Disappearing British OTC Blends!

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condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,995
26,613
New York
When I started smoking a pipe, not long after I exited my Mothers womb I was always amazed at the number of different tinned pipe tobaccos that were available even in your local corner shop or 'newsagent' as we called them in the UK. We had Gold Block, Three Nuns, Condor, Clan, St Bruno as well as the expensive top shelf ones like Balkan Sobranie. Add to that the various Players offerings like Gold Flake, Capstan Blue and Red in natty round tins, Erinmore, Mellow Virginia to name a few. If you journeyed a little further into an old world tobacconist you would find the various black twists, plug tobacco along with such exotics as Warrior Plug, Yachtsman Plug and even red tins of a brand called Bondman. Sadly pretty much most of the interesting stuff seems to have vanished, a victim of rationalization and the ever increasing demands of the anti smoking lobby to banish smokers to corners of pub gardens. Does anyone else have fond memories of these vanishing blends?

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
My local Asda (Penryn near Falmouth) has stopped selling St. Bruno Flake and have only a few pouches of the Ready Rubbed left. Methinks even supermarkets are intending to wind down on tobacco.
Regards,
Jay.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,256
108,360
We are enjoying the last days of tobacco's heyday. Smoke up all, we are witnessing the ending of an era.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
Unfortunately I was born on the wrong side of the pond as I very much have a palate for these kinds of plugs and flakes but they are worth shelling out the extra dough to import them over here. I’m a bit too young to remember all of the greats but I have certainly tried and loved everything that you mentioned (excluding a few). I was just falling in love with Velvan Plug when they yanked that one of the shelves and I was smitten by Erinmore Flake so of course the next step would be to try the plug, right? Well, that was yanked off the shelves along with Velvan Plug, much to my chagrin. It really freaks me out that most of these tobaccos are close to extinction and they will never be seen again. They are not easy blends to reproduce as I’m sure you know.
Good thread, I look forward to hearing other people’s responses.

 

didache

Can't Leave
Feb 11, 2017
480
8
London, England
I fear that Jay is probably right. Most newsagents and supermarkets here do continue to stock St Bruno RR, Condor RR, Clan and maybe Mellow Virginia and Gold Block. But how long is that likely to continue when pipe smokers are so few and far between? I can easily see a day, not far distant, when most local outlets will no longer stock pipe tobacco.
What makes it worse is that some of the pipe smokers will buy online where they can get a bigger range, even if the price is more or less the same. I buy some tobacco online or from friends, but I also buy St Bruno from local sources on the basis that if I didn't, I could not complain if they stopped selling it.
Fortunately the main online UK outlets seems reasonably stable.
Mike

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I don't know the UK over-the-counter market. Mostly my knowledge is around those OTC's blended in the U.S., many of them for a very long time. Lately, I have discovered the pouch tobacco John Bull and enjoy it for being full-flavored but mild, and complex enough to hold my interest.

 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,995
26,613
New York
I forgot a few others such as Rattrays but you can buy that stateside and Kendal Twist which I am not sure if that is still around. Any others spring to mind?

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
The tobaccos sold at grocery stores are the old burley blends. There are some small tobacco stores where cigarettes are 98% of what they carry, with or without a few pipe tobacco blends.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,565
36,060
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
In countries with such a rich pipe smoking heritage as England&Scotland yet Denmark up north,I can't believe seeing a day when supermarkets stop stocking some few still existing basic OTC brands.But we in Finland are now come to this point,Supermarket chains hardly carry any more no pipetobacco,RYo Tobacco yes,but seldom anything from pipetobaccoes other than some bone dry pouches of Clan.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
Actually, I think we are at the turning of the tide.
The age of "the herd knows better" is ending, replaced by the age of "smoke it if you have it."
Just don't forget the Royal Yacht.

 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,995
26,613
New York
Actually there used to be a pretty good tobacconist in Helsinki quite close to the Stockmann Department store near the tram stop but once you go to stores in Vassa you cannot buy anything although a small store in Osterbotten used to carry a pretty good selection of Swedish tobacco but the price in Euro was very expensive!

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"but seldom anything from pipe tobaccos other than some bone dry pouches of Clan."
Paul, there is a very good reason why Clan is bone dry, and that is because nobody buys it twice. They buy it first time around, realise their ghastly mistake and never buy another hence a whole load of ancient tobacco that nobody wants!
Regards,
Jay.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,565
36,060
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Dear Gentlemen as far as Clan tobacco goes,tell you what,after some year back Mc Barens took over the production of this brand and when I had a pouch last time I was pleasantly surpriced on how was the quality and taste improved,and this baccy comes always pretty dry, cut:fast burning long ribbon-shag.

Mr Philobeddoe-Kyle,should I get this baccy in the future,then I'll send you a pouch for sampling.

 

didache

Can't Leave
Feb 11, 2017
480
8
London, England
Clan is a strange beast. It does have a very attractive smell and I think a lot of its appeal was to two kinds of people:
There were those who wanted to take up a pipe and found the aroma more enticing than a more natural scent. In other words, it was a pipe tobacco for those who didn't really like pipe tobaccos!
Then there were those who smoked it because its room note was quite pleasant which made it more acceptable for girl friends/wives/better halves of all sorts.
However, aroma aside, it is cut very fine, almost like a shag. Yes, you could just about RYO with it.
The problem is that this stuff burns like holy water on the possessed! If you ever wondered what smoking lava was like, try a pouch of Clan.
I would personally vote for the restoration of capital punishment for the person who dreamed this one up.
Mike

 
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