 What's New! NEWS FROM C&D
POSTED
5/7/08: Chicago Show Report: We've returned
from Chicago a weary but happy and contented bunch. As most have
heard by now we arrived at the show site (Pheasant Run Resort in St.
Charles, Il.) to find the antis had blind-sided us. Here's a quick
recap: the show officers and organizers had worked very hard to
insure that attendees would legally be able to smoke in the show room
(Mega Center) and the large tent set up outside for socializing. At
literally the last moment (April 30) a letter was received from the
Dupage County Health Dept. informing the show officers that not only
had permission to smoke in the Mega Center been rescinded, the show
would be monitored carefully for ANY violation of regulations (no
smoking within 15 ft of public entrances, no smoking inside, etc) and
it was made clear that any violations not only would definitely
result in fines but they made no bones about the fact that not only
would violations endanger the entire show, they would happily shut
the whole thing down given half a chance. This despite the fact the
St. Charles Police Dept. and mayor had insisted and continued to
insist that the show arrangements had met and continued to meet the
letter of the law.
Now, very quickly, here's the back story; apparently an article had appeared that in short accused the CPCC and Pheasant Run of of using loopholes to get around the spirit of the state no smoking ban. The governor's office received approximately 400 letters protesting this miscarriage of justice. Th governor, already under pressure and investigation for corruption and possibly taking bribes (imagine such a thing in Illinois politics) decided he couldn't take a chance on another hit and applied pressure on Dupage County to do something. The bottom line is the show came off beautifully for the most part. The show officers and hotel staff bent over backwards facing every challenge head on to provide the best possible experience for attendees with a minimum of inconvenience. Folks, if international summits between political leaders were approached with even half the same determination to achieve success in the face of adversity, the world would be a much happier and safer place. It would be nearly impossible to find words to thank Frank Burla, Mike Reschke, the rest of the club and show officers, the staff of Pheasant Run, and the members of the St. Charles Police Dept. for the incredible job they did to make the show an enjoyable experience. And those in attendance deserve just as big a thank you and round of applause. In a true testament to both the resiliency and character of pipe smokers everywhere, not a SINGLE PERSON violated the rules by lighting up out of bounds and jeopardizing the weekend for all concerned. This doesn't mean there weren't drawbacks. Undoubtedly some vendors suffered because there were times when the hospitality tent was packed while the show floor was relatively empty. Yes, there was grumbling heard from a minority of attendees and vendors both about not being able to enjoy a pipe while perusing the aisles of the showroom. I have no doubt that if the situation remains the same for next year, there will be vendors who won't return and no one can blame them. But at the same time, certainly no one can blame the CPCC or Pheasant Run either—I would challenge ANYONE to have done a better job of meeting the string of obstacles being thrown at them. How did the ban affect C&D? Not much, if any. In fact, not one but two silver linings were realized as a result of it. The first was how heart-warming it was to see the high regard C&D in general and Craig and Patty in particular receive from the pipe smoking community. Not one or two or even a dozen or so vendors, but literally hundreds of them, came to us and said their first reaction on hearing the news wasn't how it would personally affect them but how it would affect us if people couldn't sample the blends. We can never properly thank or express to all of you how much your concern meant to us so we'll have to leave it at a very inadequate Thank You for caring so much. The other silver lining we found was how many people said that as the show went on they appreciated the cleaner air in the showroom since they could actually smell the tobaccos in a way they had never been able to at previous shows. So, when all was said and done, how was our show? Fantastic! Of course we won't discuss anything as gauche as money, but the fact is we had our best Chicago show ever! As usual not nearly enough time was afforded us to visit with old friends, but we did the best we could and made so very many new friends as we do every year. It was truly a wonderful weekend for us and we can't wait for next year's show. We're happy to report the new blends met with phenomenal success! Exhausted Rooster and After hours Flake flew off the shelves. It was especially heart warming the number of long time rum flake smokers who made it a point to stop by and not only purchase After Hours but who told us it was in their honest opinion the finest rum flake they had ever smoked. The Falcon continues to soar! We arrived with 100 tins of Maltese Falcon and were sold out before 1 p.m. Saturday. We apologize to those who didn't get any but who knew? Greg Pease continues to amaze with his blending wizardry, the hits they just keep on a comin'! And from all accounts, the next Pease blend, Key Largo, will be just as well received based on the feedback received from the samples that were available at the show. And while not a total surprise to us the response to the Organic Pipe Dreams greatly exceeded even our lofty expectations. We knew we had an excellent blend when we introduced what is the world's first certified organic pipe tobacco blend, but even we didn't know how good. Time and again folks would stop by for a sample and return an hour later to buy several tins pronouncing it one of the best Virginias and certainly the cleanest tasting blends they ever smoked. In closing we can only say that anyone who didn't make it to the show missed a great time and we hope to see you next year. No doubt there will be some changes and based on this year we remain confident they will be for the better. Again, thanks to one and all for making C&D so welcome and for providing us a wonderful experience and we can't wait for the chance to get together and do it all over again! POSTED 4/28/08: It's been a while since we've had anything new to say here because we've been saving up as you will see! As usual C&D will be introducing several new blends at the Chicagoland Pipe Show this year and we are very excited about them. So, without further ado:  2008 Chicago Show Blend of the Year Exhausted Rooster Exhausted
Rooster:
A Toney/Tarler blend. C&D's annual blend for the 2008 Chicago
Show. A tasty flake of Virginias, Dark Fired Burley and a dash of
Perique.
After Hours: A Toney/Tarler blend. A night out wasn't complete without a trip to the “private club” for a Cuba Libre or two. Round out your evening or any other time of day with this Virginia flake sweetened with the elixir of the Islands, Dark rum. 2 oz tin
$10.50 8 oz tin $30
Riverboat
Gambler:
A Runowski/Tarler blend. In
the tradition of the mysterious Mississippi riverboat gamblin' men, a
flavorful blend of the South's tobaccos—Burleys, Virginias, and
Perique—with the exotic taste of Turkish leaf. The odds are with
you when you smoke this blend. We'll also be introducing a new bulk blend called #420 Habana Daydream. the description is: #420
Habana Daydream: A
Robillard/Terler blend. A
flavorful blend of Virginias, Perique, unsweetened Black Cavendish
with a dash of Latakia and a spoonful of rich cigar leaf. And some very exciting news: Cornell &
Diehl, Inc will be debuting the first 100% certified organic pipe
tobacco! The details are as follows:
Organic Smoke, Inc. Cornell & Diehl is proud to partner with Organic Smoke, Inc. to bring the first 100% Certified organic pipe tobacco blend to the market. C&D is the manufacturer and licensed distributor of Organic Pipe Dreams pipe tobacco.
Organic Pipe Dreams: Made with Certified Organic Virginia tobaccos, extracts of Agave, Prune and Vanilla to inhibit mold, Organic Pipe Dreams contains only the finest organic Virginia leaf hand selected and blended to deliver superb aroma and taste. Currently
Available in 2oz tin only 2oz Tin $11.95 GL Pease will also be
introducing the
prototype of his newest blend, Key Largo. Key Largo will not be
available just yet but keep watching, it's coming soon! The other new blends will be
available at
the Chicago Show this coming weekend and available for general
distribution when we return from the show. we hope to see many of you
there!
Other old favorites that were sold out by the end of the day included #104 Crooner, #972 Three Friars, #967 Exclusive, Barbary Coast and #300 Apricots & Cream. All in all it was a great show and we can't wait for next year! POSTED 2/1/08: Effective today Feb.1,2008 we unfortunately have to raise our prices. In the past year we saw unprecendented price hikes in tobacco, tins, labels, etc. We wish to assure everyone we did not take this decision lightly and in the end it came down to choosing between two options; we had to raise prices or close the business and retire. Not only are Patty and I not ready to give up our regular contact with so many wonderful friends, we truly believe our loyal customers would be disappointed if our tobaccos were no longer available. We ask your understanding of this difficult decision and hope we will continue to have your support. Thank you. POSTED 1/30/08: The Falcon has taken flight! The latest G.L. Pease creation, Maltese Falcon, is now available and is already flying off retailer's shelves in record numbers. Greg had originally intended Maltese Falcon to be not a replacement but an alternative for all the fans of his gone and greatly lamented Raven's Wing. While Falcon is certainly in the same vein as Raven's Wing, it quickly took on a quality of it's own like no other Pease blend. We haven't seen a reception like this since another Pease classic, Bohemian Scandal! If rich, dark and full bodied English blends are your cup of tea, we invite you to experience Maltese Falcon for yourself. Please visit the G.L. Pease page for more information. POSTED 1/2/08: Happy New Year to all! We thank everyone for your support in 2007 and hope you are looking forward to 2008 as much as we are. We have many exciting things in the works including new blends to be released this month and a new look to the web site so check back often. POSTED 12/7/07: Canadian Customs is on to us! Effective immediately we HAVE to declare all shipments to Canada as pipe tobacco. If this will cause a problem for any of our Canadian friends we recommend visiting one of the many on-line retailers that carry our tobaccos. HOLIDAY HOURS: C&D will close to celebrate Christmas from noon Fri. Dec. 21 until Thurs. Dec. 27 and from Sat. Dec. 29 until Wed. Jan. 2, 2008 for New Years. A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!
POSTED
11/12/07: Safe
Harbor is back! The popular Burley flake is back and better than ever.
Not only did we solve the problem with fermentation (it turned out to
be only 2 runs)but even more exciting we are now able to produce Safe
Harbor in a true flake form rather than the previous broken flake!
Order the "new" Safe Harbor Flake today!
Also, we have two new blends being released--scroll down for more info! POSTED 10/9/07: C&D urges all of our U.S. friends to contact your local senators and representatives about H.R. 96, known as the SCHIP Bill. Current language has the bill funded entirely by increased taxes on tobacco products. The media is only reporting a small part of the increase, i.e. the 61 cents on cigarettes. What is not being mentioned is the current tax on pipe tobacco would increase from $1.096 per lb to over $2.81; snuff would increase from 58.5 cents per lb to $1.50; cigars could increase from the current .0481 cents each to as much as $3.00 each, and RYO tobacco would increase from $1.096 per lb to over $8.88 per lb! We of course support any efforts to improve the welfare of our children but find it unfair to ask one minority segment of the population to fund the legislation for all. Exercise your right as a citizen to make your voice heard before it's too late! POSTED 9/20/07: We regret having to announce that Safe Harbor Flake is temporarily out of production. It has come to our attention that the tobacco is fermenting in a few tins. Safe Harbor will be available again as soon as we have resolved this issue. Thanks as always for your continued support! UPDATE 10/26/07: We are pleased to announce the problem with Safe Harbor Flake has been corrected and this popular blend will be available again by mid-November. Thanks for your patience and support!
Epiphany Strawberry
Cavendish
Introducing
C&D's new "Simply
Elegant" Series All the Simply Elegant blends are at
C&D Tinned Blend pricing: 2 oz tin $10, 8oz tin $30, 1 lb tin $50  Elegant Emu A Runowski/Tarler blend of White Cubed Burley, Latakia, Red Virginia, Perique and Black Cavendish. Those who have visited us will recognize our neighbor who inspired the name and label design! One of our new "Simply Elegant" Series and the Chicago Pipe Club Show Blend of the Yeat for 2007.  Red Carpet Red Carpet: The
perfect blend of Red Va's and Perique with a touch of Izmir for
interest pressed and sliced into flake form. One
of our new "Simply Elegant" Series.
 Sunday Picnic Sunday Picnic: Golden Virginias are combined with Perique and Izmir Turkish for a delicious and memorable flake tobacco. One of our new "Simply Elegant" Series.  Opening Night Opening
Night: A
delicious blend of the finest Red and Bright Virginias pressed to
perfection and sliced into flakes.One
of our new "Simply Elegant" Series.
 Manhattan Afternoon Manhattan
Afternoon: Naturally
sweet Golden Virginia leaf with a drop of honey sliced into flakes.One
of our new "Simply Elegant" Series.
 Interlude Interlude: Deep Red Virginia kissed with a touch of honey to develop the natural sweetness of the leaf then sliced into flakes. One of our new "Simply Elegant" Series.
Click on
building for more
pictures.
The proliferation of new pipemakers in the U.S.A. is an encouraging sign that our hobby is alive and well. One of these is Bob Hayes who has been making pipes for four years from exceptional briar obtained from a well-known Danish pipemaker. His engineering and style belie his moderate pricing. I have several of these pipes and they are, without exception, terrific smokers. We are proud to point you to some of his work.
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