Saturday at the Hut - 6/4/11

A few of the regulars were missing today at The Tobacco Hut. Joe K told us in advance that he wasn't going to make it and Scott R is stomping around the bayous of Louisiana, taking the scenic route to New York. I don't know the whereabouts of anybody else, but Peter G showed up as promised. 


Peter was close to never showing up again as he had a harrowing car accident a couple days ago. He was on I-75 coming home from work on Thursday when someone cut him off, causing him to swerve off the road. After a couple barrel rolls, he ended up on his roof but - thank you Jesus!* - he was okay. Just a couple minor cuts on his arm. Glad he's still among us and not one of Tom Dobies' customers just yet. *The "thank you Jesus" line was for you, Joe!


Peter and I had a good conversation about marketing, advertising, and the wholesale food business. Peter's back in the industry that he knows inside and out and just a few weeks from being cut loose from the training program. As a former restaurant owner and food service account executive, Peter's knowledge of restaurant operations, marketing, and food service in general is impressive. More importantly, you can tell he's passionate about the business. 


Today found me smoking a David Jones rusticated Canadian. From the first light of the Tinder Box Reserve 1928 to finally dumping out the fine gray ash, it was an incredible smoke. I've raved about this tobacco before, but I continue to enjoy it. I was getting a little low on it, so recently purchased a replacement can from my former manager, Mike Spicer, at the Tinder Box in Dublin, Ohio. 


A few weeks ago I decided to start properly storing the half-opened tins of various tobaccos I had laying around. I went to Ace Hardware and purchased a dozen 4-oz. Mason jars. Once home, I carefully poured the contents of each tobacco tin into a jar. Some of the tobaccos were a little dry, so I filled a humistat with water and placed it in with the tobacco. Put the lids on and screwed them on tightly. I should have done this a long time ago, because all my tobaccos are now fresh and don't dry out as they did with just a plastic lid on the original tin.


Lou reports that several of his cigar vendors have supplied him with prizes to raffle off at the Father's Day celebration on Saturday, June 18th. The party starts at 1 PM and will feature food, beverage, and the aforementioned prizes. There will also be a wet t-shirt contest. Okay, I made that last part up. But mark the date and make sure to tell a friend. Hope to see lots of people there!

Paper Bead Bracelet
crafted by Paula
(Click to enlarge)

Time for a shameless plug...as many of you know, my wife Paula makes jewelry in her spare time. She has recently discovered a unique kind of bead, made of paper from recycled magazines by women in Uganda. The beads are imported by a company out of Colorado and made available to beaders throughout the U.S. Each bead is different and Paula has started making bracelets out of the beads. The women who make the beads have raised themselves out of abject poverty through the sale of their beads, and Paula has sold quite a few so far. They're only $5 apiece, and if you're interested in one, just let me know, and I can bring it next week to the Hut.


One more shameless plug, if you're a small business owner interested in maximizing your marketing efforts, surf on over to a blog I've started recently titled Bullseye Marketing Tips. Its mission is to provide marketing tips and strategies especially for small businesses. Take a look and let me know what you think!


Thank you!
 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/19/11

Sammee! (click to enlarge)

Congratulations to Joe and his wife Val! They have a new addition to their family - Sammee! Their new bundle of joy is part corgi and yellow lab and was adopted just today. Joe e-mailed me the picture tonight and I showed it to Paula who promptly said that she needs to adopt him from Joe and Val, he's that cute. I don't think that Sammee's new parents are going to let him go, so our house will remain a cat-only household for now. Anyway, enjoy your new puppy guys!


Joe actually didn't stay too long at The Tobacco Hut today as he had just gotten the puppy and was anxious to help Val get Sammee settled into his new digs. Maybe next week he'll bring Sammee to the Hut for a meet and greet! By the way, Joe, when you come next week, we're running low on the peanut butter pretzels!


Ed B came earlier in the morning but by the time I arrived around 12:30 or so, he was getting ready to leave for the day. It was great weather for Ed to be driving his orange Jeep around town, too. Finally, we're getting some average temperatures. Today was a perfect day to be outside, so I naturally chose to spend most of it inside at the Hut.


The only other regular to show up was Adrian a little later in the afternoon, but more about that later. We had two new customers who found Lou via his website. One of the gentleman was visiting from Chicago, Paul F. I think the other fellow was his brother-in-law, or friend, or something, and unfortunately I didn't catch his name. But Paul purchased a cigar and stuck around to enjoy it. He's also a pipe smoker and we chatted a bit about all things pipes. Chicago has some world-famous pipe and tobacco shops, including Iwan Ries & Co., one of pipe smoking's meccas. With over 15,000 pipes in stock, you can tell why I drool a bit just thinking of it. Every pipe smoker should make a pilgrimage there sometime in his life. Unfortunately, I haven't made mine yet, but someday. BTW, Paul, I hope you can make time in your trip for another visit to the Hut!

My Mauro Armellini Fatte A Mano
(Click to enlarge)

Today found me puffing on a Mauro Armellini filled with Tinder Box Reserve 1928. I purchased the pipe from a Tinder Box in Savannah, Georgia back in 2005 and it has always been an excellent smoker. Mauro Armellini was a self-taught pipe carver who worked for Savinelli before opening his own studio in Italy in 1960. Although there are no distinguishing marks on the pipe to indicate when it was made, my guess it was made by Armellini himself. He passed away in 2004 and since then his daughter Wilma has taken over the business, not only the administration of it, but crafting the pipes as well. Whoever made it, hats off to you for carving a beautiful pipe!

Mauro Armellini
(Click to enlarge)

Lou informed me that Bret came in earlier in the week to pick up the pipe I gave to his son, Blake. Lou had cleaned and sterilized it and got it all ready for this new smoker. I hope you enjoy it, Blake, and hope to run into you soon at the Hut to talk shop!


As I mentioned, Adrian arrived a little later in the afternoon, and it didn't take long for the chess rematch to begin. I had lost in our last meeting over the chessboard and was eager to avenge my loss. Adrian was just as eager to add a second victory to the records. Adrian brought a beautiful marble chess set with him (probably looking for a home court advantage) which we played on. I sometimes have trouble playing with highly decorative chess sets, like Revolutionary soldiers or Middle Earth pieces, but the men weren't overly stylized and stayed pretty close to standard Staunton pieces. 


How did the game go, you ask? We started off fairly even, although I picked up two pawns early on. Being up those two pawns would prove decisive much later in the game, but moving into the middle game it didn't make much of a difference. In fact, Adrian had his pieces doing a full court press on my king's position and I was getting more than a bit nervous. After quite a few tense moves, I was finally able to drive his queen back to a defensive position and could go on offense. In the end, we were exchanging pieces back and forth, and my two extra pawns proved to be an overwhelming advantage. It was an excellent game and really could have gone either way for quite a while. Can't wait 'til next week, Adrian!


Cheers!
 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/15/11

Carnival Inspiration (click to enlarge)

I think I've done more smoking in the last week than I have in a long time. Paula and I were on a 5-night Caribbean cruise from Monday through Saturday and I enjoyed either a cigar or pipe pretty much every day on board the ship. We sailed on the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa with stops at Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The weather was kind of crappy on Monday, chilly with on again-off again rain. Tuesday at sea and Wednesday in Grand Cayman were picture-perfect. Highs in the 70s and sunny. Thursday in Cozumel was in the low 60s, rainy, and very windy. We caught breaks in the rain though and explored downtown Cozumel, bartering with shopkeepers and enjoying a fantastic lunch at Pancho's Backyard, a place Paula discovered on a cruise ten years ago.


I was pleased to find a decent-sized cigar lounge on the ship. When we cruised a few years ago on Royal Caribbean, when I finally found the cigar bar, it was closed. This time I smoked a couple pipefuls and a few cigars. Paula joined me for a couple cigars as well. Unfortunately, I was the only pipe smoker. But I did meet a very nice older gentleman from upstate New York. We chatted awhile and discovered quite a few things in common, including auto racing. Years ago I used to write for an auto racing newspaper, Gater Racing News, out of Syracuse, and he said he reads it every week. We knew a lot of the same drivers racing the short tracks in the area and his son and daughter run the dirt track circuit throughout central New York. Small world! On board, I smoked Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in my Cavicchi volcano and I brought along an Ashton, Oliva, and La Gloria Cubana Serie R to enjoy. There was nothing quite like relaxing with a good cigar or pipe and watching the water glide by.

La Casa del Habano (click to enlarge)

I ran across a couple cigar stores while in Grand Cayman. The one pictured here, La Casa del Habano, was the only one that actually looked nice and well-stocked. Unfortunately for me, they had nothing in the way of pipe tobacco, although they did sell estate Meerschaum pipes. In Cozumel on our way from the pier to lunch, we probably walked past a dozen or more cigar stands or shops, all advertising "Authentic Cuban Cigars." It struck me that if they have to emphasize that they sell "authentic" Cubans, they probably aren't. I ignored the barkers and pressed on to lunch.

Paula and I on the Inspiration's bridge
with the captain.

Probably the highlight of the cruise was the behind-the-scenes tour we took. It's not advertised at all - Paula found out about it reading the forums on Carnival's website - and very limited. There were only 18 people on the tour, which lasted three hours, but we got to see a lot of the inner workings of the ship. We toured the galley, backstage at the theater, crew mess halls, crew lounge, cargo holds, engine control room, and bridge. We got to meet the captain and had our picture taken with him on the bridge. When we arrived back in our cabin there was a plate of pastries and sweets from the head chef, who we also met in the tour. All in all, it was very impressive and interesting. 


We arrived back in Tampa on Saturday and Joe K was kind enough to pick us up. We disembarked very quickly from the ship and were home by 11:00 or so. Joe went off to The Tobacco Hut and I joined him an hour later. We were joined by Peter G, Ed B, and Darryl G. Nothing too exciting happened at the Hut, although I promised I would include what Joe, Peter, and Lou thought was my "conversion" back to the Christian fold. 


I explained that our first day on the ship we had lunch at the buffet on the Lido deck. While waiting in line we saw this loud, bald redneck sporting probably a 60" waist, goatee, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and covered with tattoos. Paula and I feared that he and his hillbilly family would be our dinner companions, since everyone shares a table with others at dinner each night. The story went something like this, "I looked at this disgusting guy and thought, 'If there is a God, please don't have him sit with us at dinner.'" Well, that brought the house down, because we ended up having quite normal dinner-mates. Well, sorry to disappoint you, guys, but it was just an expression. There was no momentary lapse or conversion. Just a figure of speech!


Nice to see Peter as he's been under the weather lately and seems to be on the mend now. Darryl has made it two visits in as many weeks and Ed has been stopping by pretty regularly. I was hoping to see Adrian so we could perhaps do battle over the chessboard again. I wanted to see Steve B as well to thank him for replacing another section of my back fence. Not sure how he did it since the back gate was locked, but thank you!


I had smoked quite a bit of the Tinder Box Reserve 1928 on our cruise, which is a nice cross between aromatic and English, but I was ready for a true English blend, so at the Hut I loaded up a Crown Winslow freehand with Lou's most-excellent Baker Street blend. I can't say enough about this tobacco. It's got just the right amount of Latakia and was really enjoyable.


That's all for now. Hope to see everyone next Saturday!


Cheers!
 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 12/11/10

On a chilly, overcast day in December, a pipeful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 tasted wonderful in my rusticated Cassano, especially when Lou opened the door to let some of the accumulated smoke from half a dozen guys clear out. In attendance at The Tobacco Hut were Joe K, Peter G, Vic, Adrian, and Barry. Barry actually made kind of a dual appearance. He talked to us for awhile via speakerphone and later came in to buy some cigars and ended up staying for two hours.


I came prepared to do battle with Adrian over the chessboard, but he chickened out. No, that's not the case. Actually there were way too many folks and too much going on to have a proper game, so we postponed. Maybe after the holidays, Adrian...


Vic arrived, definitely traveling the farthest to have a cigar, coming all the way from Bradenton. I know Vic was disappointed that his 62-year-old admirer, Crazy Marion (or whatever her name was) wasn't there, but Lou said the next time she came in he would make sure she got in touch with him. See the blog post from Oct 2 for the skinny on the crazy woman. I think in retrospect, Joe was a little jealous that she quit flirting with him when she gazed upon Vic.


Apparently Barry had scheduled a party for Saturday night and invited his friend Vic. None of the rest of us were invited so Vic called him and, via speakerphone, Barry invited all of us to his soiree. We were all very touched by this sincere and heartfelt, albeit last minute, invitation. I was unable to make his party with four hours' notice, but I'm sure everyone else re-arranged their schedules to attend. 


Apparently the heating system in Barry's house was on the fritz and Vic was a little concerned about attending a party in a "meat locker". The talk quickly devolved into what kind of meat was in Barry's meat locker...Vienna sausages, cocktail franks, etc. I tried not to listen.


A little while later Barry actually appeared in person. He was going to pull an Adrian and just rush in and out picking up some cigars for the party, but he ended up staying for almost two hours.


Joe had left at that point, but the rest of us had another rousing discussion on religion. Me being the token atheist, I felt a bit like the only progressive at a GOP convention, but I felt like I held my own. Nobody changed each other's minds, but that wasn't the point. 


As we were leaving, Vic presented me with a gift. I was quite surprised and touched - he gave me a T-shirt depicting the Vietnam War Memorial and Wall. I'll wear it proudly, Vic. Thank you!


One last note - just a reminder that everyone's favorite guest blogger, my son Ryan, will be here next week. He's on winter break from his sophomore year at Ohio State and we'll pop in next Saturday between roughly 12-3:00, so hope to see everyone.


Cheers!
 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 10/16/10

Today, in Lou's absence, I was running the store. And as promised, it was "Free Cigar Day" at The Tobacco Hut! Of course, it was a limited time offer. Free boxes of cigars were being given away, but only from 10:00am-10:01am. If you didn't make it in during that time, you'll have to buy 'em like everyone else!

As many of you know, Lou is recovering from a cornea transplant, and doing just fine according to Dotty. Some cabin fever has set in so I pity Dotty more than Lou. He's expecting to return to the store this Monday though, wearing some fashionable dark wrap-around glasses. In any case, glad you're doing well Lou, and we'll see you next Saturday.

In the meantime, here's what you missed: Peter G arrived but was a little down in the dumps as his Boston Eagles spent the day losing to Florida State. He did send up a cheer here and there, but his rendition of the Eagles' fight song was less than inspiring. Joe K showed up next and, with great ceremony, I handed over the final installment of my iMac purchase to him. This screamingly fast computer with bright 24" monitor is now completely mine and - unless the check bounces - Joe can't change his mind and take it back! BTW, Joe, have I thanked you lately for selling me this wonderful machine? When you're ready to sell the iPad, let me know!

We were all pretty much in the dumps over Boston College's loss to the Seminoles (well, just Peter) when our day was brightened by Adrian's smiling face. He picked out a cigar and planted himself in - gasp! - the king's chair. That's right, he sat in Lou's chair. Now let that sink in a little: Adrian. Sat. In. Lou's. Chair. In fact, here's the photographic proof (Click to enlarge). We were all pretty much stunned, but I think part of it was that we were all too lazy to go get a folding chair from the back.

Mike G called from his home in Tennessee to place an order of cigars with Lou. I told him I would dutifully write a note for him and have Lou ship it out Monday. Of course, I'm the same guy who assured Mike that I would lock his shed after staying at his cabin a few years ago and completely forgot, so I wouldn't be looking for that cigar shipment anytime soon, Mike!

Practically inconsolable, Peter left after the Boston College/Florida State game was final but Barry C showed up a short time later. Joe left for home to take a nap leaving myself, Barry, and Adrian. Now Barry and Adrian knew each other casually, but only today discovered that they are each diehard Dallas Cowboy fans. They both stood up and embraced as I guess only Cowboy fans can do. In fact, I think the hug went on a little longer than it should have but hey, what do I know,  I'm a Browns fan.

Anyway, the display of man-love ended and as it was nearing closing time, I emptied my pipe of the remnants of Tinder Box Reserve 1928, and packed everything away. Dotty arrived to close out and we were on our way. Hope you're feeling back to normal soon, Lou, and back to take your rightful place at the throne.

Cheers!

Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/18/10

At The Tobacco Hut on Saturday, I enjoyed a bowlful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in the Cassano I bought in Boston a couple months back. The Reserve 1928 is a wonderful blend of three Virginia tobaccos - Red Virginia, Orange Virginia, and Virginia Flake - and a touch of Burley. It has a great flavor and very pleasant room note. I've written about Reserve 1928 before, and I'm proud to say I worked for the gentleman who was instrumental in its final formula. Mike Spicer was my manager when I worked for Tinder Box in Columbus, Ohio many years ago. He is still the manager and a great guy with encyclopedic knowledge of all things pipes and baseball. I think I still have an unpaid tab that he hasn't written off yet (inside joke for Mike if he's reading!). Joe, you'd love him - he introduced me to NPR!

Speaking of NPR, Joe brought his iPad into the store when we needed to look something up on the Internet. I bought one for Paula for her birthday a couple months ago and she loves it. I get to play with it a little once in a while, but it's tough to get it away from her. Anyway, I borrowed Joe's iPad at the store and knowing how much he loves NPR, I thought I would do him a favor and download the NPR app. I wanted to surprise him with it, so tried to do it surreptitiously, but got hung up when it asked for Joe's password. I confessed to Joe what I was trying to do and he was very grateful that I, in fact, was not successful in my endeavor to open his mind. I'm sure Faux News has a "fair and balanced" app for the iPad, Joe!

Peter arrived and reported his success with his church fundraising auction last week. He also re-told some of the jokes that the hired entertainer, a Greek comedian, presented. A couple of the jokes were about butts and made us all a little uncomfortable. Just kidding. They were actually quite funny, especially the one about the coffee grounds (ask Peter to tell it when you see him). BTW, Lou donated a sampler pack of cigars for the event and Peter said that it garnered a $50 bid.

Looking forward to seeing New York Vic (now "Florida Vic"? "Bradenton Vic"? Palmetto Vic"?) who reports that he'll be visiting the Hut soon on a Saturday. Vic, let me know in advance if you can, and I'll spread the word that everyone's favorite retired corrections officer is visiting.

It's too bad Barry didn't show up. He would have seen Peter in rare form. Derek "Cheater" Jeter was brought up and Peter launched into a tirade about the Yankees captain, spitting expletives from his mouth like so many rotten watermelon seeds. Perhaps I've employed a touch of hyperbole, but safe to say that the respect Jeter has enjoyed throughout his career has lessened a bit.

Peter will be in Boston next Saturday and Joe's heading to Pennsylvania, so will have to wait a couple weeks before seeing them again. Paula and I might be furniture shopping so I may not be at the Hut either. Don't pout, Lou, you're always firing your best employees anyway.

BTW, we're shopping for a fold-out chair and a half to replace the daybed we want to get rid of. If anyone needs a nice day bed w/trundle, let me know!

Until next time...

 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 9/11/10

Today at The Tobacco Hut I brought one of my David Jones handmade creations, a dark tan colored sandblasted billiard that always smokes nice and cool. I loaded it up with Tinder Box Reserve 1928 and settled in for a relaxing afternoon of pure tobacco delight.

Lou and I were joined late in the day by Barry and Steve. Steve and I discussed finishing up the website I'm re-designing for him. Shouldn't be long 'til it's ready to go - I'll make sure to announce it here when it's live. In case nobody was aware, Steve owns his own landscaping business, S&B Lawn Care. In the spring, Steve and his crew did a fantastic makeover of our front and back yard, installing new sod, plants, and hardscaping. We've had numerous comments from neighbors about the resulting transformation. Thanks Steve!

Joe took the week off as he had a dental procedure done a couple days ago and the dentist advised against smoking for a few days. Having had a tooth pulled several weeks ago, I can understand why he decided to skip this Saturday. Peter was AWOL, but he was probably DJ'ing at the local Greek radio station, or doing a live remote from Tarpon Springs or something. Now that he's back on the air, we'll probably never see the guy anymore.

Barry paid a visit, and he came bearing gifts. Well, a gift. For me. He had traveled to Ohio recently and picked up an Ohio State cap for me. His timing was perfect as he entered the store right at the opening kick-off between Ohio State and Miami. I immediately put on the hat and I'm sure it brought the Buckeyes good luck as they went on to beat the Hurricanes (no real surprise, of course, as OSU was ranked #2). Thanks for the hat, Barry. I appreciate it!

A shout-out to Scott who's on his way to upstate New York for a high-school reunion. Safe travels, my friend. Also, speaking of the Empire State, we're expecting a visit soon from New York Vic who recently sold his house and moved to the Bradenton area. I guess we can't call him "New York Vic" any longer. Barry said he called him "Cracker" as he's now a Florida resident. I think I'll just call him "Vic."

Until next week!

 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/6/10

I had received a new shipment of tobacco from the Tinder Box this week, as I was out of my favorite tobacco, Reserve 1928, so I was quite eager to light up a pipeful of it today. I arrived at The Tobacco Hut, greeted Lou and Joe K, and promptly filled my Mauro Armellini and lit up. What a fine combination...this part straight grain and part flame grain pipe burns the Virginia tobaccos in the Reserve 1928 so smoothly and evenly, every sip is a treat.

As usual, Joe was struggling to keep his cigar lit, complaining loudly to Lou about stems and whatnot and trying mightily to wrangle a free cigar from Lou, but no dice. Methinks it's just operator error.

Peter and Steve arrived after awhile and we talked about, in no particular order of importance, politics, women, and sports. The Two-Kidney Boy Wonder, James, called in for his weekly dose of abuse, and he was amply rewarded by Lou spitting out a string of epithets that would embarrass a sailor. Apparently, James is coming into town in a couple of weeks and he and a buddy are taking Joe's boat down to the Everglades. Joe doesn't know too many details, so we are left to assume that this is probably some sort of gun-running adventure James has embarked on.

At around 4:00, Barry came in complaining of Swine Flu-like symptoms. Of course, he mentioned this after he shook everyone's hand. As of this writing, I'm feeling okay, but I'm sure I'll wake up with a fever.

Knowing that Barry is a big Emmitt Smith fan, claiming that he was the game's best running back, I had done a little research comparing his stats with Jim Brown's. In overall yardage and rushing touchdowns, Smith is clearly the leader. Of course, he also played far more seasons than Jim Brown did. I think it's more telling though that Jim Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry vs. Emmitt Smith's 4.2 yards. Jim Brown is also the only player to average 100+ yards per game. Also, according to NFL.com, Emmitt Smith fumbled the ball 38 times while Jim Brown never fumbled.

In all fairness, Barry brings up a reasonable objection to that last statistic: perhaps the NFL didn't keep such statistics while Jim Brown played the game. But I'm happy believing that Jim Brown never fumbled the ball and Emmitt "Butterfingers" Smith couldn't hang onto it 38 times.

Finally, Sporting News named Jim Brown as the greatest football player to every play the game.

I must say, Barry did a fine impression of Peter whose arms tend to be overtaken by demonic possession when he gets into heated debate mode. And Barry regaled Steve with his story of meeting Derek Jeter. It is a good story, and one that has been reported here in an earlier blog posting. It's also worth noting that Peter and Barry actually agreed today on bit of sports opinion. I can't be sure exactly what it was, because if it doesn't involve the Cleveland Browns or Indians, I can't be bothered with paying close attention.

Joe didn't witness the late afternoon frivolity as he had gone home to take a nap.

By the way, as the irregular visitor to the Hut may not be aware, Lou & Dotty are looking to sell the shop. It is with a heavy heart that I report this, as it means a weekly way of life for me could come to an end. My wife is not happy about it either, as it could mean I will be underfoot for her on Saturday afternoons. Things are still up in the air at this point, but I wish Lou & Dotty well. 


Until next week...


 - Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/16/10

I introduced a special guest yesterday at The Tobacco Hut. All the way from Seattle, my brother-in-law Mark was in town for business and was able to extend his visit to spend time with Paula and me. I couldn't let the Saturday go by without a stop at the Hut for a cigar and a pipe, so we hit the store around 1:30 or so and he got to meet Lou and Joe.

As I filled my Ascorti Pepino pipe with some Tinder Box Reserve 1928 (I must say that this tobacco made exclusively for the Tinder Box by McClelland continues to impress - never harsh, great flavor and excellent room note), Mark picked out a Fuente and we settled in. Joe reminded us that he was heading for the north country on the 21st (Erie, PA) so we probably won't see him 'til the following Saturday. Stay warm, Joe!

I was hoping that Joe's son James "Two Kidney" Koker would call in like he usually does on Saturday afternoons, but he must have been too busy pouring vodka in his ears.

A short time later, Peter arrived and I introduced him to a fellow Bostonian. Mark and Peter compared notes and Boston history, and I think Peter was finally glad to be able to share his love of Beantown (or Tremontaine as the city was originally called) with someone with as much appreciation and love of the town as him. Not that the rest of us don't care, but some of the recondite and arcane points of Boston's history are lost on non-natives.

Barry came in toward the end of our stay and after the introductions and pleasantries were out of the way, the talk turned to baseball, specifically Yankees vs. Red Sox. Barry staked out his position as a Yankee fan and apologist early, defending their numerous championships and maintaining that, with one or two exceptions, his players are squeaky clean. He is quick to point out how juiced the Sox players are though. Mark diplomatically made the point that, like corrupt politicians, athletes using performance enhancing drugs are rampant on every team.

Mark congratulated Barry on the Yankees' 2009 World Series win, making a reference to how their gigantic payroll probably played a not so insignificant role in their win. Barry disputed this, of course, claiming that the payroll between the Yankees and Red Sox wasn't so far apart - maybe $10-20 million. So I did some research. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the 2009 opening day payroll for the Yankees was $201.4 million. Opening day payroll for the Red Sox was $121.7 million, a difference of almost $80 million. I'll let my reader decide for himself if, and to what degree, money makes a difference in winning MLB championships. Just an aside, the San Diego Padres' 2009 opening day payroll was $43.7 million. 'Nuff said.

I had hoped for a more vigorous, and logical, fact-based defense from Barry concerning Yankee steroid use and "bought" championships, especially in the face of a united Mark/Peter front, rather than ad hominem attacks accusing the two of a budding "bromance." He did tell the entertaining story of when he met Derek Jeter in a Tampa restaurant a couple years ago. His veritable lust for Mr. Jeter seemed a bit like a "bromance" as well, and Barry unashamedly admitted to it, claiming it would be "just sex."

On that note, Mark and I took our leave. I'm not sure if my advanced hype of the Hut lived up to expectations, but I hope Mark had a good time nevertheless and will consider joining the gang again the next time he's in town.

Until next week...

- Bob

P.S. How did Dallas do in their playoff game, Barry? Sorry, man, had to do it. Still friends...?

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 - 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

Friday at the Hut - 7/3/09

Since The Tobacco Hut is closed on Saturday for the holiday, and many of us were off work today, we met a day early. The roll call included Bryan J, Joe K, Paul V, Joe D, Steve B, and myself. Lou was there of course, but not nearly as keyed up as he was last week for the anniversary party. We also had a special guest as Lou's daughter Diane surprised us with a visit and a special delivery: a Blizzard from Dairy Queen for herself and Lou. The joy and cheer we all felt when Diane walked in was dampened a little however when it became apparent that she didn't bring Blizzards for all of us.

For my second pipe in two months' time, I turned once again to the Tinder Box Reserve 1928, this time in a Bjarne billiard. It made for a fine smoke and burnt down almost completely.

Joe K reported a milestone in his little side computer business - assisting someone in setting up a new Mac. Joe is the proud owner of a 24" iMac, of which I am insanely jealous, and he successfully helped somebody with a new MacBook Pro get it all set up. Kudos to Joe!

It was good to see Paul again as he always has some interesting historical facts and trivia to discuss. He was at the Hut's party last week, but it was difficult to have a meaningful conversation with so many people in the store.

Paul was very thoughtful today by bringing Lou a Diet Mountain Dew - oops, sorry Lou, Brand X. Well, I called it thoughtful; Joe K called it stupid as Lou gave Paul the Look of Death.

It was a good thing I kept the leftover bag of chips in the car and didn't bring them in. I've flirted with death enough these last few weeks - I didn't want to risk it again at the hands of Lou.

Not much else to report this week. I do have to get busy with a request from Lou - he wants a link to this blog and the addition of the Smoke Stik brand of e-cigarettes he carries on his website. Can't keep the boss waiting...

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 5/2/09

Sorry for my missing blog post last Saturday. I was at The Tobacco Hut, but just didn't have a chance to get the blog written. I can't think of anything too memorable happening that day...there were no heated sports or political debates and Lou didn't fall off any ladders.

This Saturday saw myself planted in my usual chair, Joe K in his, Peter G arriving mid-afternoon and Barry C bringing up the rear (sorry, poor choice of words, but he did ask to look at my can later in the day - more on that later). Peter was itching for Barry to show up so he could dog him about poor attendance at Yankee Stadium and A-Rod taking steroids in high school (allegedly). Barry fired back with some jabs about a Celtics player not getting suspended when a Knicks player was for the same offense, or something or other. By that time the banter was so rapid fire that nobody else could keep up.

With one more week to go before James K arrives for his gala party, final preparations were being discussed. Deposits were put down on caterers and entertainment, limos were reserved for the dignitaries, and valet service hired for the commoners. We're hoping it's not so hot next Saturday that the ice sculpture melts. Because of Swine Flu we had to abandon our search of Mexican straw markets for the monkey that stole James' cigar a few years back. The bash kicks off next Saturday, May 9th at 11am and goes 'til 1pm. We might end it sooner though if we get bored with James' stories of teenage highjinks like pouring vodka in his ear to ward off infection after swimming across a retention pond.

We almost made it through the day without hearing a customer gripe about the higher taxes on tobacco until a conspiracy nut came in. He somehow managed to connect the recent federal tobacco tax increase with how the Nazis carried out the Holocaust. Joe's howls of laughter drowned out the rest of the guy's theories, but that was probably for the best.

Lou announced that he would like to go to the upcoming tobacco dealer's trade show in July, but that he didn't want to. It took us all awhile to figure that statement out, and I think the jury's still out. We just weren't sure which phrase had the most weight: "would like to" or "didn't want to". I guess we'll find out if we show up some Saturday in July and the store's closed.

Peter entertained us with stories from his years of working in radio. Well, he entertained me at least. I think Barry and Lou were talking golf. Joe had left at that point, probably to go rent the 3 foot high chocolate fountain for next Saturday's party.

Today I enjoyed my Cavicchi pipe with a bowlful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928, easily one of my favorite pipe/tobacco combinations. When I was finished cleaning the pipe, Lou asked to take a look at it and Barry asked if he could look at my can. I was prepared to bolt out the door, but then I realized he was talking about the can of Reserve 1928 tobacco. Phew!

Remember, next Saturday gets started at 11am!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 4/18/09

We had a fun group at The Tobacco Hut today. Joe and I arrived first and chatted with Lou first about his little mishap with the ladder earlier in the morning. Apparently he was replacing the door closer on his front door and, climbing down the ladder, missed the last step and found himself on the floor. Joe and I both admonished him for climbing up ladders to begin with, but it's doubtful that Lou's stubborn streak will stop him in the future. Hopefully his ego is the only thing that got too bruised in the incident.

I fired up a Poul Winslow freehand with some of my favorite tobacco, Tinder Box Reserve 1928 while Joe enjoyed a Padron 1964. Lou reported that sales of his e-cigarette (electronic cigarette) have been brisk. After only a few days, he sold out of his stock and has ordered more. As the price of traditional cigarettes skyrockets because of federal and state taxes, e-cigarettes have become an attractive alternative. And since they don't actually produce smoke, but rather a vapor mist, one can theoretically "smoke" them in public places that would prevent tobacco smoke. It would be curious to see if this is actually the case though.

We talked a little more about what to do for James' homecoming scheduled for May 9th from 11am-1pm. Perhaps we could put Lou (and his Speedo) in a dunk tank in the parking lot. Charge a dollar for three throws and if you dunk him, you win a free box of cigars.

Barry and Peter arrived and we talked a little more about Peter's new business as well as some of the changes to the website I'm building for him. Of course with Barry and Peter both in attendance, the talk soon turned to sports.

Usually, Peter and Barry start exchanging their encyclopedic knowledge of past sports teams, figures and statistics, and I can't keep up enough to report anything meaningful, and today was no different.

Barry did mention that the 3:30 game between my beloved Cleveland Indians and his beloved New York Yankees was on TV. The bad news is I wouldn't be able to see the game since I was leaving early to visit family in Spring Hill who were visiting from up north.

I wasn't disappointed that the Indians spoiled the Yankee's home opener in their new $1.5 billion stadium though a couple days ago. After I got home from Spring Hill, I found an e-mail from Peter who informed me that in the second inning of Saturday's game, the Indians put up 14 runs. Oh, how I wish I could have been at the Hut to witness Barry's sorrow.

Once I got home and found out what the final score was (22-4), I almost called Barry just to find out what happened, beyond the total collapse of his team. But, alas, I didn't have his number.

I did, though, call my cousin Bryan in Spring Hill who was in for the week from New York, to inform him of the shellacking that the Indians dished out. As a diehard Yankee fan, I did not deliver welcome news. I'm hoping that Bryan will visit the Hut next Saturday before he heads home. If not, and you're reading this Bryan, we'll have a smoke for you!

The image above is, of course, Chief Wahoo, the Indians' mascot. Go Tribe!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 4/4/09

It was good to be back at The Tobacco Hut today. Paula and I went to Venice last weekend, so I missed out on the weekly bull session. And it had been awhile since I smoked some Tinder Box Reserve 1928, so that was a nice "welcome home" treat.

And speaking of welcoming home, Joe K reported that in further conversations with his son James, who's coming into town the weekend of May 16-17, that the prodigal son is really pushing for some big bash to be held in his honor.

In addition to the Hawaiian Tropic Girls he wants (see the post from a couple weeks ago), now he wants Lou to promote this party heavily with flyers and ads. Sheesh - not sure how much attention this kid warrants, but we talked a little about putting a flyer together and posting it around town. Oh, and James said something about the flyer featuring Lou in a Speedo. Okay...

After we got that nasty vision out of our heads, we talked a bit about computers (of course), and how Joe K slipped up and missed a day's broadcast of NPR, at which point Lou about dropped his cigar in laughter. I think one of these days, I'll make a donation to NPR in Joe's name...

Barry C arrived after a hard day's work (really, he had dirt on his pants to prove it!), and he and I talked briefly about our memories of upstate New York as kids. Joe and I talked about Pandora, an internet music service that allows you to build custom streaming radio stations. It's been around awhile, but I just discovered it and highly recommend it.

Peter arrived and we all talked a little about the speculation behind the hotels being built on U.S. 19 in Port Richey. Apparently the buzz is that an amusement park of some sort is being planned for the Hudson area, but nothing official has been announced. Such rumors have been around for years, but with hotels being built, there might be some truth to them.

Steve B arrived and talk turned briefly to the state of the economy. Being a small business owner, we often look to Steve as a kind of gauge as to how businesses are doing, since his work puts him in contact with many different kinds of companies, and he has actual paid employees - unlike Lou who hires and fires Joe, Peter, and myself at will.

Naturally, some of the talk turned to how the new Federal tobacco taxes are affecting Lou's business. None of his customers are happy with it of course, and many are just now finding out about it. What is unknown is what will happen at the state level as Tallahassee now considers how much tax to add to tobacco products.

I had to leave a little early today so I could crank out that flyer for James' big party. It's kind of basic, and not the usual work I do for Seneca Creative Solutions clients, but I only had to get it put together quickly. And yes, the above link is a shameless plug for my new side gig!

Anyway, the flyer appears below, and - as you can see - I managed to find a picture on the internet of Lou in his Speedo, just for James. Click on the image for the full size view - if you dare! Not sure what the big bling is around Lou's neck...you'll have to ask him the next time you see him.

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 3/14/09

Sorry for the late post on the Hut round-up. I was busy last night working on my website and today Paula and I headed over to Orlando to visit family visiting from up north. We arrived home tonight just in time to see the shuttle take off from the east coast - it was a perfect night for it and we had a great view of it. Even saw the solid rocket boosters fall away.

Anyway, Saturday was a fun one at The Tobacco Hut. I spoke with Vic T, aka "New York Vic", on the phone. I haven't seen him awhile, and he didn't make it in on Saturdays during his last visit, so I guess I'll have to wait 'til he moves down here permanently.

Most of the regulars were there - Joe K, Barry C, and Peter G. Steve B arrived straight from a golf tournament. Joe got a phone call from his son James who just wanted to make sure we were planning the big party for his arrival in May. Yeah, James, not to worry - got you covered! We're thinkin' a couple Snickers bars. Anyway, we gave him his usual Tobacco Hut greeting, not printable in a family forum.

Peter reported having a good Caribbean cruise last weekend with his family and Joe is planning an Alaskan cruise in the summer.

Joe and I gave a little recap of our experience at the Rocky Patel tasting at Blue Smoke a couple nights ago. We urged Lou to get the same type of cushy, leather furniture that they have. We also urged him to hire some of the same eye candy that they employ... ;-)

Other than a few jabs here and there, the political debate was kind of tame. Where's Paul V been? I miss my sparring partner!

Oh yeah, my bowlful of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 smoked as smooth as ever in my Cavicchi pipe. A customer did come in smoking a nice looking GBD with an amber-colored stem. Most of the Hut customers are cigar smokers so I always take notice of a fellow pipe smoker.

That's it for this week - until next Saturday...

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 2/28/09

We had another great gathering at The Tobacco Hut today. In attendance today were Lou (of course), Joe K, Peter G, Barry C, Paul V, and myself as well as friends we haven't seen in awhile like Scott R and Darryl G.

Cigars were fired up and the discussion turned to, well, proctology. Okay, enough said.

Lou did want to clarify that he now is a firm believer that his mobile phone is a cell phone and not a satellite phone. Just had to get that out of the way.

While I enjoyed my David Jones rough finish billiard with a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928, Scott R and I talked a little about how to avoid tongue bite when smoking a pipe - it's all in the packing and "sipping" the smoke from the pipe. If it's smoked fast, it builds up heat and moisture which causes the stinging sensation on the tongue. I also gave Scott a sample of the Reserve 1928, which is a delightfully mild aromatic tobacco with a nice room note. Good luck with it Scott!

While Scott was still there we also talked a little about trap shooting, where he and Paul had just come from. I'm admittedly a newbie when it comes to guns, but one of these days I'll take them up on their invitation to go out to the Silver Dollar Gun Club in Odessa and try my hand at it. I am pretty good at the Wii version!

The afternoon wouldn't be complete without the Peter/Barry sports rivalry emerging. Paul joined the fray as well with his disdain for "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys, of which Barry is a fan in the truest sense of the word (fan being short for fanatic). As Peter pointed out, it is puzzling why Barry wasn't a fan of the Jets, Giants, or Bills since he was born and raised in upstate New York. But Barry's loyalty to his team doesn't waver, nor does Peter's for his beloved Patriots and Red Sox.

Paul and I got into a spirited yet friendly political debate. He and I are probably at completely opposite ends of the political spectrum. Paul is close to become a libertarian, and I'm more of an NPR-loving, tree-hugging, godless Commie liberal. Paul does make some interesting points, especially about the Federal Reserve its history. He recommended a book which I've forgotten the title to, but maybe he'll leave a comment on the blog with the title, as it sounds like a fascinating read.

The beauty of the Hut is that it brings people together with a common interest, and as Lou likes to say we sit around solving the world's problems and maybe create a few more along the way. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm certainly not looking to convert people to my way of thinking, but I wouldn't mind if more people took up the pipe!

Based on a comment left on the last posting, it looks like Joe's son James K will be coming into town. Hopefully he'll make at least a brief stop at the Hut so we can tell him what we really think of him!

Until next time - cheers!

- Bob

P.S. Comments are now available. Operator error (that would be me) was responsible for only allowing comments from people who had established accounts. Now they're available to anyone - just click on Anonymous in the profile list.

Saturday at the Hut - 2/14/09

Seldom is the discussion at the Hut so passionate as when we are discussing sports or politics, but today the heated debate centered around - of all things - cell phones vs. satellite phones. It started with a casual comment made by Lou about sometimes having to wait for his mobile phone to find the signal from the satellite.

As is my habit (most find it annoying, I'm sure), I corrected Lou and said it's a cell phone and it was grabbing a signal from the nearest cell tower, rather than a satellite phone. Lou immediately dug in for the fight, as Peter, Joe, and I all tried to convince him that his Virgin Mobile phone was indeed a cell phone and not a sat phone. Lou said it that it indicated in the owners manual that it was a satellite phone, but we argued that it was impossible.

I have now been tasked with finding proof that his is a cell phone and not a satellite phone. I'm dubious that even with such proof Lou will be convinced, but maybe he'll humor us.

With no success on the Virgin website (although I doubted I would find a page that explicitly said that their products are cell phones and not sat phones), I turned to Wikipedia to flesh out my somewhat limited knowledge of the sat phone market.

For my evidence, I first present the physical appearance of the phone. Unless Lou has obtained one of the prototype sat phones which do not have a large external antennae, his phone will look approximately like what is pictured above. Such a phone, the Iridium 9555 retails for $1595, and Lou's legendary penny-pinching would surely not allow him to spend that kind of money on a phone.

Secondly, the cost to make calls from a sat phone range from 15 cents per minute to $2.00 per minute, and to receive calls the cost is anywhere between $3-$14 per minute, something Lou would never abide.

Thirdly, I discovered that all sat phones are issued with a "virtual country code", ranging from +870 through +882, which would precede the actual phone number. Lou's mobile phone number was the traditional seven digits plus area code.

Lastly, unlike the sheer number of cell phone companies like Virgin Mobile, T-Mobile, AT&T, Alltel, Sprint, etc., etc., there are only a handful of satellite phone networks servicing the planet. There are basically two companies providing low earth orbit satellite service: Globalstar and Iridium. There are a couple other companies providing geosynchronous service, and that's it. I did not see Virgin Mobile as one of the providers on the list from Wikipedia.

In conclusion, I am sorry to confirm what Peter, Joe, and I knew, but Lou's phone is indeed a cellular phone, not a satellite phone. In the parlance of the Tobacco Hut, Lou spent a lot of the afternoon in the barrel today, and we hope he enjoyed his time there! Perhaps if Barry had been there today, we would have been debating A-Fraud's - er, A-Rod's - use of steroids and Lou would have escaped unscathed.

To smoke today, I chose an Erik Nording unfinished freehand and my go-to favorite, Tinder Box Reserve 1928. It has a rather large bowl, and I was still smoking it by closing time. I haven't smoked the pipe too often, and I think it still needs a little more breaking in, but it was still a quite enjoyable smoke.

Until next week - cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/31/09

We had a great crowd at the Tobacco Hut today. Joe and I were the first to arrive, but instead of launching immediately into talking about computers, we talked about - um, I can't lie. Actually we did in fact begin talking immediately about computers.

I've been trying to get Joe to see the light and come over to the Mac side of things, and he's been talking the last few months about maybe picking up a used one to tinker with. He said he was in Best Buy the other day and sat down at the 24" iMac and now has his sights set on it, the very computer I've been drooling over for the last year or so. If Joe pulls the trigger on it, I'll be more than a little jealous, but he said I could come over and play with it.

I filled up one of my Winslow-Crown Viking freehands with some Tinder Box Reserve 1928. The tobacco has just the right amount of casings without being overly sugary, has a great taste and equally nice room note. It smokes great in the Winslow, although it was just a little wet toward the end, but nothing a few pipe cleaners couldn't remedy. The pipe has a good sized bowl, so without too much nursing, the pipe lasted most of the afternoon.

Peter arrived and I showed him the logos I had worked up for his new business. We discussed some more ideas, and he gave me some talking points about the venture to work into some promotional materials I'll be working on.

Everyone had kind words to say about the shop's website, although Lou himself hadn't seen it yet. He saw a couple pages of it on Joe's iPod Touch, but will look at it further from home.

Barry came in after getting off work, and we decided he's the new Mike G. Although no one can truly replace Mike, who still makes an appearance once in awhile when he visits from Tennessee, Barry comes close. Barry was quick to point out that political views between the two of them are 180-degrees apart. Point taken.

And then, mid-afternoon, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a regular from days gone by arrived. Tom L walked through the door, greeting everyone with a carefully crafted sarcastic comment. Good to have Tom back! I'll chalk it up to coincidence that Joe left immediately after Tom arrived (kidding, he had already cashed out and was on his way).

Paul V arrived and I was again successful at persuading him to stay to consume one of his purchases. Paul also has a t-shirt shop online, Cigar Shirts and Stuff, using the same print-on-demand vendor I use for mine. Focusing on cigar-related shirts, he's got some great merchandise on sale there, and a lot of cool vintage cigar label reproductions. Click the above link or see the link list on the side to view his shop.

The smoke was thick as the sun was getting low, meaning the store was closing soon. Too bad as we were having a good discussion about a wide range of topics, including some politics, the financial bailout, and even stem cell research.

A big thank you to Lou for building me a pipe board. As seen usually in smoke shops, it consists of a board with rubber pipe clips placed in rows and columns, this one enough to hold 20 pipes. As my pipe collection grows, I've run out of room to store and display them on the bookshelves in the office (man cave), so have to use the walls. This will give me room to add more pipes to the collection!

Cheers!
- Bob

Saturday at the Hut - 1/17/09

Well. Today was a strange day at the Tobacco Hut, as evidenced by the picture that accompanies this post. What does the "Lollipop Guild" have to do with enjoying a good pipe and cigar? Nothing, until I walked into the Hut this afternoon. See, I'm used to showing up around 12:30 or so every Saturday, opening the door and seeing Lou in his throne - I mean chair - with a cigar firmly clenched between his teeth, smoke streaming from the foot, filling the room with the aroma of a quality cigar.

But today I walked in and Lou had some strange white stick hanging out of his mouth. I did the proverbial double-take and, with shaky hand, pointed to it and asked, "What the heck is that?" Lou proceeded to take a lollipop out of his mouth and said, "It's See's Candy, what else?"

Now I've been coming into the Tobacco Hut for about twelve years, and I've never seen anything but a good old fashioned cigar, or the occasional pipe, hanging out of Lou's mouth. Was Lou giving them up for Lent? Was it even Lent? Did he lose a bet? Where was the real Lou? Lou explained that his wife and daughter had gone to the mall and brought him back some See's, that was all.

Well I didn't like it, so as soon as he was done with it, he lit up a Padron 1964, the old Lou was back, and all was right with the universe again.

Joe and Peter were there today, each enjoying a cigar, and Paul V came in later. Sue Ann arrived later in the afternoon and I proudly showed her my new Cavicchi pipe (see earlier posts).

I smoked a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in it and it was as good as the first pipeful I smoked a couple weeks ago, reducing the tobacco to a fine gray ash and requiring few relights. I continue to be impressed by this pipe and how, like any good pipe, it doesn't interfere with the taste of the tobacco at all. It just gets out of the way and lets me enjoy the full bowl of tobacco, absorbing the moisture and heat very nicely.

Not sure what I'll be smoking next week, but I might go to one of my favorite straight pipes, a David Jones billiard.

Cheers!
- Bob