Saturday at the Hut - 11/14/09

My humble apologies to my faithful readers for the prolonged absence of late. It was my intention to write this blog on a regular basis, at least weekly, but sometimes life gets in the way. Nothing so dramatic as the adventures of last summer; just busy with work and family.

I was AWOL last week from The Tobacco Hut as I was having cataract surgery that Monday and the doctor advised that I not smoke for a few days before or after the procedure. So it was with relish today that I arrived and loaded up an Ascorti Pepino with my favorite tobacco, Tinder Box Reserve 1928.

The tobacco didn't disappoint, but the attendance of the regulars did. Where was everyone? No Joe K, Peter G, Paul V, Sue Ann, Tom L, Ed, Scott, Steve, Barry, etc. Wait, wait - who's that but Barry crossing the threshold! Turns out Barry's hours have changed so he's not able to visit with the same frequency as before, but here he is - the man, the myth - sitting down and enjoying a cigar with Lou and me.

Barry was wondering where Peter was, but decided that he could sense Barry's presence and didn't want to have to eat crow because of the recent Yankees World Series win. Any truth to that Peter? :-)

Speaking of a regular, or irregular as the case may be, I received a lovely note from Mike G in Tennessee yesterday remarking about the blog's absence: "Hey where is your blog? You get me started reading it, then you stop writing it. Maybe you should stick to selling crack. I hope you are doing alright. MIKE." Not to worry, Mike, all is well in the blogosphere.

Lou related a funny story that happened to him a week or so ago when he was closing the store for the night. He locked up and was heading to his truck when he realized that the neon "Open" sign was still on. Thinking that he still had time to re-enter the store and turn off the alarm, he went back in punched in the alarm code. But it didn't shut off; it was still beeping. He tried again, and again, to no avail. Then all hell broke loose. The very audible alarm was now sounding when he realized what he had done - he was punching in the alarm code on the telephone keypad (the phone is mounted next to the alarm). Oh Lou...

Since I just embarrassed Lou a little, I have to tell one on me now. A couple weeks ago at the Hut, I tried out a little mind reading experiment with Joe and Lou. I wrote down a prediction and folded it up, then had Joe deal out ten playing cards after some shuffling and then triumphantly opened the piece of paper to show how the order of the cards matched my prediction - and, in fact, the prediction was completely wrong. I'm glad I didn't have a larger audience for my magical debut at the Hut, but I am proud to say that I successfully entertained Peter the next week with some legerdemain.

For a modern twist on an old classic, check out this Online Mind Reader. (Click on the little speaker in the lower left portion to turn the music off). Prepare to be amazed!

Before I forget, Lou is having a Rocky Patel tasting on Saturday, Dec. 12th, from 12-4pm. Spread the word and help make it a big success!

That's all for now. Until next week...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/19/09

Today's headline at The Tobacco Hut: "The Pot Calls the Kettle Black". Let me explain. Joe K was talking with Lou and I about a new suit that he had purchased last week. The three of us were having a nice conversation about how Joe was inspired by Lou to accessorize his suit with a pair of suspenders. Lou often wears them and Joe thought a pair for his new suit would look spiffy as well. I then got to musing that maybe I should wear a bowtie instead of the traditional necktie. Joe said that I had the right "look" for a bowtie and that it might look nice. Lou then said abruptly, "Yeah, bowties look good on fat people!".

So, it would seem that we've moved from "Grumpy Lou Day" (see last week's post) to "Abusive Lou Day." Not that that's a particularly special day by any means mind you, but the zeal with which Lou insulted me kind of caught me off guard. As an aside, I like to think of myself as "chunky" or "husky", thank you.

And to the "pot calling the kettle black" point, don't worry Lou, I think you would look good in a bowtie as well! Any bets as to when I'll receive an apology from Lou?

Well, once we got that little unpleasantness out of the way, the day progressed nicely. Jim C arrived and told us a little about the renewing of the vows between Lou and Dotty that he officiated over a few weeks ago. Apparently Lou isn't as gruff as he likes to pretend, but I won't go into details here.

Peter came in and he and Jim discussed some of the finer points of Biblical history and theology. Quite an interesting conversation, even for me.

Steve B arrived with his friend Brian and we began kicking around ideas to help Steve market his landscaping business online. We talked about search engine optimization, starting a blog, Google AdWords and other ideas. A lot to think about, eh Steve? I'll send you some links that I think you might find helpful.

Today I smoked a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in a Viking Crown Winslow freehand. It's got a very nice room note and a great, smooth taste. Poul Winslow does a nice job with his entry level pipe series. I have a few that I've bought from Lou and all look and smoke terrific.

Before I sign off, I found a great collection of old pipe and tobacco magazine ads online. I'll be posting them from time to time. This one is from 1932 for Granger pipe tobacco - click on it for a larger view. We won't find ads like this anymore. Just the fact that tobacco advertising was allowed plus the ad depicted smoking around a child. I'm really into vintage advertising anyway, so this appeals to me in several ways. Enjoy!

Until next week...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/12/09

This was my first visit to The Tobacco Hut in a couple weeks. My son Ryan was visiting from Ohio, and try as I might I just can't get him to take up pipe smoking. The photo of Ryan with a pipe was him goofing around while getting his senior pictures taken last year. Ryan is headed off to Ohio State in a week, my alma mater. He's kind of excited and nervous at the same time, but he'll do fine I'm sure.

Joe K and I arrived at the Hut at roughly the same time on Saturday and - Wow! - were we in for a treat. It was "Grumpy Lou Day" at The Tobacco Hut. Well, more so than usual. He did show us pictures from the store's anniversary party as well as when he and Dotty renewed their vows a couple weeks ago and that seemed to cheer him up slightly. But it was short lived.

Joe commented on how his Padron 1964 wasn't smoking well and Lou about bit his head off. I was about to ask if we could adjust the air conditioning by a degree or so, but thought better of it.

Joe's son James called on Joe's cell phone and as soon as Lou knew it was James he grabbed the phone and let fly with a burst of obscenities that would make a longshoreman blush. Then he simply handed the phone back to Joe. Of course, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I didn't speak to James, but he said he was sorry he couldn't be there in person to see me and rub it in that he had two kidneys versus my one. Ouch!

I bet Lou was even grumpier after Ohio State's loss to USC Saturday night. You know, to be fair, Lou did say he wasn't feeling the greatest, but it's more fun to not cut him any slack and just call it "Grumpy Lou Day".

Peter timed his arrival perfectly as Joe was just leaving, but soon afterward Steve and Barry arrived. Barry just happened to be wearing a football jersey that sported the USC colors, in sharp contrast to Lou's OSU shirt. Congrats to Barry for surviving the round of layoffs at the county and it sounds like Steve has a solid marketing plan in place for his growing landscaping business.

Speaking of business [shameless commerce plug alert], my online t-shirt business, The Erudite Outlet, had its best day over the weekend! In one day, I sold over $200 worth of t-shirts and other merchandise.

And on another business note [shameless commerce plug alert], Paula has begun to ramp up her jewelry making for the holidays. The latest creations coming out of HeartStone Jewelry can be seen at her shop on 1000Markets.

At the Hut I smoked a bowl of Frog Morton in my Ascorti Canadian. Another pipe smoker came into the store and we had a brief chat. Always nice to see another pipe smoker as we seem to be a dying breed.

I did watch a movie Saturday night that featured two - count 'em - two pipe smokers. I had recorded Manhandled (1949) from TCM a couple weeks ago, starring one of my favorite actors, Sterling Hayden. In the film, two police detectives are questioning a suspect and both are smoking pipes. Pretty rare to see pipe smokers in movies these days.

Until next week...

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/22/09

Compared to last week, this Saturday at The Tobacco Hut was pretty tame. Joe K did present Lou with a bill for $140 as a result of having his car detailed. This came, of course, because Lou let Joe sit in a chair that had been crapped in earlier in the day the week before. Lou ignored the bill and Joe said that that was okay, he probably had lifted more than $140 in cigars the last time he worked at the shop.

At one point a middle-aged couple walked in and while Lou was ringing up the husband's purchases, the wife walked in front of the TV to look at the Zippo lighters. At that moment, Joe was watching the golf game on TV and exclaimed, "Nice putt!" after witnessing a long putt. The woman, not realizing there was a golf game on TV, heard "Nice butt!" and whirled around to look at Joe, who immediately recognized what had happened, turned a little red and explained. All three of us laughed about it as she and her husband left the store and we told Lou what happened. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I think it's been awhile since the woman has heard anyone say "nice butt" to her, so I'm sure she was more flattered than insulted anyway.

Peter arrived, then Barry, and I'm surprised that nary a mention was made of the Yankees beating up on the Red Sox the day before 20-11. Maybe the rivalry between the two teams isn't that important after all.

Barry began to re-tell a story he told to Peter, Lou, and I the week before for the benefit of Joe who wasn't there at the time. Halfway through the story, just as he's building up to the climax, Lou launches into his own story - seemingly unaware that Barry is talking. An awkward moment follows when I point out the obvious to Lou, that - in fact - perhaps we should wait to hear Lou's story when Barry is done with his. Lou pouts a little but acquiesces. Barry does offer to cut his story short, noting that it is Lou's name on the door and ownership of the shop trumps all. Lou reluctantly tells Barry to go ahead with his tale. When Barry is done and we've all had a good laugh over it, Joe asks Lou for the story he was going to tell. Lou tells it, and when he's done, Barry looks at him and says, "Yeah, that was worth the wait." I almost blew the tobacco out of my pipe.

Peter and Barry began discussing the finer points of baseball shortly after Joe left and I helped guide a new customer with a pipe purchase. He's new to pipes - my favorite kind of customer - and Lou and I got him into a nice Peterson, along with some of Lou's premium blended tobaccos.

Steve B arrived and I think Joe left too early for Steve had a number of good computer questions, mainly having to do with workflow, the benefits of an aircard for his laptop, networking, etc. I also did a little proselytizing for Mac. Not sure if it's the solution that makes total sense for Steve, given the existing hardware he already has, but whenever I can spread the Mac gospel...

I enjoyed a Ben Wade pipe that I had gotten from Lou a couple months ago. My bowl of Frog Morton tasted especially nice. I have two Ben Wades and both are solid little pipes, consistently offering a nice smoke.

I won't be around for the next two weeks as my son is visiting from up north before he makes the big leap and heads off to college, but will resume my visits and reporting after that.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/15/09

Today turned out to be a pretty crappy day at The Tobacco Hut. Not in the metaphorical sense, but in the very real sense of the word. Allow me to explain.

When I arrived, Jim C and Joe K were already there, Jim seated to Lou's right in the matching chair that Lou sits in. Joe was to Lou's left in one of the white vinyl chairs. I took a seat in the remaining vinyl chair near the refrigerator.

I lit my pipe, and the other three were all enjoying their cigars, all settling in for a nice afternoon. After a bit Lou relays what happened earlier in the morning when a poor, unfortunate homeless man had walked into the store. Lou has seen him around and he's always been friendly enough. Knowing that money for cigarettes is hard to come by for the man, Lou offers him a pack of cigarettes he had been given as a sample by one of his vendors, and a cup of coffee.

The man sits down in the chair where Joe is now sitting, smokes his cigarette and drinks his coffee. Only after the man leaves does Lou realize that the man shat himself, leaving a sizable brown stain on the chair. Lou looks at Joe who is slowly rising out of his chair, and he reassures him that he cleaned the chair thoroughly.

Well, an hour or so later Joe gets up to pay for his cigar and Jim and I notice that the front of the chair has a distinctive brown stain running down it almost to the floor. I call to Lou that he didn't do as thorough a job cleaning the chair as he thought and that Joe better check the back of his legs.

All hell breaks loose at this point as Joe is jumping around, thoroughly grossed out and Lou is chasing him with a bottle of Windex to clean him up and clean the chair at the same time. Joe goes so far as standing at the front door and partially removing his shorts, saying he can't wear his pants anymore (thankfully he put them back on, but please note that Joe wears blue jockeys).

Joe attempts to sit on Jim's lap, but Jim is successful in pushing him off, and Joe tries to shake everyone's hand as he's leaving, but no one will touch him at this point. He finally leaves, heading home to bathe and do a load of laundry no doubt.

A short while later Barry C arrives. Jim and I both encourage Barry to have a seat (in the chair) so we can tell him a story. He sits down and gets his cigar lit and we proceed to tell him the story. He looks at all three of us incredulously saying, "You let me sit in shit?!" We assured him that it was cleaned at that point, plus Joe probably got most of it on him. Nevertheless Barry wasn't pleased.

About a half hour later Peter walks in. Barry gets up and get himself one of the stools to sit in complaining that the chair "hurt his back." So Peter gets his cigar and sits in the chair. We proceed to tell him the story and the look on his face was priceless. He was equally as grossed out as every other previous occupant of the chair.

Peter was also eager to yield the chair when Steve B showed up. Musical chairs continued with Peter getting a folding chair from the back, complaining about his back. Steve eagerly took the seat and lit up his cigar. We didn't hesitate telling him the story and after we convinced him we weren't kidding, he reluctantly stayed in the chair, with his legs held out from the front of the chair.

We certainly got a lot of mileage out of that one, and probably would have lured others into the chair but it was toward the end of the day and nobody else came in and stayed.

One other quick funny moment occurred when an attractive young woman came in, looked at Lou, and said, "Hi, I called earlier - I'm here for your nads." Barry and I immediately looked at each other, and then Lou clarified what she meant...she was there to purchase some Nat Sherman cigarettes, "nats" for short.

Congratulations to Peter who is getting married in the Greek Orthodox Church tomorrow to his wife Stacey. They've been married for twenty five years, but it was a civil ceremony, and they are now tying the knot in the church. Congratulations Peter and Stacey!

Congratulations to Lou and Dotty as well who are renewing their vows shortly, but he's not telling anybody when or where, afraid that we'll show up and "crash" the party.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 8/1/2009

Well, I arrived at The Tobacco Hut this afternoon and before I sat down Lou bawled me out for not writing a blog for last Saturday, and for missing the blog from two weeks ago as well. So, my humble apologies to Lou and all my faithful readers for stumbling a bit lately. I have no excuse, other than being lazy.

Peter G was already at the shop when I arrived and he was depressed that he wasn't going to be there when Barry C arrived as he had some errands to run later in the afternoon. He was anxious to see what sort of venom Barry would be spitting regarding allegations of yet another his beloved Boston Red Sox players using steroids.

Peter and I spent a good amount of time talking about - surprisingly - salads. In particular, a tomato, cucumber, and chick pea salad that Paula had made recently. Peter suggested adding some mozzarella cheese balls to it for some extra zip. We then talked about how Peter needs to get back into the food business. Not necessarily owning a restaurant like he did before, but as a consultant or food critic or at least write a blog about it. If you write a successful enough blog, it will attract advertisers who pay to be on it. (Needless to say, the blog you're reading right now does not fall into that category!).

Peter left and about an hour later Barry arrived. But not just Barry - Barry in a suit! And not some ill-fitting 1980s fashion cast-off. Au contraire! Barry was sporting a very nice tailored suit and tie. And I got to meet his lovely wife for the first time, Lori (with an "i"). They had just come from a wedding and had some time to kill before the reception, so stopped by the Hut. I persuaded Barry to smoke at least a small cigar, which he did. I was very sorry I didn't have my camera with me since it was the first time I've seen Barry dressed up (and probably the last).

As of this writing, Joe K is probably just past the Continental Divide in his cross-country trek with James from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta. We had some good stories from Yukon Joe about his recent Alaskan cruise and hope to hear some equally good road trip stories next Saturday.

Until then - cheers!

- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 7/18/09

Today saw a pretty good sized crowd at The Tobacco Hut - some of the Saturday regulars were missing, but some infrequent visitors are becoming more regular. As long as they spend money, Lou doesn't mind!

Joe K is still dodging icebergs on his Alaska cruise but we expect him back next week. Hopefully he'll bring pictures and video to show and some cool stories about how he narrowly escaped the jaws of a polar bear.

Kevin S was there (the guy who made Lou the table), his friend Tom, their friend Paul, as well as Darryl G, Ed B, and fellow LEO Scott. With three cops in the room, the stories were about as thick as the smoke.

Speaking of smoke, I heard an interesting story on Joe's favorite news source, NPR. It was titled "An Industry Icon's Quest for the Signature Cigar", about Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, a third-generation cigar maker in Miami. The creator of the La Gloria Cubana cigar is on a quest for another "hit", this time with Nicaraguan tobacco. It's a great article that can be read or listened to, and offers a lot of positive press about cigars at a time when it's desperately needed.

Today I smoked some Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in my Mauro Armellini smooth finish pipe. The flame grain and birdseye is particularly nice in the briar and the tobacco smoked all the way down with just a couple re-lights. I bought the pipe at a Tinder Box in Savannah, Georgia a few years ago and it has never disappointed.

Until next week...cheers!

- Bob