Tobacco Blender Consistency

shutterbug:
Don't forget, too, that tobacco is a crop -- just like the grapes used to make wine. And it's naturally going to be affected by changes from year to year. In any given year, there may be a less-than-typical harvest. Or weather could affect the end flavor of a given leaf. With that in mind, I'm amazed that many blenders are able to be as consistent with their recipes as they are!
Something to consider is the role played by older leaf which can be added to every year's blend to help maintain a measure of consistency from year to year. MacBaren has actually gone on record to note that some of their blends are still incorporating leaf from the 1970s! Companies like Orlik -- the producer of OGS as well as the current Dunhill lineup -- have the longevity and the cash to have stockpiled many years' worth of leaf. GLPease, which has only been in business since the late 1990s, simply isn't large enough or as long-lived as a company to have such stockpiles of leaf to draw on. (Even Cornell & Diehl, which produces the Pease blends, has only been around in its current, stable form since 1990.)
Bob

Most blenders use small amounts of a humectant (usually propylene glycol) to maintain a consistent moisture level. Cornell & Diehl uses only distilled water, which may be why you notice a lack of consistency from one tin to the next.