| Author | Message | ||
     Tor-Ulf Member Username: Torulf Post Number: 9 Registered: 03-2008 |
Hello fellow pipe smokers, I am going to travel to Ottawa in Canada soon, and being European, this is new terrain for me. I would be interested to hear of any tips anyone might have on pipe shops in the city, as well as Canadian pipe or tobacco brands. I have heard about a supposedly very good tobacco brand called Comptons. It would be very nice to be able to get a couple of tins of their tobacco. Are they commonly sold in stores in Canada? Also, I believe the pipe manufacturer Brigham is Canadian, but I do not know much about it. If there are nice Canadian pipes, I might look for a souvenir. So, does anybody have any other tips for a tourist to Canada? | ||
| Martin Cain Member Username: Martinc Post Number: 26 Registered: 07-2007 |
In Ottawa one should visit Ottawa Cigar Emporium: http://www.ottawacigar.com/ A Canadian pipe maker worth a look is John Calich and one can usually find his pipes at OCE. While OCE has some good pipes, their selection is limited and, obviously cigars take precedence. If you have some time to spare, I strongly suggest visiting Montreal which is only 2 1/2 hours away from Ottawa. Among the many reasons to visit one of the great cities in North America is Blatter and Blatter: http://www.blatterpipes.com/ The Blatter family have been making superb, incredibly affordable, pipes for over 100 years, and it is always a pleasure to visit their store. The main pipe maker Robert is usually hard at work in his workshop or in front of the store puffing and chatting. The store is closed on Sundays. I own at least 8 of their pipes, all of which are absolute gems and most cost between 65-85$ cdn. They also blend their own tobacco which is quite good. If you can visit the Blatter family store I promise that you will not be disappointed. Their store is an important, and unfortunately neglected, part of pipe history. | ||
| Todd L. Platek Member Username: Lawyersmoker Post Number: 69 Registered: 04-2008 |
Martin, you are right about Blatter's pipes being great smokers. Their "Selects" are a bit more pricey, but fabulous pieces. Unfortunately, you won't find Robert smoking in the shop. It's illegal to light up inside the store, per Canada's draconian anti-smoking laws. Incredible, isn't it, that one cannot smoke in a smoke shop; I suppose it's logical to those who would argue that you cannot catch salmon in a fish&tackle store. The laws go so far as to prohibit Blatter from advertising pipes as smoking implements and announce their pricing. | ||
| Rusty Pipes Member Username: Rustytoo Post Number: 20 Registered: 08-2008 |
Martin's tip on the Blatter Bros is very good. A very worthwhile visit. They are pretty much the last pipe oriented tobacconist in Eastern Canada. Brigham still exists but they're a distributor rather than a manufacturer now. Brigham pipes are made in Italy today. Brigham distributes many of the imported tobaccos and I think they also distribute Dunhill pipes. There are other very good pipe makers though, including Michael Parks who is located closer to Toronto but between Toronto and Ottawa. http://www.parkspipes.com/contact.htm No, Compton's are not distributed in Canada, and are not for sale in Canada at all. Max Engels (pipes2smoke proprietor) is the only source: http://www.cubancigars4u.com/blends.htm and he only sells them mail order outside Canada. By doing this he trades a very tiny Canadian market for a larger American one and keeps the price down by omitting the huge domestic tobacco tax load that would otherwise make them too expensive. It's a peculiar adaptation to very onerous tobacco control policies. Most Canadian tobacconists offer a small subset of the blends one finds in the US at much higher prices! I don't think there are any Canadian tobacco brands anymore. Tobacconists re-badge the usual stuff and some stores (eg Blatters) do have their own blends still. The Canadian tobacco scene is but a shadow of its former self. | ||
| Tor-Ulf Member Username: Torulf Post Number: 10 Registered: 03-2008 |
Thanks everyone for the tips. I will try to visit the Cigar Emporium, and if I make it to Montreal, Blatter & Blatter, which looks like a really nice pipe shop. It is a shame that Compton's are not able to offer their tobacco in their own country. Most tobacco-related laws have certainly not been passed with pipe smokers in mind. | ||
| W. A. Lanman Member Username: Blenheimbard Post Number: 157 Registered: 01-2009 |
When I was last in Ottawa (a year & 1/2 ago) I found only one tobacconist worth visiting, unfortunately I do not recall the name but it is in the By Town Market, which you will no doubt be visiting. (lots of restuarants, bars and music in the BTM, and it is within a couple of blocks of Parliament hill, the Convention Centre, etc.) His selection was good, he is friendly, and the prices were reasonable (for Canada). I don't know where you are coming from to Canada, but the tobacco prices in Canada are high compared to the US. If you are coming from the EU you could do worse than to bring in tins of Dunhill and have them for trading with local pipe smokers, since Dunhill is not currently being distributed here. There is an Ottawa Pipe club and the last contact address I have is : mathew_nepssy@hotmail.com If you get to toronto you may want to look into the tobacconist at the Royal York Hotel. |