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Jun 9, 2018
4,089
13,194
England
I just don't see the rationale for counterfeiting pipe tobacco. Pipe smokers are literally a dying breed, and there's nowhere near the resurgence of pipe smoking in the UK like there is in the US.
Counterfeit teabags though, that I can see happening, though it does make my British heart shudder.
LOL! Yeah, that's going a bit too far. Not tea! I hope the bastards responsible for that one got 20 years hard labour! 😡😠😆😂
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,897
29,797
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Counterfeit cigarettes are big business in the UK because of those high taxes. At £14 for 20 it can save a person a lot if they're buying counterfeits for half price. A lot of pubs will have someone who can hook you up.
globally it's a big business. Even places with low taxes one can turn a tidy profit even just by being cheaper then the taxed product.
 
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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,858
45,622
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Moody Bruno from the Med??
Yep, it’s happening folks, fake pipe tobacco is out there!

Concerned with some pouches I recently got, emailed Mac Barens with some photos. The excellent customer service / quality control team replied this morning, confirming my suspicions.
If you’re familiar with St. Bruno, you’ll notice both the cut & colour of the tobacco is wrong. Loose cut instead of the normal RR. You’ll also notice that the ‘St. Bruno’ part is actually a ‘sticky label’. Mac Barens informs me that on ’NO’ pouch of any of their blends will you find ‘sticky labels’.

Surprised & dissappointed to find out crooks are now faking pipe tobacco as well, I wouldn’t of thought they’d bother, but there we go. Chinese probably. Luckily for me I’m familiar enough with this brand to of noticed. I suspect newcomers to this brand wouldn’t of. Worrying when you think what dangerous toxins & god knows what else they put in it.

Particularly dissapointed that I got these pouches in a trade, with a member from this forum. Considering where this member is the ‘genuine’ St. Bruno only costs between 6-8€, must of been rather desperate to save a couple of euros & buy the fake stuff & try to pass it on to me.
I’ve messaged said member & will see what he says. If no attempt to come good is forthcoming I’ll ask the moderators if I can name him.

Meanwhile, here’s the photos of the ‘fake’ St. Bruno.
View attachment 185624View attachment 185625View attachment 185626View attachment 185627
Jesus F Christ! Why would anyone bother to do this? There's got to be little to no profit. Just cretinous thugs?
 
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PennyStonks

Can't Leave
Nov 22, 2022
377
6,950
That really didn't start until McClelland went out of business. You hardly ever heard anything about them except someone always had to say their blends tasted like ketchup.
I first started pipe smoking not long before McClelland went out of business. I remember there being many people who just didn’t really care for their tobacco but now that they are gone everybody seems to love everything they had put out.
 
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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,897
29,797
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Iirc it was Tetley tea they were counterfeiting.
that's proof they're counterfeit anything. Next thing you know you'll get a dog and then find out it's just a painted raccoon and then you're going to end up being that weird raccoon guy who tells everyone they're the best dog you can own. And your cat is just going to be some midget with bad face paint and those fake ears girls wear when they're trying to convince you their cute along with their padded bras and all that. It's almost like people are too clever for their own good.
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,852
48,775
Minnesota USA
I'm inclined to think that the packaging may differ in Gibraltar. As far as the picture of the tobacco - if that's actually the tobacco, it doesn't do much to prove or disprove anything.

So the tobacco was delivered to the other party without paying the taxes... And you're going to go to your solicitor with that?

Where's the email from Mac Baren? That would go a long way towards establishing your credibility in this matter.

"You shall"... If you don't like the trade then reverse it and go on your way. Starting an online pissing match, making demands and prophecies about fake tobacco is rather gauche.

The PM Investigative Internet sleuths are kicking into high gear. Conspiracy theories abound.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,536
109,880
Is everyone absolutely sure that it really is a counterfeit? Is there no way that the Spanish version is different than the ordinary European one? I've seen discussions about the Spanish St Bruno being different.
I was thinking the same thing. I've seen company's changing their labels in the past few years. Blends drastically changing too.
 

Jwebb90

Lifer
Feb 17, 2020
1,968
32,695
Ruse, Bulgaria
That really didn't start until McClelland went out of business. You hardly ever heard anything about them except someone always had to say their blends tasted like ketchup.
Yep, Christmas Cheer would get released and remain in stock for weeks or even a couple of months if memory serves me correct. I remember making purchases of McClelland blends from CupOjoes and every tin had 3-4 years of age on it.

I can also remember going to the Chicago Pipe Show and Mary at the McClelland booth handing out samples and talking to every customer that came by, but there was certainly no rush to clean them out. Also, the McCrannies table had a mound of Red Flake and Red Ribbon remaining even on the last day of the show. Ha, one of my biggest regrets is not buying more from them.

That’s not to say they did not have loyal a loyal following, because they certainly did. However, there was just not the fervor for the product that exists today.
 
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TheWhale13

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 12, 2021
803
3,420
Sweden
The possibility that is is fake, is probably much smaller than the very real chance that it is just packaged differently. Maybe something to do with the fact that it is sold in continental Europe, but not the EU, which would make perfect sense.
 
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simong

Lifer
Oct 13, 2015
2,654
15,818
UK
First off, not trying to ‘extort’ anything out of anyone.
The original trade was 4 pouches for 10 pipes. HW said his relation would be travelling to the UK & she could post them on from there. Perfect! If I remember rightly I sent the pipes to Gibraltar a couple of weeks before the relation arrived in the UK.

Later on I put up some tins for trade, HW wanted the McClellands, fine.
Knowing the price of St. Bruno to be 6-8€ over there, I asked for 4 pouches for a 12 year old tin of McClellands 1776. Sounded like a good deal for the both of us I thought. Nobody get’s scalped & we both get a comparatively good deal.

I lived in Spain from 96 to the early 00’s. Having worked in & around Gibraltar a few times, quite familiar with what goes on there.
Gibraltar is well known for it’s cheap tobacco, diamond & jewellery shops. It’s also well known for it’s back street sellers of fake diamonds, jewellery & tobacco (& other shenanigans).
I suppose HW could of been unaware that he was buying fake tobacco, but I doubt it to be honest. Anybody who lives there knows where to go & where not to go.

When I recieved the email from Mac Barens this morning, thought then as I do now, that HW knowingly sent dodgy tobacco.

I don’t know how to ‘paste in’ the email from Mac Barens. If I can forward it onto a moderator, I will do. If he could possibly cover over my email address please, as I don’t want to have that showing on an open forum. Found out I’ve been the victim of ‘identity fraud’ today which hasn’t put me in the most tranquil of moods to tell you the truth. Lol
 

Davy

Can't Leave
Nov 22, 2022
324
880
What is weird, though, is it says 'Made by Scandinavian Tobacco Group' on the pouch. That makes no sense.
 
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