Jim's Visit to Sutliff Tobacco Company

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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,850
553,803
M'lady and I were invited guests at the Sutliff Tobacco Company on Friday, Nov. 1. We were greeted by much of the front office, and given a very detailed tour of their headquarters. Upon entering the manufacturing plant, we were immediately greeted with an intoxicating aroma of latakia, which was what was being processed that day. It was fascinating to see the steps that go into taking tobacco leaves, and turning them into quality smoking pipe tobacco. I saw the giant containers of different kinds of Virginias and burleys before their use, and in various stages of preparation. I saw the different ways tobaccos are flavored, and all the steps leading to bagging and tinning products for sale. I was shown production sheets of what was being blended, and percentages of what went into one particular blend. Their production equipment was an interesting hybrid of old school machinery merged with present day computers. Everybody in the plant were well trained and efficient in their duties, and were exceptionally friendly. I was greeted by genuinely warm smiles by every single worker I encountered, and chatted with a few of them. It was easy to see that the employees enjoy their jobs.
It's common knowledge that a number of local B&Ms relabel blends with their own house names, and I saw some of them used in that process under both real and house blend designations. There are some companies that come to Sutliff for their tobacco, some I knew about, a few I didn't. Their inventory is logically detailed in its storage, and is easily accessed when needed. I also saw large, heavy duty cabinets containing flavors for some products, and though I didn't get to personally sample the rum or the bourbon (darn it!), I was assured that they came from top companies. Well, having smoked Barbados Plantation (a rum based blend) and Top Shelf (a bourbon based blend), I have no doubt it's true.
At one point, several of us sat in the lobby in very comfortable chairs, and discussed the ins and outs of the pipe smoking world, not to mention baseball and cigars. Previously, I had only been known to them by e-mail and a few telephone calls, and of course, by the reviews I've been writing for their company as one of several taste testers. I was treated like an old familiar relative visiting the family, and simultaneously as a special guest of importance. To a man, they profusely and repeatedly thanked me for what I have done for them, pointedly noting that I was fair in my reviews, whether I was complimentary or constructively critical.
Though Carl McAllister is the artistic mastermind behind their blends, and certainly, absolutely knows infinitely more about his craft than I do, he was very appreciative of my praise and suggestions. I learned a lot about his thoughts on various tobaccos and their properties, and how they work together. Carl has an open minded approach on the subject of blending, and treated my comments as though they came from someone of greater standing and knowledge than I possess. He also had lots of praise for his fellow blenders, particularly Russ Ouellette of Pipes & Cigars, whom I have had the fortunate privilege of speaking to on more than one occasion. We filled the room with pipe smoke as the time flew by, and he gifted me a tin of MacBaren Old Dark Fired from which we both smoked.
Sutliff's purchasing and logistics point man, John Schone, arranged our visit, and along with Carl, was our tour guide. John also does other jobs for the company when needed, and generously made sure I was loaded up with a number of sample products, including a few he knew I already smoked and liked. He was funny, unpretentious, with an easy going manner. He thoughtfully gave m'lady a Sutliff baseball cap, t-shirt and coffee mug. In fact, everybody made sure she was part of the lively conservations that dominated the day.
One of the things that pleasantly surprised me was that the President of Sutliff, Paul Creasy, came out of his office to greet me, and later, after the plant tour, joined in on our gab fest in the lobby for a while. He was funny, very down-to-Earth, and keenly interested in what I had to say during our exchange of ideas about the nuances regarding the state of the industry and his business philosophy. I found him to be a self-assured man eager to listen to others, and willing to adapt or change his views when presented with an idea that makes sense to him. His knowledge of his craft and company is exhaustive in detail and thought. He clearly loves and believes in his products. When he discovered I hadn't tried either Voodoo Queen or Count Pulaski, he saw to it that I was given very generous amounts of each. Paul has created an atmosphere of cordiality, fun, and consideration that one seldom sees in a business of their size.
In this day of corporate mega-structures and faceless, insensitive businessmen who care about nothing but the bottom line, it's refreshing to see how a smaller company like Sutliff conducts their business. Don't think of the former Altadis Pipe Division as the large corporate guys; they have been in the Richmond plant functioning with less than thirty people for over fifty years, many of whom enjoy long tenures. Top to bottom, the people at Sutliff have the look of family about them. A family that cares about their jobs, their customers, and the world of pipe smoking that means so much to serious and occasional smokers alike. They may be used to being the small guys, but to me, they are important players in our smoking lives, and we are the richer for what they do and how they do it. After all, how many companies would shut down much of their front office work for a customer/tobacco reviewer and his wife for the better part of a day? I dare say not many.
If you've read any of the threads I've started in this or other forums, you may recall that all this started with me inquiring about Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend earlier this year. Jonathan, the company Operations Manager and my first contact with Sutliff, was the man who kindly gifted me the sample of EGR, which lead to me promoting the blend at several pipe smoking forums, and eventually being a taste tester. It was he who started this train down the tracks, and aptly noted, "Who knew that all this would happen because of Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend?" Who knew indeed, Jonathan? You have my profound gratitude for all that this has led to for me: a great day with great people who generously gave their most of their work day and sample products for m'lady and me. I thank all of you for a truly wonderful visit.

 

fitzy

Lifer
Nov 13, 2012
2,937
27
NY
Wow. Great post and a great company.
I need to smoke more of their tobacco's.

 

dervis

Lifer
Jan 30, 2012
1,597
1
Hazel Green AL
Thank you so much for the great read. Sutliff has fantastic smokes. Ive tried about 15 I guess. No5, Academy, Molto dolce, Kentucky Planter, and Bosporus Cruise I cellar and really enjoy. The only one I haven't cared for was CD blend. For the price they can not be beat. Also out of trying 15 at random and liking all but one, I doubt I could say that about any company.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,850
553,803
Pylorns: I did take some photos, but I can't work around or with the set-up to post them in this forum. Sorry about that.

 

jkenp

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 5, 2013
202
0
NW Indiana
I noted to self your MIA status the other day.
Almost made a post wondering if the aliens gotcha.
Nice there is still an indy, corporate(more or less) blender out there. I used to love watching "Pinky and the Brain" where each night Pinky would ask, "What will we do tonight. Brain?", who would respond, "Try to take over the world!"
When I think of that about tobacco, the voice has a definite Scandinavian accent.

 

piperl12

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2012
970
4
Great review, I could almost envision the tour from my seat thousands of miles away.

 

jah76

Lifer
Jun 27, 2012
1,611
35
Jim thanks for your impressions. I'm glad you got to go and enjoyed yourself.
I'm a lone smoker in this town (it feels like) and it's great to share your experiences.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
jim, great post and thanks for sharing your experience with us. Seeing a place like that must have been just too cool. My visits to cigar factories when I was big into cigars were fantastic experiences. I am sure you were amazed at how much goes into making one tin of tobacco, or creating a blend. You are a very lucky guy to experience a place like that. Glad you had such a great time.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,850
553,803
Yaddy306: I'm smoking it as I type. Yes, I will review Voodoo Queen after I smoke some more of it, so I can get a better handle on the flavors. I will say that I like it very much. Burns well, tastes very good. The latakia pushes the flavor without taking over.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
Great write-up, Jim. It confirms what I suspected about Sutliff. They are very serious about their business and truly value their customers. That's refreshing in this day and age. Solid products from solid people who understand their raison d'etre. I look forward to more of your thoughts on their blends; they've been of great value to me.

 

weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
Very, very nice write up Jim. Glad your Lady and yourself had such a wonderful time. Could not happen to better people! Dave

 

aikatal

Might Stick Around
Apr 10, 2013
75
0
Thanks for sharing your experience; your post is almost as good as having been there with you.

 
Oct 8, 2013
28
0
Dresden, Ohio
First of all, thank you for your post. I had not been familiar with your bio until now. I have been purchasing

Sutliff blends for the past few months, at first without reason, and then began buying with purpose. This now seals the deal for me. I was born and raised in small town USA where friends, family, and a good work ethic counts for something. It seems as if you have not only become a friend a Sutliff, but part of their family as well and the work ethic they have put forth has brought you to them to be able to share with US. MAY THE SMOKE BE WITH YOU!

 

docwatson

Lifer
Jul 2, 2009
1,149
9
New England
Thanks for your observations at Sutliff Tobacco Company. I visited and had a tour myself some years ago with Mr. Paul Creasy showing us through the whole operation. Totally amazing, interesting, and historical.

Everything you said is right on the money, a great company that is led and run by qualified and caring individuals.

While taking the tour there are many photographs that I have saved as well, some day to be shared with the brothers. Presently smoking some R Blend that some may find very one dimensional and mild but it's a Sutliff Blend that satisfies IMO. Again thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

Andy

 

blendtobac

Lifer
Oct 16, 2009
1,237
213
The folks at Sutliff are top-notch all the way. I consider myself very lucky to have a great working relationship with Paul, Carl and John, among many others, and I also am glad to call them friends. The hospitality you were shown is typical of Sutliff. When I stopped by recently with one of my bosses, Paul went out of his way to have a nice discussion with us and had some great ideas to help us with some projects. I'm glad you had the chance to meet with some super people.
Russ

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,571
15,220
SE PA USA
Here are Jim's photos from the visit to Sutliff
14Canning_zpsd37a395b.jpg

15Canning_zpsdb796c7a.jpg

16Canning_zps54809ea8.jpg


 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
What an excellent write up. Thank you for taking the time to do it. It was only recently that I discovered Sutliff tobaccos though a gift from Dave (shaintiques). It was Moulin Rouge and it has rapidly risen to my top 3. Then yesterday I tried Molto Dulce and it too has risen to the top echelon. The quality of this company sure seems to come through loud and clear with their products. I am now a raging fan.

 
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