American Made Plugs Versus UK Made Plugs.

[mawnansmiff]

Thank you Michael, at least someone understands what I was trying to say :clap:
It is now pretty clear to me that the US doesn't produce any plugs in the true Irish/British tradition, the folks who 'invented' the plug (the Irish) would not recognise Temple Bar or Jack Knife Plug as being anything other than pressed tobacco.
Right, back to watching those teenagers making that Union Square.... ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[yaddy306]

This is the way I've always thought of it:
Plug- compressed whole leaf
Cake-compressed cut leaf
Kake- how twelve-year-old girls spell "cake"

 

[cosmicfolklore]

:::sigh::: He is not defining nor differentiating plugs, cakes, or kakes.

What the US makes is nothing like what the UK has for plugs. Is all he is saying. This, we learned that we don't have the means to make true plugs here, so me make loosely fitted stuff that just serves some aesthetic purpose, but no real plug purpose. Stuff in italics was just my own elaboration.

 

[ashdigger]

Too much cheese is how a plug is made.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ash, that reminds me, I need to start drying the last of this years plums. Ha ha!

 

[crashthegrey]

So it sounds like there are different types of plugs. I think the only way to settle this, is that I will need to try some UK plugs. They sounds wonderful. With GQ closed down, I don't know how I'll get them shipped to the US, but I'll find a way. I think I just killed half of my afternoon reading this whole thread.

 

[northernneil]

:::sigh::: He is not defining nor differentiating plugs, cakes, or kakes.

Interesting. Then what is meant by the following quote?

Not at all Neil, not necessarily 'better' but that the density of the pressing distinguishes a 'plug' from a 'cake', that is all.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Interesting conversation.
It's obvious that our human brains almost DEMAND us to fit things in to neat little boxes to make order and sense of things.
What if we took a leaf, then a layer of ribbon cut, then a leaf, then etc. and so on. What's to prevent us from doing that? What we would call it then?
Is anything pressed a cake? Sure, why not. How "caked" does it need to be to be a plug?
The label means less to me than "Do I like it or not?" If GLP wants to call Gaslight a "true plug", fine. If something is a krumble kake, fine.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Crash, you will find some amazing products in the UK plug department, particularly so in those produced in Ireland and Kendal, England. Many plugs to suit all tastes from straight up tobacco (my preferred) to aromatics.
"Interesting. Then what is meant by the following quote?
Not at all Neil, not necessarily 'better' but that the density of the pressing distinguishes a 'plug' from a 'cake', that is all."
Neil, as you well know that was in response to another member who was haranguing me for a particular answer regards what constitutes a plug. My argument was simply that a plug of tobacco was nothing other than a hard pressed block of tobacco, something of which we have established through lack of evidence to the contrary the US does not currently produce. Yes, you produce hard cakes but the difference is huge.
I could take a 2oz block each of say Condor Plug and say Jack Knife Plug and kick them both along the pavement in my village. I would wager by the time I hit the post box the CP would still be entire, corners rounded off but still entire. As for the JKP I doubt it wouldn't make it to the first telegraph pole afore disintegrating!
Kyle Weiss in his review of Temple Bar Plug states the following...
"Temple Bar is a hybrid of sorts… not as dense as Jackknife Plug, and not a soft as a “crumble cake.” There are distinct layers of very chunky, sometimes even whole-leaf tobacco."
...and it is the 'whole leaf tobacco' thing that John was basing his entire argument upon.
My original question of does America produce good and proper hard plugs seems to have been left by the wayside yet has been answered by lack of any evidence of such.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[woodsroad]

What if we took a leaf, then a layer of ribbon cut, then a leaf, then etc. and so on. What's to prevent us from doing that? What we would call it then?

You could call it Gaslight.
Semantics is fun, and quite necessary in the political arena where your opponent keeps moving the oratory goalposts around. But in this case, it is quite clear that the same word has multiple and conflicting meanings over time and geography.
We argued a bit about the word "Plug" when it came time to approve the final label designs for the War Horse Bar(s). I was opposed to using the word "plug" on a blend that was composed of pressed cut leaf, but Russ convinced me that the density of the final product would exceed anything that had previously been marketed as a "kake".
I acquiesced. Russ was correct.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Thank you Woods, your last sentence says an awful lot.
Now I'm on the hunt for some War Horse Red and Green as they have rave reviews, not many but all those reviews were rated a full four stars.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[crashthegrey]

It sounds like War Horse may be the first US made plug or close to it. Time for me to get ordering.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

No, no Crash, War Horse is a clug... ummm, klug, chug. Damn, I forgot. But, it's not the hockey puck of Irish plugs. It's all-American.

 

[crashthegrey]

Thanks for the clarification, Cosmic!

 

[jpmcwjr]

OK, OK, as I admitted earlier—there's too much confusion over what may or may not distinguish a plug and a cake. So there is none any more, though it may become the norm to distinguish via hardness of the final product. That'd be just fine, but this thread demonstrates there's not a consensus.
And, Jay, I never opined that American plug or cake rose to the density level of UK plugs, (or cakes!) It seems that when I said you had produced a cake and not a plug one of those bees found its way into your bonnet. Sorry for the ruffling—no harm, no foul.

 

[woodsroad]

More of a tobacco beef jerky brownie.

 

[mawnansmiff]

John, your sole argument was that pressed cut leaf, however hard pressed could not be called a plug simply because it was cut leaf. It HAD to be whole leaf to be called a plug was the basis of your argument all along.
..."but Russ convinced me that the density of the final product would exceed anything that had previously been marketed as a "kake"."
Anyway, the main thing I have learned from this thread is that the US likely does indeed make a solid plug (two actually) and that cheers me up no end so am desperately trying to find a source to buy them ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[woodsroad]

Jay, the production process for making the War Horse bars is a little complicated and time consuming, so the production throughput has been sub-optimal. That's changing, though, and online suppliers should start receiving more stock in the near future. As others have kindly pointed out, both bars will be available at Smokingpipes and 4Noggins here in the US. Both companies (correct me if I'm wrong) will ship to the UK. We do not envision UK/EU distribution at this time.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Many thanks for that Woods. I have since procured a tin each of the red and the green from a forum member in direct exchange for two UK plugs that he cannot source in the US. All this of course is pending final agreement.
Two things, firstly I only realised yesterday these were very recent releases and secondly I presume you yourself to be involved in the business that manufactures the blends?
Am quite looking forward to trying these out...perhaps the first UK smoker to do so ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[woodsroad]

Yes, Jay. Condorlover (Simon) and I are the founders of The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania. We are partnered with Russ and the other good folks at P&C in bringing back John Cotton's and reinventing the War Horse blends.