Monday, August 18, 2014

Family Reserve Julius Blend

 

Family Reserve - Julius

Classic Pipe Shop
Going along with my last page's theme of blending my own pipe tobacco, I have come a long way in my blending.  I've found a few blends that really work and some tobaccos that are pretty amazing to work with.
I've experimented with quite a few different blends and tweaked them as I've moved along.  I worked in small batches (roughly 1.5 ounces or smaller) to really get a good idea of how different amounts of blending tobacco impact a blend.

As Hill Farmstead brews their lineage line, I felt it was a great idea to blend some of my favorite tobaccos and name them for some of my ancestors.  I have a personal draw to all things Balkan and have created a line of 3 distinct English / Balkan-esque tobaccos. 

The blends are as follows:

Julius - (named after my Grandfather on my Dad's side)  Never got the opportunity to meet him as he passed before I was born.  I've heard wonderful stories from my father regarding him and that's why I chose him for my first and most ambiguous task - a recreation of the storied Balkan Sobranie.  I based my take on it from a tin of Balkan Sobranie from 1972-1974 that I have in my collection that I break out from time to time.  It has the complexity and softness of the tobacco from years ago.  In the blend I've used Syrian Latakia as well as some vintage leaf in my collection.  Has a strong pouch aroma as you would expect but after aging for several months the tobacco is married together so that its contents are harmonious and not overpowering. 

Mark - (named after my father)  A straight-up English from an old recipe from the 30s and 40s which represents a key time-period in pipe smoking in America - possibly the peak period.  I've blended copious amounts of Virginias with some of my favorite Orientals and just a small amount of Latakia.  Luxurious blending tobacco lends to an excellent smoking experience.  One of my Father's favorite blends I've created.  Smokes tangy and sweet with a touch of smokiness from the Latakia.

Wade - (named after my Mother's Father) An American Classic and so was my Grandfather.  Spent most of his life repairing cars and restoring American Classic automobiles.  This is my take (with a twist of course) of some of the Original Burley / Latakia blends.  This mixture has a touch of Perique but contains a lot of 1970s Cube cut Burley I found.


These blends will be an extremely limited production as the rare leaf is not readily available.  The Burley from the 70's and the Syrian Latakia are all but gone.  These blends will remain in my collection sealed away in air-tight containers until the last bowl has been smoked.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Blending My Own Pipe Tobacco

Blending My Own Pipe Tobacco

Trial and Error - Surprising Finds

Recently I have tried my hand and recreating some of the world's classic pipe tobacco blends as well as attempting to replicate some old Classic Pipe Shop blends of years-gone-by.
I've spent some time chatting with local blenders and gathered numerous types of leaf to blend in small batches to try a couple bowls before mixing 6-8 ounces of the blend.  My goal is to blend roughly three bowls of each concoction.  This will allow me to smoke a bowl a few days apart to see how it marries in flavor and tin notes.
For the 'tin' I am using a wide mouth Ball-style screw lid jar.  I find it keeps the tobaccos in great shape over time and rarely, if ever, loses any moisture.
Initially my goal was to replicate the highly-sought-after Balkan Sobranie tobacco of years gone by.  I have a tin of it (now jarred to keep fresh) from the early 70's that I break out from time-to-time to enjoy and keep me focused on my task at hand.  I can tell you it is not an easy task, and is rather difficult based on 40 years of aging.  With that much age (even a few years softens and / or brings out certain aromas in the tin) you have to guess at times what tobaccos you think are in there and how the tobaccos you use will age to help mirror the tin note and smoking characteristics of the tobacco.
I've been fortunate in my search for Syrian Latakia - a main component of the original Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture.  I have enough to run tests for about 20 batches if necessary.  The ability to find much Syrian Latakia in bulk is highly unlikely and rather frustrating.
I've found it takes several types of Virginias and Turkish to gain the proper complexity and smoking characteristics I've been looking.  Fortunately I feel confident I am getting to a blend I feel comfortably meets my memory (past and current) of this wonderful smoking mixture.  Is it perfect?  No.  I feel it's a bit of a moving target as well so I will continue with my minor tweaks until I am satisfied then I will keep myself with enough inventory to age and keep notes while I enjoy the blend into the future.
What's Old is New Again
I've also found some old recipes for tobacco blends and have adjusted some of these recipes to bring a modern twist to them.  I have made a few blends to work alongside my father's books he's written - American Mystery novels with a cool pulp-vibe to them. 
These blends are mostly Burley-based (since they're American Mysteries) with whispers of Virginias and some exotic spices added. 
These old recipes are from the 40s and reflect what was popular at the time and also included some mild English blends that I have also adjusted to give them a more FULL and complex touch.
In future posts I'll go into more detail about successes and frustrations of blending pipe tobacco.  In general I find it relaxing, enjoyable and fulfilling to get into this hobby. 
I'll include my father's reviews of the tobaccos as well.  We'll start with one of the blends made with the name of his 3rd book - Buzzard Rock.
No. 3 - Buzzard Rock - 
Blender Description:  American Burley from the 1970s as a base with sweet Virginia and a blend of Turkish - Contemplative

DATE: 3 May 2014
REVIEWED BY: M. Hross
RATING: 4 Stars (out of 5)
STRENGTH: Mild
FLAVORING: Not Noted
TASTE: Medium
AROMA IN POUCH: Pleasant and Nutty
ROOM NOTE: Pleasant
NOTES: Packed easily; neither wet nor dry; burned well all the way down; gray dottle; minor bite toward the bottom when forced; extremely mild when first lit; looking forward to another visit
More blends and reviews to come as the week progresses.  I am working on compiling information on the Jost Pipe Shop for my next shop review / installment.  I look forward to your feedback!




Thursday, April 24, 2014

The John Bessai Pipe Clinic - Information Page


My Bessai Special - Canadian circa 1960s

The John Bessai Pipe Clinic

1909-1993

35 Colonial Arcade

Cleveland, OH 44115


History of John Bessai (thanks to jguss from pipesmagazine forum)

John J. Bessai was born on June 7, 1882 in Radautz, a town in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it now has a different name and is part of Romania); he died in Ohio on January 7, 1950. His parents were Peter Bessai and Eudokia Scobai. I believe he came to the U.S. about 1908, and was naturalized in 1915. Here he met his wife, Anna Mildner Lohses Truthan, born about 1876 in Bavaria to parents Julius Lohse and Anna Mildner; she died in Ohio on September 15, 1967. Anna arrived in America about 1886, was naturalized in 1893, and married her first husband, Edwin Truthan, in Ohio on February 18, 1896. They had one son, also named Edwin, before Anna’s husband passed away. She and John Bessai married on October 16, 1912, and shortly thereafter had two children together: a daughter named Irene, and a son named Herbert John (born August 8, 1916); as you know it was Herbert who inherited the shop after John passed away.

Records show John listed as a pipe repairer almost from the moment he arrived in Cleveland, strongly suggesting that he had prior training in the old country. The first listed address, in the 1908 city directory, is 48 Public Square. This is interesting because located at that address was a cigar wholesale/retail business, and “pipe hospital”. It was owned by a man named Max Feder, who along with his brothers had been involved in the tobacco business in Cleveland since the mid-1880s. Just a few years later, in January of 1912, advertisements appeared in local papers for John’s pipe hospital, listing it as “suc. To Max Feder”. The clear inference is that John bought that aspect of Feder’s business sometime in late 1911. At the time of the acquisition the pipe hospital was located at 2063 4th street; a few months later, on March 15, 1912, it moved to 2111 E. 2nd. Within two years, by 1914, Bessai had gone into business with two brothers named Samuel and Morris Siegel; this relationship lasted for about seven years, first at 718 Superior (in 1914), and then at 202 Prospect (from 1915 through the summer of 1921). The Siegel brothers shops were famous in Cleveland for decades as a source of fine tobaccos and pipes. But by the fall of 1921 John had decided to go his own way, and is listed independently at the 47 Euclid address. Here he remained for the rest of his life. A little more than a year after he died, however, his son Herbert moved the shop to 13 Euclid Arcade in the spring of 1951. There it stayed for about seven years, before being moved one last time to 35 Colonial Arcade in about 1957/58. There the business stayed for the remainder of Herbert’s ownership, and for some years beyond.


Owner(s)

**John Bessai ~1909 until his passing in 1950 (UPDATED 3/30/15)

**Herb Bessai 1949-1979 (UPDATED 8/16/14)

**Bernie Milota 1979-1983/1984 (UPDATED 8/16/14)

**Daniel Gottschall 1983/1984-~1993

**Purchased by Danny Kolod in 1985 and changed the name to Old Erie Smoke Shop at this point (owner of Dad's Smoke Shop / Cousin's Smoke Shop) (info courtesy of Crain's Cleveland Business May 24, 1999 article titles 'Cousin's Tobacco Road Leading to the Galleria'. (UPDATED 1/25/16)



Cousin's Cigars purchased the remaining stock of Bessai pipes near after Herb Bessai passed away in 2002.


Years of Operation: 1909 - 1979 (family owned and operated until sold to Bernie Milota with Herb Bessai remaining for bench-work).  After 1983 the business was sold to Daniel Gottschall who then sold to Cousin's Cigar (Euclid Ave) around 1993.  The name was changed to "Old Erie Tobacco Company".  They were forced to move to the Galleria when all the tenants of the Old Arcade were cleared out to make room for renovations.  Their new address was The Galleria at Erieview, 1301 East 9th Street in Cleveland.

After this move the location wasn't as busy as they had hoped and Cousin's moved all the Old Erie Tobacco assets to their Euclid Avenue Store. The store has since moved to a St. Clair location after Cleveland State forced them out due to anti-smoking regulations on campus.  Their St. Clair location offers many of John Bessai Pipe Clinic's old tobacco blends. 

Their new store opened in the Merriman Valley area in Akron, Ohio where the store manager John Coleman oversees the day to day operations.  John was instrumental in helping me piece together a lot of loose ends during Bessai Pipe Clinic's transition years.

My father visited their shop several times in the early 60s as he attended Fenn College (now Cleveland State University) as an undergrad before moving on to Ohio State University for his Masters.  He's way smarter than I am so I just go with the flow...

He mentioned meeting Herb at that time who quickly gave my father some pointers on smoking a pipe and how to take samples from the shops expansive sample jar collection.  His pipes were on display in the shop although I don't believe he had a lot of pipes on display at any given time due to production in-shop.

John's son Herb took over the shop in 1949 after he graduated from  Fenn College (now Cleveland State University) as he is listed as having played Baseketball for CSU.  Herb was also a helpful, informative and friendly individual.  Articles exist from the Herald in 1962 where they interviewed Herb (with photograph) about the state of smoking in the new age of the early 60s.  I visited the shop in the late 70s / early 80s with my father during a trip to Cleveland and couldn't tell you much about the shop other than the guy working was very friendly.  Back then it wasn't unusual to be a kid and walk into a smoke shop with your father.  Clearly I didn't purchase anything but my father probably picked up some tobacco but I remember him looking at pipes displayed on a back wall.  The shop was small but impressive.

If anyone has any pictures of the shop or old catalogs, I would love any additional information as it's tough to come by 30+ years later!




Tobacco Line offered by John Bessai Pipe Clinic (from the flier provided by Cousin's Cigars circa 1994):

#1000 - Virginias
This is sweet, exceptionally soft, fully-rubbed matured Virginia, aged to provide a medium-bodied smoke that is smoother than any other Virginia.

#1001 - English
Sweet, yet full-bodied and cool.  An English tobacco tempered with aromatic roasted Cavendish.  The perfect "Step-Up" blend.

#1002 - English
Virginia, Latakia, Samsoun and English Cavendish are combined to create a robust natural English tobacco with a pleasant aroma.

#1004 - English (no longer available - produced by Lane w/ Syrian Latakia)
Herb Bessai developed the formula for this superior English mixture while working with Herman Lane more than thirty years ago.  The best-seller among our Orientals.

#1020 Virginia
Here is a good tasting, sweet smelling Virginia.  This soft cake smokes dryer and cooler than any aromatic, but with a natural tobacco taste.

#1030 Virginian
Pressure, aging and light stoving transforms this tobacco into a beautifully dark, pungent cake.  It is sweet and rich, but not heavy.

#1200 - English
A Classic medium Balkan mixture prepared from stoved Eastern and Middle Belt Strip, Cyprian Latakia, Lemon Carolina and the finest Oriental tobaccos.

#1600 - English
Latakia lovers will fall in love with this rich and exotic mixture.  With just a touch of Virginias and Orientals for a satisfying smoke.


There are other aromatic tobaccos listed (roughly 20) but I am unclear if these were offered by the John Bessai Pipe Clinic and will leave them off the list until this is confirmed.

Pipes offered by John Bessai Pipe Clinic:

Most of the pipes were fairly standard in shape that were offered by the John Bessai Pipe Clinic.  You can see the picture of the rather long Canadian at the top of this post that I recently purchased off e-bay.  I would say most of the pipes Bessai offered were smooth pipes.  My assessment would be 90% smooth and 10% rusticated / sandblasted.  The Canadian pipe above is clearly sandblasted but I have seen others that appear to be hand rusticated one way or another.

John crafted pipes in the back room and finished them while the store wasn't busy.  Some of his pipes from the late 1960s through the 1980s (John passed away in 1950) I feel were left over stock from previous turnings and sometimes showed fills or sand pits. In advertisements in the newspaper of the late 60s the Bessai Pipe Clinic offered "hand finished" Bessai pipes, all but confirming the previous statement.  Some of these pipes even carry Herb's markings (see below).  These pipes still smoke very well but are not as eye-appealing as other earlier pipes from the store's career.

Stampings and rough dating of John Bessai Pipe Clinic Pipes:

Which pipes did John make and which ones did Herb make/finish? 

All Bessai pipes carry his standard large JB stamp either on the stem or shank or both.  Typically the JB on the stem is within a circle.

All pipes created by John Bessai's hands reportedly contain the miniscule 'jb' stamp on the shank or body of the pipe.  I have older pipes in my possession that do not contain this stamp (condenser, old stamps, etc) that were clearly shop made pipes.  I feel he started using the tiny 'jb' stamp in the 40s.  It is possible that hand-made pipes by Herb (starting in 1949) also used this small 'jb' stamp.  All pipes in my possession carrying this small stamp appear to be actual hand made pipes with hand made vulcanite stems.

An interesting note about John Bessai's stems - they always clean very nicely and aren't prone to as much oxidation (that brownish / green color)as most dunhill and Charatan pipes tend to oxidize.  His cuts to his stems were very impressive and often transitioned from diamond shaped shanks almost architecturally.  Very comfortable to smoke.  Most of his hand-made stems show excellent button cutting and the holes at the button end of the stem are always cut a bit larger than most from that time period which eases in the cleaning of the stem.

Pictures of stem stamps:


Picture of shank stamps:

Standard logo shank stamp - same as some stem stamps


Double stamped Bessai over Special tiny jb - sandblasted

One of my favorites - Bessai / Special / X / jb
The Specials and Special X pipes were his larger more impressive and unique briar pipes.

John Bessai over Bullseye - older stamp

John Bessai over tiny jb over Bullseye

John Bessai - some ghosting on the stamp probably 1960s/ early 1970s

Another standard JB but this one was an older pipe with a condenser in the tenon.

CLEVELAND, O. over U.S.A. - 1940s/1950s estimate

HB / JB - Herb Bessai Stamping late 60s/early 70s

Most of the Bessai Pipes show IMPORTED BRIAR in one font or another.

J. BESSAI - yet another variant - would guess 1970s vintage.

BESSAI over tiny jb - would guess late 50s.

JOHN BESSAI over Bullseye (2nd sample as above)

Tiny jb over IMPORTED BRIAR on left side of shank

Reverse side of shank stamp above JB.

Here's a JOHN BESSAI with a tiny jb stamp on the stem.  Would estimate this to be an old stamp from the 40s from the bowl patina.

This one's tough to see as the shank was scratched.  JOHN BESSAI over SPECIAL over tiny jb.  Encircled stem stamp - would guess 1950s.

Very simple tiny jb with large JB encircled on stem.

JOHN BESSAI over tiny jb - JB not circled on stem.

Simple tiny jb on shank and no markings on stem.



John Bessai Special Pipes:

As pictured above I have a couple Bessai Special pipes.  These stand out either by large size, graining or possibly shape.  Most Specials are unique pipes and are rare to find in comparison to his regular issue pipes.

According to Herb Bessai in an interview from 1971, these SPECIAL pipes were unique and highly regarded blocks of briar that cost him around $35 per block to purchase.  These pipes STARTED at $75 and went up to $250 according to the article.  I'm sure they weren't this expensive in the 40s, 50s and into the 60s but BESSAI SPECIAL pipes are considered unique HAND CREATED individual pipes.

John Bessai Special X pipes:

I only have one of these and it's a beauty.  This one is a larger bowl (around a group 4 dunhill) with deep colored grain and a hefty substantial shank.  Special X pipes are probably the rarest of John Bessai pipes and should be sought out if possible.  I've smoked mine roughly 4 or 5 times and it performs with the best of my pipes.
My Bessai Special X Straight Bulldog with Saddle Bit - stamped BESSAI over SPECIAL over X over tiny jb - would estimate from the late 40s to the late 50s.


Herb Bessai Pipes:

Unfortunately none of these pipes that I've seen have astounded me with grain or general appearance.  Having said this, these pipes smoke nicely and are a great value if you can find them.  I have one that my father found at an Antique Show in the South.  There's another author shape on reborn pipe's blog that someone refinished because of the amount of fills in the pipe.  He also states it's a wonderful smoker.  These pipes are likely from the late 60s through the early 70s.  I believe many pipes after this period were created en masse at a factory in the US.  It is unclear what stamp was used on these later pipes.
My one and only Herb Bessai pipe.  Author shape with saddle bit.  Small conical bowl interior.



Dating / Circa era Bessai Pipes:

If the pipe carries a stamp stating Cleveland, O U.S.A. it's considered an older production pipe (pre 1960s, likely pre-WWII).  I've not seen any newer pipes with that stamp.

Bullseye stamping usually indicates an earlier pipe as that stamp seems to have been abandoned pre 1950 as well.

Most of the earlier Bessai pipes have an unusual 'stinger' or condenser at the end of the tenon which is unique to Bessai pipes.  They are either a hard plastic or created out of wood.  They are typically easy to remove and could have been easily lost if misplaced.  These pipes I would consider pre-1960 and possibly 1940s-early 1950s production based on their stamps and patina of the pipes.
A wooden / briar? condenser

Another condenser, possibly plastic

Another condenser likely a hard plastic - all these pipes have older style stamps (note from comment below from reborn pipes - possibly a bakelite composite?)


Exceptions to the rule - Always, right?

As always, there seems to be the unusual oddity that surfaces that makes you scratch your head...

Here's an example that the author was not high-bidder for on e-bay:



It's tough to see but the pipe is stamped "JOHN BESSAI PIPE CLINIC" partially obscured by the gold band.  The JB stamp on the stem is also different from previous offerings.  To boot, the pipe is stamped "MADE IN LONDON ENGLAND" with a shape stamp 4*9 (* is a soft stamped number unreadable).  This pipe is likely a Comoy product as they made house pipes for a lot of old American pipe shops.  Appears to have fills on the bottom of the shank.  Pipe was listed as a 1950s era pipe but I would guess it's from the 40s.  Gold band seems to be an aftermarket addition although it is hallmarked and in need of repair.

1970s 1980s and beyond:

My feeling on these pipes is that they purchased nearly finished pipes from a large manufacturer and stamped them with the John Bessai  or Bessai stamp (on shank and/or stem).  Most of these shapes are standard among many stores from that period and offer less than spectacular grain (and sometimes fills).  Stamps on these pipes are probably fairly plain and don't have the tiny 'jb' stamp on the shank indicating it was produced by John Bessai (or early Herb).

My Bessai / Hross project

After receiving a couple new production Bessai pipes via auction, there were a couple that had rather extensive putty fills in the bowl.  After toying with my technique and finding what works best for me, I set out to rusticate the pipes that were not up to the Bessai standard apprearance:

1)  A huge Canadian that had some deep gouging sort of finish (similar to the GBD Sauvage finish).
2)  A straight bulldog with numerous fills
3)  A Dublin that had so many fills it looked like morse-code.

I have taken a picture of them below with their black Bessai-issued Sandblast pipe.  I must say I am proud of their finished look and feel this has given me a more direct link to Bessai and his craft.




If you have any questions or comments or have more information or corrections to my posting, please do not hesitate to get this to me.


UPDATED Bessai Pipes in my collection:

One of my favorite shapes / the chubby bend Rhodesian.  Stamped John Bessai.  JB on the stem.  No other stampings.  Perfect balance and shape.  I have smoke this quite a bit since refurbishing the pipe.  

Before and after pictures of the John Bessai chubby / saddle bit bent rhodesian:


Before (as received)

Inside of chamber as received


Aftermarket spring type wind-cap.

After / wind cap and chamber cleaned / cleared.


After refurb.  Have since bent the stem a bit more for comfort.








 




Monday, April 21, 2014

An Introduction of Sorts


Classic Pipe Shops - and introduction

Intro:

It's been a couple years in the making but I've wanted to publish a website dedicated to the classic pipe shops of America.  Back in the 1980s and before thrived some pretty great little shops that made their own pipes and created their own recipes for their pipe tobacco blends.

First Pipe Shop to be Reviewed:

I'm going to start off with a shop very near and dear to my heart (and pipe), the John Bessai Pipe Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.  There are many myths and misinformation about his shop so I hope to clear some things up.  Keep in mind - with all these old shops - a lot of information is passed down from friends-to-friends and family-to-family.  That also keeps a little mystery and mystique involved in these dwindling destinations.

Jost's pipe shop will be next on my list of classic pipe shops.  A fantastic little place in St. Louis that made their own pipes and had their own blends of tobacco.

A Little About Pipes and Me:

The pipe pictured above and the tobacco are a collaboration between Ernie Q at Watch City Cigars, Framingham, MA and myself.  The pipe is one of their house brand Watch City pipes that I rusticated and refinished.  It is unsmoked but not for long!  The Krumble Kake you see in the foreground is a creation of mine called Fatty Lumkin Krumble Kake.  I've been toying with the 'art of blending' based on some of the old blends at the classic pipe shops around America.  I have no recipes I'm working from older samples in my cellar and even some thoughts and ideas of what these tobaccos were like.

I was fortunate enough to land some great vintage tobacco from the 70s including an unopened tin of John Bessai Pipe Clinic Three Generations Blend #1004 - a rich and hearty Balkan Blend with noticeable Syrian Latakia throughout!  In that same batch was a full tin of Balkan Sobranie Virginia No. 10 and an 80% full tin of Balkan Sobranie White - all from the early 70s.  Throw in an older tin of Savory's Baby's Bottom and Iwan Reis - British Full Flake and British Full (ready rubbed) and I was off to the races.  It really interested me in blending my own creations using the best quality leaf I could find.

I've been smoking pipes nearly 25 years and have enjoyed chatting with my brothers of the briar on the rare occasion I get out in the cyber-social world.  I've been to the Chicago Pipe Show a couple times when I lived out that way and got to meet some great people and smoke some great tobacco.