Esoterica Pipe Tobacco - http://www.kingsmokingpipesandcigars.com/esoterica-pipe-tobacco is selling for $13/oz. Are they breaking down 8 oz. bags? Seems kinda shady if so.
Are Esoterica Blends Sold in Bulk?
- Thread starter Elric
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That's $104 for an 8oz bag. There is no Esoterica that is worth that.
It's just market capitalism.
But yes, they're cutting up bags to sell for more by the ounce. As always, buyers set the market. If they weren't buying, this wouldn't be happening.
But yes, they're cutting up bags to sell for more by the ounce. As always, buyers set the market. If they weren't buying, this wouldn't be happening.
Do they posit it as bulk? Guess it depends on your definition, but I don't know if it's shady. Money-grubbing, yeah, but that's part of our system.
Yep. The fact is, a lot of people want to try Esoterica blends, but aren't willing to shell out for a big bag. I honestly really like this approach. Prices adjust so that supply equals demand.
I wouldn't call it shady, but to each his own. Money-grubbing is in the eye of the beholder, and as someone mentioned before, I'd rather an actual tobacco seller with a vested interest in keeping the industry going get the profit than some ebay reseller who couldn't care less.
I wouldn't call it shady, but to each his own. Money-grubbing is in the eye of the beholder, and as someone mentioned before, I'd rather an actual tobacco seller with a vested interest in keeping the industry going get the profit than some ebay reseller who couldn't care less.
Penzance can go for double that on Ebay. Like any high-status luxury item, there are people who think it's worth it. Just look at what people are willing to pay for fancy bourbon or vodka these days.
I fancy myself a bit of a bourbon and scotch connoisseur, and some of the prices for certain bourbons are outrageous taking into account what you get for your dollar. There are a huge number of top quality bourbons available for under $50 and most of what I drink is even cheaper. For an all-around well-balanced bourbon, t's hard to beat Elijah Craig's basic small batch at any price point, even though it usually costs less than $30.
Same for scotch, except at a higher price point; you can get as fine a scotch as you'd ever want to drink for under $100, and spending two or three times that amount won't get you much for your extra expenditure.
That said, I do have an understanding that there are people who just desperately want to try these blends. I wouldn't look down on someone for spending $26 for a couple ounces for that reason.
It also has something to do with the healthiness of the economy that people feel safe spending excessive money on liquor and tobacco
I don't disagree with the supply and demand. I paid more than that for a bag of Penzance from a forum member just recently. I purchased it for a friend (not on the forum). Ironically, he has 2 lbs of Penzance that is ten years old and doesn't want to open those bags. Not my way of thinking but it works or him.
King's prices aren't that bad when you consider that most places sell the 2oz tins for around $20. Really not that much more pricey.
Yeah, you could always get your penzance or stonehaven in bulk here for $45 an ounce.
I agree when it comes to bourbon. To me there is a noticeable difference in some of the higher end scotches. The difference between many distilleries 12 year and 18 year offerings (although age is only a number) is noticeable to my palate in many cases. However, is it worth the price difference when it is sometimes as much as $150 more per bottle? HARD NO! But I do notice a difference to the positive in a lot of them and will occasionally buy one for very special occasions or nice gifts. Anyone buying anything older than that is getting much more out of their perceived status or "luxury high" by owning the bottle than they are out of the scotch itself.
Yeah, you could always get your penzance or stonehaven in bulk here for $45 an ounce.
I agree when it comes to bourbon. To me there is a noticeable difference in some of the higher end scotches. The difference between many distilleries 12 year and 18 year offerings (although age is only a number) is noticeable to my palate in many cases. However, is it worth the price difference when it is sometimes as much as $150 more per bottle? HARD NO! But I do notice a difference to the positive in a lot of them and will occasionally buy one for very special occasions or nice gifts. Anyone buying anything older than that is getting much more out of their perceived status or "luxury high" by owning the bottle than they are out of the scotch itself.
I believe Allegheny Smokeworks will sell Esoterica in a loose (or bulk, if our prefer) format, too. I've bought some from them and I think it's a great idea to make a small purchase to see if you want to pursue a blend. I'm not sure why any moral hand wringing would exist about but I tend not to get to worked up on luxury item pricing.
So King's breaks down 8 oz bags and sells in 1oz units, and more people can try the tobaccos. Also, the tobacco doesn't weigh itself, and jump into the smaller ziploc bags...
I've always found it interesting that even on the secondary market, 8 oz bags of Esoterica only sell for about twice as much as 2 oz tins. I really think lots of people just want a small-ish sample of unobtainium blends, just to see what all the hype is about.
Heck, I'd be willing to pay $10 for a bowlfull of some of the venerable old blends, like the original Three Nuns, or old Balkan Sobranie. Smoking a pipe is all about the experience, and even at those prices, I'd feel like I got my money's worth for the experience.
Heck, I'd be willing to pay $10 for a bowlfull of some of the venerable old blends, like the original Three Nuns, or old Balkan Sobranie. Smoking a pipe is all about the experience, and even at those prices, I'd feel like I got my money's worth for the experience.
I also have tried a few 1oz samples from Kings which in turn I have purchased. It worked for me...
Actually I understand that thinking because it happens to me all the time. There's a kind of weird psychology that makes me not want to smoke my aged tobacco because it took a long time to get that way and I feel anxious about opening those old tins. Even though the aged stuff is gonna taste better, I'm much more at ease smoking new stuff (particularly bulk tobacco). I smoke a ton of bulk C&D and Sutliff blends even though I hold them in low regard compared to my aged tins of GLP, Dunhill, Esoterica, and Mclelland. I don't want to spoil the good stuff by opening it. I want to save it for the right time (which doesn't seem to come very often). Whereas I can smoke Old Joe Krantz, Yorktown, and Balkan Supreme by the boatload and feel no anxiety whatsoever since there's plenty more where that came from. They may not be superb, but they're good enough.
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