Same. I'm trying to live a "There's too many good blends to be gouged" lifestyle. Haven't given in yet.
Called D&R Today...
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Same. I'm trying to live a "There's too many good blends to be gouged" lifestyle. Haven't given in yet.
Well, I step away for a week or two and this happens. It's all been said above, but this news sucks.
I stocked about 20 lbs. of various D&R blends before this proverbial axe fell. Still, I had less Picayune (about 5 lbs.) than I'd have liked and I'm not at all happy with A.B. going away. Still, I guess it just means moving on to other blends, of which there's still plenty.
With that said, I'm double-bagging the stuff I have in stock now...sigh.
I stocked about 20 lbs. of various D&R blends before this proverbial axe fell. Still, I had less Picayune (about 5 lbs.) than I'd have liked and I'm not at all happy with A.B. going away. Still, I guess it just means moving on to other blends, of which there's still plenty.
With that said, I'm double-bagging the stuff I have in stock now...sigh.
Funny... I wonder why Mark sold it? Of course it would be mere speculation.
But, DR had problems with those stupid blend names that were hard to keep up with platinum, gold, silver versions of the same blends, but were all as different as night and day. Then those horrible tin designs.
The price didn't help him much. Cheap shit never gets any respect. Hell, I am even too embarrassed to buy tobacco on sale, because it makes me value the stuff even less.
I had hoped they could make a KIA move, one day they are having Buy-One-Get One free sales at their car lots, and the next they are on the cover of Motor Trend as one the best cars of the year.
But... it's sad, because they really made a few great tobaccos, and by eliminating the stuff that really stood out as different, they really are now just a cheaper brand version of the same stuff that you can get 100x's better from anyone else.
I wonder if this will affect his perique biz... I wonder if so many others making better perique was the reason? Speculation is so much fun.
New CEOs seem to range from idiotic to genius, with not much room in between.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
But, DR had problems with those stupid blend names that were hard to keep up with platinum, gold, silver versions of the same blends, but were all as different as night and day. Then those horrible tin designs.
The price didn't help him much. Cheap shit never gets any respect. Hell, I am even too embarrassed to buy tobacco on sale, because it makes me value the stuff even less.
I had hoped they could make a KIA move, one day they are having Buy-One-Get One free sales at their car lots, and the next they are on the cover of Motor Trend as one the best cars of the year.
But... it's sad, because they really made a few great tobaccos, and by eliminating the stuff that really stood out as different, they really are now just a cheaper brand version of the same stuff that you can get 100x's better from anyone else.
I wonder if this will affect his perique biz... I wonder if so many others making better perique was the reason? Speculation is so much fun.
New CEOs seem to range from idiotic to genius, with not much room in between.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
@cosmicfolklore , Mark is keeping the perique farm.
?
You are certainly entitled to feel that way. You could just put your in a pile and burn it, though.
Agreed that D&R's advertising and general 'consumer vibe' was not where other blending houses are. Seemed kind of early 90's mail order relic and as you mentioned there were blends that were confusing to piece out what was what from the descriptions. On the other hand, in the interviews/shows I've caught him on, Mark Ryan struck me as a guy who understood the market and wasn't someone to leave money on the table for lack of better advertising. I assumed he did the math and that $X cost to spruce up the image/advertising just wasn't going to move the needle enough on the bottom line big-picture.
Sometimes being a mid-size business is the toughest spot in a market.....big players have enough volume and scale to dip their toes in different pools, small players have to specialize but have less over-head that needs absorbing every month......the mid size guy has over-head to worry about and likely pulls out less margin in the distributor channel than the big players. D&R was a discount/RYO positioned producer that also had some 'higher end' pipe blends (that carried some level of increased production cost via ingredients and labor)....sounds like the new owner is going to streamline on the former.
I’m sad to hear this...I hope what blends they do keep maintain quality. I’m a big fan of SJ and Ryback, just ordered another pound of each.
My one experience with Picayune was RYO, unfiltered. It blew the top of my head off and I could barely choke it down. I had an ounce floating around in a baggie for a year or more, never thinking to stuff it in a pipe. After joining the forum and seeing the name tossed around, it has been in the back of my mind to order some up and give it a shot, but alas...
A local cigar shop stocks D&R for the RYO crowd, I should hit them up and see what they’ve got in stock.
My one experience with Picayune was RYO, unfiltered. It blew the top of my head off and I could barely choke it down. I had an ounce floating around in a baggie for a year or more, never thinking to stuff it in a pipe. After joining the forum and seeing the name tossed around, it has been in the back of my mind to order some up and give it a shot, but alas...
A local cigar shop stocks D&R for the RYO crowd, I should hit them up and see what they’ve got in stock.
Looking into the multiple Daughters & Ryan threads today I ordered 2 lbs of Rimboche SJ and 2 lbs of Rimboche AP
The best marketing any tobacco manufacturer/blender/seller needs is when someone posts something on a forum and panic buying ensues.
Give it a few more days and D&R will be sold out everywhere. It will be the new Esoterica.
Tobacco brands should just do like the furniture stores do, and have a going out of business sale once or twice a year.
It’s a little silly isn’t it? I nearly bought a few pounds of Picayune and Rimboche last week and then realized: “I’ve avoided the stuff for years based on the RYO marketing, and I’m a relative nic wimp, what am I doing?”. I’ll leave it for those who will really enjoy it rather than scoop up a bunch just to likely end up selling it here a couple years from now...
yeah which might explain the price. It's kind of like buying at the farmers market.
I personally think he's focusing on the farm which is enough work by itself with out having to make the end product too.
I had to resist making a "Captain Black is No More" thread... You just gotta wonder what would happen.
Oh, For crying out loud! I watched those youtube videos and then FOMO'd myself into a couple pounds of Rimbo-AB and SJ. Face--->Palm.
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