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No.495 20 May – 2 June, 2021

Historical dates, anniversaries and pipes.

Put in some dates and what do you find?

Well in the year 421 the city of Venice was founded.
That was 1600 years ago. This anniversary is deservedly being celebrated this year by the whole of Italy.
The financial and trading status of Venice today may not be as important to the country as it was then, but it is a favourite tourist destination - which at some stages is to the despair of the local population.

In 1876 Achille Savinelli opened his Pipe and Tobacco shop in Milano, producing the first Savinelli pipes in the back of the shop.
That marks 145 years.
And Savinelli pipes are still being made near Milano in the hands of the 5th generation of the Savinelli family.
That’s almost unique in a family business.
Savinelli must be doing it right.

2021 marks off the more than 50 years since we, as Wesley’s, started buying Savinelli products directly in 1971.
I can’t say much about the two longer anniversaries, but I must say that our 50 years have been a pleasure and a privilege.

Over and above their consistency in the quality of their products, we have had access to innovations such as
The annual “Prestige Collection Limited Editions” since 1985,
Tributes to Italian masters such as the Leonardo da Vinci Collection which was completed with 9 models in 2013;
Also the Fuoco (Giuseppe Arcimboldo), the Otello (Verdi), and the Venere (Botticelli);
Plus artistically appealing different coloured mouthpieces on bowls in different finishes,
All boxed in attractive packaging with descriptive leaflets where appropriate.

2021 also marks the 40th anniversary of the most beneficial of all the designs from Savinelli - the introduction of the Dry System pipes in 1981. 
The pipe that has everything going for the experienced or novice pipe smoker: perfect balance and the infallible 6 point “System” ensure a cool, dry smoke.
These are still the backbone of our business with them.

That is the calendar of the anniversaries and coincidences to do with Savinelli as they stand now in 2021.
But what do they mean, or do for you, our customer?

Savinelli Venezia – 421 pipes designed to commemorate the founding of Venice in 421, the shape is a classic Dublin, in a variety of colour and finishes. Our No.102 is stunning brown sandblast. Each pipe is beautifully boxed with the relevant accreditation certificate and a blue Murano glass tamper concealing a chrome cleaning tool.
Unfortunately only one customer can benefit here, because we only have one of the 421 numbered pipes produced in recognition of this historical event.

Collection 2019  - Limited Edition
The distinctive design incorporates a black band into the shank, while the mouthpiece includes a briar ring.
Chunky bent pots, the 4 pipes have plenty of wood for a cool smoke.
A real handful.

To arrive:
The Savinelli Collection 2021 Pipe of the Year is a stunning bent (606) with a very elegant triangular stem.

The Savinelli “Old” pipes – in our latest order we have two new shapes 1611Ex, a large Dublin bowl, and shape 2622. Both in glowing smooth, chestnut finishes, all stamped Savinelli – a sign of quality.
And because of the better exchange rate the prices are slightly lower, as are all of the “Old” Savinellis – we took up some of the remnants from the earlier shipment and averaged the lot.

All the “Old” Dry System pipes will be on “special” less 25% from next week.
And we’ll include the single Venezia, and the four 2019 Collection Pipes.

On offer until 9 June 2021 : Less 25% Savinelli Dry System pipes – “old gems” – higher than premier quality, Some in shapes and finishes no longer available. PLUS The Venezia (1 only) and the four 2019 Collection pipes

We hope that if you are ready for a new pipe you will take advantage of our offer, and make the year 2021 more memorable than the 2020 fiasco.

Colin Wesley

No.495 20 May – 2 June, 2021

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No.496 June 3-16, 2021

Notes from Abroad

Cuba
Covid19 has much to be blamed for in most countries of the world.
Not many more so than the island of Cuba and its tiny population.
With its borders closed to all tourists no section of the economy has escaped its clutches.
The 2020 cigar volumes were down by 4%. It has been accepted that 2% of this was due to the loss of sales to tourists, which are considered to be export orders.
The knock-on effect that the impact the virus might have on the closure of the cigar factories through general, personal, safety legislation, or the severe decrease in the workforce through absenteeism or even death, cannot be discounted.
Premium cigar production is heavily weighted towards highly skilled hands needed all the way from seedling to cedar.

However, the 2021 virtual “Habanos Festival” commemorated the 55th Anniversary of the Cohiba Cigars with a special cigar. 150mm x Ring 57 – boxes of 10. The largest ring size ever from Cuba.
And a new standard line - Cohiba Ambar 132mm x Ring 53 – boxes of 10. These were expected to be easier to find.
Plus two more Edicion Limitada:
Hoyo De Monterrey No 4, 145mm  x Ring 55 (boxes of 16)
Bolivar Regentes, 130mm x Ring 52 (boxes of 25)
And an addition to the Montecristo standard range
Montecristo Wide Edmundo, 125mm  x Ring 54 (boxes of 25), with a second band having the name of the vitola

There is some scepticism as to when these rather special cigars will be available as several of 2020 Limited Editions are still not available.

US
These problems will not be restricted to Cuba, but to all premium cigar factories.
This has already been experienced in the US with production from the non-Cuban countries dropping.
Cigar smokers are starting to stockpile.
Here are some statistics: US cigar imports January / February 2021 were 55 million, 46.7% up on 2020.
The large increase anticipates a drop in production.
The main beneficiaries were
Nicaragua  - 16.4 million (up 27.8%)
Dominican Republic – 10.9 million (up 58.2%)
Honduras – 7.3 million (up 63%)

At home
We could be in for another tough year with many stock shortages – it might be prudent to look very carefully at your stock situation and put in a little extra of any real favourites.
If your humidor is full, you could run a damp, not soaking wet, cloth over the outside of a box of cigars and then wrap it in Clingwrap and put it away in a cool cupboard, or in your wine cellar.
If you’d like to experiment with some different Cuban cigars, we have 3 new Selections.

China
China has just overtaken Spain as the No 1 single country buyer of Cuban cigars.
It was a Chinese group which bought the 50% of Habanos, sold by Imperial Tobacco, only last year.

On a lighter note:
Nicaragua
Plascencia Alma Fuerte cigars produce a puro – all Nicaraguan leaf, in an unusual six-sided, pressed shape.
The Sixto I Colorado Claro has a Nicaraguan Colorado Claro wrapper.
Now for something new - from June they are releasing the cigar with a band which is digitally interactive.
Light up an Alma Fuerte Sixto I Hexagon Colorado Claro and find out more about your cigar.
Put your smart phone against the cigar band to read the embedded smart chip.
The chip will authenticate the cigar and open a webpage on your phone (iPhone 10 or above, or any Android model). You will receive high resolution photos of the blending, tasting notes, and a video of the Plascencia’s family history. To finish off there is also an app to allow you to give feedback on your experience of the cigar.
These cigars will be launched at the end of June.
Can you wait that long??
Is this the beginning of something great, or the end of that quiet, peaceful cigar smoke?

On a more serious note:
Go back to the blog from last June, in fact from almost every June since I started these blogs.
The beginning of winter heralds cold dry air on the Highveld (and probably the Eastern Cape too this year).
Cigars don’t like dry air.
The heaters are switched on all over the country.
Cigars don’t like heat either.

Find a cool place to store them.
And make sure the relative humidity in the humidor stays around 70%.
You can check both with a digital hygrometer.

The “Cigar” brand Nano beads help maintain the moisture in the air in your humidor and can be re-used for many years.

Unsurprisingly, our offer this time is on the Nano bead humidifiers:

25% off  the price of "Cigar” brand Nano beads Normal Prices from R195.00 June 10 - 23, 2021 Only from Wesley’s Shops and Online

Cigars don’t like warm, dry air – pamper them!

Colin Wesley

No.496 June 3-16, 2021

All previous blogs are archived in the Library, by date and by subject.
A visit will allow you to choose from any of the more than 400 blogs to read or re-read at your leisure.

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No.497 June 17-30, 2021

Sandblasting

The what, the why, the how.

The what
Sandblasting had been in use for many years before Alfred Dunhill decided in 1917 to use it on wood - briar wood.
Defined as a stream of sand projected by compressed air, sandblasting was being used for engraving, cutting or polishing glass and stones. It was also the last resort for cleaning machinery that was very dirty and dogged up with gunk - which it just blasted off, leaving a clean smooth surface.
How, or why, Dunhill thought that this cleaning and engraving process could benefit his pipe production no one knows. But that was part of Alfred Dunhill’s intuition. He saw, and did things that no one had seen or done before.
The story is that at some time he had noticed that when a few briar blocks had been left close to a heating boiler for some time, the soft wood in the grain had shrunk exposing the relief pattern on the block – the “Shell”.
Some writers debunk this theory but concede that it was better marketing than to openly say that it “was a powerful, industrial process known to remove dirt and grit off metal” that was used to bring out the relief patterns of the briar blocks. Alfred Dunhill no doubt felt that the fable would be a better marketing tool.
Irrespective of how it all started Alfred Dunhill was the first Pipe maker to “sandblast” his briar pipes, leaving the grain in beautiful, hard-grained relief. At first these were often more expensive than the smooth pipes.
In the factory the craftsmen, being unused to the new machinery, produced some rather crude examples of the various standard shapes – No 59 (billiard) 137(Dublin) and others. They were so crude that in the early catalogue they were shown as “example lll” or “example X” so as not to confuse or disappoint, buyers of the original smooth shapes when they received their “Shell” briar. The shell briars were rugged, and they had character, but they lost the symmetry of shape admired by the Gentry of the time.

The why
The common conception of why a bowl should be sandblasted is because it is flawed. Not so says one scribe.
He makes an interesting case. Up until the 1930’s and early 1940’s nearly all smooth pipes were stained Burgundy or dark Brown. These stains could cover most sand spots and other small flaws hiding in the grain pattern. In those days, the sawmills were just cutting briar blocks at will, with no consideration of the grain pattern. A high percentage of the blocks had either mixed, or cross grains, which when covered with the dark stains made it almost impossible to see any flaws.
However tastes change.
More and more pipe smokers wanted to see more grain of the briar pipe, leading up to the naturally light stained smooth pipes we see today. But it became impossible to hide the small sand spots and the other little flaws. So it was back to sandblasting which shows the grain in relief, and incidentally reduces the weight of the pipe.
Today we also have rusticating, and machine-carved finishes to offer.
The point being made is that it is not that the quality of the briar has decreased but that the standards for acceptance of a smooth pipe have gone up (and the prices), and that the good qualities of a sandblasted pipe are becoming more appreciated.

The how.
Sandblasting is generally done using a compressor to build up pressure.
The size of the sandblasting machine to be used will depend on the size of the job to be done. However a compressor which can be large, noisy and expensive is needed.
There are three ways to set this up.
The first, the only one I have actually seen, is a glass box fixed in place fitted with a nozzle pointing down on the inside. The operator pushes his gloved hands into the box, holding the pipe under the nozzle. He then releases the blasting material through a foot pedal and manoeuvres the pipe with both hands under the nozzle blasting off the soft wood.
The second way is similar except the operator holds the pipe in one hand and a spray pistol through which he releases the blasting material by pointing and pulling the trigger of the pistol.
The third way is automated. Many bowls are put in a wire barrel or a rotunda, which is sprayed with blasting material for several hours. The constant tumbling of the revolving bowls against each other tends to smooth over the sharp edges of the sandblasting. The pipes end up with a soft, comfortable feel in the hand. This method would usually be used to produce lower priced sandblasted pipes.
In these days with the demand for high quality sandblasted pipes (particularly from the US and Scandinavia) the sawmills are cutting more briar blocks of straight grains which come out as “Ring grains” when sandblasted. This limits the truly artistic individual makers of these beautiful pipes, like the late Bruce Weaver.

Some of the attractions of a sandblasted pipe are:
The feel – appreciate the natural wood
The appearance of the grain pattern – in relief
The lightness – always a benefit to the pipe smoker.

You’d like to try a sandblasted pipe?
To experience the lightness and the feel?

From 24 June to 8 July, 2021: Less 25% Sandblasted Pipes Dunhill (Cumberland, Shell, County) Marca (Dry, Snug, Mignon, Duo) Stanwell (Black & White, Hans Christian Andersen, De Luxe, Vario Sandblast/smooth) Savinelli Collection 2019 Sandblast Lorenzo (Lectura sandblast/carved) Prices from R600.00

Have a look
See what appeals to you
Enjoy the feel

Colin Wesley

No.497 June 17-30, 2021

All previous blogs are archived in the Library, by date and by subject.
A visit will allow you to choose from any of the more than 400 blogs to read or re-read at your leisure.

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No.498 July 8-21, 2021

Lockdowns

Lockdowns, or restrictions.
Whether we are for them or not, we are going to have them for some time yet.

However, from now on you won’t have to endure them deprived of your tobacco wants.
The total ban on the sale of any tobacco products has been lifted.
But not the restriction on sales through the internet, and on delivery through the postal system.
We as Wesley’s had one other restriction, which applied to anything we sold outside of our shop.
Our Bank pay desk would not accept “card not present” credit card sales.

All these “challenges” have been resolved.
Just email us the list of items, including tobacco products, you would like.
We will respond with a quote and payment options.

While we are in level 4 restrictions, especially trying to avoid crowded areas or unnecessary contact with other people, stay at home and relax. We will supply your smoking requirements, right to your doorstep.

If you are a cigar smoker who doesn’t like to chop and change his cigar selection, or even try something different, I suggest you put in extra stock of a few favourites.   I understand that Cuba, and most of the other Caribbean cigar producing areas, have been blown into disarray by the virus and the weather.

If you are even a little adventurous, we will be offering increased varieties in our successful range of Cigar Selections.
These have become popular because they come with a full description of each cigar, including a Cigar Aficionado rating when possible, and at very good prices. We expanded on this in a 2012 blog.
Our selections mix up different brands in the same sizes, or different sizes in the same brand; they traverse the whole gamut of premium cigars: Cuban, Nicaraguan, Dominican, long and short filler. They introduce new brands, new sizes, some Limited Editions when available.

The selections are a great starting point from which to build and improve your humidor stock, and a great opportunity to break from your normal choice. You can try new cigars without being afraid of expensive errors.
It might be a good idea to visit our website at least once a month to keep check on new stock.

A bonus find :
Tiding up our storeroom we found extra stock of the leather 3-cigar telescopic case with the Spanish cedar wood insert. These cases can carry 3 cigars with ringsize up to 50, and 159mm in length.

A bonus offer:

40% off the price of Telescopic Cedar-lined Case for 3 cigars Normal Price of 73-Ex243s R899.50 July 15 - 28, 2021 Only from Wesley’s Shops and Online

One of the joys of a pleasurable hobby is finding out more…..
And the hobby of cigars is no different: is the “very best” that much better than the “best”?
What other cigars might I enjoy?
The Selections offer an easy path to “finding out more”

Colin Wesley

No.498 July 8-21, 2021

All previous blogs are archived in the Library, by date and by subject.
A visit will allow you to choose from any of the more than 400 blogs to read or re-read at your leisure.

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No.499 22 July – 4 August, 2021

The Year to come

For the last twenty years or more, at about this time we would start receiving the pipes from Savinelli, and Lorenzo – pipes which we had selected on our usual January/February visit to Europe.
Obviously, this year there was no trip to Europe.
Nor will there be the September Trade show in Dortmund to attend and meet with other overseas business friends. To talk shop and exchange ideas.

However, always looking for a bright side of things over which we have no control, we have had time during our isolation to tidy up our overall stocks and systems in our pipe business.
Lorenzo:
We have sold most of Lorenzo pipes with which we had no cracking mouthpiece problems. There are just a few left of the VIP Summa Cum Laude and Valsesia Sandpebble.   Canadians and Natural Grains are sold out.
And the last of the Churchwardens.
Look forward to the re-launch of the Lorenzo Vivace. These pipes could have a mouthpiece problem so we have arranged to have new replacement mouthpieces made – these we will supply at no charge with each pipe as they are sold. These extra mouthpieces should be ready by September/October 2021.
Marca:
From our good friends who make our Marca pipes we have ordered three new ranges to fill the price gaps left after removing the Lorenzo value pipes. We have been importing our Marca pipes since 2005, and in all this time we haven’t had a single faulty bowl. Not many brands can boast of this.
The Marca Mini, Medio and Milano may not have as much Italian design flair as the Lorenzos, but we can almost guarantee they give a good smoke and won’t break down in the process,
These pipe will be available in August/September 2021.
Nording:
We shall follow up with Erik Nording to see what he has to offer.
Savinelli Classics:
We have also sold out of all but 2 or 3 of the most expensive Savinelli “Freeform” pipes. These we really do like to select ourselves – so we will have to wait for more.
We have managed to get a small package of one new (to us) range, at a special price.
As usual, Savinelli has created a pipe design with a story. In this case it is the Savinelli “Regimental” – a tribute to the English Military tradition of displaying their colours.
The colours chosen by the Savinelli team are those of a very old English Regiment, the 22nd Cheshire Regiment of Foot drafted by the Duke of Norfolk in 1869; Chestnut and Gold, and the pipes have matching chestnut mouthpieces.
We have 4 very different shapes, finished in a smooth, shadow Chestnut or dark brown Rusticated. The shapes in both finishes feel and look stunning. There is a shape to suit any taste.
Prices: Smooth rich Chestnut colour; Normally R2595.00   Special price: R1995.00
Rusticated burnished deep Chestnut colour; Normally R2395.00  Special Price: R1795.00

Savinelli Dry System:
Not sold out – the particularly good range of “Old” Dry Systems, the top quality Premier and most of the standard range. Looking for manageable size “Oom Paul”? Consider the “Old” shape 3620.

Savinelli 6mm Balsa filters
Unfortunately during 2020, due to the pandemic, Savinelli encountered a major problem obtaining balsa filters.
The last order they were able to supply was in September 2020.
In June this year they sent us an email saying that they had found a source of supply, but that they were unlikely to have stock before December 2021.
If you run out you can consider using the 6mm charcoal filter (R49.50/pkt of10) or even use an adapter to see how it feels to smoke without a filter.

Payment:
To make it easier for you we can now accept payment either by EFT or Credit Card.
Email us your order as usual (with exact delivery address and your contact number), and we’ll send a quote offering the options:

• Pay by EFT to our bank
• Pay by Credit Card, processed securely by Wallet.doc

Also as usual, we ship (on working days) within 24 hours of receiving confirmation of payment.
We email tracking details once the waybill has been generated.
This process may be used to buy anything from us, even tobacco products (with certain conditions).

Stay at home, stay safe, we can come to you.

Back to the Savinelli Regimental.

On offer from July 29 for 2 weeks 25% off the special prices of Savinelli Regimental Smooth rich Chestnut colour normally R2595.00   Special price: R1995.00 – 25% Rusticated burnished deep Chestnut colour  normally R2395.00  Special Price: R1795.00 -25%

Don’t hold back, each one of these well drilled and polished blocks of Briar will serve you loyally for many years.

Colin Wesley

No.499 22 July – 4 August, 2021

All previous blogs are archived in the Library, by date and by subject.
A visit will allow you to choose from any of the more than 400 blogs to read or re-read at your leisure.

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