Some of this repeats my comments from my report of the recent road trip our club took this past Saturday, but I feel what I discovered and obtained is so noteworthy and significant that the larger audience of the General Discussion Forum may be interested in reading it.
I'll cut to the chase: when I entered Paul's Pipe Shop in Flint, MI with judcole, I was staggered by the number and variety of pipes. But Jud aimed me toward the display of the home-grown Cayuga line of pipes, made by the proprietor, Dan Spaniola. The Cayuga line is cut from Italian briar and oil cured to open up the grain and lighten the pipe, and the chamber is coated with "Miracle Cake," a substance that supposedly eases pipe break-in.
I scanned the display of Cayugas, suffering a little from sensory overload. So many magnificent pipes! I zeroed in on a trio of Cayuga rusticated billiards, and considered which one I would take, certain that I would take one. But I held off a moment and walked down the rest of the aisle of Cayugas (when I heard the name of the brand, I immediately remembered this was the name of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone production company--I later learned this was the name of a North American Iroquis tribe, among other things)--and then I saw it. A black Shell Grain billiard with a deep ultramarine blue acrylic tip. I immediately snatched it. I was stunned at the price. Forty-five dollars for a Shell Grain? This was unbelievable.
The rest of my visit is reported in the Pipe Club forum. When Jud and I entered his car to return home, he kindly loaded my new billiard with some choice 1909 HH Mature Virginia and I fired it up. I could taste a little of the slightly odd flavor of the miracle cake, but that faded quickly. Huge, bulbous plumes of smoke flew around. Every few minutes I would take the pipe out of my mouth to inspect its beauty. "This is a good pipe," I said simply to Jud. That single chamber lasted me nearly the entire trip back home; I had to stop after 50 minutes, as Jud reported in the club section.
By the second day (I believe I read or was told the miracle cake allows a slightly prolonged smoking before resting), already liking the pipe very much, I began to realize what a remarkable pipe I had purchased--and at a 10% discount, yet! By day 4, I become convinced: This was the finest pipe I ever smoked. It was indeed significantly lighter than a comparable pipe: I was able to easily clench it (and I'm not usually a clencher, but I've picked up some bad habits as well as sublime knowledge from Jud) easily so experimentally I put it next to a Black Brushed Stanwell to compare the two. The Stanwell, a bit smaller than the Cayuga, was harder to clench for long, the Cayuga noticeably easier.
In short, the Cayuga Shell Grain billiard is the finest pipe I have, in my admittedly limited experience, ever smoked. I can't imagine one better. I've already asked Rachel, Dan's daughter, who helped me with my selection of pipe and sundry smoking items, to hold three more Cayugas for me until next month, my birthday, when I'm eligible for a 20% discount. The Cayuga is too good a pipe to have only one, particularly at its price.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing variety of other brands of pipes, too many to list here. But if you're ever in Michigan, make the effort to visit this shop and check out the inventory, and especially the Cayuga line. I think I can say with confidence you won't be disappointed.
I'll cut to the chase: when I entered Paul's Pipe Shop in Flint, MI with judcole, I was staggered by the number and variety of pipes. But Jud aimed me toward the display of the home-grown Cayuga line of pipes, made by the proprietor, Dan Spaniola. The Cayuga line is cut from Italian briar and oil cured to open up the grain and lighten the pipe, and the chamber is coated with "Miracle Cake," a substance that supposedly eases pipe break-in.
I scanned the display of Cayugas, suffering a little from sensory overload. So many magnificent pipes! I zeroed in on a trio of Cayuga rusticated billiards, and considered which one I would take, certain that I would take one. But I held off a moment and walked down the rest of the aisle of Cayugas (when I heard the name of the brand, I immediately remembered this was the name of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone production company--I later learned this was the name of a North American Iroquis tribe, among other things)--and then I saw it. A black Shell Grain billiard with a deep ultramarine blue acrylic tip. I immediately snatched it. I was stunned at the price. Forty-five dollars for a Shell Grain? This was unbelievable.
The rest of my visit is reported in the Pipe Club forum. When Jud and I entered his car to return home, he kindly loaded my new billiard with some choice 1909 HH Mature Virginia and I fired it up. I could taste a little of the slightly odd flavor of the miracle cake, but that faded quickly. Huge, bulbous plumes of smoke flew around. Every few minutes I would take the pipe out of my mouth to inspect its beauty. "This is a good pipe," I said simply to Jud. That single chamber lasted me nearly the entire trip back home; I had to stop after 50 minutes, as Jud reported in the club section.
By the second day (I believe I read or was told the miracle cake allows a slightly prolonged smoking before resting), already liking the pipe very much, I began to realize what a remarkable pipe I had purchased--and at a 10% discount, yet! By day 4, I become convinced: This was the finest pipe I ever smoked. It was indeed significantly lighter than a comparable pipe: I was able to easily clench it (and I'm not usually a clencher, but I've picked up some bad habits as well as sublime knowledge from Jud) easily so experimentally I put it next to a Black Brushed Stanwell to compare the two. The Stanwell, a bit smaller than the Cayuga, was harder to clench for long, the Cayuga noticeably easier.
In short, the Cayuga Shell Grain billiard is the finest pipe I have, in my admittedly limited experience, ever smoked. I can't imagine one better. I've already asked Rachel, Dan's daughter, who helped me with my selection of pipe and sundry smoking items, to hold three more Cayugas for me until next month, my birthday, when I'm eligible for a 20% discount. The Cayuga is too good a pipe to have only one, particularly at its price.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing variety of other brands of pipes, too many to list here. But if you're ever in Michigan, make the effort to visit this shop and check out the inventory, and especially the Cayuga line. I think I can say with confidence you won't be disappointed.
