Thomas Hinds Tobacconist
Toronto, Canada
Last week after getting off work a little early I noticed I wasn't too far from the Tobacconist in town so I decided to pop in as I haven't been there since I first started smoking a pipe a little over a year ago now. He started me on a blend when I first bought my pipe there after explaining what kinds of flavors I enjoy and after a brief "interview" we decided that aromatics were not for me. I ended up with something he called "Powder Keg" which was amazing. Fast forward a year later after trying a bunch of different very high quality and highly rated tobaccos in the community via online orders I realized that what my tobacconist had blended in shop was extremely high quality and went toe to toe with all of the more well known blends.
So I head in there last week and he wasn't busy so after talking about pipes and cigars and different things we started on the topic of McClelland's closing and he was just as sad as the rest of the community even saying, "I remember coming into work the day after they closed and it was a sad, sad day." He expressed his love of Frog Morton and their other high quality blends. He then said hold on a second I think I have something here you might find interesting. So he crouched behind the counter and began pulling things from cupboards, various baggies of tobacco and jars and dusty boxes and then he found it at last! "Ah, here it is" he said. He then pulled out a big bag of perique with the stamp of McClelland on it and I thought that was so cool. He then said if you don't already have at tobacco in mind that you want to go home with today I would like to make you a blend from scratch. I of course obliged and he pulled out his scale that looked like it was from the early 1900's and all of his bags and began mixing a blend special for me. Red Virginia ribbon, Burley, Latakia and the Perique from the dusty bag. He was enjoying it so much and was saying it's really nice to see younger pipe smokers who are into experiencing nice tobaccos and not some of the crappy aromatics you find out there.
After all was said and done he packaged it up for me and said now I urge you to try a little bowl when you go home but after that don't touch it for a month or two! This left me with such a good feeling and I absolutely cannot wait to try it! Watching someone who is really proficient in their craft do something out of pure joy and passion is so great and true tobacconists are a rare breed.
I left that shop with a feeling that will stick with me for a very, very long time!
Toronto, Canada
Last week after getting off work a little early I noticed I wasn't too far from the Tobacconist in town so I decided to pop in as I haven't been there since I first started smoking a pipe a little over a year ago now. He started me on a blend when I first bought my pipe there after explaining what kinds of flavors I enjoy and after a brief "interview" we decided that aromatics were not for me. I ended up with something he called "Powder Keg" which was amazing. Fast forward a year later after trying a bunch of different very high quality and highly rated tobaccos in the community via online orders I realized that what my tobacconist had blended in shop was extremely high quality and went toe to toe with all of the more well known blends.
So I head in there last week and he wasn't busy so after talking about pipes and cigars and different things we started on the topic of McClelland's closing and he was just as sad as the rest of the community even saying, "I remember coming into work the day after they closed and it was a sad, sad day." He expressed his love of Frog Morton and their other high quality blends. He then said hold on a second I think I have something here you might find interesting. So he crouched behind the counter and began pulling things from cupboards, various baggies of tobacco and jars and dusty boxes and then he found it at last! "Ah, here it is" he said. He then pulled out a big bag of perique with the stamp of McClelland on it and I thought that was so cool. He then said if you don't already have at tobacco in mind that you want to go home with today I would like to make you a blend from scratch. I of course obliged and he pulled out his scale that looked like it was from the early 1900's and all of his bags and began mixing a blend special for me. Red Virginia ribbon, Burley, Latakia and the Perique from the dusty bag. He was enjoying it so much and was saying it's really nice to see younger pipe smokers who are into experiencing nice tobaccos and not some of the crappy aromatics you find out there.
After all was said and done he packaged it up for me and said now I urge you to try a little bowl when you go home but after that don't touch it for a month or two! This left me with such a good feeling and I absolutely cannot wait to try it! Watching someone who is really proficient in their craft do something out of pure joy and passion is so great and true tobacconists are a rare breed.
I left that shop with a feeling that will stick with me for a very, very long time!