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.