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When Did Specialty Blend Tobaccos Become a Thing?

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mikethompson

mikethompson

Comissar of Christmas
Jun 26, 2016
11,681
24,649
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I often hear people talk about currently being in a golden age of pipe tobaccos. We are spoiled for choice at any of the online vendors. A quick glance at smokingpipes (I wasn't looking at pipes I swear my PAD is under control) shows dozens and dozens of blends to choose from. But I know it couldn't have always been like this.
I'm imagining getting into pipes 50 or 60 years ago and having a few blends to choose from. That's it.
Is it just a question of availability? Or were there really less blends available back then?
12255828365_8.jpg


 
redglow

redglow

Lifer
Jan 7, 2019
1,829
4,190
Michigan
That’s a great picture. The smile on that guy’s face as he’s leaving the tobacco store is priceless.
That “All is right with the world” smile.
Kind of like today when you see a UPS package on your doorstep!

 
rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
OP
What a great picture. Thanks for that.
I’m guessing the overall demand for thousands of different blends just wasn’t there. Those were much simpler times and I believe most people were completely happy smoking 1 or 2 of their favorite blends for a lifetime.
If you would have shown that nice fellow the smokingpipes.com website, he would probably run away screaming bloody murder as the PAD/TAD monster chases him over the horizon!

 
seanv

seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
3,075
11,013
Canada
The world has changed and people demand choices for just about everything. My cellar is no exception.

 
pipehunter

pipehunter

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 20, 2016
212
5
It's true, the internet really changed how we choose and consume so many things. People in big cities generally had much more choice. In the case of pipe tobacco, probably a few dozen blends at least in places like Boston, New York, or Chicago. There was mail order, too, though for most things that was a small, even negligible, portion of the total market (certainly by comparison to current internet sales).
There are a number of studies showing that being spoiled for choices actually reduces satisfaction. I haven't examined them in depth, but the notion matches my own observations. So, while I enjoy the huge variety available with a few strokes of the keyboard, I suspect I'd be -at least- as happy if that had never become possible and got/had to choose from the dozen or so house blends and selection of tins at a local tobacconist....
To the OP's question, I don't know for a fact whether or not there were more or less blends available back then. Given that there were many more tobacconists making their own blends, I suspect that the sheer number of blends in the world was much larger, though most of those were only available locally and so most of them were very small productions. Whereas now there are less total blends but more blends available to the average smoker, since he's not limited to his local tobacconist.

 
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rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
There are a number of studies showing that being spoiled for choices actually reduces satisfaction. I haven't examined them in depth, but the notion matches my own observations. So, while I enjoy the huge variety available with a few strokes of the keyboard, I suspect I'd be -at least- as happy if that had never become possible and got/had to choose from the dozen or so house blends and selection of tins at a local tobacconist....
Click to expand...
Yes, this for sure. I found myself very much overwhelmed, especially as a new piper who wanted to try everything. It was the source of a great deal of stress. Just look at what happens to a child when you bring them into a Toys R Us (now defunct). It usually starts with a great deal of joy and wonderment but usually ends up in a great deal of stress given the infinite number of choices. I experienced this same phenomenon given the choice of thousands of blends. Now let’s throw in the new pipers ever changing palate..
As a result, my cellar is miles wide but now I’m concentrating on depth with a few carefully chosen blends. It took me awhile, but now I simply don’t care about all the choices and am now really enjoying just relaxing and enjoying the experience as a whole.

 
pappymac

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,532
4,976
Slidell, LA
Love the picture but I don't think that's a customer leaving the shop. It looks like he's wearing a shop coat over his clothes to keep from getting all the tobacco he's blending off of him.

 
judcasper

judcasper

Can't Leave
Jan 9, 2019
306
14
That’s a great picture. The smile on that guy’s face as he’s leaving the tobacco store is priceless.
Click to expand...
I love pictures like this, too. But if I know this kind of picture that is the proprietor, not a customer. Those old photos of shop fronts nearly always feature the proud owner standing in the doorway. (Oops, pappymac beat me to it).
I'm imagining getting into pipes 50 or 60 years ago and having a few blends to choose from. That's it.
Click to expand...
At least back then there were plenty of real tobacconist to walk in to. In the UK that's no longer the case as they're virtually extinct.

 
cortezattic

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,641
Chicago, IL
I got into pipe smoking in the late 60's, and there were plenty of choices at that time.

I think the era of huge product lines under a single marque began with McClelland in the 80's.

As for sheer accessibility, even most well stocked B&M's can't compete with warehouse operations employing internet marketing.

 
warren

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,269
18,200
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
The interweb has certainly brought the variety of blends to a larger population of customers. But, years ago it all depended on where one lived. Imagine living in London in the early 1900's and having access to Dunhill. All of those blends plus anything one could imagine blended for you. Large population centers which were blessed with an honest to God tobacconist? Nirvana! If you lived many miles away you might not even know what was available unless you had been in the city. Then I suppose you could order via post, then the telephone when it made it's way to your part of the world.
So, as in real estate, location, location location!

 
trouttimes

trouttimes

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
5,946
24,116
Lake Martin, AL
I remember back when Noah and I were excited about the new blender over in Ur. He was doing 3 new blends. Then there was that guy in Meshakia that had 2 blends. Every now and then a caravan would pas thru with some of that imported stuff from China and India. I'm really worried this rain is going to ruin the tabacco crop this year.

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
20,559
48,339
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
We had plenty of choices, Maybe not the 6200+ choices that were available until recently, but way more than enough. There were many more tobacconists and many were custom blenders who would produce a blend to your liking. And they had better materials to work with. British blends were still made in Britain with all of the particular character that the Brits brought to blending and the Danes can't match. Dunhill actually made tobacco, rather than being a trademark stamped on a tin of who-knows-what. So, lees was more.

 
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