Happy New Year!

Friends, please allow me to take this time to say, “Best wishes for a happy New Year filled with health, happiness, and spectacular success!”
The club experienced great success in 2019. We’ve made lots of new friends, celebrated 30 years of continuous regular meetings and have a great pipe to commemorate the occasion. We took a few road trips together and shared many meals and lots of laughs. We should all be proud of our achievements individually and collectively as a thriving club.
If anyone has any ideas or activities, they would like to do as a club event please mention them at the next meeting.
There is not much new business to discuss this coming meeting so it will be more of a social night. So, bring your favorite pipe and join us in watching “Father of the Flame” on the big screen.
Since January is the first month of the year, if it’s possible bring in your first pipe or a pipe that has some sort of special meaning to you. Remember our club should be a place where we get to know each other and engage in friendly interaction. Share your story with the club and get an extra raffle ticket good for a chance in the Presidents raffle.

See you Tuesday
All my best,
Kevin

If you've never been, you gotta go at least once. Depending on where you live it could be a long day if you decide not to stay at a nearby hotel but it's worth it. SHPC has been attending this event since around 2004 except for a couple years where the weather suggested it might not be prudent to make a journey of that distance. Prior to that we had attended the Meeting of the Mindless at Paul Bonaquisti's shop in NY and then it sort of transitioned to the event we know now which was held at the S.M Frank (Kaywoodie) factory for a number of years and is now being held at the Southern Dutchess & Putnam Sportsman's Association in Peekskill, NY.
This year's active member group consisted of Kevin, Tim, Nelson, Matt, Tom and JP. We were also happy to reunite with a blast from the not to distant past Bob Ormon (remember him??) and long time SHPC alumnus Andy Camire (who never misses this event).
Most of us met up at the Park and Ride in Auburn. Kevin was our driver for the 3rd year in a row and his willingness to drive is greatly appreciated and makes the drive so much more enjoyable for the rest of us, which is why we didn't bother him while he caught a few Zzzzs before the ride back. ;-)
As has become our custom, we stopped at the I84 Diner in Peekskill, NY for lunch and met up with JP. With bellies full we made the remaining 20-minute drive to the event. (click below to read more)

by Ernie Whitenack

The basic tobaccos of Black Mallory are Virginia, Black Cavendish, and Latakia. Carefully apportioning of the quantities of seasoning leaf brings about a dark full-bodied mixture. A notable tobacco from Rattray's.

(A charming, perfectly balanced dark mixture of Virginia tobaccos, Orientals, Black Cavendish and a luxurious quantity of Latakia -- SINCE 1903)

I was curious about Black Mallory to see how it fared alongside Rattray’s Red Rapparee; the latter being an old favorite of mine.
If you are a friend of Latakia you will love this blend. When opening the tin, the first thing you get is the smoky scent of Latakia coming up to meet you. Not the harsh dump-fire odor of many Latakia blends, but more like that of a good peaty whiskey, like Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch. But then, the blend scent comes next. A perfectly harmonious breath of superior tobacco lets you know you are about to embark on an adventure.
Black Mallory lit easily and stayed lit. Oddly, not one of the blend’s elements came to the fore, just a delightful flavor of tobacco; smooth, but not weak, and fortified with the best Latakia I’ve smoked in a long time.  It smoldered evenly to the end and never changed character. My mouth hung onto the flavor for some time without a touch of tongue irritation.