Super Bowl Sunday. Wile the nation was getting ready for several hours on the sofa with beer/sodas, popcorn/chips and a lot to say about the action on the TV screen, we were getting ready for a foray into the wonderful world of good tobacco. Which in Los Angeles means – Kramer’s on 9531 Santa Monica Blvd, right there in Beverly Hills.
Kramer’s is known among pipe smokers as something akin to paradise. In 2008 the shop can look back proudly at 59 years of dealing in everything a smoker might want, but especially for a small but superb selection of finely blended tobaccos. The story of Kramer’s can be read here. For the full experience one should head here:
The signature pipe tobaccos at Kramer’s are all hand blended and quite unique in their way. From the straight English blend to the fabulous “New Mixture” with its delicious spiciness from a hint of added Perique (considered the truffle of pipe tobaccos) there is something to suit the taste of every pipe smoker worth his pipe.
Similar to the tobaccos the delightful atmosphere at Kramer’s is unique. Considering that the store is usually closed on Sunday it was no problem to drop in, as the owners – when we called them beforehand – said: “We are in today anyway for some stocktaking – yes, by all means, do come by.”
Thank you, Kramer’s, for being there and being what you are – a small shop with a long tradition of making many, many pipe smokers very, very happy.
Good pipe tobacco and good cigar tobacco are wonderfully exotic smelling, rather like a rich spicy perfume. And oddly enough, stale pipe or cigar tobacco smoke smell is awful, like a 70 year old railroad car.
Oh, you do understand! How marvelous.