1800's Tobacco Available Today?

[Nhassey48]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

So, this may sound ridiculous but I am a new pipe smoker and what inspired me to start smoking a pipe was Charles "Pa" Ingalls from The Little House on the Prairie TV series. Because of that, I was wondering if there was a tobacco that was still sold today that could have been available in the mid to late 1800's? Thanks in advance!

 

[ashdigger]

Burleys are still available.

 

[warren]

I doubt any blend is manufactured even close to 1800's blends. Others may refute as I'm not all that knowledgeable about today's methods of growing, refining of seed, processing, etc. I suspect you, as others here do, could grow your own tobacco, process it yourself using 1800's methods and come close to whatever was smoke in Minnesota back in the day. Remember the Ingalls were enjoying peanut butter on the show long before it had been invented. Anything is possible I suppose.

He probably emailed Iwan Ries and had them ship him Three Star Blue via UPS.

 

[Chasing Embers]

How about 1792.?

 

[olkofri]

How about 1792.?

Nah, I wanna smoke what Mercator smoked!

 

[sablebrush52]

There are a few names around, like Capstan and Three Nuns, that date to the 19th century. How closely they match the original versions is impossible to say. These blends have been produced by different makers and each one has altered the blend.

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

Also recall that packaged and branded products are a relatively new invention. Pa Ingles most likely went to the town mercantile and bought himself the house blend or six inches of twist

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Some of the Gawith stuff has been around awhile.

 

[J.GANDY]

I can understand the nostalgic experience you would like to enjoy. Like the days of old. I believe the practice of twist tobacco goes back to the Native Americans and would have been present in the time frame that's depicted on Little House. However, getting your hands on some may be tricky. You can still get plugs (again very old practice) that would get you the experience of the olden days.

 

[condorlover1]

I wasn't around in the 19th century contrary to popular rumor, however I had Uncles growing up that were who remember their Fathers discussing stuff that was around in the 1870s in the U.K. I think Condor Plug/Twist has certainly been around since the 1900s. The SG twists are sort of self explanatory and have been kicking around for 100+ years. Cannon Plug apparently is the oldest survivor in U.K Plug world. In terms of the U.S. I think Sutcliff have been going since the 1840s so they might have made something your TV drama friend might have smoked. You have remember that most people would have purchased stuff from the General Store and a lot of stuff was heavily adulterated prior to the Pure Food & Drug Act.

 

[3rdguy]

War Horse smells like it may have been made in the 1600’s.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just remember that Virginias weren't developed until the late 1850's and still not commercial till some time later, and fire cure wasn't a thing until after that. Latakia and imported blends wouldn't have been readily available in the US, except maybe in NY or Chicago. Local made plugs and twists would have been the only things available everywhere else. And, these would have been burleys and rusticas. Not corporate... by the end of the Civil war, corporate tobaccos started pushing out the locally owned ma and pa processors. But, I am sure there was still trade with Native Americans growing rusticas in the more "fringe" states and areas.

If you are talking about what was sold in England, I have no idea. I'm pretty sure they had corporate tobaccos, because it would have been way more expensive for them to import, whereas in America, the tobacco trade was much like our local produce markets and General Stores.

 

[haparnold]

Tobacco twists of the old style are still available where I'm from (Northern TN/South Central KY), but I'd guess your best commercial option would be Five Brothers.

 

[mso489]

Is the object to smoke truly ancient tobacco, or to smoke a blend that tastes like what was available when fresh back then? Somewhere you might find a tin of 19th Century (1800's) tobacco that had been stored under unusual circumstances that might be smokeable, but it would certainly not be what it was when somewhat less aged. For facsimile of something antique, you might try the Hoffman blends restored from old recipes, like Stillman Mixture. The idea that century old tobacco was much better is a fantasy, but the fantasy lives. Stillman is notably mild, but with a little practice, you may enjoy it as a change of pace.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Do a Google Search for Cotton Boll Twist. This is a locally produced twist, and it is like what people would have smoked. You'll get a better idea of why pipe bowls were so small in those old clay pipes, and you'll see what pussies pipesmokers are now with our commercially produced low nicotine offerings. Back in the day, men were men. We wanted strong tobaccos and strong ciders and liquors. None of this watery beer and weak martinis.

 

[canucklehead]

From what I've observed in local antique stores, museums, old newspaper pictures, and heard from elderly relatives, most general stores had a big old iron plug cutter and everyone used the same plug tobacco for chewing, piping, cigarettes, enemas, snuff, etc, until 1907, when everyone switched to Prince Albert tins.

 

[condorlover1]

I forgot about War Horse Plug. That one was around the U.K well before WW1. Also there was Gold Block which I think Ash Digger might have an empty tin around that was certainly a pre-WW1 item. Another U.S one is F.F. Adams Peerless Tobacco and Dukes Mixture.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

burley
take some five brothers and smoke it dry -
or Get some Semois -
get some pure leaf rustica - leaf only.com
weirdo ??

 

[pantsBoots]

Tobacco twists of the old style are still available where I'm from (Northern TN/South Central KY), but I'd guess your best commercial option would be Five Brothers.

I'm in Nashville and heading up to Mammoth Cave with the family in a couple weeks. Any unsweetened, unflavored twists out there I should keep an eye out for?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm in Nashville and heading up to Mammoth Cave with the family in a couple weeks. Any unsweetened, unflavored twists out there I should keep an eye out for?

Mammoth Cave Twist is one, and Cotton Boll Twist is a favorite of mine. Mammoth Cave I found to be a little more harsh. Cotton Boll is STRONG, but if you have a smaller pipe, sip slowly, and savor it, I think you might find it very enjoyable. This is what men smoked back in the day, which is really different from our dainty Virginias and fruity aros.