And Now For A Better Topic

[toobfreak]

It has really been the dregs these past few days, it seems that the more substantive the topic, the quicker it shorts out across the wires and blows the mains. So I've been really wondering, I see all kinds of bargain blends out there, stuff that SWR, CH and Capt. Black are a step up from! And they only come in 12 oz. bags, no little tins, so, there must be a lot of people smoking all of this stuff to keep these brands in business! But I don't see them discussed here.
Is it that those people don't visit forums like this, or are all you OTC-Lite brand smokers just quiet?
I'm just wondering, does anyone smoke:
Virginia Gold?

Farmer's Gold?

Gambler? (Are you feeling lucky?)

4 Aces?

Kentucky Select?

Largo?

Ohm? (Resistance is futile, right?)

Super Value?

Smoker's Pride?

Admiral's Choice?

Jester?

752?

High Card?

Better Smoke?
Like I said, most of these are only sold in 12-16 oz. bags, so somebody must be sucking them down! Anyone care to comment?

 

[jacks6]

I don't. Aside from 3-4 of those named, most are cigarette tobacco that's been rebranded as pipe tobacco to avoid taxation. I'm sure some people around here smoke these but we are primarily not the market.

 

[deathmetal]

It has really been the dregs these past few days, it seems that the more substantive the topic, the quicker it shorts out across the wires and blows the mains.

It's a nervous time in the West. Thus small things become huge in the mind. For this reason, substantive topics may be contentious... extra-contentious.

 

[aldecaker]

Agreed. Most of them are RYO tobacco, and not very good RYO at that. Super Value, Smoker's Pride, and Admiral's Choice are the ones I know of that are cut and prepared like a regular pipe tobacco.

 

[aldecaker]

FWIW, I've heard that Super Value's English blend is surprisingly good, but I haven't gotten around to trying that one yet.

 

[mayfair70]

I was actually wondering the same thing. When I purchased my first pouch of Half & Half the other day, there was an entire wall of these huge bags of tobacco at Low Bob's Discount Tobacco. I've ignored them because the few people I know who smoked them said they weren't bad, but, they were cigarette smokers and obviously have no idea what "good" is to me anymore.
They were also very cheap. You get what you pay for.
I can only recall brief mentions of them on this site as being RYO cigarette tobacco and not of the greatest quality.

 

[ashdigger]

Toob, in MY OPINION those RYO's are why the tobacco deeming laws are crippling our choices. I could be wrong BUT I've seen them packaged in giant bags listed as "pipe tobacco".

 

[aldecaker]

The assholes didn't do us any favors, Tim, that's for damned sure.

 

[toobfreak]

most are cigarette tobacco that's been rebranded as pipe tobacco to avoid taxation

Well, that explains a lot. I'm not interested in any of these, but I've seen a few of them mentioned in passing here, such as Smoker's Pride. But either someone is buying a lot of this stuff or someone is /sitting/ on a lot of this stuff and sure wants to move it.
BTW, Best of the Rest used to be marketed as sweepings of various spilled or lost-labeled tobaccos. The promise there was that you might get anything! I bought a couple pounds but of course all I got was what appeared to be bargain tobacco (but at not that great a bargain since I didn't know what it was). The stuff was OK. Looking through the P&C catalog now I see it is now marketed as a fixed product. A blend all its own. I suspect it has been that way for a while.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Super Value can be found in two ounce packages and at least a couple of them are quite decent. When I first started smoking a pipe, the first blends I tried were a pouch of Captain Black White, and a pouch of Super Value Butter Rum I found at a shop. I've smoked them again since then, and I actually liked the Super Value more than the Captain Black. I don't recall the other Super Value blends I tried, but they weren't terrible, and are indeed meant for a pipe and not a RYO. I'll definitely choose a Super Value over Captain Black Cherry any day.
Edit: Super Value pouches are 1.5 ounce, not two ounce.
Edit to add: Super Value is manufactured by Sutliff.

 

[mso489]

Yeah, RYO packaged as pipe tobacco as a tax dodge i think. A family member sent me a bag of 4 Aces Regular she bought me before she discovered a good tinned blend, and sent that too. It seems to be Virginia leaf, not inspiring but not awful. It can be used to extend a blend or single leaf. By itself, it's mild and, to me, not oppressive with cigarette flavor. Perhaps better than nothing, but nothing I smoke much. If that were all I had, I'd probably smoke it now and then.
Hey, the quality of original threads on this site is a reflection of us, you too. If you don't like it, get those imaginations fired up, study up on some pipe subjects, and elevate the quality here. You're talking about yourself here. This ain't somebody else's conversation.

 

[dread]

I've had Smoker's Pride - forgot which one - but it was just fine. It wa s quite a long time ago.

 

[toobfreak]

MSO, most topics I'd really like to talk about would probably get me banned or arrested in many western countries! Shot dead in eastern ones. :mrgreen:

 

[brian64]

most are cigarette tobacco that's been rebranded as pipe tobacco to avoid taxation

The root of the problem is punitive taxation. If the government was prohibited from abusing its taxing authority in this manner, we would likely not have such problems.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I sometimes smoke Sparrow in a cob when doing yard work, but yep, all listed are relabeled RYO cigarette tobacco.

 

[cranseiron]

I'll propose a topic before I slip off to bed. I just purchased a Tim Thorpe pipe and in my communication with him he mentioned he uses white briar for his pipes. Indeed, the wood is very light colored and I swear the briar tastes different upon initial smokes, so far, than the brown or redish brown briar I'm more familiar with. Anyone, knowledgeable of the different briar types?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My run with RYOs is that they are drier than what most pipe smokers want, and are cased for cigarettes or not cased at all. It's good tobacco, and not the same rehydrated cellulose that most cigarettes use. For the pipe, it's ok. I prefer a more refined leaf, but for someone who wants to try as much different experiences as possible, give it a whirl. It's cheap. Some is as good as a few unnamed pipe tobacco companies.

Yeh, they threw the pipe industry under the buss. Screw cigarette companies in general. But, one bag isn't going to make or break. I really like a few Peter Stokkebye RYO shag cuts in my pipe. Stockholm and Amsterdam are interesting. Drum tastes like a nice VaBur with Kentucky Fire Cured. Bugler, Kite, just seem like rehydrated cigarette crap to me.
All in all, there are way better blends to explore in the pipe world. But, if someone is curious, it's easy and worth a try. It really helped me quit cigarettes. Plus, the first thing I noticed is how the briar affects smell and taste. It's really a much better fragrance than when rolled.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Bagged D&R tobacco is great for pipes, and can double as RYO.

 

[bonanzadriver]

Great topic Toob.
As I slowly build my cellar I have been acquiring some of the, er, uhm.... economical options as well. Especially if they're on the milder mellower side, my thinking being that for new prospective initiates that I'm trying to bring into the briar brotherhood, get em enjoyin the pipe and an easy smoke, then we'll explore tobacco offerings at a later date.
That being said I have recently purchased Smokers Pride Whiskey and Black Cavendish as well as Cap'n Black Regular, Black Gold and Cherry. My son had picked up a big bag of the 4 Aces as well.
Out of all of these cheaper smokes, I find the SP Black Cavendish to be the most mellow. Made even better by letting it dry out a bit. The SP Whiskey is a Close 2nd. I find the Cap'n Black Cherry to be another reasonable smoke although a bit stronger than the SP's.
Last on the list is the 4 Aces. Have tried blending it with others but in the end it is all but un-smokable. Just too harsh for me and I'm an avid Full Body Cigar Smoker.

 

[deathmetal]

@toobfreak:

I bought a couple pounds but of course all I got was what appeared to be bargain tobacco (but at not that great a bargain since I didn't know what it was). The stuff was OK. Looking through the P&C catalog now I see it is now marketed as a fixed product. A blend all its own. I suspect it has been that way for a while.

The cynical economist view is that all people are self-interested actors in the market. Therefore, if it is cheaper to throw a bunch of RYO (gag) into a bucket and mix it and claim it is scraps, that is what you will get, every time or at least nearly every time. It's just money. Everyone wants more, which means reducing costs and increasing prices. We are all slaves to the one with the horns.