The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 49
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- The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 49
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Kevin Godbee
- Aug 22, 2013
- 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 want to thank you for listening and being one of our loyal 15,000 weekly fans. In tonight’s “Pipe Parts” segment Brian will follow-up on the discussion about bulk tobaccos with more interesting information on what’s happening today with bulk pipe tobacco. He will let you in on some industry secrets too. Our Featured Guest Interview is with Beth Stern of SmokyJoesClothing.com. They have high quality smoking jackets, smoking caps, slippers and bow ties. They also have a very unique and interesting history that includes Sammy Davis Jr., Smoky Robinson and The Jackson Five as their customers. The company was originally founded by the inventor of the Zoot Suite. Their history goes back to the late-1930s.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Sutliff-Tobacco.com, CupOJoes.com, SmokingPipes.com, Missouri Meerschaum, 4noggins.com, and MeerschaumStore.com, Please give them some consideration when making your next pipe or tobacco purchase.
We hope you enjoy our 50-minute 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 after the initial broadcast is complete here.
Beth Stern of SmokyJoesClothing.com, Sporting One of her Company’s Smoking Jackets at the Chicago Pipe Show
Sammy Davis Jr. was a pipe smoker and a customer of Smoky Joes Clothing
Pipe Babe Gabrielle in a pink Smoky Joes Smoking Jacket
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. 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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. 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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,
Columbus Ohio, We will be leaving tomorrow. Plan to say Hi….
Your comparison between bulks and tins pretty much match my experience. However, if you primarily smoke one tobacco most of the time, the bulks become more economic. As you said, you can tin (jar) them yourself.
The Beth Stern interview was interesting. The revival of smoking jackets is something new. I don’t know if I will ever need one but it is a neat accessory. It is a bit formal for me.
Sammy Davis – do one with the Chairman of the Board of the Rat Pack.
Rant – just not enough hours in a day.
Hope to have a pipe with you this weekend. CU in Columbus. Keep up the good work.
So if the tinning changes the flavor as dramatically, how can master blenders really judge their creations before they go into final production? I’d imagine prototypes of blends would be prepared in a way similar to the bulk version?
I primarily smoke a Stokkebye tobacco that I have never had “in tin”. You have me wondering how much better that would be than the bulk. Love the jackets, hope they come out with black and gold! One question, do the materials used attract and collect cat and dog hair easily? I smoke outside 99% of the time but on occasion I would be wearing the jacket inside. As usual, informative and entertaining show!
Great episode the smoking jackets look nice maybe I will put in an order for one.
Just never cared for bulk tobaccos that much.
I really like these smoking jackets. They are just awesome to look at. Other than price, I think most of us have the problem of when would we really wear them. I guess out on the deck on a cool autumn or spring evening would work.
Brian,
Great episode and really enjoyed the interview with Beth Stern. I prefer the classic style with quilted silk on the inside and big pockets to keep the accessories close at hand.
Question regarding your bulk tobacco analogy – does your theory hold true for bulk tobacco of tinned blends? In other words, is the tin of Blend A still a single malt compared to bulk of the same Blend A? Do they typically use a lesser quality when packaging Blend A in bulk?
Looking forward to your anniversary special!