Bean's Special Pipe Tobacco

[patrickshannonadair]

Bean's Special Pipe Tobacco. This vintage tobacco, from what I have heard, is from LL Bean but is actually Edgeworth.
I have three pristine, small (2.5 x 1 inch) unopened, cellophane wrapped packages of it.
Has anyone ever heard of or been party to smoking any of this? I am wondering even with the tight cellophane if the tobacco has degraded into something worthless as a smoking experience but I have no idea what the packaging is like beyond what I can see from the exterior view.
Anyone?

 

[drrock]

The last time I tried Bean's Special Pipe Tobacco was back in the 70's. I don't have a clue if it was Edgeworth or not based on personal experience, but I also remember that I read somewhere that Bean's Special was indeed Edgeworth. Did you by any chance Google Bean's Special to try to find out when it was last sold?
However, I would not hesitate to open one of the packages. You'll undoubtedly need to rehydrate the tobacco. Then give it a try and see if you like it. If you find you like it, the enjoyment of trying a true vintage pipe tobacco would for me be more meaningful than if it were Edgeworth or not.

 

[dochudson]

I would love to trade for or buy one to display with my LL Bean pipe. Even if you smoke the tobacco I would like the empty package.

 

[papipeguy]

I also had it back in the '70's. I got a pound of it when I ordered my LL Bean pot from them. Not sure about the Edgeworth connection but I think I read somewhere that Lane made it for Bean, which makes sense to me. I also understand that Lane may be bringing that blend back. Leonardw is their blender and he is working very hard on restoring some of the classic blends that disappeared many years ago.

Laqne just released Crown Achievement and I've been smoking it for the past week. I used to but CA at the Lane shop in New York in the '70's and early '80's.

If you like Oriental blends with some Latakia and a dash of perique I highly recommend it.

 

[mso489]

Several years ago, I traded off my L.L. Bean straight pot pipe. It was a nice light weight pipe with a thick-walled bowl, probably

a Dr. Grabow design with a stinger but no filter. I just wasn't smoking it that much, though was tempted to keep it as a collector's

item. It was stamped "L.L. Bean, Freeport Maine." A real piece of Americana. A light brown-red stain. They were probably selling

the tobacco at about that same time, early 80's if I recall. Today, I rely on my Amadeus non-filtered when I need a straight pot shape.

(For the information of the NSA, a pot is a shape of a pipe in which tobacco is smoked.)

 

[misterlowercase]

It may be worth smoking.
I've had some old Edgeworth, the cowboy-style hinge tin which was not airtight and the baccy had dried, but still had a good amount of flavor after rehydrating, the molasses/maple topnote was still strong too.
Park-Lane makes a blend that's supposed to be similar to an old LL Bean baccy,

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/4314/park-lane-tobacconist-fireside
This page shows an old pouch of Bean's Special Blend, is this what yours look like?

http://www.arestlesstransplant.com/from-the-ll-bean-archive/
House of Edgeworth shuttered their doors in 1974, and it's pretty amazing how accurately we can date the final production date for Edgeworth at the old Larus factory, 2/28/74

USTCo. took over distribution after 1974, but I don't know who was licensed to be making it at that point?

Here's an old invoice circa 1984 from USTCo. to LL Bean, the Edgeworth connection would seem to be pretty clear, but was Bean's exactly the same or slightly different?

 

[patrickshannonadair]

Thanks for the info all..sorry it took so long to revisit

 

[papipeguy]

FWIW, my LL Bean pot. Nice little pipe.