Bad B&M

[carolinachurchwarden]

Of course I'd have to locate someone to make them.

I'd bet you Old Dominion would give it a go. They seem to revel in the old ways of pipe making and they seem to be priced pretty well. Sounds like a good idea. Could market tobaccos smoked during the time as well, at least, blends that are close as possible to what they were like back then. Create a "care package" offering era-correct pipes and tobacco in a carrying bag. Why not. I might buy it just for the hell of it. Now there's something I'd wander into the store to take a look at and heavily consider.

 

[pipestud]

I understand your point, but given that it's a widespread practice, not just with tobaccos, but with a hell of a lot of other products, I just don't care. Every supermarket you walk into has house brands. They stick their label on something that's made by somebody else. Every drugstore you walk into has house brands. They stick their label on something made by somebody else. Clothing manufacturers, textile manufacturers, all kinds of industries practice relabeling. And plenty of tins with well known names are relabelings of the same blend. Lane 1Q is just one of them. Sutliff has supplied tinned and bulk blends for a bunch of labels. McClelland did the same thing.-sablebrush52

Copy that and ditto!
Pipestud

 

[morgansteele]

I think newer pipe smokers are surprised to learn that most house pipe blends are really bulk blends rebranded.
For me, I smoked a pipe tobacco years ago called Geronimo. When I would go to other stores, I would ask for their best selling blend and I was surprised how similar the blends were to Geronimo. As you might already have guessed, I was smoking Lane 1Q for years under various names. Live and learn. I don't see a problem with stores doing this although it's surprising when you first figure it out.
Traveling last year, I spoke to a tobacconist in the Midwest. They have a house blend that I'll call "Widget" that is really Lane 1Q. Apparently, he gets a call from other states for Widget and feels guilty about selling it to them when they can walk down to their own store and buy 1Q. I don't have a problem with this myself. The consumer is getting what he wants and an honest businessman is making a sale. YMMV.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Unless a B&M has it's own tobacconist, you can be pretty sure their house blends are likely Lane blends renamed. Often times they're not shy about it. I asked a local B&M if a blend I had recently tried at the time was Lane BCA... "Yep!" was the reply without even skipping a beat. :mrgreen:

 

[ssjones]

Gettysburg had one cigar shop, on the corner, but it was very small and I don't recall it having any pipe related items.

Google shows the Union Cigar and Gettysburg Cigar (I think that was the original). You must have been at Union, I can't recall seeing/hearing that name before.

 

[shanez]

A few weeks ago I paid $17 for a tin of CAO Moontrance at my local knowing full well how much I could order it for online. But it was Friday afternoon and I had a bunch of friends and family coming over for a backyard BBQ the following day and I wanted to have it for the party. B&M pricing vs online isn't an apples to apples comparison in my mind.
I practically live online when it comes to shopping (except for groceries and such) but I will often buy from local stores knowing I'm paying more than I should could for various reasons including convenience. Sometimes a local salesperson will give me a free education as well.

 

[craiginthecorn]

B&Ms usually have high prices for tins due to local tobacco excise taxes. No excuse for the pipes though, AFAIK. Pipes are really problematic at B&Ms, except for major stores. Lots of basket pipes and old stocks of pipes badly oxidized stems that they have no clue are oxidized nor how to clean them. I have advised owners of small shops to stock only pipes with acrylic stems for that reason. Prices are generally too high, even for old stock.

 

[bnichols23]

Agreed there, Craig. Much simpler/easier for all concerned.

 

[cigrmaster]

My local b/m is in one of the most expensive (rent wise) districts in Sarasota. St Armands Circle is a big time tourist area and Benningtons has been there forever. His cigar prices were always in line with msrp. Up until Florida hit pipe tobacco with an 85% tax on the wholesale price(Zero percent on cigars), their prices were fine on tins as well. I never bought his house blends but they had plenty. Since the tax came to be, the only tins he sells now are to the tourists from Europe and other countries where tobacco prices are high.
I have no problem with tobacconists who re brand their bulks. It has been going on forever and I am sure there are plenty of blends that are doctored so they are not exact copies.

 

[pipeman7]

Uh never been to a B&M shop before bro? Every pipe tobacco shop in the world sells bulk tobacco by sutliff or lane as their house blends.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Uh never been to a B&M shop before bro? Every pipe tobacco shop in the world sells bulk tobacco by sutliff or lane as their house blends.

Uh, no.

 

[sablebrush52]

Every pipe tobacco shop in the world sells bulk tobacco by sutliff or lane as their house blends.

Well, in the US a lot of them do. And McClelland supplied a lot of bulk for relabel as house blends until they closed. Used to be a lot more individual blenders, but that was then.

 

[herrmen]

Well, looks like you will just need to drive to Boswell's! Not too far down the road.

 

[whiteburleydude]

The owner of my local B&M in Ohio mentioned to me that they he is no longer allowed to blend his own tobacco. I mean physically mix two or more blends together and sell them as something else. He can re-label excising blends though. He used to produce his own crumble cake. Now he says it's illegal.

 

[pipeman7]

Uh, no.

right because all those house blend jars are full of what?

 

[jpmcwjr]

You make a categorical statement that's completely unsupportable. Full stop.

 

[bnichols23]

John, you're a mess.

 

[sablebrush52]

The owner of my local B&M in Ohio mentioned to me that they he is no longer allowed to blend his own tobacco. I mean physically mix two or more blends together and sell them as something else. He can re-label excising blends though. He used to produce his own crumble cake. Now he says it's illegal.

There's a lot of confusion over the FDA guidelines that were published in May of 2016, some part of which involved the making of proprietary store blends. After all, the rules were deliberately written using vague and confusing language. But I think that there's been some shift in those rules since 2016 and the owner in question should check to see what the situation is currently.

 

[sablebrush52]

right because all those house blend jars are full of what?

In the EU? Try Germain's, Gawith, Gawith & Hoggarth, MacBaren, Kolhase & Kopp, etc, etc.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

But I think that there's been some shift in those rules since 2016 and the owner in question should check to see what the situation is currently.

If true, and I was a blender, I'd just keep going until someone said stop. Until then, you can't hold me responsible for any blends I've made until rules are firmly in place, solid, not going anywhere.
I still wonder if a tobaconist just sold you the "ingredients" for your "own blend" does it fall under the same rules? If not, then they could just buy all the individual bulks, sell you the "recipe" and let you purchase all the "ingredients" you needed for a pound of your favorite mix. Or something like that.