When passion guides your hands, you are bound to create something incredible. Such is the story of Caminetto/Ascorti.

If you have followed these posts of late, you will know already that Italy is one of the most famous countries for pipe making. This is further proof. Get ready; we are going back to the Sixties.

Just before the decade began, Giuseppe Ascorti started his path to pipe-maker supreme in 1959 when he joined Castello. At the time, Carlo Scotti was the owner. Perseverance and talent immediately meant Ascorti stood out as an impressive, prospective pipe maker. A year later, Giuseppe’s wife acquired the family-owned business, which allowed him to invest in his own workshop.

Ascorti then met Luigi Radice while working at Castello and they decided to open a business together. It was now 1968. In the early days, one of the first to support “Ascorti & Radice” was Gianni Davoli, owner of a tobacco shop in Milan. Davoli understood the value of the duo’s pipes and decided to send some samples to his connections in the United States. The pipes were a success, and Davoli asked to be the sole international distributor. And so Caminetto was born.

Incidentally, you might wonder about the origins of the name. As always, there is a  mythical story behind it. According to legend, Ascorti, Radice and Davoli were sitting by the fireplace one evening and enjoying their pipes and some wine. During this quality time, Davoli had the idea of associating the pipes with the fireplace’s chimney, the word for which in Italian is “caminetto”.

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(Indeed, there is more to the name than just where the founders rested up. Davoli made a more profound connection. In Italian, the bottom part of the pipe bowl is called “Fornello” or “Focolare”. A “Focolare” is, like caminetto, also a word that Italians use to describe the fireplace. Perhaps Davoli made that connection or maybe he simply compared the bowl of the pipe to a chimney. Whatever the truth, the trio became famous and called themselves “I Tre Camini”, which means “the three chimneys”. The company’s logo is a moustache, and legend maintains that this is a homage to the company founders, as Ascorti and Radice sported a large moustache. In time, naturally enough with the competitive natures involved as you will read ahead, Davoli followed suit).

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To promote the company, Davoli started focussing on his strengths: namely marketing. Castello pipes were extremely popular at that time, but they were difficult to find and expensive because of the production scale. Davoli started to promote Caminetto pipes as an alternative to Castello pipes, offering the same quality and care, and attention to detail, but at around half the price. The primary seller in America was The Tinder Box International (TTBI), which was highly successful at distributing and promoting the Caminetto pipes, which would ultimately become the Ascorti. (They remain listed on the Tinder Box website). Thanks to the excellent work of Ascorti and Radice, and the collaboration between Davoli and TTBI, Caminetto became hugely popular, worldwide.

At the same time as this welcome success, popularity brought high demand. The artisans soon reached what to them were the absolute production limits. The whole family got involved, and, from almost childhood, Roberto Ascorti (the current owner) started to help in the workshop. To maintain the company at the top, Davoli invested a large sum of money in machinery (and on the back of this became a co-owner). In 1973,  Davoli became the major shareholder of the company, and continued success saw demand grow from 3,000 pipes a year to 7,000 with Davoli celebrated as the “Master pipe maker, designer and sole creator of the Caminetto”.

Ultimately, the seventies proved a peak for Caminetto. The increase in production forced the brand to move toward a streamlined manufacturing process, which meant that Radice had to give up his artistic approach to pipe making. As can happen, the increase in output threatened quality standards, and Radice was concerned about this. Ascorti shared his concern, not least as they had based their whole lives on producing high-quality art pieces. Undeterred, Davoli allegedly insisted on focusing on the production volumes.

The end was nigh. After attending art school and his military service, Roberto Ascorti wanted to start his own pipe-making path and his father, Giuseppe, wanted him to join the company. Davoli apparently fought against it because with Roberto in the company he feared losing his grip amid a new Ascorti alliance. By 1979, the rift was irreparable when foreseen quality issues arose in America. Moreover, Castello threatened legal action on the grounds of copyright infringements.

For the artisans, it was the breaking point. Radice was a mere employee in the company, and Ascorti had little power, with Davoli maintaining complete control over Caminetto. The founders departed and, with “I tre Camini” disbanded at the end of the year, Radice was without prospects and Ascorti had a workshop but no company.

We have a happy ending of sorts. Loyalty and good manners paid off in the end as the crew that Ascorti trained through the years followed him to join a new establishment. Giuseppe and Roberto Ascorti founded their own company, “Ascorti.” At the same time, Radice managed to establish himself in 1980 as an independent pipe maker. In the following years, he prospered, and to this day, his pipes can be found worldwide and praised for the quality and care for details.

And Davoli? Not only did he lose the main backbone of the company he also lost the workshop from a fire which reduced the building to ashes. With no artisans, no workshop, and no designs, as well as quality issues, the golden era of Caminetto came to an end, consumed by the flames.

The Ascorti family kept working on their new venture. This included reviving the Caminetto name in 1986. In all, new pipes with improved design but with the same care for details and standards of quality on which his father always insisted.

To this day, Ascorti still follows the founders’ principles; in short, fine briar, incredible detail, and astonishing designs. With a Caminetto/Ascorti pipe, it doesn’t matter where you are in your pipe smoking life. You will immediately appreciate them and enjoy beautiful smokes. Keep an eye on our catalogue because you might join the small group of lucky collectors to own a pipe that is not only a beautifully crafted art piece but also a statement of talent and perseverance.

As the Italians say, and I have also said of late, la prosima volta. Meaning, until next time.

-Calum

C is for Century

Welp, now we’re cooking with gas! After blasting through the B’s, I’m now cracking on with the C’s, with a brand that is a tentpole blender for any good tobacconist or pipe shop (while admittedly being slightly niche) Century, USA.

The brand

As the “USA” suffix might imply, Century specialise in highly aromatic, American style pipe tobacco blends. To me, they are the quintessential American style blender with a consistent style across the blend, which stays true to the distinctive American style: Mild tobacco with a pronounced, sweet casing and an enticingly pungent aroma. From its roots in Kentucky, the brand’s factory itself has survived for a long time, through many different owners in America due to various buyouts over the years. However, it managed to come out smelling of roses (Damn, it would have been too convenient for them to have ever done a Rose flavour tobacco that I could humorously link to here, wouldn’t it? Maybe I should’ve said “Came out smelling like cherries” instead?) and has emerged as America’s best-selling loose tobacco brand, with a respectable following on this side of the pond too.

Sadly, as is the case with many flavoured tobaccos – especially American Style ones – the range in the UK is very small compared to what is used to be/currently is, in other countries. However, even though we have been reduced to just five blends available, they manage to cover a decent variety of options, including some slightly less expected ones.

Black & Brown.

This is an interesting one to start off with. Normally, American blends tend to go for a more specific (if abbreviated) flavour name: Black C. Golden H, etc. However, in this case, they have gone for a more generally descriptive “Black & Brown,” referring to the colours of the tobacco itself. It has actually had a few names in the past, including “Tweed” and “Black and Tan” (the latter being changed for obvious reasons…)  The Black and Brown in this case, is a mix of Black Cavendish, Burleys and Bright Virginias. When researching this blend, I found that there seems to be some debate about whether or not there is a casing involved, the general consensus being that if anything, it has a light vanilla topping. Regardless of that, there is a pleasant general sweetness to the blend. As well as the vanilla, I also get hints of a slightly syrupy, molasses-like sweetness, with occasional hints of caramel. As is often the case with American style blends, the tobacco itself is extremely mild and barely detectable under the sweetness. All in all, this is a nice blend for sweet-tooths who don’t want to be overwhelmed.

Black Cavendish

Following on from Black & Brown, this is another simple, uncompromising blend: Pure, sweet Black Cavendish. Weirdly, this is another one where the casing has been debated, before settling on “Vaguely vanilla.” Although, I guess it isn’t that weird if you consider that it’s the same Black Cavendish that is used in the Black & Brown. While Black Cavendish is quite simple in theory, this one has been fire cured to add a little bit of earthy character, to the traditional sugary sweetness. Once again, it’s extremely mild, but it does have some utility. Personally, I see this as the polar opposite of pure Latakia. I often suggest keeping a portion of Latakia on hand for if you ever find yourself with an English/Balkan type blend that you find a little weak or lacking, so you have the option of giving it a little extra “Oomph!” You can do the same with this Black Cavendish but for when you have a sweet American blend, that you feel could use a little sweetness boost.

B23 Black C

No self-respecting American style range can exist without having a Black Cherry option and Century is no different. This might be slightly biased as it is far and away our best-selling pure cherry blend in Chester but to me, Century’s offering is the archetypal American Black Cherry blend. It uses toasted Black Cavendish, as well as Virginias and Bright Cavendish, topped with a strong, sweet black cherry flavour. This is a fairly rare case where you can somewhat taste the tobacco flavour under the casing, but it is still pretty mild in the grand scheme of things. They do a good job of keeping the cherry both sweet and pronounced, while avoiding it becoming too sweet and therefore sickly. A great starting point for American Aromatics in general.

BR (Buttered Rum)

I’ve got to be honest; I didn’t know buttered rum was a thing until I found this tobacco. It makes sense though, rum is an extremely varied drink with a few different extremes of flavour. I guess that’s why Century opted to cover a couple of bases, by using two types of rum for the casing: Buttered New England rum and a more traditional Sweet Jamaican rum. This topping is added to a fairly straightforward mix of Virginia and Burley, a classic unobtrusive base that allows the casing to shine. I’m not always the biggest rum fan, but I really enjoy this blend. I feel that the buttery element comes forward more than the rum, with occasional hints of creaminess to boot. This works well for me though, as I feel a full-strength rum flavour would be a little too overpowering for this sort of blend. Also, worth noting: the cut of this blend as a little longer than a lot of the Century range, which gives it an excellent slow-burning character.

RC (Royal Champage)

We finish off with one that I find myself torn on. I’ve got to admit, I’m not massively into champagne as a whole, but as regular readers will know: I love it when an aromatic blend goes for an unusual and “Out there” flavour and I don’t think I’ve ever seen another champagne flavoured blend. In spite of me not being into Champagne, I still really enjoy this blend for its idiosyncrasies. On top of being a less used flavour, it’s also a rare case of an aromatic blend that couldn’t be described as sweet; it has a tarter and tangier sort of character that really stands out amongst other American Aromatics. As should be expected at his point, the tobacco isn’t particularly noticeable here, but it works well as a whole. So, I’d definitely say it’s worth trying, even if you wouldn’t usually go for a bit of the old bubbly!

So that’s what remains of the Century range. It’s sad to see what used to be a massive selection reduced down so much, but I’m warmed by how much they still manage to pack into what’s left. They’re a real pillar of pipe tobacco and well worth experiencing if you haven’t yet!

Until next time:

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

-Calum

Store Manager @ Turmeaus & LCDH Chester

 

B IS FOR: BORKUM RIFF

I can’t believe it’s taken this long, but I’ve finally reached the B’s in this lengthy A-Z rundown of tobacco blends.

The Brand

Borkum Riff is a tried-and-true exemplar of the Scandinavian style of tobacco blending/flavouring and has seen some evolution of its decades of existence, as well as – sadly – a bit of downsizing. The brand was founded in the 1960s in Sweden and their original release was a relatively simple blend of Virginia and Burley, coarse cut, with no casing. While it is now a very well-respected tobacco, it didn’t release to a huge fanfare. In fact, it wasn’t until the very end of the 1960s, when a version of this original mixture combined with a Bourbon Whiskey casing finally took off in the USA, that Borkum Riff found its feet and began to run with it. Over the following years, the range grew massively and incorporated an impressive selection of flavours, from certified classics, such as Cherry to some truly wild options, including things like Sweet Melon or Champagne! Sadly, due to the UK’s notoriously strict rules on tobacco, only a very small selection of these were available on these shores. In fact, for a long time we only had the option of Original, Cherry Cavendish and Bourbon Whiskey. To make things even sadder, this has now been reduced down even further, as the Original is no longer available here.

In spite of this pared down range, Borkum Riff remains consistently popular, which shows that in this case – as with many things – quality outweighs quantity.

The Range

Borkum Riff Bronze (Bourbon)

The blend that helped make the brand. Originally, this was simply the original Virginia/Burley Borkum Riff blend, with an added Bourbon flavour. However, it was eventually changed to a mix of African and Brazilian Virginias, combined with a variety of Black Cavendish from Africa, Europe and the Philippines. This is a very handy tweak for this sort of aromatic: Scandinavian Aromatics tend to be sweet, but not to the insane levels you’d find in American Aromatics. So, the naturally sweet character of these tobaccos works well with the more subtle style of casing, as it helps add to the sweetness, but in a natural way that doesn’t allow it to become too sickly.

As you may well know already, I’m a big fan of any tobacco blend that is a little bit different. Highland Whisky blends are pretty common, but Bourbon whisky tobaccos are actually surprisingly rare, especially if you consider how popular Bourbon is in the UK. As I mentioned above, the base tobacco blend works extremely well with this casing; It has the sweet, caramelly taste of a gorgeously smooth Bourbon, which is accentuated by the natural sweetness of the tobacco, without marring the “true tobacco” taste underneath. A great choice for pipe smokers and Bourbon drinkers alike.

Borkum Riff Ruby (Cherry Cavendish)

Even though cherry is easily the most common of all pipe tobacco flavourings, Borkum Riff still manage to do something a little different with their take on it. American Aro’s tend to lean into the very heavy, syrupy style of cherry, to match their intense sweetness, with the results ending up akin to a Black Forest Gateaux style of cherry, or a very heavy Xmas pudding. In stark contrast, this Scandinavian version goes for something altogether fresher and livelier, that tastes more like a natural, fresh cherry. Curiously, this casing also includes a very slight hint of vanilla, to balance it out with a slight creamy edge. In American styles, this really adds intensity to the overall sweetness, but in Borkum Riff’s case, it just balances out perfectly. By the way, I’m not criticising the American styles of Cherry & Vanilla,  in fact American Blends CV is one of my all time favourite blends (as regular readers might be able to tell from the fact I mention it in nearly every blog I write…)

Once again, the base tobacco blend strays away from the original Borkum Riff Virginia/Burley combo. In this case, they use a robust, heavily fermented combo of Dark Kentucky and Burley, which allows for the tobacco flavour and aroma to work in harmony with the casing, rather than one totally destroying the other.

Sadly, that’s as far as I can go with these weeks A-Z, as that is all that remains of this range in the UK. To me, that’s a genuine shame, as both these tobaccos show a real aptitude to blending and flavouring tobacco in ways that are similar enough to classics to not scare people off, but simultaneously put their own, personal spin on them.

I hope to see you again next time for more Alphabet-based tobacco tasting.

Until then: Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

-Calum

Store manager @ Turmeaus & LCDH Chester

Right, I’m going to be very careful of what I say here, as I vaguely recall saying “It seems like there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel!” around May last year… Oh dear. Well, at the time of writing, it’s mid-March 2021 and the UK is hopefully only a month or so away from taking some big steps back towards normality [frantically touches every piece of wood within reach] so we might actually have some stuff to look forward to in the coming months. However, as last year proved, that is far from guaranteed. So, on a more positive note, I’m going to use this blog to take a look at some new and exciting products that are definitely coming out this year (or have just been released).

New Havana Cigars:

1. H.Upmann Connoisseur No.2

This is great news for me; H. Upmann has been one of my go-to brands ever since I first started smoking cigars, both from a consumer and retailer’s perspective. They’re such a versatile brand: their light to medium blend means I’m confident to recommend them to anyone who is curious about trying cigars as well as any more experienced smokers looking for an easy, reliable choice for a daytime smoke. It’s also why I always like to make sure I always have a few on hand in my personal stash. So, any new addition to the brand is going to be an immediate winner for me, but the Connoisseur No.2 brings some genuinely new things to the table. Firstly, it’s a brand-new size for Habanos, known as “Bohemios” and measuring 5 ¼” x 51 RG. Fellow cigar nerds or people with OCD may have noticed their second unique property: the 51 ring gauge. Yes, this is the first time ever that a 51 gauge Havana has been released. So, a brand new format, from a very reliable brand: What’s not to love?

Hoyo de Monterrey Rio Seco Tubed

This might not be quite as sexy and exciting as the previous entry (at least from my perspective, as you may well have guessed from the 200 words of gushing praise, I just gave it) but I feel it’s still worth mentioning. The Hoyo de Monterrey’s 56 gauge behemoth, the Rio Seco is now available in cedar-lined tubes, in either singles or packs of three. As always, tubed hand-made cigars are a convenient option for travelling as they offer both physical protection and resistance against drying out, if you’re going to be away from your humidor for a while (remember, we might actually be able to go away on holiday at some point this year!)

I feel it’s worth mentioning that both these cigars fit in a very specific niche that I personally really like: Beefy, 50+ gauge cigars that contain a mellow blend. There’s just something about a cigar giving copious amounts of creamy, delicately flavoured smoke that I absolutely love.

New pipe tobacco

Chacom

Chacom is a new-ish brand of pipe tobacco which arrived on the market last year with a range of four blends. I was personally very impressed with how competently this pipe manufacturer turned its hand to pipe tobacco blends, which I covered in this blog. It seems like I’m not the only person they impressed, as they have been popular enough for them to add another two blends to their range: Chacom No.5 and Chacom No.6.

Chacom No.5

The original quartet of Chacom blends consisted of three ready rubbed mixtures/shags and just a single flake cut (Chacom No.4.) So, fans of flakes will be happy to hear that they are redressing the balance by making one of their two new releases a flake cut in Chacom No.5. While No.4 was a simple but effective Virginia/Perique combo, the No.5 ups the variety by building on the VaPer combo while also utilising a bold amount of rich Latakia and Black Cavendish. These additions, combined with the use of a darker Virginia in the base creates a true English flake that is darker and more robust than the No.4, while remaining as tastefully refined as you should hopefully expect from an English style blend.

Chacom No.6

In the last entry, I mentioned the ratio of tobacco formats across with range. But what about the other distinction between pipe tobacco blends: Trad/English blends (/aromatics) Vs Cased Aromatics? So far it stands at three English (No. 1, 4 and 5) and two cased aromatics. So it’s nice to see that Chacom No.6 rounds this out to 3:3. In my original blog on this range I commented on how much I appreciated them going a bit off-piste with their casing choices, shunning the more tried and true flavours such as cherry, in favour of things like Yellow Plum and Vanilla Bourbon. I’m ecstatic to see they’ve carried this ethos forward by using a combination of Rum, Espresso and Caramel, topping a classic aromatic base of Black Cavendish, Virginia and Burley.

It always baffles me that coffee isn’t more common in casings, considering that it is one of the most universally popular pairings for all forms of tobacco, from humble roll up cigarettes to fine Havana cigars. I’ve always loved Coffee flavoured pipe blends and one of my favourite “Pudding” blends happens to also involve caramel: the insanely sweet American CC (Coffee Caramel) so I had very high hopes for this blend.  I was a little surprised to see the espresso actually takes something of a back seat in this blend, with the rum and caramel doing a lot of the heavy lifting, which gives it a sumptuous character, vaguely reminiscent of Rum n Raisin fudge. Not at all what I was expecting, but still a very worthwhile addition to this fantastic range.

So that’s my quick rundown of some of the more exciting new releases. Hopefully it’s a sign of more good things to come this year after everything that happened in 2020. If you’d like a more in depth note on the things I’ve talked about today, keep an eye on our

 YouTube channel, as I’ll be doing video reviews covering all of them in the coming weeks.

Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Until next time: Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

-Calum

Store Manager @ Turmeaus & La Casa del Habano, Chester