Corn Cob Pipes

Polish your shoes and straighten your tie; we will talk about an American Legend, the one and only Authentic & Original, The Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe.

Henry Tibbe, a dutch woodturner, emigrated to America in 1860 after a fire destroyed his home and his factory in Enschede. The Tibbe family settled first in South Point, Missouri, and then moved to Washington,
Missouri.

How did he get to produce corn cob pipes? The story goes as follows: Henry opened a new woodturning factory. Soon after, a local farmer requested him to make a corn cob pipe. He didn’t just make a corn cob pipe but improved the design by adding a reed stem and turning the cob on his lathe. The new design was a success, and the demand started growing from the locals.

He didn’t stop there and kept improving his design.

In the early 1870s, Henry Tibbe and his son, Aton, established a pipe manufacturing company, “H. Tibbe & Son.”

Henry changed the industry by fireproofing the corn cob. By applying a plaster-of-paris kind of substance (designed by a local chemist), he extended the life span of the corn cob pipes and hardened the corn cob. This technique allowed the corn cob to be turned on a lathe.

Tibbe’s idea was straightforward but changed the corn cob pipe from a rural make-do object into a popular commercial product. After the new technique was patented in 1878, the Tibbe business grew exponentially and needed larger quarters. So they moved the factory to a building on Front and Jefferson streets and installed a steam engine to help manufacture the pipes.

In the early 1880s, Tibbe’s family built another factory on the corner of Front and Cedar streets. To this day, that factory still houses the company.

Henry in 1883 patented his pipes
and called them “Missouri Meerschaum,” the name selected by Fritz Tibbe, Henry’s brother.

In 1895, Henry Tibbe’s patent on the corn cob pipe expired, and soon after, Henry Tibbe died.

At the beginning of the 20th century, H. Tibbe & Son Co. became the Missouri Meerschaum Company.

Now, the Missouri Meerschaum Company’s factory produces over 3,500 pipes per day and ships them to every U.S. state and worldwide.

You might still wonder why Meershaum is part of the company name even though it is not used to make the pipes. Henry’s pipes were light weight, offered cool and dry smoke, and reminded him of the meerschaum pipes, hence “Missouri Meerschaum.”

It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or seasoned pipe smoker; a corn cob pipe should be a staple in everybody’s collection. So check our collection, and I’m sure you will find the right one for you!

Till next time!

Christian – The Pipe Expert

Snowdonia Distillery’s Ron El Rumbo

The exciting new release from Forager’s Snowdonia Distillery is finally here! We’ve been hearing rumblings for a while now, so it’s great to finally get a hold of the bottle! In the coming weeks we get to work and start playing with different cocktails with this rum as the mixer, and creating some of our own! Until then a little bit about the new release.

El Rumbo means ‘The Course’ in Spanish, and that is a very fitting name for this rum. The rum started out being distilled in one of Cuba’s oldest distilleries. The spirit spends the first year allowing the molasses to settle in, from there spends the following 2 years aging in american oak barrels. After all that, it is then where the name comes into play. As foragers put it…”The course is set!”

That course refers to the long journey from the sunny Cuban shores all the way to the beautiful hilly landscape of Snowdonia! Once it is in the very capable hands of the folks at the Snowdonia Distillery they prepare it for the next leg of its journey. The rum is then transferred into large, freshly emptied Cognac casks, that have been carefully chosen to host the spirit. The rich characteristics from the casks are imparted into rum creating wonderfully refreshing
flavours.

The course should not end in the bottle, but make it all the way to your glass in your favourite cocktails! El Rumbo is a fantastic mixer that will help any cocktail take on an adventurous spirit!

Order yours today and send us in any cocktail creations you came up with!

Slàinte

Elijah

Comoy and Chacom Pipes

Please put on your helmet and strap on your safety belt because we will travel back in time today! Today I will cover two companies with more in common than you might think: Chacom and Comoy.

The story is long, but I will try to keep it short.

The Comoy Family was well-established in 1825; Francois Comoy and his brothers were making pipes in a small village near Saint-Claude. As usual, boxwood and Beach wood were the materials of choice for their pipes. Their main customers were the “Grumblers” of Napoleon’s army.

In the 1850s, Henry Comoy was born. Six years later, briarwood was discovered, and Saint-Claude became the birthplace of briar pipes and the world capital of pipe making.

In the 1870s, Henry was a prisoner in Switzerland and met his cousin from the Chapuis family. They developed the idea of an association. 1879 marks the year when Henry emigrated to London and founded COMOY & C° LTD, a new pipe factory supplied by Saint-Claude factory.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the business grew exponentially, and more factories were built in Clerkenwell and Rosebury Avenue.

Let’s fast-forward to the 1920s. 1921 saw the establishment of the House Of Comoy and the appointment of USA sales director to Sam Zinberg.

Two years later, Henri died, and his sons Paul and Adrien took control of the company with the help of Emilie and Louis Chapuis in London.

In 1928 Chacom (first three letters of the COMOY and CHAPUIS) were created for the Saint Claude factory. The plan was to establish the french division with its brand. Since the London and French divisions were producing the same product, Chacom was sold only in France, Belgium, and Switzerland to avoid overlapping in the international market.

The economic crisis came in 1932, and Chapuis Comoy & Cie joined another company under the name of LA BRUYERE to have a chance to survive the difficult time approaching. That led to the forming of the biggest pipe concern in the world. After the Second World War, Chacom assumed its entire commercial liberty and launched a complete and modern range of pipes.

In 1950, Chacom was the leading brand in many European countries and the United States. 7 years later, La Bruyere returned to CHAPUIS COMOY & Cie.

In the 1980s, Cadogan Investments acquired Comoy, but the company maintained its high-quality standards and designs.

Fast-forwarding to 2007, Antoine Grenard took the reins at Chapuis-Comoy and designed several new models for the Chacom brand.

In 2016 a new chapter began; the company left Faubourg Marcel after more than a century to Villard Saint Sauver and built a new factory and a museum. The new location mixed traditional and contemporary, showing the history of an iconic industry and its future-oriented nature.

To this day, Chapuis Comoy produces pipes for many companies, but Chacom is the company’s pride and joy. Only the best tobacco pipes carry the Chacom seal. The range incorporates traditional and modern french pipe shapes. If you are looking for a London-made pipe, a Comoy is the right one for you. Traditional style, superior briar at an affordable price!

If you are not sure if you have a Chacom or a Comoy check the logo on the stem:

One C is for Comoy and two Cs is for Chacom 🙂

Head over to our Chacom and Comoy collection and pick your new favorite!

While you are there, check the pipe tobacco from Comoy and Chacom, No 2 is my favorite. I’m always in the mood for a nice fruity-vanilla blend.

Till next time!

Christian – The Pipe Expert

Mitchellero cigars are in…and out!

I’ve been on a mission to give quality, service and value since I started in the cigar trade in the early 1990s. I think that ethos came from my previous experience as a petrol retailer and C. Store operator.

I set out originally in the trade with a very different perspective to the existing and established cigar merchants, as I tried to look at everything from the customer’s perspective. With that in mind, I have been trying for some years to create and introduce value brands of mid-range cigars to the market. I have been quite successful in doing so – especially with our own brand of Peruvian cigars, Inka – Secret Blend as well as co-branded Orchant Seleccion cigars such as Alec Bradley and Drew Estate which have been tremendously popular and successful since launch.

However, we were always missing a range in our brand portfolio which I have finally filled with the launch of Mitchellero cigars from Nicaragua. These single estate 100% Nicaraguan handmade, long-filler cigars are really something special. The prices are unbeatable in the UK market. The blend is medium-full sweet and spicy flavour and medium strength. A truly a well-balanced blend constructed to perfection and dressed in a beautiful smooth Colorado Maduro wrapper colour.

Available in a range of the most popular sizes – it is now our fastest selling New World cigar since it was launched a week ago. I think it’s fair to say we have created another winner for our clients. My initial order from the factory was pretty huge and I thought it would be enough to last 6 months but forecasts show it won’t likely last 2 months, so we have already made a follow-up order of double the size so we can assure continuity of supply.

Ordering the right quantity of cigars from all regions is proving to be quite the challenge. The industry is still suffering from a host of problems from lack of raw materials, decreased production, and logistical slowdowns due to the pandemic. Certain brands are just not available anymore.

We have around 10,000 products on our website, which is probably 10 times more than our competitors, so we have quite a task keeping the products in the right quantities in our warehouses to meet the demand. Since the global pandemic and Brexit, demand has gone ballistic and it seems that it’s more or less impossible to order from outside of the UK without being stung with hefty duty, tax, and vat bill from Customs that negate any cost-benefit for the consumer.

We’re still managing to keep around 95% availability on Havanas generally but we do expect out-of-stock lines to get worse this year. We have a dramatically reduced range of Cohiba with no availability on Lanceros, Coronas Especiales, Piramides Extra, and Behike still. If you’re a Cohiba smoker, stock up on your favourite size while you can.

The La Casa del Habanos exclusive range is also not without issues with the highly popular Bolivar Libertador the latest on the out-of-stock casualty list although I am happy to report that Partagas Salomones and Trinidad La Trova have come back into stock in reasonable quantity.

A lot of beautiful new and limited edition Havanas were introduced at the recent virtual Habanos Festival but realistically I would not be expecting to see any of these actually arrive any time soon. Late 2022 would probably be more likely.

It’s good to be finally getting out of lockdown and have life returning to something resembling normal. I’m popping into our flagship C.Gars – St James’s store every week for a few hours and have been enjoying sampling outside the shop when the weather has allowed – though I’m looking forward to indoor sampling starting again this Friday.

We are planning to re-open our amazing Puffin Rooms in early June all being well. The premises has been spruced up and are in fact plusher than ever. The best of live jazz, dining, cocktails, and the largest whisky bar on the North West.

We are finally doing our refurb at our super popular and busy Mayfair store this month so it will be closed for a week from the May 24^th. I’m looking forward to reopening the comfortable sampling room thereafter though I understand booking will be essential as our regulars have missed the sampling room and will be happy to get back in there.

Sampling events will restart in the shops next month but we are still enjoying the Virtual Herfs every other week. Great value sampler packs, educational, and a lot of fun. Join us this Thursday when I will be hosting Ricardo Carioni, the deputy ambassador to the UK from Nicaragua, and featuring Oliva cigars.

Last week’s virtual tasting event featured Flor de Cana rum (I love it!) and Plasencia cigars (I’m a huge fan!). I’m down to my last few boxes of Plasencia – Orchant Seleccion Telico, a splendid Toro-sized cigar that has been super popular. I’m looking forward to the release of the Plasencia – Orchant Seleccion Lancero in a couple of months’ time. It will be interesting to contrast the blends of the Toro and Lancero. The Toro gives volumes of flavour due to the larger format and the Lancero more intensity due to the slender format.

The last few boxes of Davidoff Intenso ( 2020 Limited edition) are now released. Great size, great smoke, Davidoff continues to release the finest quality premium cigars, they really can’t do a thing wrong these days!

I’m starting work on our Summer auction catalogue which takes place on July 27^th – lots of interesting vintage Havanas are coming in already. The April auction yielded some incredible results once again driven by insatiable bidder interest from the Far East.

Have a smokey week.

Peaceful puffing,

Mitchell

C.Gars – Bigger than ever!

Happy Easter! …and it really is a very happy time for C.Gars Ltd as we recently announced our merger with La Casa del Tabaco in Belgium to form a new Group Company: Dominique London. More details on our new website. We can proudly boast to be one of the largest cigars and spirits merchants in Europe and the expansion march will go on over the course of this year and beyond.

No change to my position as Managing Director of C.Gars but I’m also the Chief Commercial Officer for the DL group which is a terribly exciting challenge for me for the future, that I relish. Over the last 24 years I have built C.Gars into a pretty huge business with the help of an incredible team but we can now take the business to higher heights than ever with the added expertise of Dominique and Frederic from our Belgian merger partners La Casa del Tabaco. When travel restrictions are lifted, I can’t wait to visit our shops in Belgium and host some fantastic whisky and cigar sampling events.

The merger took well over a year to complete and what a crazy year it was with a Pandemic, stock shortages, a new mail order warehouse and opening a flagship store in St James’s! Imagine what we can do in a normal year! Congratulations to all of my team as well as our Belgian partners on this monumental merger.

Cohiba stock shortages continue as well as a few other lines, though bits and pieces do go in and out of stock but not in the quantity we need as yet. We are hoping this will improve as the year goes on but huge kudos to our supplier Hunters & Frankau for keeping us at around 95% stock availability which is a lot better than many countries over the last few years.

And what of the quality of Havana cigars at this time? Well, let’s face it, there will always be the odd stick with a construction issue. that’s the nature of the game (you can always try a Perfec Draw but the tobacco quality and blending recently is definitely in the superior category. I have been smoking through some incredible Punch Double Coronas from 1999 like a fiend! Amazing smokes, almost 22 years old and smoking like a dream.

H. Upmann Sir Winston have been steadily coming into stock over the last few months after a long absence and are also first class as are El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme which have recently come back into stock, albeit in small quantity.

We have great stock availability of most La Casa del Habano lines and are expecting the long awaited Hoyo Year of The Ox this week.

I can’t wait for the Lockdowns to be over and things to get back to normal. I’m so looking forward to hosting some sampling events at our new St James’s store as well as our other stores around the country. Hopefully it won’t be too long but, in the meantime, join me at our virtual events which are a lot of fun as well as educational (and great value!)

Checkout Nick Hammonds Audiobook… Around the World in Eighty Cigars its great fun and his book is also available online.

Looking for a really special dram? Try our Stalla Dhu Glen Elgin Port Wood. Its delicious. My business partner Ron and I sampled some on the rocks last week paired up with Trinidad Vigia. Truly a sublime combination and highly recommended.

For a change of pace check out Y Bet Rose Vodka. Vodka isn’t my regular tipple but this really is something special…

Look out! I’m launching a new range of incredible value Nicaraguan cigars later this month. They will truly be the best value smoke in the UK. We still have a UK regional Havana sometime this year as well as a Davidoff-Orchant Seleccion and a Plasencia – Orchant Seleccion to release so it’s going to be a very exciting year of new releases.

I’m putting the finishing touches on our next cigar auction which will conclude on the 20th April, we expect around 350+ Lots of aged, rare and unusual cigars as well as some splendid single malt whisky Lots. The Lots will be online and bidding open 7 days before the auction concludes. Registration is easy and bidding very straightforward. Condition reports are available by email from the auction team who are always happy to assist and advise [email protected]

Looking forward to see you soon at our virtual herfs and soon after at our cigar sampling lounge events.

Peaceful puffing