The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 5
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- The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 5
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Kevin Godbee
- Oct 18, 2012
- 0 min read
We are pleased to bring you our 5th weekly episode of the Pipes Magazine Radio Show. Our featured guest tonight is a famous pipe and cigar smoker from the past. Even though he smokes cigars more often than pipes, he has been quoted as saying; "My old pipe beats all the cigars I ever tried". Can you guess who it is? For the "Pipe Basics" segment Brian will discuss different pipe shapes with a trivia question thrown in.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by SmokingPipes.com, Missouri Meerschaum, and 4noggins.com. Please give them some consideration when making your next pipe or tobacco purchase.
We hope you enjoy our 45-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.
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Written by Kevin Godbee

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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 541! We have a pipe personalities packed show tonight. We’ve been running two different series with two different prominent pipe collectors and authors. We have “Inside Fred’s Head” with Fred Hanna. He is the author of the book, “The Perfect Smoke”, and known for collecting straight grain pipes. The other series is a follow-up to Fred, “Rich Responds” with Rich Esserman. Rich has penned innumerous articles about pipes and tobacco for several publications, and he is known for collecting quite large pipes. We’ll be featuring the final remnants of those two series all in this show. As if that’s not enough, at the top of the show our segment will feature pipe artisan Jeff Gracik with another installment of “Ask the Pipemaker”. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
Via Press Release – JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI – January 18, 2023 – For the past ten years, Jon David Cole, owner and operator of The Country Squire Tobacconist, and Beau York, founder of the podcasting company PODASTERY, have been delighting pipe smokers worldwide with their weekly podcast Country Squire Radio. Long time listeners have enjoyed uninterrupted weekly content from the podcast including the celebrated pipe tobacco focused series such as TOBACCO TALK, PIPE CULTURE, SQUIRE SELECT whiskey and pipe tobacco pairings, and PIPE SMOKING 101 as well as the newer series geared to bring the spirit of conversations had over a bowl of premium pipe tobacco amongst good friends such as HALF BOWL HISTORY, FROM THE LIBRARY, and FATHER TO FATHER. As they approach the 500th episode this year, Cole and York have decided the time has come to bring the show to its conclusion with a live recording at The Country Squire in Jackson, Mississippi. “The amount of content for and by the Pipe Community is higher than ever before with newer pipe podcasts, instagramers, youtubers and more” Cole said. “We have enjoyed our tenure representing and at times shepherding a section of the community, but it’s time to increase the spotlight to this next generation of content creators.” Cole and York have often taken cues from their listening audience who, over the years, have made several trips to the famed Country Squire Tobacconist shop in Jackson, MS. This practice has been dubbed a PIPE PILGRIMAGE by fans of the show who have visited the shop that inspired many hours of listening pleasure. “We want to finish strong,” York said. “There is certainly no better way to do this than inviting all of our listeners, who are able to make the trip, to the Country Squire for the grand finale of the show in a Pipe Pilgrimage like no other!” York explained, “we’ll have music, share stories, and record the final episode of Country Squire Radio together, all while enjoying a one of a kind Pipe Tobacco and BBQ pairing of epic proportions.” The Country Squire Radio Finale will be held at the Country Squire, Tobacconist in Jackson, MS Saturday, March 4th. Tickets are on sale today at The Country Squire Tobacconist (thecountrysquireonline.com) For more information, visit CountrySquireRadio.com or listen to the latest podcast “Episode 490: The Time Has Come” from Country Squire Radio (Country Squire Radio on Apple Podcasts)
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 540! 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 that as well as the up-coming 2023 Muletown Pipe Show which is held at BriarWorks. In a past life, Pete was the guitar player in the band Sanctus Real. Our music segment will feature one of their Grammy-nominated songs. At the top of the show, Brian will give us his comparisons between three different vintages of Sutliff’s Kringle Flake tobacco from the last three years. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 539! Our featured interview tonight is with Matthew McCranie. Matthew is the third generation from McCranie’s pipe and tobacco shop in Charlotte, NC. Matthew tells us of the founding of McCranie’s by his grandfather in 1979. There’s a fun Florida connection including inspiration from Edward’s Pipe & Tobacco in Tampa, and some streets named McCranie in Lakeland. We’ll also hear about McCranie’s long-running, highly popular tobaccos, and how things have evolved from the early days. At the top of the show, Brian will give us a recap of his pipe trading from the Chicago and Columbus pipe shows. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
It’s far from a closely-held secret that for years I’ve had a bit of a love affair with the old, Celebrated Bengal Slices. I fondly recall my first experience with it in the late 1970s when, on one of my almost daily visits to Drucquer & Sons, a fresh shipment had just arrived. There it was, in its beautiful gloss black, red and gold livery, dramatically standing out from its peers, calling attention to itself from its perch on the shelf behind the counter. “What’s that, in the black tin?” I asked Ken, who had become something of a tobacco mentor to me. “The Bengal Slices? It’s great stuff,” he said, pulling a tin from the shelf and handing it to me, explaining that it was a Latakia mixture with a difference. The ribbons were pressed in blocks and sliced, so it had to be broken up to prepare it for smoking. “You have to pack it lightly, or it’ll clog the pipe and become impossible to smoke when it expands. It’s got a little bit of scent added to it.” That last bit nearly put me off it; I was still recoiling from early experiences with heavily perfumed, goopy, pouched tobaccos that smelled better than they smoked. But curiosity, as it too often does, had its way with me, and I couldn’t resist the singular beauty of that tin. I bought it, dropped it into my satchel, and off I went. Later that day, I popped the lid and was instantly captivated. The perfect slices, standing at attention in a tight array, dark and mysterious, almost glistening with the same hues as the tin’s lid — black, red and golden. The aroma was rich and bold, ripe with Latakia, orientals and virginias. The scent Ken had mentioned, which I’d taken as a warning, wasn’t at all overbearing, but rather soft and seductive, beautifully integrated with the tobaccos’ natural aromas. It transformed what was basically a “typical” Latakia mixture into something that seemed more luxurious, even opulent. Though still fairly new to smoking flakes at the time, and certainly inexperienced, I had developed a bit of understanding of them. These were different, though — thicker, more robust looking. I gently removed one from the tin, placed it in my palm, and began teasing it apart. It took little encouragement for it to crumble into small fragments. As I filled my bowl, Ken’s counsel about packing forgotten (more likely arrogantly ignored), I looked forward to the first taste of my new treasure. Disaster! The charring light almost went okay, promising something good to come, but the tobacco soon went out, and stubbornly refused to light. Trying to get an ember going was the equivalent to a futile attempt to set fire to a brick of asbestos. Frustrated, I dumped the bowl, and started again, this time heeding Ken’s advice, allowing gravity to do the work. Much better. Even at first light, it was transcendent. The richness of the tobaccos, pressed and fermented in cakes, already set it apart from its ribbon-cut peers, but that scent! Soft and diaphanous, it didn’t clash with the flavor of the tobacco, but somehow enhanced it, bringing another layer, greater dimension to what was already something pretty special, and it remained throughout the bowl, never shouting, but whispering its presence. I was immediately smitten. The next time I was in the shop, I bought three more tins, something I would continue to do periodically through the years. At the time, I thought this was a truly unique tobacco, the only thing of its kind, but I would find out years later that it wasn’t the first, or the only, and that its story was both interesting and infused with dram of controversy. And, as it turns out, the fires of that controversy ultimately forged this tobacco into what became something so very, very special. The Celebrated Bengal Slices was originally made by Sobranie House exclusively for James B. Russell (JBR), and first found its way to market around September of 1977. But, as early as the mid- to late-1960s, Sobranie were making a similar product for Joe Zieve’s Smoker’s Haven in Columbus, OH. Joe wanted to bring something unique to the market, something that hadn’t been done before, so he had Sobranie, who were already making the Haven’s renown Our Best Blend for him, press the ribbons, age the blend in cakes, and cut the cakes into slices. This was different from the more traditional form of flake tobacco, made from whole leaf strips, and resulted in a product Joe called Krumble Kake. It was his intention that this tobacco be compact, like a plug, yet easier than a flake to prepare for smoking. It was a hit, becoming one of the shop’s most successful blends for decades to follow. The controversy finds us in the late 1970s, when JBR contracted Sobranie to make something similar for them. Apparently, it was a little too similar to Krumble Kake for Joe’s liking, and from what I’ve heard, his reaction was predictably cinematic, possibly going as far as threatening to discontinue his relationship with Sobranie over the apparent infraction, so JBR and Sobranie were forced to change the recipe. Whether or not the leaf formulation was changed is unknown, but the changes certainly resulted in that elusive scent joining the party. The Celebrated Bengal Slices was born. (Interestingly, JBR did not register the trademark until March, 1979, though the blend did appear in their catalogue in 1978.) When Sobranie shuttered in 1980, licensing the production of their blends to Gallaher’s, both Bengal Slices and Krumble Kake, being proprietary products, were not transitioned to the new manufacturer. Production of Krumble Kake and the other Smoker’s Haven blends moved to G.F. Germain on Jersey, while Bengal Slices was transferred to Manchester Tobacco Company, where it was produced until 1991, then making its final move to Denmark’s A&C Peterson. For whatever reason, the Danish product didn’t hold my affection like […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 538! Our featured interview tonight is with Rich Esserman. This is our third episode with, “Rich Responds” where we go back to a previous discussion with Fred Hanna, and Rich gives his take. Both Rich and Fred are prominent pipe collectors, researchers and writers on pipes and tobacco for several decades. They are both well-known and well-respected in the pipe enthusiast community. We’ll see where Rich agrees with Fred, and where he has his own take on different aspects of pipes and tobacco. At the top of the show Brian will talk about how to build up your tobacco cellar and what to do in the meantime. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
I have my favorite Pipe and Merlot wine listening to Show #5
Nice Patty!
Thomas Edison sounds a little like James Stewart.
Great Music…….Like it…..Lovin it….Want some more of it! A True Classic!
Kevin, I think you should let your audience see all your fancy pipes at the Godbee Penthouse in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Yeah! Isn’t it awesome?
Some of them have Patty Cake.;-)
Hey, I want to be a Pipe Babe! How do I apply?
I’ll hook you up Patty! 😉
Thanks for having a fun show, I liked the part about the pipe shapes I think it will help out new pipe smokers.
The show rocks . thanks again .
Love the show with all the TAPS members in Raleigh, N.C. (all 5 radio shows) Come visit us again, as our guest, Would love to see you again.
Love all the 5 shows. Come visit us again in Raleigh, when possible.
The Triangle Pipe Smokers (aka) TAPS
I want some of what Patty smokes. 🙂
Another wonderful show. The segment on pipe shapes was really good. Love the Scott Joplin tunes!
First 4 episodes were awesome, but I didn’t particularly care for the “interview” with Thomas Edison who’s been going on and on about cigars (on a pipe show) for two thirds of the whole show. No offence – I’d have seen this work with a lovely, witty Edison double (who might not use English East Coast slang from the 2000s …) but that one was uninspiring. By the way – if you are interested how real Edison sounded like try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Edison_Mary_had_lamb.ogg …
Next episode with Peter Stokkebye better step it up a notch! And no more nonsense like this episode please 😉
Yet another good show. Great job guys!
I’m new around here so this might not count for much…
Shows are great. Diverse and entertaining.
The best part is that Brian makes me seem downright normal… I thought I was ADD. Sheesh!
I enjoyed the beginning about different pipe shapes, it was explained very well, and I learned a lot. I didn’t really care for the Edison bit, but I did enjoy the Scott Joplin tune. I still think it is a great show and always look forward to hearing it. Thanks again Brian and Kevin.
Another enjoyable show gents. I would love to hear an interview with Neill Archer Roan (of apassionforpipes.com) if you could ever swing it or Jim Lilley (from thepetersoncollector.blogspot.com over in Scotland). Both men are passionate about our hobby and both have contributed greatly in their own way.
Neill would be fascinating with his wonderful prose, stories, breath of interest and depth of knowledge. As a great plus he also writes such beautiful pipe prose that I regularly read his articles out-loud to my wife and children who delight in each entry. He would make an excellent guest.
Jim would be a great interview as well for he tends in a different direction and specializes to oposite the degree that Neill generalizes. Jim is the expert in all things Peterson and recently (7 Oct) stopped writing his blog due to the diagnosis of a terminal illness but he would be a treasure trove to interview as a peterson specialist and fellow pipe connoisseur.
Love the show and just letting you know who I would love to hear in the interview seat. Loved the addition of Pipe Parts. Keep up the great work.
From Wyoming where you have to pack the bowl tight your admiring fan
Bond Eddy
I just got to listen to the 5th show on my Monday night commute back home. Great show! The show was educational and had culture. I liked the the Edison interview and the music by Joplin; it took me back to another time for a moment. Radio is all about the listener using his imagination to visualize what’s happening; it certainly worked for me. The explanation of pipe shapes was very helpful; I think I’ll listen to that segment again. A person can read and read about pipes..but to hear a quick explanation by someone who understands the topic, makes all the difference in comprehending and retaining that knowledge. Thanks Brian!
Brian, You are quite mistaken on the pipe shapes re: Canadian, Liverpool, et al.
This class of pipe is not differentiated by overall length, but by shank/stem (bit)shape.
They are all long shanked, the Canadian and Lumberman being oval shanks, and the Lovat and Liverpool being round. The differentiation between these lie in the stem shape, Canadian and Liverpool are taper stemmed, the Lumberman and Lovat are saddle bitted.
Good episode, though I don’t have many good things to say about Thomas Edison since he cared more about profit than progress.