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Are Most Local Blends Not-So-Local?

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zonomo

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
When I visited a B&M, I really liked the smell of what they called Fire Cured Cavendish. The clerk told me it was Lane's BCA. Then I wanted to try another one they called Black Spice and she said that one was really Century B21. That got me to thinking. Are many of the local blends really something else or is there a guy in the back room with a giant vat mixing tobaccos?

 
batdemon

batdemon

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 20, 2011
834
0
I think in most instances they are just putting their own name on an already existing blend. I could be wrong but I don't think many B&M do their own blending. I'm there are those that do but they are probably in the minority.

 
mluyckx

mluyckx

Lifer
Dec 5, 2011
1,958
3
Texas
Yep, very common practice.
But any good B&M will tell you what is in the jar called "Mysterious home blended light burley vanilla caramel cavendish" ;-)

 
rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
As others have noted, yes, I think it's safe to say that most "house" blends are actually bulks from Lane, Stokkebye, etc. But I would bet that even those rare few blends that aren't just prepackaged bulks are actually being created using someone else's blends. For instance, take 2 parts 1Q, 1 part Full Virginia Flake, and add a dash of latakia: Voila!
I would be shocked if more than a very small handful of local shops were truly creating blends from scratch.

 
judcole

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,185
33,523
Detroit
Some shops do their own blending on site - not many. (Paul's in Flint is one in Michigan that does.) Others rename. And others have blenders they work with.

 
zonomo

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
The lady at Smokers Paradise did tell me that her Fire Cured Cavendish was actually Lane. I wonder my my Seattles Best. :) Hummmm.

 
rmbittner

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,995
I know Peretti's in Boston does their own and have done so for a long time.
Click to expand...
I think Peretti's is a "local" B&M, though, like Smoker's Haven or Iwan Ries is a local B&M. Yes, they have local customers who can walk into an actual store, but they also have very strong national reputations for pipes/tobaccos. I'm guessing they can afford tobaccos -- not to mention expertise -- that a B&M with only a local reach would be hard-pressed to duplicate.
Just reading "Peretti's" takes me back 30 years. I bought a number of pipes from them that I gifted to others, along with a good helping of tobaccos. I loved their little catalog.
Bob

 
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