October 22, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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The meeting was called to order at 8pm at the 8 to 8 cigar shop in Villa Park, IL. After birthdays and guests were acknowledged, member Pat Murphy announced that he would not be attending next month’s meeting. After the cheering died down, he explained that he would be in England meeting with British pipe smokers in London and out in the countryside. Given the draconian limitations imposed by law on British pipe smokers, Pat’s report on his trip should be interesting when he returns home. Craig Cobine reported that the exhibit cases for next year’s Show will be complete as he has found exhibitors and that Paronelli Pipes will be attending next year’s show for what I believe is the first time. Craig mentioned that Paronelli Pipes supports a tobacco pipe museum in Italy. It will be interesting to see if any historical items will be shown at the Show.

On a very sad note, Craig informed the Club that our longtime exhibitor and pipe dealer/enthusiast Anthony Soderman recently passed away. Tony Soderman was a member of the International Charatan Collectors Society and always had a large inventory of high end pipes for sale at the Show. He had many friends and admirers in the hobby. He will be missed by many.

Our next CPCC meeting at 8 to 8 is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Bender

Acting President/Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club

August 13, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday August 13th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 24 regular members in attendance. We also had one guest Mr. Kevin Lawinger.
MEETING SCHEDULE:
September 24th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
October 22nd: “PIZZA NIGHT” at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
November 19th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
Not a whole hell of a lot went on at this month’s meeting….
OLD BUSINESS:
None stated.
NEW BUSINESS:
None stated.
SHOW REPORT:
On the Sunday of the show, the tables used for the silent auction will be converted into exhibitor tables at a reduced rate.
There MAY be a blending seminar at the 2017 show.
There are CPCC leather tobacco pouches for sale at $30.00 each. I think that there are 5 of them left. Contact Paul Bender for more information.
Allan Boyd has become a new show officer while Paul Bender is now the Assistant Show Director. Good luck to Allan and Paul in their endeavors….
I read this article put out by Forbes that I thought might interest some of you.
It was written by Frank Miniter who is a contributor to Forbes. Everything in italics is taken directly from the article, and I in no way take credit for writing this!!!
This is not the WHOLE article, but rather excerpts from it.
“Now the Obama Administration Is After Gunsmiths?”
“My gunsmith has a lathe, a drill press, even a barrel reamer. He uses them to repair guns. To him, they are like a car mechanic’s welding equipment, drill and cutter tools. He never thought drilling out a broken-off screw or grinding down a gun part to make a rifle’s action work smoother would define him as a “MANUFACTURER”. But now, according to the federal government, he is a manufacturer and is required to pay a $2,250 annual fee as mandated by the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) regulations. This is what the Obama administration is now saying in a rule change.”
“Manta lists 15,615 gunsmiths in America today. Many of these are small shops-many of them are even side businesses for people who began tinkering with guns and then went to a gunsmith school. Requiring these people to pay $2,250 every year will drive many of them out of business or underground.”
“Imagine a gunsmith getting up from his bench, where he is busy tweaking a gun’s stock for a customer, to answer a call from the State Department demanding he pay $2,250 every year or face legal consequences, and you see why this is outrageous.”
Beginning to see where I’m going with this???
The same thing is happening right now as I write this to our “Artisan”, or individual pipe makers thanks to the F.D.A..
The F.D.A. is trying to stomp out ALL forms of tobacco products, and anything that has to do with the use of tobacco products!!!
This includes any pipe or a part thereof, if you make a bowl or a bit-YOU ARE A MANUFACTURER!!!
I’ll be able to pass along more information to you when I get back from the Columbus Show next weekend.
Bottom line, if you like a pipe from a certain maker, or one of the newer tobaccos that has come out recently, you better snag it now because who knows what the future holds for our hobby…
This is also the very last year for McClelland to produce “Christmas Cheer” or “Holiday Spirit”!!! If you can find it…

May 14th, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, May 14th meeting at 8 to 8 Cigar Shop, we had 24 regular members in attendance with one guest who became a member.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

June 11th: Club Officer election meeting at 8 to 8 Cigar Shop  6:30-10:00 P.M.

July 16th: Regular meeting at 8 to 8 Cigar Shop  6:30-10:00 P.M.

August 13th: Regular meeting at 8 to 8 Cigar Shop  6:30-10:00 P.M.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated.

NEW BUSINESS: Craig Cobine, the CPCC Show Director, and a “Doctor of Pipes”, formally introduced an ammendment to the CPCC bylaws to add a “Master of Pipes”(copy right), award to be given at the 2017 show and thereafter. Voting on this change will be at the August meeting. If you want a copy, contact Craig at porshcigar@aol.com

8 to 8 Cigar Shop will be expanding by 2000 square feet next spring. The store will be expanding to the north side of the existing building, and will take over some of their parking space.

SHOW REPORT:

Our 2016 show was HUGE this year! We had more attendees, exhibitors, and tables than in an other year prior to this one!

We also have signed contracts with Pheasant Run through the year 2020. The rumor that this was our last show at Pheasant Run is COMPLETELY UNTRUE!!

The 2017 show is, as of this writing, SOLD OUT!! It was sold out by Sunday afternoon of this past (2016) show. This has never happened in the history of our show. However, don’t despair, we plan on adding tables to a maximum of 334 over our “normal” 304 for next year. The food court/beer garden will be moved to accommodate the table expansion. The current thinking is to move the food court to the area where we conduct the pipe making seminar on the west side of the Mega Center.

TOBACCO BLENDING SEMINAR: This seminar was very well received this year. Next year, we will have this seminar again, and possibly expand it. More information as it becomes available…

SATURDAY NIGHT “CIGAR DINNER”: Next year, our “Cigar Dinner” will be receiving a complete “makeover” even down to the name of it. The choice of food will change in that we will have a variety of entree choices. There also will not be any “goody” bags next year, but we will have some “door prizes”.

MEERSCHAUM PIPE CARVING SEMINAR: We will have a new seminar that will run for 3 days each year, over the course of 3 consecutive years. Year 1, is a paper and pencil only design of the pipe. Year 2 is to drill the tobacco chamber and airway into the block of meerschaum. This will be done with machines that the club owns. Year 3 is to carve, with hand tools only, the pipe you designed in year 1 and drilled in year 2. Yes, you get to keep the pipe. The price of this 3 year seminar is not yet determined.

Once determined, we will open for registration which will include payment for the entire 3 year course. Once started, there will be no new admissions for at least 3 years, and if you miss a year, there are no makeup classes. All payments will be refundable until a certain date, and thereafter will only be refundable if someone takes your place.

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Club Secretary

February 13th, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, February 13th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 28 regular members in attendance along with three guests, one of whom became a member. Thanks guys for visiting with us and to our new member!!

MEETING SCHEDULE:

March 12th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

April 16th: The “pre-show POW WOW” meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

April 30th-May 1st: SHOW TIME!! Pheasant Run Mega Center, Saturday 10:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M., Sunday 9:00 A.M.- 5 P.M.

May: T.B.A.

June: T.B.A.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated

NEW BUSINESS:

The Chicago tax proposal on tobacco, championed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel was RESOUNDINGLY DEFEATED by the members of the Chicago City Counsel last week. The counsel members felt that there was already enough “bootlegging” of tobacco products in the city-and didn’t want more!! However, Emanuel plans to keep bringing this up for vote every month until he wins and gets what he wants!! Welcome to democracy, just keep voting until you get your own satisfaction if it doesn’t go in your favor…

SHOW REPORT:

The 2016 Chicago Show has been sold out since the third week in December, a new show record!! We have many MANY new exhibitors this year. As of now, we have an exhibitor “waiting list”. The CPCC officers are trying to get MORE tables into the “Mega Center”. We could really use an extra 25-30 tables for the exhibitors that don’t have one. More information as it becomes available.

UPDATE ON PHEASANT RUN ROOM AVAILABILITY:

The hotel STILL has “Tower” and “Golf” rooms available with SINGLE king sized beds. However, the rooms with TWO king sized beds in them are gone!! The Hilton Hotel across the road from Pheasant Run still may have some double bed rooms.

The hotel is filling up rapidly, so again, don’t wait to reserve your room!! You can still reserve a Tower or Golf Wing room by using the link OR phone numbers below…

https://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=1350331&hotelID=2932   OR

1 (800) 474-3272   OR   1 (630) 584-6300

Also, the hotel is opening up a VERY limited number of the “Courtyard Rooms” (about 15 in all), in the “B” Wing which have patios and balconies, (you can smoke in these areas and not get fined $150.00 for smoking in your room!!).

However, the “Courtyard” rooms CAN NOT be reserved from the internet link!! You MUST CALL to reserve a room by using the phone numbers previously mentioned.

PIPE MAKING SEMINAR:

There are still a few positions left in our annual pipe making seminar. This seminar is a lot of fun to take (the instructors can be rather funny at times), and you get a “hands-on” education on how pipes are made. It will give you a real appreciation of what your favorite carvers have to do to make the pipes you like so much!!

The seminar takes place on Wednesday April 27th and Thursday April 28th. It starts at 9 A.M. and ends at 5 P.M. with an hour for lunch (12-1) both days. Contact Craig Cobine at porshcigar@aol.com for more information.

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Club Secretary

November 14th, 2015 Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, November 14th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 24 regular members in attendance along with three guests. Thank you guys for coming to attend our meeting!

MEETING SCHEDULE:

December 12th: Christmas Party!!! this is NOT a regular meeting!!! Catering will be provided by  B.B.Q. Jim (the same gentleman as last year) and was it ever GOOD!!! Please bring your “significant others” with you to our party. Prizes will be given out, along with a raffle. 6:30-10:00 P.M.

January 16th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

February13th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated

NEW BUSINESS: The 8to8 Cigar Shop’s annual Christmas sale will be held on December 4th, 5th and 6th. 20 representatives from the various cigar manufacturers will be there on Friday only. Cigars will have 35-45% discounts. 25% off on ALL Dunhill cigars!! Dunhill pipe tobacco will also be on sale!! There will also be raffles and giveaways to those who attend…

Craig Cobine, our Show Director is still in the Springs of Monarch Landing Rehabilitation Center. The good news is that Craig’s doctors are planning for Craig’s release on or about January 1st. Can’t wait to have Craig back at home!!!

Mark Drysdale, one of our long time members, passed away Tuesday, November 10th from injuries sustained after falling off of a ladder. Mark will surely be missed not only by myself, but also by many in the pipe community-he was a GREAT GUY!!

SHOW REPORT:

As of this writing, we have 189 tables sold with more being taken almost every day. 175 of the 210 rooms at Pheasant Run Resort and Hotel are now taken, and we are WAY AHEAD of last year’s bookings. If you want a room at Pheasant Run, I wouldn’t wait to get your reservation in.

We also have many new pipe carvers that will be attending our show this year. I have 3 new carvers from Italy, 2 from Turkey, 1 from Brazil and 2 from Beijing, China so far. I’ll keep you all posted as new carvers are added to the list…

There WILL NOT be a Cigar Event this year at our show.

Also, there WILL NOT be a New Orleans Pipe Show in 2016. However, there may be one held in 2017.

The CPCC show officers will be having a show meeting in a few weeks, and one of the subjects to be discussed will be the Advanced Pipe Making Seminar. At this point, we need to determine if there will even BE a seminar, or if it will have to be postponed until next year. More information as it becomes available to me…

St. Louis Pipe Show:

The show’s date has been set for February 20th, 2016 at the Masonic Temple in Webster Groves, Missouri. The primary hotel will be the Best Western in Kirkwood/Sunset Hills MO.. If you mention the show, the hotel rate is $114.00/night until three weeks before the show. There are also four other hotels nearby whose rates are a little less…

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Secretary

October 17th, 2015 Club Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, October 17th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 35 regular members in attendance with one guest. Thank you sir for attending!!

MEETING SCHEDULE:

November 14th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

December 12th: “Christmas Party”!! THIS IS NOT A REGULAR MEETING. If you wish to, bring your “better halves” with you! 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

January 16th, 2016. :Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

NEW BUSINESS: None stated.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated.

CRAIG COBINE:

Some of you know, and many of you don’t know, that Craig has been hospitalized for the last 3 weeks, and had part of his right foot amputated due to complications from diabetes. Craig, this past Thursday, was transported to a rehabilitation center so that he can learn how to walk again with the aid of a prosthetic device on his foot.

If you would like to visit Craig, the name and address of the rehabilitation center is…

Springs of Monarch Landing

2308 N. Route 59

Naperville, IL. 60563

Phone: (630) 300-1350 Room # 144

If you can’t visit, please give Craig a call or send him a card-he would love to here from you!

SHOW REPORT:

Nothing is really new at this point, it’s sort of a slack time. Starting next month, I should have a loot of show news for you…

NEW/OLD TOBACCO RELEASE:

One of our members, Pat V., has been working in collaboration with Mr. Dan Johnson (The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania), and Saturday night brought in samples of the following tobaccos. They are:

John Cotton’s No.1: A light Latakia blend with lots of Orientals and Virginia.

John Cotton’s Nos.1&2: Has more Latakia plus a blend of Orientals and Turkish along with a base of Virginia.

John Cotton’s Smyrna: Which is a medium-full Latakia blend, with a healthy amount of Turkish tobaccos.

Bengal Slices: Which is a rich crumble cake with Latakia, Virginia, bright Orientals and a touch of Black Cavendish with a light top note added.

War Horse Ready Cut: Which is a rich blend of Burley, Red Virginia, a good amount of Dark Fired and some Perique with a mild flavoring added. It’s got a nice “Nick Kick” but is pretty smooth.

Pat informed me that there will be samples of each at the “West Coast Show” (Las Vegas), and that they should be available in tins as of the first of December through www.pipesandcigars.com

Well, that’s it for this time, hope to see many more of our members at our November meeting…

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Secretary

September 19th, 2015 Club Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday September, 19th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 24 regular members in attendance. We also had one guest who later that night became a new member of our “Merry Band”!!

MEETING SCHEDULE:

October 17th: “Pizza Night”!! at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

November 14th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

December 12th: “Christmas Party”!!! This is NOT a regular meeting this month. Wives, girlfriends and “significant others” are all invited to attend!!! There will be food and drink (non-alcoholic), for everyone who attends, along with a raffle and other GREAT prizes!! This is a great time to get together with our members before the holidays-way better than stomping through some “packed-to-the-rafters” shopping mall !!! 6:30-10:oo P.M.

January 16th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

2016 HOTEL RESERVATIONS:

Since Pheasant Run is tearing down 175+ rooms that won’t be replaced, THE TIME TO MAKE YOU ROOM RESERVATIONS IS NOW!!!! Here Is the 2016 code that you’ll need, or you can call Pheasant Run direct at 1 (630) 584-6300.

https://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=1350331&hotelID=2932

Rooms are being reserved much faster than they were last year, and as of this writing we are already up to more than 500 room nights. Don’t procrastinate!! If you do, you MAY NOT get a room…

OLD BUSINESS: None stated.

NEW BUSINESS: The Dunhill “Trunk Show” at Iwan Ries & Co. will be early this year. The date is Friday, November 20th and starts at 9 A.M.

SHOW REPORT:

We will have a CPCC table at both the New Orleans and Las Vegas shows. We hand out registration forms for our upcoming 2016 show at our table for the Pheasant Run show. Drop by and see us if your interested in reserving a table at our show.

TOBACCO BLENDING SEMINAR:

This seminar will take place on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 from 9 A.M. until 4 P.M. in the afternoon with a 1 hour break for lunch at 12 noon.

The cost of this seminar has YET TO BE DETERMINED unfortunately, because we are still working out how much the “raw materials” (tobacco leaf) are going to run.

The seminar will also be limited to 32 people at his point. Registration will begin in either February or March of 2016.

I’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available…

OTHER INTERESTS:

A new show is in the works to take place from August 18th-21st at Split Rock PA. The show is being created by Russ Ouellette, Master Blender at pipesandcigars.com . Contact Russ for more info…

Hope to see you at our October “Pizza Night” meeting!!

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Secretary

August 15th, 2015 Club Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, August 15th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 19 regular members in attendance.

Meeting Schedule:

September 19th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

October 17th: “PIZZA NIGHT” at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

November 14th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

December 12th: “Christmas Party”!!! NOT a regular meeting this month. Wives, girlfriends and “significant others” are all invited to attend.

 

OLD BUSINESS: None stated.

NEW BUSINESS:

If any one lost a “unique” tamper at our 2015 show, please contact me at tdinelli633@gmail.com . One of our members said that he had found this “unique” tamper in the wee hours of the show which I would assume was late Saturday night/ early Sunday morning…

SHOW REPORT:

PIPE MAKING SEMINAR:

This coming year (2016), we will be offering an “Advanced Seminar” for pipe making. In this seminar, you will be making a pipe from “raw materials”, which are a block of briar wood, and a length of vulcanite rod. The briar block will need to be drilled for both the tobacco chamber and draft holes. The length of vulcanite rod will be turned on a metal lathe, and then hand finished.

The fee for the seminar will be $150.00 . To be eligible to take this seminar, you MUST have successfully completed the “basic” pipe making seminar. We will be taking reservations right after the first of the year. The number of students (due to space restrictions) will be limited to 8. More info to follow in upcoming months…

NEW SEMINAR FOR 2017:

Were are also creating a new seminar entitled “PIPE REFURBISHING”. This seminar will focus on the PROPER way to clean a pipe (no matter how filthy it is ) and will include subjects such as reaming the bowl, shank cleaning and waxing your pipe using a buffer. More details as they become available…

CIGAR DINNER:

The price of our “Cigar Dinner” has been raised from $65.00 to $70.00 for the 2016 show. Contact Craig Cobine at porshcigar@aol.com for tickets…

2016 SHOW ENTRY:

This coming year (2016) we will no longer be using tickets stubs for access to the show. After you pay your entry fee, you will be given a thin plastic wristband that MUST be worn on your person to gain entry to the show. The reason for this is that we had to many attendees that either misplaced, lost or just plain forgot their ticket stubs. Should you lose your wristband, you will have to pay another entry fee to get into the show!!

UNITED PIPE CLUBS of AMERICA:

The new U.P.C.A. tobacco blends (there are 5 of them) hit the shelves of your favorite dealers a couple of weeks ago. Tad Gage will be reviewing the tobacco blends in the FALL issue of Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine.

The Chicago Pipe Club’s website now has a way to electronically register for show tables. Please take advantage of this new feature on the website….

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Secretary

 

 

July 18th 2015 Club Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday, July 18th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 25 regular members in attendance. We also had one guest.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

August 15th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

September 19th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

October 17th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated

NEW BUSINESS: One of our club members proposed a share & tell (similar to show & tell) with new, or cellared tobacco, with one or more of the members bringing in a tin(s) for the other members to try out while in attendance of our meeting. This proposal was very enthusiastically received by all of the members.

Our member brought in a tin of J.F.Germain’s  Royal Jersey (a Perique mixture) from 2005. Upon cracking the tin open, the aroma that emanated from it was just scrumptious!! It was even better when lit in our pipes!!!

THANK YOU H.H. !!!

U.P.C.A. TOBACCO: Was released this weekend at the I.P.C.P.R. show in New Orleans. It should start showing up on retailer’s shelves and websites in the next few weeks.

SHOW REPORT:

One of our members received a certificate of appreciation for volunteering his services at the front desk (Entrance) of our 2015 show. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to A.S. !!!

Another one of our members came up with a new advertising poster for the Thursday night Cigar Show. This advertisement/poster will also be seen in the Chicago Tribune this coming spring. THANK YOU G.B. !!

The Chicago Pipe Club’s website now has a way to electronically register for show tables. Please take advantage of this new feature on the website…

Hope to see more of you at our August meeting!!!

Tom Dinelli

CPCC secretary

June 27th, 2015 Club Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday June 27th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 19 regular members in attendance. There weren’t any guests or new members.

METTING SCHEDULE:

July 18th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

August 15th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

September 19th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

October 17th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.

This will be a short newsletter as there were not many of us in attendance due to graduations, vacations, birthdays etc.

OLD BUSINESS: None stated

NEW BUSINESS: None stated

SHOW REPORT: We will have a new Chicago Tribune advertisement for the 2016 show.

ELECTIONS: Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss (so go the song lyrics)

All of the officers remained the same. They are…

President: Mike Reschke

Vice President & Treasurer: Paul Bender

Secretary: Tom Dinelli

Four new members were elected to the Board of Directors. Congratulations guys!!!

CHICAGO BOWL: In my last newsletter, I inadvertently left off the list of the Tobacco Bowl contestants and their corresponding assigned numbers. They were:

#27 Hearth and Home Marquee Series, pipesandcigars.com (Russ Ouellette): “Viprati”

#37 Cornell and Diehl: “Poplar Camp”

#54 G.L. Pease: “Threepenny Opera”

#59 Hermit Tobacco: “Captain Earle Honor Blend”

#68 Stokkebye 4th Generation: : “1855”

#71 McClelland Tobacco Company: “Virginia #27”

#76 Scandinavian Tobacco Group, (Lane LTD.): “125th Anniversary Blend”

#82 McClelland Tobacco Company: “Black Parrot”

#98 Arango Cigar Company: “Wessex Brigade”

The winner was McClelland “Virginia #27”.

My apologies for this oversight.

Tom Dinelli

CPCC Secretary