New York Pipe Club

Happy New Year to All!!!    

Please allow me to thank everyone for all of your support this past year, not only for your dues but by coming out to join us at the monthly meetings.  I urge you to spread the word about our noble hobby and to get involved with club activities, as I always say, “The club is only as successful in proportion to the involvement of its members”, so, I encourage you to get involved!  We're going to have a great 2012!

It's that time of year again, when we ask all club members and friends to renew their membership for the New Year.  As you know your annual dues are used to support all of our club activities such as, our summer picnic, the monthly tobacco tastings, our web site and emailings, and much more.

Please join or renew your membership now!  You can bring cash and checks to the January or any meeting, and we accept all major credit cards via the website. When you renew, we'd appreciate it if you could please take a moment to update your personal information, such as email, telephone number and address.

Be sure to attend our January meeting, where we'll be tasting two delightful blends from Esoterica Tobacciana, made for them by J. F. Germain & Son:

Tilbury: A harmonious blend of Golden and dark Virginias with small portions of Burley and air-cured leaf. Matured by a special process over 100 years old, producing a unique natural aroma and piquant flavor.

Dunbar: A mature recipe of seven types of Virginia tobaccos blended with Louisiana Perique, lightly pressed for several days to mellow the mixture, then cut into flakes and rubbed up. A high quality blend with a savory taste and a fine bouquet. An outstanding tobacco with a rich depth of flavor.

Please be sure to visit our website’s News and Articles sections for some new and important messages such as the announcement of the Newark Show on March 10th, a very special note from Louise Jones of Hermit Tobacco Works, and a very important blog post by Neill Archer Roan from his Passion For Pipes blog.

International Pipe Smoking Day is just around the corner, so mark your calendars for February 20th.  The event is celebrated around the world as pipe smokers everywhere raise a bowl together.   More information (and even a photo of NYPC celebrants) is available on the IPSD website at http://www.IPSD.EU .  From the website:

"On this day we will take a breather and celebrate the noble art of pipe-smoking and the noble spirit which pervades the brother/sisterhood of the briar. We will put into practice the time-honored and ancestral traditions of raising our pipes in toast to each other in the evening in unison and, thus, share a bowl together."

Once again, Ron Melendi of De La Concha has offered to allow us a spot in the front window and we appreciate that so much!  He asks that we select either Sat. Feb 18 or Sun. Feb 19.  He will be glad to welcome us either day and asked us to get back to him when we decide which we prefer.  Please check your calendars and let me know which day works best for you.  When we find out the majority, we’ll set the date.

Come on out to the meeting this Tues. and kick off the New Year with us!  All are welcome!

Please join us at the next meeting, January 10th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610).

Dear Club Members and Friends -
     It's that time of year again, when we ask all club members and friends to renew their membership for the upcoming year.  As you know, your annual dues are used to support all of our club activities, such as our summer picnic, the monthly tobacco tastings, our web site and emailings, and much more.

     Please join or renew your membership now!  You can bring cash and checks to the December meeting, and we accept all major credit cards via the website.  Thanks everyone for all of your support this past year, and we're going to have a great 2012!

The Kaywoodie event was held this past weekend, and lots of NYPC'ers participated.  Please join us at Tuesday's meeting to congratulate the competitors, cheer the victor, and console the loser.  There will undoubtedly be lots of new pipes and treasures from the show to share.

Please join us at the next meeting, December 13th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610)

We've received the following notification from our friends at De La Concha:

On Tuesday, November 15, from noon - 8:00 PM hundreds of handmade, one of a kind Italian pipes will be made available to you at fantastic event-exclusive prices.

Join us for the Viprati Pipe Trunk Show and meet the pipemaker himself, Luigi Viprati!

Viprati Pipes are sought after for the caliber of craftsmanship and genuine artistry Italians are famous for. Don't miss the rare opportunity to learn from the maker himself!
 
De La Concha Tobacconist / 1390 Avenue of the Americas / New York, New York 10019 / (212) 757-3167
 

One of our favorite parts of the Thanksgiving holiday is the consumption of copious leftovers.  Please attend our November meeting, where we'll steal a march on Turkey Day and celebrate the spirit with delicious tobacco leftovers from recent club tastings.  There will be Margate and Dorchester from Esoterica Tobacciana, Fred Hanna's Legends and Wilderness from McClelland, the two E. Hoffman blends Spilman's Mixture and Distinguished Gentleman, recent versions of the new club blends by Russ Ouellette, plus whatever else Lou and I can find in the club tobacco trunk. Like any leftovers, first come first served, so get to the meeting early and start scrounging for the choicest bits!

The 2011 annual World Cup Slow Smoking Contest was held October 16th in Eindhoven, Netherlands.  The US smokers placed 35th out of 82 teams - congratulations to all of them!  Read the report and all of the results in our News section.

For those who did not pick up the new club logo denim shirts and polos they ordered, we will distribute them at the November meeting.  If you ordered one, please bring $30 in payment for each denim shirt and $20 for the polos.

Plus, patrick has posted photos from our October meeting!

Please join us at the next meeting, November 8th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610).

Please attend our October meeting, where we'll be tasting two delightful blends from Esoterica Tobacciana, made for them by J. F. Germain & Son:

Margate: A classical English mixture done in the "old style" of many of the fine tobaccos that have now disappeared from the market place. Choice Orientals and generous quantities of premium Cyprian Latakia keynote this rich, full bodied blend. A well balanced, robust and eminently satisfying smoke.

Dorchester: A special formulation of six light Virginias plus Golden and dark Virginias with air-cured leaf and a pinch of Louisiana Perique. Easy burning is ensured by the carefully selected cut. The Perique balances the Virginias; for the discerning palate.  

The new club logo denim shirts have arrived and we will distribute them at the October meeting.  If you ordered one, please bring $30 in payment for each shirt.  The order of polo shirts was delayed but we should have them for the November meeting.

Radice Pipe show at De La Concha - Radice, one of Italy's premier makers of handcrafted pipes, will be hosting a Trunk Show at De La Concha Tobacconist on Tuesday, October 11, from 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM. These pipes, known for their beauty, craftsmanship and smoking characteristics, have been prized worldwide for decades. Enjoy a 10% discount on these beautiful works of art! Guests will also be able to view and purchase from a selection of new designs, not yet seen in the U.S. market.

The 27th Annual CORPS Pipe Show will be held this weekend in Richmond, VA.  This is the second largest show in the country after Chicagoland.  Some of our NYPC members will be attending, so we expect that they'll have some treasures to show at the next meeting.

Please join us at the next meeting, October 11th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610).

NYPC Club Blends
You’ve been hearing about it for some time now but we are be very close to selecting the four blends which will become our very own New York Pipe Club series of tinned tobacco blends.  As you know, renowned and award winning master blender, Russ Oulette, of the Hearth and Home series of tobacco blends, (and fresh off his outstanding victory in the 2011 Chicagoland Balkan Sobranie Throwdown),  has offered to create the four blends. Based upon our suggested “tweaks”, he has masterfully blended yet another rendition and shipped us a selection for the club to sample.  Please be sure to join us at our August meeting where we will have opportunity to taste all four delicious blends from our friend Russ Oulette of Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe of Albany, NY; their pipes & tobacco offerings are found here:  http://www.pipesandcigars.com/.

The four proposed NYPC Club Blends will be:

Virginia #1- A straight Virginia blend of yellow, 3 different reds and a stoved black Virginia for a moderately sweet smoke.

Virginia #2 - Yellow Virginias and wonderful Macedonian Orientals combine with a bit of Perique to make a fragrant, somewhat floral, sweet and savory blend with a bit of bottom note from the Perique for balance.

Balkan #1 - A bright Oriental dominant medium-light Latakia blend, fragrant and lightly sweet and smoky.

Sailorman Jack's Cigar Leaf Blend – comprised from our founding member, past president and dear friend’s own recipe which he shared with me years ago, this blend consists of Red Virginia, Lemon Virginia, Latakia and Perique, along with the addition of shredded cigar leaf.  This blend packs a wallop and was a favorite of Jack’s.

Once we finalize our decision on these blends we will name them, create the tin art and write up the tin descriptions, all of which are in different stages of completion.

As per Russ:
“Sample them out and let me know. I can get them into production immediately, and we'll have about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks from your approval until I receive the first batch of tins. Hopefully, that gives you enough time to get me the label artwork …  so I can get them on the website and start filling orders. I will also plan on attending your meeting following my receipt of the initial round.”

We thank him for the supply of our four blends and look forward to sampling them!

Member Businesses:
Welcome to Briar Blues!

From our News section, we'd like to welcome our newest Business Member, Mike Glukler of Briar Blues.  Most of us are familiar with this wonderful website full of quality new and estate pipes, but you might not know that Mike also sells smoking accessories, pens, and shaving requisites.  He even has a variety of logoed items on Cafe Press!

Mike is one of the finest pipe men in the business, and we are pleased to welcome him as a supporting member of the New York Pipe Club.  Please be sure to check out his website.

Also, long time club member Hank Saatchi has his ebay site brimming with some outrageous deals on tinned tobaccos.  Time’s a-wasting so check it out: Hank's ebay store or here.

As per Hank:
Would you kindly bring it to the club members' attention that I currently have several Peterson and Ashton Tobacco tins listed on ebay. All sealed, from 2002 to 2006. Prices are less than half of the current retail.

Also, I encourage you to please be sure to visit the websites of all of our Member Businesses as we appreciate the support they give to our club.

NYPC Third Annual Summer Bash:  Saturday August 20th
Just a quick reminder that our Club BBQ/Picnic at Todd Platek’s is less than two weeks away.  Be sure to RSVP and I encourage you to come out and join us. Take a look at the link here and come on out it will be a great day! (*If previous years serve as an indicator of how enjoyable the day will be, you won’t be sorry if you make it a priority!)

We've posted some new photos from our June meeting on the Photos Page.  Be sure to take a look.

Just a quick reminder, please take a moment to renew your club membership. The dues are critical to the running of the club and allow us to have the website and email system, as well as regular tobacco tastings and planning of club events.  You can pay your dues at the meeting, via the website, or by mail.  We need you!

When you renew, please take a moment to update your personal information, such as telephone number and address. 

As you are aware, there has been a change in our relationship with Florio’s.  Effective with the February, 2011 meeting, there will be a $10 per person cover charge to use the  cigar lounge upstairs. Payment of this fee will enable us to continue to use the lounge for our monthly meetings, and will be collected by the waitress when you enter the lounge.  The fee is for use of the cigar lounge only and does not go to the waitress.  Please note that the main complaint from Florio’s management has been that the waitress is not sufficiently compensated (tipped) for her service, so please heed the message and tip accordingly as you settle your drink tab for the evening.

Please join us at the next meeting, August 9th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610).

See you on the 9th - Lou

Many of you already know about the fastest growing pipe and tobacco related website, pipesmagazine.com, created by Kevin Godbee, a real “champion” of the hobby. If you are not aware of this fantastic resource now is the time to check it out.

A new monthly feature profiling a different pipe club each month has begun and the debut article features the New York Pipe Club!  The New York club has been selected as the first club to appear in the new monthly feature!  As per Kevin Godbee, "We kick off our new monthly feature where we profile a different pipe club every month with The New York Pipe Club - By Bob Tate.  Happy Smoking!  Best regards, Kevin."

Be sure to visit the site and check out it out!  The feature can be found here.

Please sign up for free membership on the website which can be found here:

Well the heat is on and summer is here!  What better time to enjoy a tasty blend of Virginia tobaccos?  Be sure to join us at our July meeting, where we will have opportunity to taste a delicious blend from our friend Robert “Lawdog” Lawing of The Pipe and Pint (http://www.thepipeandpint.com/).  He has graciously sent us a sampling of his most popular blend, Magnolia Avenue.  According to Robert:

“Magnolia Avenue is one of the Pipe and Pint best selling blends.  It is a blend of 6 Virginia tobaccos, 3 of which are flake, and a dose of perique for a bit of spice.  All tobaccos are hand blended in the shop by myself or Larry Christopher.  It is a blend which most customers buy by the pound and some as many as five-ten pounds at a time.  It is a blend we have a time keeping in stock. Most people, after trying it, order enough to smoke and age...with some time on it it really becomes something to behold...”

 So we thank him for the supply of Magnolia Avenue and look forward to sampling it!

We've posted some new photos from our June meeting on the Photos Page, take a look.

Just a quick reminder, please take a moment to renew your club membership. The dues are critical to the running of the club and allow us to have the website and email system, as well as regular tobacco tastings and planning of club events.  You can pay your dues at the meeting, via the website, or by mail.  We need you!

When you renew, we'd appreciate it if you could please take a moment to update your personal information, such as telephone number and address.

Please join us at the next meeting July 12th at Florio's Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610)

Please attend our March meeting, where we’ll be tasting two Solani tobaccos, courtesy of our friend Steve Monjure of Monjure International. Blend 633 – A classic flake with bright Virginias and perique. This cool, slow burning blend has a natural sweetness and a wonderful room aroma. Solani Aged Burley Flake – Blend 656- A skillful mixture of three aged Burley’s – dark brown Burley from Kentucky, light Burley from Brazil, and white Burley from Malawi – Southeast Africa. A very natural blend with absolutely no additives or flavors – a true Burley blend.

Our own club celebration of International Pipe Smoking Day was held on February 19th at De La Concha. Pictures are in the Photos section, thanks to Patrick. There are also shots from our February meeting, so please check them out.

Of course, coming right up is the next New York Pipe Show, the 18th (or is it 19th?) Annual Pipe Convention, set for March 12, 2011 in Newark, NJ. Read all about it in our News section, and the Calendar even has a map to the location. We’re very fortunate to have two pipe shows in our area annually, so please come out to the show. See you there!

Please join us at the next meeting, March 8th, at Florio’s Restaurant, 192 Grand Street, Manhattan (212-226-7610). Further details and a map to the location are available on the club website.