Super article Kevin! I was particularly impressed to learn that C&D produces about 250 blends -- lots to keep track of. It confirmed my suspicion that GL Pease blends were produced there too.
The video was a great inside look at the operations, and the pix accompanying the article were superb. It was a nice connection with history to learn that C&D is the latest incarnation of a tobacco company that traces its roots back to the 1880's. (A situation that I pondered while sipping my bowl of Haunted Bookshop. )
Two points that I found really encouraging for the survival of our pastime were the recent increases in young folks getting involved as both consumers and purveyors; and that C&D's "major supplier" keeps a standing inventory of 25M-lbs. of leaf on hand. Wow!
Like explodingpenguin noted, it was a refreshing surprise to learn that C&D invites inquiries, suggestions, and even custom blend requests -- keeping a customer card file like grandpa's tobacco shop did!
The discussion about the origins of some of their blend names, and the production of blend series, like that honoring Black American servicemen, inspired me to suggest that a series be created some day to honor Native Americans, to whom we owe the greatest debt of all, the gift of tobacco. At the moment I haven't come up with too much beyond associating the Choctaw and Chickasaw with a blend featuring Perique. Maybe, if you have Tarler's ear, you can make the suggestion.
Well, there's all this and so much more in the article. I urge everyone to give it a read; it's really one of the finest pieces to date in PipesMagazine.
