Anyone Mainly Buy Bulk Tobaccos (or Even Exclusively)?

[AroEnglish]

When I first got into pipe smoking I was trying to sample every tin under the sun but realized that this was an unsatisfyingly expensive endeavor as my palette is actually quite narrow. I realized I’d rather find a few good blends and spend/save that money for buying a pipe. I also realized that I’m just really cheap.

Since then I’ve mainly looked for tobaccos in bulk because I still want to try things here and there but only have to commit to an ounce. This allows me to try a bunch without breaking that bank. And if I do find something that I want to have in the cellar, I can buy a bunch of it for a good price.

Is there anyone else out there who’s mainly a bulk buyer?

 

[irishearl]

Yup, have bought bulk almost exclusively all my 45 years of smoking due to price considerations.

 

[Kal]

95% is bulk. Love wilke tobacco, watch city cigar blends,kbv, and peretti blends.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yep

 

[WVOldFart]

I buy mostly bulk because I gravitate toward the Match blends. I enjoy trying some of the newer tin tobaccos, but I still come back to the "Codger" blends and the Match blends.

 

[AroEnglish]

95% is bulk. Love wilke tobacco, watch city cigar blends,kbv, and peretti blends.

Any recommendations for aros and aroenglishes?

 

[mso489]

I buy a lot of bulk. I like tins for storage and my haphazard aging, and sometimes I want to try a blend that only comes in a tin. But for buying an expansive array of blends in every genre, why pay thirty percent more? If you happen to like that OTC favorite Mixture No. 79, why buy a tin when you can buy it for less, direct from Sutliff, for less. Or with C&D blends, Old Joe Krantz, Billy Budd, and others come in bulk.

 

[anotherbob]

When I first got into pipe smoking I was trying to sample every tin under the sun but realized that this was an unsatisfyingly expensive endeavor as my palette is actually quite narrow. I realized I’d rather find a few good blends and spend/save that money for buying a pipe. I also realized that I’m just really cheap.

Since then I’ve mainly looked for tobaccos in bulk because I still want to try things here and there but only have to commit to an ounce. This allows me to try a bunch without breaking that bank. And if I do find something that I want to have in the cellar, I can buy a bunch of it for a good price.

Is there anyone else out there who’s mainly a bulk buyer?

yeah. I do buy tins but I consider them samples. And it makes me sad when certain tobaccos only come in sample size.

 

[EssJaySea]

I could have written this original post -- although I hope I'm not cheap (too cheap?) or a "codger" (@WVOldFart -- you seem to have chosen your forum name well).

I've written elsewhere that I always return to Kramer's Father Dempsey blend (I'm finishing off my House pipe of it now) -- I bought 4 oz of it in my last purchase, which is a pretty good amount for me, especially this month when I've only so far found time for two pipes.

It is and can be fun to buy a tin or two (one to smoke now, one to cellar) of a blend that sounds interesting -- the small batch C&Ds and other similar releases. But I think, for me, there is something about smoking a pipe that lends itself to a certain consistency of a few much-loved blends. Perhaps it lies somewhere between smoking only one brand of cigarettes and having a huge array of cigars?

 

[Bobby Bailey]

Almost all of what I buy is bulk, only the occasional tin.

 

[lawdawg]

I'm on the flip side. I used to favor bulk. Then I got tired of dealing with all the mason jars. I prefer tins. Easier to buy and store, and better for future trade or sale if it comes to that, plus I enjoy the tins and the tin art as a nice bonus.

 

[DanWil84]

In Europe there are not a lot of offerings in bulk, DTM blends are in bags of 250 grams which are about 20 to 25% a kilo cheaper than buying 50 or 100g tins. Some macbarren blends are also in 250 gram cans, but those are only 10 euros a kilo less expensive. At my smoking rate a kilo of bulk ribbon will last me 250 to 300 weeks, as I now generally smoke 1 blend once a week at about 3 to 4 grams a bowl in my largest pipes. Flakes in my preferred flake pipe (for now) are one flake a bowl, so having a kilo of flakes will last me a very long time if bought in bulk.

For that reason i'm on the same page as @lawdawg. Sure the benefits of bulk tobacco are there and fully understandable (next price also for regulation reasons), but I dunno if I want to store jars. I could understand buying bulk of blend which is a daily driver, but for me tins are more convenient.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Any recommendations for aros and aroenglishes?

If you like Aromatics and especially Aro-Englishes, you gotta take a look at Gawith Hoggarth & Co blends. Their aromatics are built on a solid base of quality tobacco, mostly some interpretation of an English that compliments the casing/flavoring: their caramel blend "American Nougat" and Peach are personal favorites. And something like Bob's Chocolate Flake (with that tonka bean 'Lakeland essense') is probably as fine an Aro-English as you can find.

SPC's boozy Mississippi Mud and Plum Pudding interpretations are both fantastic too. One is "rum" and the other is "bourbon" and while distinctly different, they are kinda peas in a pod. Both worth a try in my opinion.

Shortcut to Mushroom is this old blend madness of a blend that I really wish someone would try to reproduce.

 

[Kal]

Any recommendations for aros and aroenglishes?

I tend to smoke balkan or english, and Orientals. I find they have a fantastic natural sweetness.
Wilke lizzie blood red english may be one. Other members really will know more.

 

[romaso]

I've gravitated to just bulk blends, and YOU DON'T NEED TO PUT THEM IN MASON JARS!

I've done very well with the 5 gallon buckets with the screw on lid attachment, very easy to access and seal well. I buy Mac Baren Vanilla Cream in the 1 lb plastic bags and store them in the bucket. I'm up to 8+ years aging on this blend and the moisture level is fine (I am in a damp climate, which probably helps).

When I open the bag I'll either reseal it and put it back in the tub, or jar it for readier access, depending on how quick I go through it.

Since I've bought alot more this year, I'm going to try storing it in a large plastic Coleman Cooler I have, which seems to seal tightly. I'll probably bag them in mylar also, which I've never tried. Maybe even look at some sort of humidifier using distilled water.

My current main bulk blends are: Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, Sutliff Match Ready Rubbed, Sutliff 507 Virginia Flake, and Mac Baren Mixture.

My secondary bulk blends (more seasonal or for a change) are: Stokkebye Proper English, Lane BS-005 (a great bulk English!), Mac Baren Pure Virginia, Mac Baren Plumcake, etc.

Just compute what that tinned blend costs per pound and compare it to a bulk.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Even though they are sold as "bulk" I don't consider something boxed like GH&Co blends "bulk." As a result, my answer would be I buy packaged more often.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

Nowadays I buy all bulk, and mostly C&D Dark Burley.

 

[Worknman]

Im sort of on the opposite spectrum since I get bored with a blend after 2 consecutive smokes. Therefore my cellar is alot wider than it is deep, but I do have a few bulk blends like Pegasus, LBF, Rouxgaroux, Old Dark Fired RR, Old Joe Krantz and a few others.

 

[Etipton]

Bulk unless it’s a special new blend or one I like only coming in a tin

 

[cigrmaster]

I hate bulk tobacco as it takes up way too much room. Thankfully most of my favorites came in tins as I can stack those so easily. My only bulk blends are 2012 Samuel Gawith Best Brown, Full Virginia and St James Flake. They were all bought in July 2012. I figure I bought around 12 pounds each. I also bought 25 tins of Best Brown from JR. I also bought 3 pounds of 2006 Best Brown and 3 pounds of Stonehaven. My only other bulks is one pound of Hamborger Veermaster, around a dozen pounds of Solani 660 Silver Flake and a bunch of Wessex Gold Brick, Dan Tobacco Salty Dogs and a bunch of Peter Heinrichs Curly Block ropes.

They take up so much room that I would gladly pay more f they came in tins.