POSTED 10/7/08 Richmond 2008 Show Report:Another Richmond Show has come and gone and, as usual, a grand time was had by all! This year's show honored two shining examples of all that is good about classic English pipes, Bill Ashton-Taylor and Ian Walker. Bill is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Ashton pipes, viewed by many as THE standard for hand-made English pipes, certainly for the 25 years Ashton pipes have been in existence. Ian isn't as well-known to American pipe smokers but is fast changing that oversight. A 3^rd generation carver, Ian is the wonderfully gifted hands behind the Northern Briars pipes, started by his grandfather and father in 1958. That's right, Northern Briars is celebrating it's 50^th Anniversary! Ian and his lovely wife Catriona first ventured into the American market in 2006 when they attended the Chicago Show at the urging of Ian's dear friend Bill Taylor. The quality of the Northern Briar pipes spoke for itself then and they've been in greater and greater demand ever since as Americans and pipe smokers the world over have discovered this wonderfully crafted and ridiculously fairly priced hand-made English pipe

C&D did its part in honoring these two very deserving gentlemen by donating a number of tins to the CORPS for their fund-raising efforts. We developed a classic English blend for Bill and his Ashton line, the quintessential classic English pipe. And for Ian we had a natural fit; he and Catriona live and work on a canal boat , peacefully meandering the English countryside. So naturally we chose our Canal Boat, a splendid English blend to honor a wonderful English pipe.

Saturday morning's set-up went smoothly and a look around the room confirmed that most of the “usual suspects” that hadn't made it in time for Friday night's buffet dinner were indeed on hand. A very few regulars didn't make it this year but inquiries soon revealed that while a handful had stayed away because either the travel had become too expensive or in at least one case gas still couldn't be found in the Atlanta area, most who didn't make it were absent for the best of reasons; namely, sales had been so good recently they simply didn't have the inventory to attend! The international branch of our “family” of pipe lovers was well represented not only by Ian Walker and Bill Ashton-Taylor, but also Italy's Alberto Bonfiglioli and everyone's favorite Danish “uncle”, Peter Heeschen. Before long the room was abuzz with a large crowd enjoying good fellowship and plentiful pipe smoking while looking over the huge selection of pipes available. As usual we stayed busy with the crowd 2 and 3 deep at our tables the entire day with friends old and new buying their old favorites and sampling new ones. The old saying about time flying when you're having fun was once again proven true as 5 p.m. arrived much too soon and we wrapped it up for the day.

Sunday was a typical Richmond Show Sunday, meaning very laid back with a pleasant glow the prevailing feeling in the room. Everyone wandered around enjoying their coffee or tea along with their pipes. Once again business was brisk at the C&D tables from the time the doors opened until we packed up to begin the trek back to the Carolina hills. We had two introductions for the show, introducing the immensely popular G.L. Pease Key Largo in 8oz tins, and a prototype for a new aromatic, Nutty Irishman. Imagine a bottle of Frangelico and a bottle of Irish Mist having a head on collision and you'll have an idea of the flavor and aroma of Nutty Irishman, though the end product has a uniqueness that goes beyond the characterization. The blend started the show as a prototype, brought for feedback and ideas, and before lunch Saturday we realized there was no tweaking necessary. To say Nutty Irishman was the hit of the show is a huge understatement, proven by the fact that by the time we arrived back at the plant Tuesday morning we already had several orders for Nutty Irishman with more coming in all the time!

Once again Craig, Linwood, Mike, Vern, John, et al did a tremendous job making everyone feel welcome and putting on one of the premiere pipe shows in the world. No doubt many were concerned before the fact as to how successful the show would be, and with good reason. After all, pipe smokers don't exist in a vacuum; we're affected by what's happening in the world just like everyone else. But for one weekend at least, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the CORPS members, everyone was able to put the outside world aside and enjoy the companionship of others who share a love of good pipes and fine tobacco. This was proven by the fact that C&D along with other vendors we spoke to had our most successful Richmond Show ever, bearing out what we already knew. To paraphrase a favorite author, rumors of the demise of pipe smoking have been greatly exaggerated.

We're often asked if there's a difference between the Chicago and Richmond shows other than size, and the answer is yes. Chicago is a gala international event, and while a family atmosphere prevails, no small feat in itself given the size, think of Chicago as a huge open house Christmas party with the whole town invited; Richmond is a back yard barbeque for the neighborhood, and they do it oh so well. We can't wait for next year to help the CORPS celebrate their 25^th anniversary!

POSTED 6/13/08: We have very exciting news to announce. A number of you have asked what will happen to Cornell & Diehl when Craig and Patty finally decide to retire. We're pleased to announce that Chris Tarler, Craig and Patty's son, has come into the business after many years of management experience in the Restaurant and Resort industries. So the short answer is nothing will happen, C&D will remain a family company, in family hands, and dedicated to producing the same quality blends for years to come. We're thrilled to have Chris join us and poised to take over the reins. Of course, Craig and Patty aren't planning on going anywhere soon!

More exciting news: Organic Pipe Dreams, the world's first and only certified organic pipe tobacco, is selling so fast we have had a steady two week back order log since we returned from Chicago! We're finally catching up but there's no telling how long it will be before demand out-strips supply again. If you're a fan of quality Virginia blends you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.

And finally, with so many old favorites disappearing from the market, many of you have asked “What do you have that's like...?” We've posted a list to answer that question on our Tobacco Spotlight page. Not only that, you can request a FREE 1 oz sample with your next purchase. So, check out the list, look for your long-lost favorite and get a free sample to see how it compares!

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!