not discourage such practice. Overall, Episode II is a blend with so many interesting things going on that it warrants another taste after it has some age on it. My hope is that with some time in the tin, the Latakia notes will tone down on the dryness and the Viriginia / Katerique sweetness will amplify, with all the other cacophonous notes finding their home in the in-between spaces comfortably. Per’s experiments with these new treatments of old leaf are yielding remarkable results, and I look forward to seeing them in more blends in the future, and indeed more innovation of this sort in the tobacco world in general. Tasting something so similar, yet so slightly different, from what’s been available before is what this market needs. Seattle Pipe Club Hogshead: Bourbon Barrel Aged Review Our second summer blockbuster is SPC’s Hogshead: Bourbon Barrel Aged. Somewhat akin to that other summer blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine, this one is a cut above its predecessor. Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be here all week, tip your waitress… Vintage Virginia tobacco cultivated from around the world aged in a bourbon barrel for 30 days. The tobacco is then pressed and cut for a unique and one of a kind smoking experience. Well at least they didn’t prattle on with the ad copy and let the blend speak for itself. Veering a hard left from the boisterous melange of the Pipe Force, this iteration of Hogshead is a dead simple straight Virginia blend of the same 10-year-old red & orange used in the prior, this time presented in thickly-sliced pressed flakes, aged in bourbon barrels. Deceptively simple, that is—the flavors of this blend are robust and varied, punching above their weight class for being confined to the comparatively narrow range of “just Virginia”. The first […]
This is going to be one of those friendly chats between friends. That’s you and me, pipe smokers of the realm. As I have mentioned before in praising pipe puffers: we are the mind workers of the world! “Friends” is the word of the day. One of my besties is my pipe. I take it everywhere. On a visit to Rowan Oak, way back there, the beautiful country home of legendary author William Faulkner, I was stunned almost silly walking through the rooms where the Nobel Laureate author lived and wrote of his extensive southern view. I have described this adventurous trip to Oxford, Mississippi, before. A well-smoked pipe was stuffed inside a tweed coat pocket with his favorite blend of the day. The tobacco was dried inside the bowl almost to the consistency of dust. The coat was draped over a wooden peg in a hallway as if awaiting Faulkner’s return. That scene inspired Pundit to emulate one of his favorite authors, beginning a habit that continues: pipes go with me everywhere, in coat pockets, bags, satchels, etc. Pipes are especially important in my outdoor jaunts when the sun also rises. Mr. Hemingway was an occasional pipe smoker, great angler, and outdoorsman, in addition to being rather good at penning stories. Recently reading about environmental concerns, which involve us pipe smokers since our beloved hobby is earth-bound in agriculture and nature, I encountered a beautiful line by writer, Krista Langlois, in Sierra, the magazine of The Sierra Club. She authored a story about sitting off in the distance and observing the Sleeping Ute Mountains near Cortez, Colo. The mountain, she says, is sacred and managed by the Ute Mountain Tribe. She longed to hike the mountain but had to settle for taking in the view, just as we must do as well when following the sun and just stopping long enough to light a pipe and take in the natural beauty. “But as a mountain, I will forever look at and never touch, it becomes something else entirely: a physical reminder of all I can never understand or conquer, and all I can learn by sitting still,” she wrote. Isn’t this what our pipes are for? To help us understand and perhaps conquer all we can by just being still and observing. Puffing our pipes and seeing a full moon in August. It’s known as the Sturgeon Moon, a time when Native Americans knew freshwater fish was abundant in nearby waters. Or, like the great Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees baseball philosopher/manager (who loved his cigars) once said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” And, just guessing, but that might have been time after a large sturgeon catch to pull out the pipe and smoke some of that native tobacco Native American tribes fostered. Not to belabor this point too much, but in California where sequoia trees are sacred to tribes, a certain rare tobacco plant is a coveted reward found near the giant trees. It is said tribes will trade buckets of fish for a small bag of the rare tobacco. A note now about an upcoming pipe show I know is already on many a calendar, if not hotel rooms already rented. The Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers hosts its 40th anniversary Expo Sept. 13-15. This year’s event coincides with the legendary Sutliff Tobacco Company’s 175 anniversary. It will be staged at the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum in Colonial Heights, Virginia. You can check out all the details at PipesMagazine, which has already noted the CORPS Expo, at CORPS and Sutliff. One of my fondest memories is going to the historic City of Richmond event and seeing not only zillions of pipes on display but also people who love pipes and love talking about them. I listened to CORPS’s founding member Linwood Hines during that trek and knew I had found kindred souls. For a terrific story on Linwood Hines, you need to read Chuck Stanion’s piece in The Daily Reader at SmokingPipes.com. Not only is this a superb story on a legend in Pipedom but also you might learn a thing or three about some nifty tobacco blends from Linwood. Ok, on to Pipe Smokers of the Past. Some large names from the movie and theater world; literature; and the man who gave us the telephone. Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, born Aug. 13, 1899, died April 29, 1980. Gwyllyn Samuel Newton “Glenn” Ford, a Canadian American actor, born May 1, 1916, died Aug. 30, 2006. Henry Jaynes Fonda, born May 16, 1905, died Aug. 12, 1982. Bennett Alfred Cerf, born May 25, 1898, died Aug. 27, 1971. Alexander Graham Bell, born March 3, 1847, died Aug. 2, 1922. Alfred Tennyson, born Aug. 6, 1809, died Oct. 6, 1892. If you saw the Hitchcock movie “The Birds,” you know what a “murder” of crows can do to your nerves. The master of scary suspense, Hitchcock is reported to have enjoyed Dunhill pipes and tobaccos, along with his love of cigars. With that said, I’ll take my backyard birds with a nerve-settling pipe. And I can’t depart without a quote from artist and pipe smoker Vincent van Gogh. He wrote in an 1875 letter to his brother, Theo, describing his pipe as an “old, trusty friend, and I imagine we’ll never part again.” Amen, brother.
HI Brian,
It has been hot here in the burgh. The small size of a large number of finished pipes can easily be hidden or lost in a large plant. They may have cost too much to have finished if a company was going out of business. Now, they may be financially justified to be finished and sold. A good way to have a nice pipe if you are new to the hobby.
I have seen Dan Nemets at the Chicago show several times, including this past one. His observation of the Chicago pipe show is dead on. As he noted, the difference between a ‘basket’ pipe and hand made pipes is quite distinctive. Once you cross that boundary, there is no going back. His ideas for American Pipe Makers is a good one – spreading the word about new talented pipe makers. He has a great idea and I hope he succeeds. Anyone that like McClelland #5100 is a star to me.
Music – “KIss the Girl” was a good selection. Yes, it sounds like the Beach Boys.
Rant – A big part of a show is just getting exposure. You may be surprised to find out you get sales after the show. Happened to me.
I have been smoking a morta pipe that I picked up from Rick Black, whose table was next to ours at Chicago. It is quite different. I can’t smoke it like a steam engine. It forces me to smoke slowly, like our friend Bill and it gives a unique smoking experience. Could you have a guest (perhaps Trevor Talbert) that could tell us about Morta pipes?
Great Show.
I enjoyed the discussion about unsmoked finished pipes was enjoyable. Very informative as usual.
Nobody deserves a Doctor of Pipes award more than you.
The Chicago Show keeps getting bigger. I spent all-day Friday just going to activities and not the pre-show. I must say Ben Rappaport is a curmudgeon. I am not in his league.
What can I say about the interview? I am really surprised no one else has thought about spreading the word about American Carvers. I can’t wait to tell Mike Butera and Lee Von Erck they predate history. Not sure how you can predate History and still have been heard of. They must have went to the fossil record.
I really like “Kiss the Girl” but the guy in the movie was far better than Brian Wilson.
Loved your rant. Most vendors view a show based on their sales success. One of the real problems with all shows is that we have way too many sellers. It would be nice if we could get back to being half-sellers and half-displayers.
I can’t believe anyone would say the Chicago Show wasn’t a good show! Most of the makers I talked to did better on Friday than they did Saturday or Sunday as far as actual selling, but the place was packed and I think John Seiler is right: it was great exposure!
My only complaint about the interview with Mr. Nemets is that it didn’t happen BEFORE the show. I would have sought him and his table out. I must have missed his table there. There was just too much to take it. I think it’s awesome to know that there’s a retailer out there with the passion and approach he’s taking. I’m going to be keeping an eye on his site when purchase time comes around. This hobby never ceases to amaze me. The character, integrity, and dedication of makers, blenders, retailers, and collectors is unparalleled in my opinion (Brian, you can be an expert on my opinion now too). Also, thank you again for your Disney World advice Friday night. It’s always great to talk with you and I can’t wait to do it again.
Fascinating conversation! Right on!
Thanks to Brian Levine for dealing in detail with my Forums question about how troves of partially completed pipes survive decades and return to the retail market, on the pipes magazine talk show. His experience with pipe makers gave him insight on how hundreds of partially complete pipes made for specific retailers who may have gone out of business get packed away in boxes to be rediscovered many moons later, when the briar has had time to dry and lose weight, so these pipes are often fine smokers at great prices, such as the Hilson and Ropp pipes that have surfaced over the past few years. Great information from “the inside.” Thank you so much!
Ouch! My “daughter” really enjoy your comment.
Dino
I just listened to the show AGAIN!…I just had to hear Lori’s voice. I admit that the first time through I may not have been paying attention, but after reading her two articles recently, I was intrigued to hear her talk with those in mind.
I love the exit song! Happy Trails!
mike
Your interview with Dan Nemets was interesting because it is always good to see young people involved with the world of pipes. At this year’s show I shared my table with Coco Joura, a 25-year-old who is earning her master’s degree as an opera singer. Her father is Karl Heinz Joura, who makes some of the best smoking pipes ever, in my opinion. I first met Coco when she was 12 and wrote about my visit with her father and family in “In Search of Pipe Dreams.” I also spent a lot of time at this year’s show with a Belgian collector named Steven Van Puyvelde, who is 34. There is something energizing about spending time at a pipe show with young people.