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No 91 - June 3, 2004
Tobacco.in.Winter

The days are shortening, and there is that definite inclination to postpone leaving a warm bed.

Winter is coming and for much of South Africa this means drier air.
This is not good news for your pipe tobacco. You may need to take a look at how you store your tobacco and, as important, how you carry it around with you.

Storage can be quite simple. Any airtight container will do - with a moisturising agent (such as a piece of damp sponge or cotton wool) attached to the lid. Better still drop in one or two Humydroles®.

When you are travelling around, even short distances, your tobacco is more vulnerable to the dry air. Once you have broken the seal on the original packet it never really closes airtight again. Also, after a few days, the packet will start to look shabby - which is not part of the pipesmoking ethos.

You'll appreciate the advantages of a tobacco pouch.
The feel of it - even our synthetic pouches are soft and supple;
The Companion pouch - you can carry everything you need in one compact case;
The Roll-up, Drawstring or neat Vest Pocket - wide opening gussets for easy filling;
A Pipe Bag - for travelling with 2 or more pipes.

And they all have rubber type linings which can't absorb moisture from your tobacco.

Naturally, some moisture will evaporate when the pouch is open while you're filling your pipe.
The ideal product to use to replace this moisture is a Humydrole®. This little item has the ability to absorb an amazing amount of water, which it releases as moisture over a fairly lengthy period of time, keeping your tobacco fresh, and enjoyable to smoke.
(We've all heard about the piece of apple or potato practice, which works adequately. But what happens if the piece goes bad? Goodbye to a pouch full of tobacco - an irritating and expensive throwaway.)

But in the colder areas - what if your tobacco gets too hot?
If you live in that well known part of South Africa where it is cold and wet in winter, you may not need a Humydrole®, but do be careful not to store your tobacco near a heater or the fireplace.
If the tobacco gets too warm in a closed container (including your pouch), mould may start to develop. This could render the whole batch suitable only for compost.

Winter or Summer, the general rule for preserving tobacco is: keep it cool and slightly moist.
And we can help ……….

For the period June 3 to June 23 (an extra week - for Father's Day, June 20) you will receive 20% discount off any tobacco pouch or pipe bag PLUS a free You already have a pouch?? Then buy a Humydrole® and we'll give you a bundle of bristle cleaners - FREE!

Colin Wesley
June 3 to June 16, 2004

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No 92 - June 17, 2004
Cigars in Winter

There may be frost on the grass in the early morning but for many parts of the country Winter spells out dry air. This is not good news for tobacco products, especially cigars.

If you haven't checked your humidor or cigar storage area recently I suggest you do so now. The relative humidity should be around the 70% mark, but feel the cigars - they will tell you more than the hygrometer. If they are starting to harden and lose their sponginess they are asking for more moisture.

Check that your humidifier is filled and that the holes in the face are clean. If they look a little blocked give them a brush. Also run your hand over the inside of your humidor. If it feels bone dry, remove the cigars and wipe the whole area with a damp (not wet) cloth. Allow the moisture to be absorbed and then return the cigars. If you have a large humidor, remember to rotate the position of your cigars on a regular basis. Don't suffocate those at the bottom.

At our recent cigar dinner (June 3) a young man at our table said that in winter he augmented his humidifier by dividing off a section in his humidor and placing some damp oasis in a container in the space. This sounded like a practical idea - but if you do this, then feel the oasis occasionally to make sure it isn't getting slimy.

Once you have the humidity under control check the surroundings of your humidor. Winter is the time for heaters to be switched on, sunlight to be allowed in and doors to be closed. Any of these, or a combination of these, can adversely affect your cigars.

Make sure the storage area is cool - and with good humidity your cigars will be a real joy to smoke on a crisp evening in front of the fire.

Talking of the Cigar Dinner - we had an over-booked function! The late bookings sat in an alcove overlooking the other tables - a good vantage point.
The evening started with a glass of sherry (excellent on a bitterly cold night) accompanied by the small Vasco da Gama Capa de Cuba Cigarillo. The Cuban wrapper on this European cigar really does offer an exceptional degree of flavour. The guests were seated by just after 7h30 and while orders were being taken we moved on to a Romeo y Julieta Petit Corona - a well known brand and a most enjoyable smoke.
After the main course the magnificent Cuaba Salomones was offered. A truly great cigar in every sense of the word: a Perfecto shape - 184mm long with a Ring 56 diameter at its widest point. It required a good 90 minutes smoking time - so those who wanted to leave early took the cigar home in a zip seal bag** to smoke when the time was available. (**The Cuaba is too large for our glass tubes.)
Those who smoked their Cuabas over their desserts and coffee enjoyed a really sumptuous smoke - smooth and full of flavour.
The vibe was, as usual, amazing. Put a few strangers together at a table with good food, wine and cigars and you soon have a table of friends - even if only for the evening.

I have 14 packs of the 3 dinner cigars - all that were left after selling extras on the evening. They will be available from Thursday, 24 June 2004. At R170.00 per pack of 3 cigars they are a real bargain - the Cuaba alone sells for R164.00!

If you are one of those lucky enough to be able to buy one of these packs, then you can look forward to a really good cigar dinner of your own.

Colin Wesley
June 17 to June 30, 2004

You can read previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The Library.

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No 93 - July 1, 2004
Pipes - the perfect "Cure"

In the course of an email conversation with a distant customer on thesubject of refurbished pipes, he made an unsolicited remark which caught my attention:

"THE EARLIER SAV DRY FULL BENT YOU SENT,FULL OF FILLS ETC,IS THE BEST SMOKER I OWN,EXCEPT FOR THE STANWELL CALABASH YOU SENT AS WELL"

The "full of fills" description of the Savinelli Dry System (standard quality) prompted my response:

Your comment on the Dry System confirms our theory that the initial proper curing of the wood is intrinsic to producing a good smoke. Savinelli cures all the bowls as if they would end up at the very top of his range. The surface flaws and lack of close grain downgrades most of the bowls to varying extents, but these are really cosmetic flaws which don't affect the smoking quality of the pipe.

I went on to refer him to the following article first published in 2001.

One of the fundamental processes in pipe manufacture is the curing and drying process - the wood needs to be hard, clean and dry.
The influence of this process on the final smoking quality of the pipe is significant.
But it is a time-consuming process and is really only cost-effective for top quality pipes. So it will only be carried out properly by a manufacturer who makes a range of pipes right up to the highest quality - flawless bowls with plenty of hard wood and fine grain.
Furthermore, most grading decisions are made only after the curing and drying process, once the bowls have been turned and the wood can be properly examined. So each pipe at each price bracket from a given manufacturer has had the same basic treatment as the top-of-the-range. Obviously flawless bowls or bowls with lots of hard wood and close grain will receive progressively more attention in the finishing processes than those with a majority of soft wood, a "vague" grain or obvious surface flaws.

Capital Smooth R349.50

Capital Rough R399.50

Dry System Standard Kingsize R595.00

Roma Regular R675.00

To illustrate this point we show a range of Savinelli pipes, all of the same shape (614), from the entry level "Capital"

Champagne Regular R1100.00

Dry System Premier Kingsize R1195.00

to the"Punto Oro Fumée" - one of the most beautiful pipes we know.

Punto Oro Fumée R2250.00

It follows that it pays to buy a pipe from companies such as Savinelli and Stanwell.
The pipes at each higher price point will be successively higher grade - more hard wood, less surface flaws, more beautiful and closer grain - but they will nearly all provide good smoking quality right across the price range.

From July 8-21 you can buy the Savinelli Dry System Premier, shape 2614, for only R695.00. Only R100 more than the standard quality!! An incredible price for a superb pipe - in quality and design. But here's the catch - we only have 8 pipes available at this price. Good luck!

Colin Wesley
July 1 to July 14, 2004

You can read previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The Library.

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No 94 - July 15, 2004
What about a "Turbo" Cigar lighter?

Across the Counter Fortnightly Articles "Conversations with Customers"

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No 95 - July 29, 2004
Mature Pipes I.I