Club
Info & Events
Details of the November Meeting
The
main topic for the November meeting were the upcoming Kaywoodie
Holiday Gathering and Pipe Smoking Contest.
We should have a group of nine heading out to Peekskill this year
and we look forward to another great time. Thanks in advance to
Bill Feuerbach for hosting this excellent event.
We also took a head count of those planning to attend the Scotch
and Cigar Night held at the Ahavath Torah Congregation.
Five of us attended what was a very enjoyable evening. More about
the scotch and cigar night below.
Important Information about the
January 2008 Meeting
The January 2008 meeting will be held on Tuesday January, 8th due
to the New Years holiday falling on our normal meeting day. Please
make this note in your calendars.
Our
newest member Derek printed up a couple hundred SHPC calling
cards containing our club logo and website address for
members to hand out to pipe smokers that may be interested in joining
our club. We have also made them available at Peretti's of Boston,
Mikes Brookline News & Tobacco and the Gold Leaf Tobacconist
in Seabrook, NH. Thanks to Derek for putting in the extra effort
in getting this done and to Rick and Tim for distributing them to
the tobacco shops.
New Membership Dues Structure
A new membership dues structure was also discussed and voted on
at the November meeting. Currently, we collect a $10 initiation
fee from new members as well as $5 per meeting for any meeting a
member attends. Each member also makes a charitable donation of
$10 at any meeting they attend.
Starting in January 2008 the new member dues structure will be as
follows:
The club voted to have the annual membership dues be
$50 per year payable by the March meeting (a savings of $10).
Monthly dues will remain at $5 dollars but any monthly dues paid
up to March will be applied towards the annual dues when paid in
full. Dues will cover all normal yearly expenditures including tobacco
for the raffle. We have also agreed to waive the $10 initiation
fee for new members however, the $10 charitable donation will still
be required at each meeting.
Member
Contributions R.D. Field Trunk Show
at Peretti's of Boston
Photos and narrative by Rick Frederics
Last
month R.D. Field
held a trunk show at L.
J. Peretti’s in Boston and the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club
was there in force. It’s always a great time getting together
to smoke with old friends and meet new friends. This visit was no
exception. It was great seeing Don Powers and Paul Dunn again, and
it is always a good time with the guy’s at Peretti’s
– both Steve’s and Charlie. It was especially nice talking
and reminiscing with David and Jan of RD Field and learning about
some of the treasures they brought with them. Afterwards a group
of us, Tim, Nelson, Eric, Tom and myself went over to Cigar
Masters where we further reflected on the day’s event.
A perfect ending to a great day. Whether you are smoking a pipe
or a cigar nothing beats getting together with a great group of
friends.
Hope to see you at the next event. by
Richard Frederics
More images: Image
1 | Image
2 | Image 3
Bill "Ashton" Taylor Trunk Show - Peretti's of
Boston
Photos and narrative by Horace Harker
Thanksgiving
isn't quite the same without our yearly visit to Peretti's for the
Ashton trunk show. A trip to Peretti's is always a nostalgic event
but having Bill Taylor visiting from across the pond really makes
for a jolly good time. Tim, Rick and I met up around 12:30 and headed
out back to the blending room only to find that some of our alumni,
John Millholland and Ron Lau had already arrived. A little later
on were joined by the Peretti regulars Paul Dunn and our former
Pres Don Powers. Now if we could only get a couple of these guys
to come back to a meeting.
Bill's pipes were laid out on the blending table in the usual fashion
and although there didn't seem to be quite the selection I'd remembered
from previous years there was definitely enough to whet one's Ashton
appetite for an afternoon. Bill also brought with him some tampers
made from snake wood (I believe) that were complimentary for those
who purchased a pipe.
After pawing over his offerings I decided to pick Bill's brain about
the state of tobacco in England these days. When I posed my question,
Bill's expression went from it's usual cheerio grin to a scowl of
utter disappointment and frustration. I've had this same scowl on
my own face a number of times for the very same reason so I know
exactly how he was feeling.. His description of the eight month
old smoking ban in England sounded very much like what we are dealing
with here in Boston and maybe even a little worse. He goes on to
tell me that now you can no longer smoke in the tobacco shops and
in many places, if not all, you are not allowed to smoke outside
the doorway of the bars. What a sad state of affairs this has become.
Bill did try to improve our moods by describing the outdoor gazebo
that they've constructed at the bar he frequents daily in Essex.
It is a six sided structure with half walls, a roof, heat and mood
lighting. The open areas of the structure are surrounded by trees
giving it a cozy feel, Bill explained. Inside there are seats around
the perimeter and a table in the middle. I have to admit this does
sound very nice but I'd need to check it out for myself in the dead
of winter before I could give it the thumbs up.
The three of us finished our pipes while chatting with Steve Smith
and the others in the shop before making the chilly trek to CigarMasters
on Boylston St. The pairing of Peretti's and CigarMasters seems
to have become somewhat of a ritual with our trips into Boston.
Might as well enjoy them while we can (sorry... I just can't shake
the pessimism.)
We all enjoyed a cigar and a beverage and an occasional glance at
the barmaid before heading back from whence we came. How many of
you will be joining us next time??
More Images: Image1
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Pipes
& Tobacco News & Info
Despite a seven year decline, 45 million American adults
continue to smoke.
The Pipe Community: Are we doing enough?
I had intended on having a piece in the December newsletter
on this topic but time during the holidays is even harder to
come by than it normally is. I will have something ready for
the January newsletter. Maybe that will be a good time to make
some resolutions for 2008 (and beyond).
Other News
& Information for smokers: |
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Websites
Worth A Look New
Pipe Maker Website
Can you believe someone near and dear to the Sherlock
Holmes Pipe Club has a new website and didn't even tell us about
it? Well here it is nonetheless. Congrats on the new site. [Let
me see]
Premium
70to70 Cigars
Another establishment in MA. where the smoking lamp
is happily lit and a worthwhile destination for a future road
trip. 70/70 is located in Westport, MA.
Due to the popularity of our their Cigar Lounge and customer
feedback, they've expanded the lounge into a larger space.
The new Cigar Lounge offers the best aficionado atmosphere
around and features entertainment such as a big screen TV,
pool tables and dart boards! As always, premium leather seating
provides a relaxing, premium cigar experience. See images
on the About
Us page. [Take
me there]
This
Month's Tobacco Raffle
McClelland 2007 Christmas
Cheer
Hand blended, premium pressed Virginia Flake tobaccos. A fine
vintage, naturally sweet.
The 2007 blend is made with a special selection of red, ripe,
mellow flue cured Virginia from the Middle Belt crop of 2001.
Smooth with rich undertones and natural sweetness and zest,
this excellent Virginia should age beautifully.
Cornell & Diehl / Serad - Consolation
An
Americanized English, it has the traditional Latakia and Turkish
(though in lighter amounts) in a Virginia flake base, but
layered in are cubed burley and a discreet amount of toasted
black cavendish for a round and slightly sweet finish. |
The Christmas Pipe by Jean
Shepherd
It
has become a tradition to put this audio clip up for the December
edition of the SHPC Gazette. I hope you all enjoy listening to it
again.
Jean Shepherd was a famous radio show host on WOR radio in New York.
You may also recognize his voice as Ralphie's conscience in "The
Christmas Story".
Have A Great Holiday Season!
Scotch & Cigar
Night ...... by Horace Harker
The Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, MA held it's
annual Scotch & Cigar Night on November 17th. This was my first
time attending this event but you can be sure I'll be going back.
The cost was $45 and included five cigars with admission (additional
bags of 5 cigars were also available at $10 ea.). It was a full
house and everyone seemed to be having an outstanding time (well
can you blame them?). Five of us showed up from SHPC and we were
fortunate enough to connect with two other pipe smokers in the bunch
that are not yet members. Tony proudly gave each of them one of
our new calling cards and gave them the run down of our meetings
and such.
The food that was served was outstanding and the jambalaya was out
of this world. Each table had a twelve and eighteen year bottle
of scotch. Although a micro brewed ale is my libation of choice
I did try samples of both. The rep from Martinietti's did a great
job of describing the blends and the proper way to sip and enjoy
scotch. I think I have determined that I will always remain a beer
man but I have been told that the bottles we had available were
of excellent quality.
The night rounded out with a charity auction of alcohol and a few
boxes of premium cigars. We're already looking forward to the next
event.

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Kahn's Korner
I'm sitting here smoking a nice aromatic in
an old Peterson that I bought in Galway several years ago. The pipe
is a sitter, but with 'the system'. I'm also sipping one of my favorite
adult beverages, scotch, and thinking of some of the times that this
combination has come together before. Rather frequently actually.
They seem to go together, right? It puts one in a contemplative mood,
unlike any other combination. Reminiscences galore. This night it's
taking me back to a certain night at the Oak Room in the Copley Plaza
back in 2000.
I'd been working for MEDITECH for a couple of years and done quite
some traveling by that time. Cigars were still very big and you
could count on spending twice the value of the cigar on average
and even more if it was a 'name' cigar like Fuentes, Romeo y Juliet
or Montecristo. Yeah, I know you all remember. I also had a friend
who had an 'in' at the Oak Room. You have to know what the Oak Room
was like. First, it was in the Copley Plaza Hotel, one of the ritziest
in Boston. Come to think of it, as ritzy as the Ritz, about ten
blocks east of it. Doormen, valet service, Concierge each one with
their hands out. Beautiful carpeting greats you as you walk into
the lobby. Then you turn right and enter the Oak Room. It lives
up to its name. A long solid oak bar, rich chairs that swivel and
low oak tables to rest your drinks. It was lavish. No small ashtrays.
No, these things were too big to steal and too heavy, too. You understand,
the Oak Room was a high class cigar bar. Drinks ran about ten a
pop and a beer was six. Well, the group I was with that night had
given our mutual friend $30 each that he was to feed the 'special'
waiter, who would keep us from dying of thirst that night and see
too it that the appetizers kept coming. One hundred and twenty bucks,
to eat, drink and make merry. Seemed fair considering we each planned
to drink three or four each and eat like pigs. Cognizant of where
we were, we all dressed appropriately, suits or blazers were the
standard, your best shirt and a good tie.

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