Pipe & Product News 2008
Read the 2007 Pipe & Tobacco Magazine "Trial by Fire" review of PCCA Tobaccos
- Ashton Pipes from England
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As of right now we have a few group of unsmoked and vintage Ashton briar pipes on hand, including several Old Church sandblast and Sovereign smooth. Ashton Pipes are the only "full oil cured" briar line available today. We spoke to Bill Taylor several times after the RTDA and were expecting a new shipment of 2007 Production pipes from Bill Taylor in various sizes and finishes. As of late Fall 2007 that shipment has arrived, due to production limitations and other life factors for Bill Taylor our on going Ashton supply will remain limited. I am happy to say that we havea good supply of new unsmoked Ashton Pipes online as of October 2007 - almost all will be the sandblasted finishes in 2X, 3X and LX sizes. - Amorelli Pipes from Italy
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Starting in October 2007 we are offering a few handmade unsmoked Amorelli pipes from Italy. Amorelli has been around for years but is generally not as well known in the USA as some of the larger Italian pipe brands. Excellent value in the lower to mid-grades in a true handmade with exceptional handmade mouthpieces. Look for a moderate selection of 10 or 12 pieces at a time starting Fall 2007. - Peterson Pipes from Ireland
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As of right now we have a few unsmoked special Petersons, such as the custom made Amber stem models. As of October 2007 we have added a moderate selection of "good value" Peterson pipes such as the Aran line, the Deluxe series, a silver army Deluxe line and a few others. Peterson remains one of the best every day smoking values on the market, yet has little of the "ego" image which drives up prices.
- Caminetto Pipes from Italy
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Starting in October 2007 we will offer a good selection of unsmoked Caminetto handmade pipes from Italy. For now we are going to limit our selection to carved and non-smooth lines only as they offer the greatest price value and in return smoking value. All new selection online for 2007.
- Castello Pipes from Italy
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Since 1985 Castello Pipes from Cantu' Italy has been PCCA's primary line from Italy having sold well in excess of 10,000 Castello pipes over the years. Our current selection is limited in number but exceptional in quality with both unusual and standard shapes available. We expect to expand our Castello selection of shapes and finishes over the next few months as special pieces become available.
We are happy to accept special requests for shapes and finishes which we will try to source for you from Italy. Shape N°84 is still very difficult to acquire. Shape N°10, N°33 and N°55 will not be stocked by us but are available through prepaid "no exchange or return" special order. in early 2007 we received from Castello are our PCCA 2007 Pipe Of the Year briars, very nice!
As of August 2007 we are limiting our in stock Castello Selection due to several factors, not the least being we can't justify the $20,000 to $30,000 inventory investment right now. PCCA has always been and will always be a fan of Castello products, so please don't read too much into our limited inventory right now.
- Ser Jacopo Pipes from Italy
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Ser Jacopo pipes offer an exceptional variety in sizes, shapes and finishes. Over the years PCCA has sold thousands of Jacopo pipes, but I can think of no time that we have had as great a selection of unusual Jacopo briars as we do right now. Offered for 2007 in addition to more standard Jacopo pieces, are several Gemline series pipes, extra extra large 5X Maxima pieces and much more. Over 24 new Ser Jacopo pipes will be offered after the RTDA 2007 - online late Fall 2007.
- Charatan Pipes Lane Era
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Charatan production today is considered "okay" or good by some, but nothing exceptional by most. While I believe that current Charatan production offers a well made product line, true "Lane Era" Charatans are revered for their original quality. PCCA purchased a large number of Lane Era Charatan pipes a few years ago from a major European distributor. Prices are very reasonable considering the history, but when they are gone that's it, we can not buy more.
- Bauer Meerschaum from Austria
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There are many Meerschaum lines offered today on the net, some are high grade many are not, almost all are products of Turkey. Andreas Bauer is an Austrian line of meerschaum pipes, prior to 1990 when Bauer merged with Koncak Meerschaum of Turkey. Austrian Meerschaum has always been considered the best of the best Meerschaum pipes, today there are no pure Austrian Meerschaum manufacturers. This section will show you a selection of original pre-1990 Bauer classic shape meerschaum pipes with true cultured amber mouthpieces and fitted cases.
- Radice Pipes from Italy
- Radice pipes are almost what I would call the "working
man's" high grade as prices are very reasonable, finishes are varied but
seem to favor the unique carved and sandblasted with a lot of smoking value
included. Radice offers several unique products in addition to their carving
style including oil cured Italian briar and twin bore stems. There are of
course one of a kind Radice pipes and straight grained smooth freestyles,
but my favorite Radice pipes are the standard carved and "wick" models. A
nice selection of Radice briars are offered, not too many, just
enough.
- Don Carlos Pipes from Italy
- Bruto Sordini was born in the small village of Cagli,
high in the mountains of central Italy. While studying law Bruto developed a
passion for pipe making, and so gave up what was to be a promising law
career in order to work with his hands and heart as well as his mind. Don
Carlos pipes offer excellent value in a hand made product line. We have
expanded our selection due to
the value and popularity of Don Carlos. There are limitations of production
which will keep us from stocking as many pieces as we would like.
- Stanwell briar pipes from Denmark
- Our "Danish" area in the past has offered a few pipes from various brands of handmade briars, including some German makers, with various but higher price points and a changing selection of shapes and brands. With so many hyper-priced Danish artisan pipe brands on today's market it is difficult to feature any one brand due to production limitations and of course inventory cost limitations. For 2007 we have changed gears and decided to offer Danish pipes from the value leader Stanwell as our only Danish line. Standard lines, Bamboo shanks, plateau rims and more can be found in the Stanwell line at very attractive price points. Starting in October 2007 we have expanded our Stanwell value based offerings.
- Dunhill Pipes from London
- No pipe brand on today's market has more fans, or critics for that matter, than Dunhill of London. We were a very successful Dunhill Principle Pipe Dealer from 1985 through 2003 until Dunhill USA changed their distribution methods. Although PCCA is not currently an authorized Dunhill Pipe dealer, and we are trying to re-established that account status, we do expect to offer new unsmoked Dunhill pipes as we acquire them through "unofficial" means such as pipe shows, trades, collections, etc. Our Dunhill pipe selection will vary based on supply.
- Various Other Pipes
- In this section we are going to list a few examples of various brands based on what we get our hands on throughout the year. Paolo Becker from Rome, Handmade pipes from Italy and IL Ceppo are examples of what you might find here, but the selection will not be limited to any specific lines. We expect the selection to change all the time as items sell and we add additional pieces in this area. This will not be a close out area, although each brand might only have 1 or 2 examples offered.
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- PCCA Pipe Tobacco
- PCCA limited edition pipe tobacco has a reputation of being very special. The reason for this reputation is that we blend in very small batches with aging of the blend a primary consideration in the leaf used to make our products. Our tobacco lines are exclusively manufactured by McClelland Tobacco Company, in my opinion the only choice for the style and quality of leaf we use.
- Our Pipe tobacco section includes some aged tins that are 8, 10, 12 years old and for 2006-07 we expect to begin production on several new products, plus remake a few of the best items from the past. The Vintage Tobacco section went online early Fall 2006 and mostly sold out quickly. There are several vintage lines that we had a fairly good number of tins in stock, some of those are still available.
- New production PCCA tin tobaccos will start with Aurora,
Beacon, Winter, Jubilee, My Reserve 984 and 5100 vintage tinned. The new
PCCA Pipe Tobacco product lines are in stock and available as of
February 12, 2007. Due to very limited runs and a fairly good pre-order
record, Winter, Beacon and Jubilee are down to less than a case available
(80 tins in a case).
Lubinski Pipe and Cigar Boutique
This project is on HOLD.
Lubinski Srl is the largest distributor of pipes, cigars, tobacco, smokers accessories, leather, cigar accessories, pipe racks and related gifts in Italy. The Lubinski company was featured in an article in P&T Magazine and Retail Tobacconist Magazine. Up until now products from Lubinski Srl were not available in the USA except those items produced for companies like Lane Ltd, General Cigar, Hollco International, Ashton distributors, etc. Lubinski Srl products are distributed throughout Europe, not just Italy.
Starting in late 2007, PCCA will offer you Lubinski Srl distributed products from a complete online catalog of pipes, tobacco & smokers accessories, leather, cigar accessories, pipe racks and related gifts distributed in Italy. Not only will you be able to have access to the full Lubinski line, but you will be able to purchase these items at the same price points as you would if you were purchasing these items in Italy. Offers and catalog should be online by late 2007.
Many of the pipe lines that Lubinski Srl distributes in Italy currently have USA based distributors such as Ashton, Amorelli, Peterson, Charatan, Larsen and S. Bang. These pipe brands will not be offered through our online catalog, expect through normal distribution channels. Cigars and pipe tobacco for European distribution will also not be offered due to higher price points and manufacturer distribution agreements for Europe.
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