I thought that STG would continue producing St. Bruno Flake but not ready rubbed. I was talking to a friend who said they would keep producing both and upon doing some research, I can’t seem to find a clear answer. Is SBRR going to continue being produced or just the flake?
Confusion on St. Bruno Ready Rubbed
- Thread starter fishmansf
- Start date
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Both the St. Bruno Flake and Ready Rubbed will continue to be produced.
Isn't the RR just leftovers from the slicing of flakes?
So no one is actually rubbing it out with their sweaty, greasy hands? Disappointed.
Its possible but frankly, I flake and RR seem almost like two different blends to me. While everything says they're the same, they taste completely different to me.
Ready rubbed is generally just flake that has fallen apart. Sometimes they need to create the "fallen apart" thing themselves if they are running low. Ive heard this from Craig Tarler and Russ Oulette over the years.
Flake and RR can taste different for several reasons. Flake is more compact when in tact, so you can fit more in your pipe. RR can be drier than flake which also changes the taste.
If you completely rub out both, and dry them to the same level, you will see they taste alike.....generally.
Ready rubbed is generally just flake that has fallen apart. Sometimes they need to create the "fallen apart" thing themselves if they are running low. Ive heard this from Craig Tarler and Russ Oulette over the years.
Flake and RR can taste different for several reasons. Flake is more compact when in tact, so you can fit more in your pipe. RR can be drier than flake which also changes the taste.
If you completely rub out both, and dry them to the same level, you will see they taste alike.....generally.
Hey guys, maybe this will help: this is the raw lead used for St Bruno, I took the picture shortly before STG fired me in February. Mainly bright leaf, Kentucky and little Burley:
There is no ingredient difference between the flakes and RR. The difference is the process: the cakes that are pressed for the flakes are pressed longer. The cakes for RR are pressed only for a day, they stay looser and then is cut roughly by machine. The RR is not leftover tobacco
Amazing picture.
St Bruno is one of my top favorites. Glad it’s one that survived the cut.
Although, I have probably about 6 pounds of it
St Bruno is one of my top favorites. Glad it’s one that survived the cut.
Although, I have probably about 6 pounds of it
I found the MacBaren RR to be a little better sauced than the flake, though both were kinda flat compared to the Ogden’s. Less richness in the underlying tobacco.
Also, the topping was inconsistent.
Still, some St. Bruno was better than no St. Bruno, even with the stingy topping.
But, unlike the Ogden’s, the topping fades out in a few years. All of my 2016 St. Bruno was almost flavorless. So don’t cellar it for very long.
I’ll be curious to see what STG does to it.
Also, the topping was inconsistent.
Still, some St. Bruno was better than no St. Bruno, even with the stingy topping.
But, unlike the Ogden’s, the topping fades out in a few years. All of my 2016 St. Bruno was almost flavorless. So don’t cellar it for very long.
I’ll be curious to see what STG does to it.
I have some newer tins with the STG name and not the Mac Baren but I’m guessing it was still out of the Mac Baren plant. It will be the next tin of St Bruno I open.
Me too. I have sometimes smoked Flake in a pipe that had an Erinmore ghost. Nice combo.
I don't think they will improve it. Borkum Riff and Peterson, in my opinion, became better than with the previous manufacturers but, casing wise, they went lightly. I would expect the same with St. Bruno.
This being said, I remember the St. Bruno of the early 1990s and it was something totally different than what we smoke today. Dark, stout, and was it ever strong in nicotine. That was no boy's tobacco.
Thanks for the info and sorry to hear you were fired by your employer. I hope you managed to fall back on your feet, mate.
True that. Ogden's version had a rich dark Virginia base beneath the topping. MacBaren's is rather hairless and balless in comparison.
Dang, hearing that would have loved to try some original. I only tried it when Mac B made it. And I really enjoy it.
See, I don’t get this at all. Been smoking Bruno for decades and they are exactly the same. Even the manufacturer says so. But people are constantly claiming broken/rr versions of flake tobacco are somehow different.
I've smoked Bruno in mid 80,s and IMO, today's version is nothing like it was, not even close. It was a VERY unique tobacco. A real love or hate blend. I'd loosely compare it to a really sauced up version of Ennerdale but different flavorings if that makes any sense.
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I had some older and newer samples of St. Bruno flake. The older ones seemed to have more of that unique flavor (at least on the nose) than the newer. I noticed this after opening a new tin and later discovering i already had an opened jar on the shelf from years ago. Just my observation.
I enjoy the MacBaren version of St. Bruno as well, but it's just not what the old stuff was. Nobody does Brit blends like the Brits did them. Denmark is the place where British blends go to die.