Define “essential”… All you really need NEED to have is a pipe, a tamper and a lighter or matches. But we’re all way too good for that, right? Of course we are. If you’re a tried-and-true minimalist, you’ve probably already written me off as a carnie barker. But if you’re still reading…let’s dress it up a little, shall we?
Choosing portable, protected storage for your pipes, tobacco and accessories can be as enjoyable a part of the experience as the smoking itself. After all, how many golfers do you know who carry their clubs strapped together with a bungie cord with their golf balls in a grocery sack tied to a belt loop? Acquiring the accessories is all part of the hobby. Having enjoyed premium tobacco both in cigars and pipes for over 40 years, I have collected no small number of humidors, cutters and lighters. My recent personal resurgence into pipe smoking more regularly opened my eyes to the relatively few options pipe smokers have to choose from, especially as compared to cigar smokers. Granted, there are far more cigar smokers than pipe smokers, so it stands to reason that the demand for fine pipe accessories would be far lower as well. But I’m not one to back down from a challenge…
The first pipe show I attended was spent meeting people, enjoying friendly fellowship and conversation with dozens of people from vastly diverse backgrounds and walks of life… and enjoying more samples of pipe tobacco than I ever knew existed. What a great day it was! Having owned a cigar humidor business for several years, my eyes were particularly trained to look for what might be missing from the selections available. What I saw, or frankly, didn’t see, are now represented by the growing line of pipe accessories that Benchmark Humidors now offers. I see no need to reinvent the wheel.
One void I saw: a protected way to transport a selection of pipe tobaccos. With the widespread popularity of storing and aging pipe tobacco in Mason jars, I thought of a safe way to transport these handy glass jars the keep our beloved tobaccos fresh. Part of the solution is to use the smallest jar that holds an ample amount of tobacco, so we built the first Tobacco Pantry™ around this idea. The Tobacco Pantry is a fully functional Benchmark Humidor, specifically designed to accommodate rigid PET felt padding and 4 oz. Mason jars. It is currently available in two sizes, one of which holds 3 jars, and one that holds 6 jars. The felt padding is removable if you want to use it more specifically as a cigar humidor. Its inner core is constructed of solid Spanish Cedar; its exterior is covered in fine hand cut hardwood veneers. These veneers are just shy of 1/8” thick, making them not only rigid, but also sandable for a fine hand-rubbed finish, and most importantly, durable for a lifetime of use.
Most veneers in the woodworking and furniture industry are less than 1/32” thick, including the paper it is affixed to for ease of cutting with a razor knife or scissors. My veneers laugh at your scissors. They require either a saw or a guillotine. But I digress…
With the emergence of the Mason jar-friendly Tobacco Pantry also came the Piper’s Every Day Carry (EDC), made more specifically for carrying just 1 or 2 loose tobaccos with no need for jars. We’ll explore this one more on another day. Until then - cheers!
—Danny Jackson
