April 2005

Club Info & Events

Just Like the Old Days
That's exactly how it felt at last month's meeting, and it's meetings like this that make being part of the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club what it's all about. We had an outstanding turnout and I'd like to thank all of the members that came and made it a worthwhile venture for Steve Johnson and Ernie Quintiliani. In addition to a great turnout, we had 4 new faces at the meeting, something we haven't seen in quite a while. We even managed to land three of them as new members and the fourth one's almost in the boat. On behalf of the entire club I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Joe Miller, Tony Schermer and Ken Collins. We're happy to have you aboard and look forward to seeing you at our monthly meetings.

A nice turnout alone makes for a great meeting but it get's even better. Steve Johnson filled two tables with a beautiful selection of Don Carlos and Comoy pipes that ranged in price from $100 to $3800 (I bought two of those), and as usual we were pouring over them before he could get them all out on the table. It was like "old home week". A six pack of Endurance Ale which I have dubbed as the official beer of the Sherlock Homes Pipe Club was provided by me and complimented nicely by a six pack of Sam Adams Dark Ale which was provided by Greg Manero. Thanks Greg!

But we're not done yet. I popped open 2 tins of the Smoker's Haven tobacco that was so graciously donated to us by Premal Cheda at the NY Show this past March. And to top it off, Ernie from Watch City brought a little something for the cigar guys and broke open a box of Romeo Y Julietta Aniversario Churchills for all to try. At this point we commenced to filling the room with an assortment of aromas.

To round out the meeting we opened the floor up to Steve Johnson who shared with us his knowledge of the pipe making industry and answered numerous questions which included information on the harvesting of briar and it's future, which unfortunately didn't sound all that promising. He also added a twist to the brand vs. briar issue with his opinion that one of the biggest factors in the smoking quality of a pipe has to do with the pipe's finish and believes that naked pipes (no finish at all) are some of the best smokers you can find.
I also had the opportunity to Steve's account of a day in the life of Italian pipemaker Don Carlos and his wife's integral part of the pipe making process... but that's a tale for another day.

So life is good, spring is in the air and the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club definitely seems to be blooming once again.

Tobacco Samplings at the May Meeting
As promised, round two of the Smokers Haven blends donated by Premal Cheda. This month we'll be sampling their "20th Anniversary Mixture" and the "Select Mixture".

Bjarne Nielsen back in town at the Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe - Saturday May 7th, 2005
I received and email from Scotty Bendett from the Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe in Albany, NY (aka pipesandcigars.com) to inform me that Bjarne Nielsen will be having another pipe show this year. Those of you who took the ride up there last year know what a great time it was. Scott's shop is one of the best I've seen and is loaded top to bottom with pipes, tobacco and accessories. Not to mention the huge walk in humidor and the spacious smoking room upstairs.
Bjarne was great to talk with and brings a ton of pipes in all price ranges. The ride up to Albany is only about 2.5 hrs and worth the trip. I highly recommend getting a group together to show our support.
If you'd like to read an account of last year's trip with tons of pictures, click here.

Occasionally I'm looking for a news item to help fill out this newsletter. So if you have some interesting
pipe, tobacco or smoking related news, or would like to share your knowledge on a particular
pipes and tobacco related subject, please send it along and maybe I'll use it. (Preferably by e-mail).