The Tobacco Merchant
Recent Posts
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 646. Our featured interview tonight is with Canadian pipe smoker and book author Fraser Moss. His first book, “The Unknown Canadian Pipe Smoker” discusses five companies that have shaped the Canadian pipe-smoking landscape. The book also guides readers new to the hobby on what to look for when buying their first pipe, and much more. It will soon be in stock at SmokingPipes.com. Fraser has been smoking a pipe for 25-years. He lives in rural Manitoba with his wife and their Samoyed, Luna. You can check out his YouTube channel at Prairie Piper. At the top of the show, Brian will chat about three special pipes that are a permanent part of his collection.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 645. 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 what’s new at BriarWorks, and about their upcoming Muletown Pipe Show. At the top of the show, we will get caught up on a backlog of listener comments and correspondence. We will still have the regular mailbag segment near the end of the show as well.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 644. Our featured interview tonight is with Jay Furman. Jay is the co-host of the Pipe and Tamper podcast. He is a long-time member of the pipe community. He started smoking pipes in the 1980s, and owns hundreds of pipes and hundreds of pounds of pipe tobacco. His first pipe shopping experience was at Wally Frank, a famous New York chain of shops, also nationally known for their large mail order catalog business. Jay loves artisan pipes as well as health and fitness. Brian and Jay will have an extended conversation that will preempt the Pipe Parts segment. We will still have music, mailbag, and rant.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 643. Our featured guest tonight is Dr. Fred Hanna. Fred is a well-known pipe collector, author, and speaker at pipe shows. He has a PhD. in psychology and teaches the same at the Chicago Campus at Adler University. He has also done extensive research on nicotine, and that will be the focus of the discussion tonight. Nicotine has often been cast as a villain, but it is not really harmful. It naturally occurs in the nightshade family of plants, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants. At the top of the show, Brian will talk more about the Sutliff/McBaren/STG situation that has the serious pipe smoker segment of the market furious.
There is a transitory nature to this enjoyment of pipes and tobacco, making it an easy metaphor for the nature of time and our place within its flow, and, hopefully, enhancing our appreciation to lend focus to moments which we allow our perceptions to linger within. It is ephemeral, like all things we hold dear; so, too, the holiday season aims to serve as reminder to enjoy and cling to those moments—with family, loved ones, and spirit of good cheer. As another holiday season winds down and confronts us with the promise of renewal in the year ahead, let’s keep that in mind as we examine some of the sunset offerings from the Sutliff Tobacco Company. Pipe Force Episode III Stoved and Red Virginia give a naturally sweet, tangy, woody foundation. The hearty Rustica leaf has been hot-pressed and stoved for the first time. The process slightly tempers the bold tobacco and imparts a floral note, but still, the robust character is not lost, bringing body to the smoke. A portion of Dark-fired Kentucky then offers a mesquite spice to the mixture. The last of the Pipe Force Project releases, Episode III keeps with the Star Wars aspect in much the same way as Revenge of the Sith did. Lieutenant General Marshall is the portrait of the Cthulian officer gracing the tin and the lucky challenge coin within, intoning a portent of the unknown and, possibly, the unfathomable—in this case, the first time stoved Rustica leaf has been included in a commercial blend. Inside the tin are a few stout, thick flakes that release a bouquet of campfire coals, almost a Scottish blend experience even absent Latakia or Orientals. Crumbling for preparation is easy, with the nearly quarter-inch flakes parting easily and at a good moisture for packing straight from the tin, or with a minimum of air drying to preference. On the light there is not as much of a bass note as the aroma would suggest, nor are there an abundance of high and bright notes either; it plants itself firmly in the middle of the range. A decidedly woody dimension continues from the aroma through the light and all the way to the heel; it is definitely the defining character of the blend’s flavour palette. Between the dark-fired and the stoved Rustica leaf, little room for expression remains. Perhaps this is something that some time in the tin will alter, allowing the red Virginia to pronounce some sweetness and depth eventually. On the technical side it burns strikingly well, requiring only a single light to find the heel—outdoors in a light breeze, mind you—and leaves the aftertaste of a flat IPA with hints of barbecue on the tongue, mercifully absent of bite. Overall the blend feels a bit flattened out and perhaps a bit too fresh to exhibit depth, with too much compression in the mix to feel the highs and lows, though at moments one can taste the umami that floats as a potential in the background. Not to say that it was a disappointment by any means—the smoke is agreeably as stout as the flakes, on the hearty and dry side, and with a good amount of nicotine delivered in the process. Cringle Flake Holiday Edition 2024 Aged Red Virginias from 2010 are pressed and sliced to showcase the dark side of the flue cured leaf. The mature Virginias offer bread, dark fruit and spice in this special smoking mixture. This year’s holiday special edition, the last from the marque, is built around a legacy bundle of leaf from the storied McClelland holdings. Cringle Flake 2024 is nearly a companion smoke to Pipe Force III in the woody flavour spectrum, owing to the particular complexion of the flue-cured red Virginia leaf. The tin art is seasonably festive, either in the Cringle Flake version or the alternate Krampusnacht packaging exclusive to TobaccoPipes.com, though both are the exact same blend; my personal preference is for the wilder Krampusnacht image, as it calls to mind the art of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, but it makes no difference to the flavor—or does it…? (No, it doesn’t.-ed.) As noted, the flakes are a blend of two vintages of red Virginia, a 2000 US crop and a 2010 Canadian from an earlier acquisition of McClelland stock. Nosing the tin there is detectably a hint of that old vinegary aroma, so fond memories of Christmases past are certainly contained therein. Overall it has its own read, though; to me, it’s a woody, oiled mahogany aroma, not unlike the smell of a new acoustic guitar (yes, I spent an inordinate amount of time smelling my Christmas gifts). There is a bit of tang, high and sour, though it lacks clear sweetness up front, both in the aroma and smoke—the notes of dark fruit and spice are slight at best. It seems apparent that the intention is that this is a Virginia blend destined for at least a little bit of tin-ageing. The woody tilt continues through the top to middle of the bowl, leaning into that aspect of the leaf and its curing. Though it took a few bowls to dial in, there was a richness to be found with some deepening of the bass notes—think brown bread and extra-sharp cheddar—and highlights of a clover honey character on the palate and retrohale. The blend benefits greatly from a sharp black coffee or strong tea, particularly for repeated servings, as well as some delayed gratification technique—I found that taking an initial light and burning until it needed tending, then allowing it some room to breathe, suitably amplified the flavour profile. Despite some astringency in the overtones, after finding the proper pace it proved a very repeatable and enjoyable smoke. The holidays are a celebration not of what we acquire, but of what we can share. Stashing away a tin or three of these stocking stuffers will make for savoury moments to enjoy, hopefully with good company. In closing, with a repeat of last […]
Make no mistake, this was a fairly good year. So many pipes and so little time. Which forced Pundit to deal with an unruly herd of pipes. The past, always a good forecast of the future, has always been go big or go home for the Pundit. This year was time to do a little cowboy corralling, lassoing, and cutting the herd so new additions could be considered in this new year. There were so many good year-end tobacco blends from which to choose, the Pundit was in a maze of confusion and indecision. Uhm, no, that’s not too unusual. But, my goodness, there were some hard choices from fresh Christmas blends to updates of old favorites. There are not too many Virginia, English, and smooth aromatic blends that Pundit doesn’t enjoy. Yes, it’s been a very good year for pipe smokers. And from what I have seen carousing some of the online pipe shops, we are in for another outstanding year. Per cutting back the herd. I’m a sucker for Christmas tobacco blends. Let a new Christmas delight show up, and the Pundit is on it, like a kiddie ripping open a wrapped present beneath the tree. Ok, I get it, Christmas is over and let’s move on. I’ve got something of a seasonal story to tell you. Date evades me, but I was riding down an old country road on a bright spring day some years back when I spotted an older gentleman sitting on a tombstone. He was sitting and resting atop a tall headstone in a country church cemetery and staring off into the cemetery. The old memorial stones were baked in a faded gray look, with many names and dates faded into shadows. Naturally, I stopped to see if he might need help or something. He was puffing his pipe and just looking off. I said hello and asked him if all was okay. “Yes,” he said. “I’m just having a chat with Naomi.” Naomi, he told me, died a few years back right before Christmas, just after Thanksgiving and he was telling her how his Christmas was. He took another puff on his pipe. I asked him how long the two had been married. “All our lives,” he told me. Translated, the name Naomi means “gentle,” or “pleasantness,” according to a Google search. He puffed a bit more. I reached for a handkerchief to manage a tear, and then pulled out my pipe. We chatted a bit more before I left him to his thoughts of Naomi and his pipe. The New Year is not only a good moment for pipes, but as with Naomi, the year is also a time to reflect. To find the gentleness in life, especially while relaxing with your new pipe. I’ve thought about the gentleman and Naomi many times over the years since I interviewed him. And not to become too mushy but after that chance meeting, I thought of my pipes in a different light. They not only bring pleasure, especially with new purchases and new tobacco blends, but also pipes give me time to reflect on the past, present, and future, much like Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol. If you recall that story—and, ahem, if not it’s time to read it for its many lessons when the ghosts of past, present, and future visit Scrooge. As for the New Year, the present, I’ll add more pipes to the herd, after the culling is over, the past. It will also be a New Year, the future, of major tobacco additions to the cellar, especially from that master blender Jeremy Reeves of Cornell & Diehl. I’m always amazed at how Jeremy gets to the essence of a blend. His talent is that of a gourmet chef. Just sayin,’ Jeremy is in that league of top blenders, in Pundit’s view. Now, it’s time for some Pipe Smokers of the Past: Carl Sandburg was born Jan. 6, 1878, in Galesburg, Illinois; and died July 22, 1967, in Flat Rock, N.C. Sandburg was a poet, journalist, and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. In addition, he won two more Pulitzers for his poetry. And if you have ever wondered where the “Good Morning, America,” phrase originated, you might consider his 1928 book, Good Morning, America, which some sources say is the origin of the expression. As for pipes, it is reported that he was rarely seen without his pipe, stuffed with plug tobacco. Now, that takes a strong constitution to smoke plug tobacco all day. Maybe that’s why he won three Pulitzers. He “plugged” away at it. Ok. On to another Pipe Smoker of the Past. John Ronald Reuel ( J.R.R.) Tolkien, an old favorite, was born Jan. 3, 1892; and died Sept. 2, 1973. Yes, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, that J.R.R. Courage is found in unlikely places― J.R.R. Tolkien And if you need an outstanding read on the famous author and pipe smoker, see Chuck Stanion’s superb piece in his Aug. 27, 2021, Pipe Line column on Tolkien at SmokingPipes.com. A Parting Thought: My New Pipe, My New Year Pal
