Branding/consistency in tobacco blends

[deathmetal]

From elsewhere:

It's just that, once you really get to know a blend you come to expect certain things from it and this new formulation definitely lacks that certain "magic" that made IF my main go-to blend.

Products are more than products. They are parts of our lives, things we rely on.
Whether it is an axe, a newspaper or a pipe tobacco blend, we rely on them for consistency, keeping what made us like them carried forward in each iteration.
This is one of those easy concepts that is hard to apply, but an important one, I think.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If it is a production assembly line tobacco, then yes, I think it is safe to expect consistency. But, if consistency is something that you demand, then avoid ropes, coin flakes, single crop Virginias, and handmade artisan made tobaccos, just to be safe. Anything that has been twisted by hand you take the risk of getting a coin that has more, less or none of a specific leaf, because of the rolling process.
There are many videos showing guys setting at tables twisting up ropes, and you'll see how consistency is just impossible, even between cuts off the same rope.
Also, if consistency is important, stick to the cheap machine made cigars for the same reason. In hand rolled stogies, you'll usually get fair consistency, but the subtle nuances between sticks can be a part of the passion.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

But, keep in mind that on many of the production tobaccos, they will alter or increase the casings used, because tobacco is a natural growing product. More or less rain one year, temperatures, variations in crops being bought can cause different flavors from the same field from one year to the next, and companies will use additives in the casings to make a blend taste "consistent." So, I don't see consistency as too much of a big deal. I prefer just enjoying the moment.

 

[jackswilling]

"So, I don't see consistency as too much of a big deal."
Or even completely possible for the reasons cited.

 

[deathmetal]

Here's an analogy.
Suppose that I make a type of bacon-wrapped chicken that members of my family enjoy. It involves quality chicken, not that mass-market dreck from HEB or the too-cute artisANAL chicken from that "yuppitorium" grocery store Whole Foods, wrapped in good unsmoked unflavored bacon, then topped with a special sauce based on Grandma's recipe from the old country.
Every iteration of a certain holiday, I cook this up and people look forward to it.
If the chicken varies in quality so that certain flavors are stronger, I can compensate with the sauce to achieve the same balance. It is never exactly the same but it is still consistent.
If I were to start adding something to the sauce that complemented the flavor, so that it was more of what it always had been, no problem.
If I got jazzy and artisANAL and started adding something completely weird, like deertongue and quinoa, people might be disappointed. At that point, I've created a new recipe, not enhanced (improved quality) of the old.

I prefer just enjoying the moment.

Sounds too much like "lie back and think of England" to me.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I sort of see your point. Personally, I like my smoked chicken with less "sauce" and just a touch of perique for spice. :wink:

 

[deathmetal]

I like my smoked chicken with less "sauce" and just a touch of perique for spice.

Reminds me to load of bowl of OJK before I cook any chicken...

 

[woodsroad]

The great British beer critic Michael Jackson once told me "Consistency is the enemy of interesting". Budweiser is consistent. Toyota is consistent. Barack Obama is consistent.
Evolution is interesting.
Unless you are really headed somewhere else with this argument, in which case you should just come out and say it.

 

[deathmetal]

It's important to avoid confusing "consistent" with "lowest common denominator." To avoid making this a political thread, I'll say that's about the Budweiser only.

 

[woodsroad]

I'm not implying any of those three things are LCD, although some may perceive them to be. I'll throw Reagan in there, too. He was consistent. But even the greatest dishes (to share your analogy) get boring after a while. It's why chefs change their menus, or let their creations evolve.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

At one time Budweiser was the King of Beers, before artisan, tooty fruity, and IPA beers hit the market. But, since Budweiser stayed "consistent" it's quality stayed behind.

Quality is mostly about the marketing. In tobacco, the growers and curers care mostly about whether it will be bought on the market, so bug holes, jagged edges, and discolorations get it dumped. But, what we are finding now is that leaves that are attacked by bugs get an extra dose of flavornoids from the plant to attract predators to kill the bugs attacking the plants, thus bug holes and jagged leaves are the ones with more flavor, thus better tasting. Or, different.

Wasn't it mark Twain who once said that the only real difference between the quality of a "good" cigar and "bad" cigar is marketing? Meaning, someone has told us what a good cigar should taste like, thus we all line up and agree.

I know that when it comes to colas, most of the time the generic stuff tastes better to me.
So, what exactly is quality? It's not that easy to define. And, I apologize if saying this causes a certain someone to come along and school us on what all of these words mean, ha ha. (((troll bomb))) ::

 

[bcharles123]

I would also argue that consistency is very likely to have gotten better in the modern era. Logistics, forecasting, etc is really amazing.
This could be countered by demand being down, and thus supply is less stable (which could kill a blend), but more than made up for with logistics and forecasting. I would be surprised if any of the modern "standards" are not very consistent batch to batch.

 

[woodsroad]

All very true.
Unfortunately, there has also been consistency imposed on tobacco growers. There is a much less diverse crop grown today. This is most noticeable in what is coming out of Turkey, Greece and the Balkan states, where state owned coops (and a decreased demand for exotic tobaccos from the US manufacturers) have homogenized the plant stocks, providing for a consistent product.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

And, tobacco in the US is corporate grown also. The days of the small time tobacco farmer is coming to an end here also. Eventually, it might as well all be hydroponic. Which is unfortunate, IMO. But, there are a few farmers who are into the organic flavor over quantity model. Mark Ryan is one that seems to be keeping things real.

 

[northernneil]

I like to think of myself as a 'variety is the spice of life' kind of guy. I have never really looked for a consistent product that I return to time and time again. In fact, it is usually the opposite, I am looking for what is new or something that I have never tried before.
When I go to a new restaurant, I like to try everything on the menu at least once, where some people will order the same thing time and time again. Is one way better than the other. Of course not. In other words, for a guys like me, consistency is not a big concern as I will more than likely not have it again for quite some time.

The great British beer critic Michael Jackson once told me "Consistency is the enemy of interesting"

I could not agree with this statement anymore!

 

[gloucesterman]

The whole idea of consistency almost demands homogenization. Given all the variables in an organic substance the only way to achieve a consistently similar product is to blend or, as has been pointed out, to camouflage the difference with flavorings. When done the differences are so slight it's almost undetectable to most people. Personally I think batch differences are interesting and should be differentiated from a wholesale change in a formula. With tobacco blends, like with wine, no two years will yield exactly the same taste. If you don't want a lot of flavorings in your tobacco then some variation is pretty much inevitable. I find it sometimes true of the same tin. When you load the bowl you don't get the same amounts of each component as you did the last time. The resulting smoke will be a different experience. I notice it more in ready ribs than flakes and plugs but any grown product will be different from year to year or location to location. To me that's what keeps things from being boring.

 

[skraps]

Good points, Gloucesterman. I think subtle variations are fine and should be expected. However, if the changes are so extreme that it yields something that tastes like a completely different product, I would be disappointed. I smoke certain blends because I like the general flavors of them. I want it to be mostly consistent from batch to batch, with the exception of those small variations.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Irish Flake changed in flavor a bit because it was moved to Mac Baren from Kohlhase and Kopp.
You can give the same exact recipe to two different chefs and the dishes will taste different.
It'd be more of an argument of inconsistency if the change occurred and it stayed with the same blending house.

 

[woodsroad]

There's an interesting point to be made here in an analogy with the wine industry, but I'm too beat from a day of making graven images to delve much deeper than I already haven't.

 

[deathmetal]

I would also argue that consistency is very likely to have gotten better in the modern era.

People are confusing "minor variations in crop" with "changing the recipe."
That misses the point, I'm afraid.