Saturday at the Hut - 2/25/12

Today saw a good crowd at The Tobacco Hut: Joe K and Scott R were there when I arrived in the morning. Aaron, Paul O, and Tom L all came in shortly after I got there. Fortunately, I timed it right to ensure the proper seating.

Crown Viking freehand with
Erik Nording's "Fox Hound"
(click to enlarge)

I settled in with a bowl of Erik Nording's Hunters Blend "Fox Hound" in a Crown Viking freehand I got from Lou several years ago. Fox Hound is a delightful English blend with a fantastic flavor and pleasant room note. The pipe I was smoking, the Crown Viking, was one that I had reserved for the occasional aromatic tobacco but, the last few times I've used it, I've smoked English blends in it. I realize I'll probably never smoke another aromatic, so why keep a pipe back just for them and not enjoy it. So I've brought the Crown back into the rotation and am quite happy with it.

Our friend Scott has met Erik Nording, having visited Blue Smoke in Clearwater when Scott worked there. Apparently Mr. Nording is quite the hunter and outdoorsman, so it's only natural that he created a series of tobaccos reflecting one of his passions. Maybe I should develop a tobacco called "NPR" - it will have liberal amounts of Virginia, and a solid redistribution of Latakia, and a progressive pinch of Perique.

Scott showed off a couple of pocket knives and it appears he is approaching his one year mark writing a very popular blog on the subject. Congratulations Scott! His blog is titled, appropriately enough, Pocket Knives Blog, and is attracting quite an audience. And Scott has recently added some video content to his pages. Nicely done, my friend! Maybe we could do a joint video sometime - you reviewing pocket knives and me reviewing tobacco. Of course, I have the perfect face for radio, so maybe I should reconsider. Check out Scott's blog here.

Advertisement from Popular
Mechanics, 1950.
(click to enlarge)

Scott brought in an interesting artifact for me to look at. It was a Beattie Jet Lighter. He told me about it yesterday when were discussing a meetup at the Hut and, I confess, I had never heard of one. I did a little research on it before I saw it and have to admit, it's pretty cool. After I got home I did some more research and discovered that they stopped making them fifty years ago and were designed for pipe lighting. Well now, that got my attention! Scott said he wanted to give me first crack at it before he sold it on eBay and, at the time, my thoughts were, "Meh." Interesting lighter but I'm not that into old lighters, but when I discovered they were specifically for pipes (and "thawing out frozen car locks, blackening gun sights, lighting campfires and fireplaces, and doing small soldering jobs" according to some of the original marketing materials) now I'm more interested. So Scott, text me with what you'd like to get out of it and we'll talk!

Other topics of conversation included spirits. Not the ghostly kind but whiskey, bourbon, scotch, etc. Tom recalled his trying a particularly strong bourbon and liking it after it had settled down a bit. Aaron, Paul and Scott all have a lot more experience with such distilled liquors than I certainly do, so it was fascinating to hear them explain the differences between the various brands and types.

And just to help spread the word, while you're sitting around smoking your cigar or pipe and sipping your bourbon, if you're looking for a cool new Internet radio station, check out Psychedelicized Radio. It's a streaming station that plays groovy psychedelic tunes from the 60s and early 70s. Not the headbanging stuff, but some great music from a lot of bands you've never heard of, and obscure tracks from bands you have heard of. Give it a listen here.

Lou and Tom, late in the day.
(click to enlarge)

Here's a picture I snapped late in the day when it was just Tom, Lou, and me. Notice what's missing? Remember that tall free-standing humidor that was for sale? Lou finally sold it and the buyer showed up today to haul it away. Lou has some ideas as to what should go in its place, but I'm thinking a cigar store Indian would go there nicely. Failing that, maybe a life-sized cardboard cut out of Bertrand Russell, the liberal's liberal! And a pipe smoker, of course.

Bertrand Russell, philosopher,
mathematician, atheist, pipe
smoker.
(click to enlarge)

Cheers!

Saturday at the Hut - 2/18/12

Saturday at The Tobacco Hut saw a smaller crowd but we did welcome a new guy into the fold. I'll get to the roll call in a moment, but first an announcement: Tomorrow, Feb 20, is International Pipe Smoking Day. I've written about the day in this space before, but just wanted to bring everyone's attention to it. I know I'll be raising a pipe in celebration tomorrow and I encourage you to do the same. And if you're merely a cigar smoker now, maybe you'll decide to take up the pipe and see the light!

Okay, so who ventured out in the beautiful weather yesterday to join us at the Hut? Coast Guard Don was there, as well as Peter G, and - tardy, I might add - Paul O. Don gets a shout out because he came bearing gifts - two pizzas from Little Caesars. Thanks Don! I see you're picking up the slack for your neighbor, Aaron.

Visiting for the first time was Eric S - welcome! I should mention, Eric, that new guys have to bring pizzas or subs or cookies (homemade, preferably) to really be welcomed. I should also mention that none of the recent new guys like Jim S and Aaron C have observed this rule at all. Re-reading the above paragraph, you can see that Aaron simply relies on his neighbor Don to bring his pizzas for him. So I guess it's not really a rule at all, but a gesture that we wouldn't turn down.

Anyway, what makes Eric a particularly welcome addition to the group? Is it because he's currently serving his country in the Coast Guard (formerly in the Marines)? No, it's because he's a pipe smoker! And what did he choose as his first tobacco at the Hut? Baker Street, my favorite of Lou's pipe tobacco. So, welcome to the group, Eric, and we hope to see more of you in the future on Saturdays.

You know, I was thinking, what is it about pipe smokers? Almost universally, we're nice guys, smart, philosophical, easy going, affable, friendly. You never hear about a mass murderer being a pipe smoker. Well, okay, there are exceptions like Josef Stalin who smoked a pipe, but there are conflicting reports as to what he actually smoked in his pipe. Some say that he smoked Dunhill's Royal Yacht, while other biographies say that he smoked cigarette tobacco in his pipe (yechh!).

I really can't think of any other evil pipe smokers in history. Wait, Herman Goering also smoked a pipe, but beyond Stalin and Goering, I can't come up with other really bad men who smoked a pipe. So the question becomes, are nice guys naturally drawn to the pipe, or does smoking a pipe make people nice? The eternal "chicken and egg" question, a riddle for the ages.

And, speaking of all-around great guys who are pipe smokers, I bet you're all wondering what I was smoking yesterday? Saturday saw me with an Ascorti Peppino filled with Tinder Box Reserve 1928. It's been awhile since I've smoked that blend, as I've spent the last few weeks finishing off a tin of McClelland's Wilderness. I smoked almost the entire bowl, and it was like seeing an old friend. Every puff reminded me of why I like this blend so much.

Centerpiece of my pipe collection:
The Dunhill My Mixture humidor.
(click to enlarge)

And while we're on the great guy theme, a huge shout out to Lou. Thank you so much for the gift of the Dunhill My Mixture ceramic humidor. Lou has known for a long time how much I've lusted after this tobacco container and he has truly honored me with his gift. It is pictured here atop one of my bookcases with some of my pipes, as the centerpiece of my collection. Thank you again, my friend. Your generosity is much appreciated.

I'm kicking around a couple of ideas I wanted to get some feedback on. The first is a photo gallery of the Saturday regulars posted here on the blog. I'll add a tab to the navigation bar and can feature your photo and bio, maybe a snarky comment or two. Let me know if you want to be included or if you think it's a horrible idea.

I'm also thinking of starting an online forum called "People of the Hut". It would be a place for all of us to connect and continue the great discussions that occur at the Hut. I'm searching now for a place to host the forum, one that is free or low cost and doesn't bombard us with ads. More to come, but your comments are welcome.

A quick shout out to a couple folks who came out last week, but didn't get a mention since I didn't write the blog last week: Jim C, Bobby M and Barry C. Our Norwegian friend, Arnie, was also in attendance a few weeks ago, as were Scott R, Paul V, and Jeff D. Nice to see you all!

Speaking of which, a couple folks are in danger of being added to the Wall of Shame for not attending in awhile. I'm thinking of Adrian, Darryl, Jim S, Ed B, Tom L, and New York Vic. C'mon guys, let's work on being more regular!

'Til next week!