Did English really smoke English?

[warren]

"English" is probably a term to denote preferences in blends (Dunhill blends?) akin to how they apply the "Indian" appellation to the British style of "curry" favored in GB. It's probably a term more related to the spread of the kingdom over the planet and tobaccos brought back to the Island.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Neither Condor (Belfast) or St. Bruno (Liverpool) originated from the Lake District.

Never said they did, just said that those of Lakeland origin were the true English tobaccos versus latakia blends.

Anything 'floral' or 'scented' gets tagged with the term 'Lakeland' these days, which I noticed sprung up from the pipe forums & you chaps (Americans) in particular?

I only use the term for Samuel Gawith or Gawith & Hoggarth blends that originate there. Now you are generalizing assuming that we all do so.

 

[anotherbob]

When I started smoking in the 90's I was told English blends where any unflavored straight tobacco blends and there where several types. Not tobacco forward blends but anything straight unflavored. And even that was explained as they just weren't allowed to add those things in the past. Makes me wonder if it's like a game of telephone. Where a broader term gets whittled down over time to mean less because enough people encounter latakia blends under that umbrella. Also it is kind of useful. To have the term cover a smaller area when other blends under the possible previous definition could be described more accurately with other terms.

 

[saltedplug]

When I started smoking in the 90's I was told English blends where any unflavored straight tobacco blends and there where several types. Not tobacco forward blends but anything straight unflavored. And even that was explained as they just weren't allowed to add those things in the past. Makes me wonder if it's like a game of telephone. Where a broader term gets whittled down over time to mean less because enough people encounter latakia blends under that umbrella. Also it is kind of useful. To have the term cover a smaller area when other blends under the possible previous definition could be described more accurately with other terms.

If I were still smoking and wanted to use the term "English" I would mean with latakia. But when you use it you mean unflavored. In that confusion I would stop using it entirely.

 

[mingc]

All of the above begs the OP's question which was whether Englishmen smoked Latakia blends. It's an odd question really, since such blends were sold there, e.g., 965, Nightcap, Craven Mixture, State Express London Mixture, Balkan Sobranie, Squadron Leader, etc.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I can't help but wonder what led to those "purity laws." Were they putting in chunks of asphalt, tar, or maybe adding fecal matter to their tobaccos? What was the deal before those laws?

What is an English Blend Pipe Tobacco? - Classy Vice

An English Blend Pipe tobacco originally meant any tobacco made under British Tobacco Purity laws, but the meaning has morphed

www.classyvice.com

I will have to question this article, because...

These laws made it illegal to include any additives in tobacco products made in England.

Well, then what about everything GH&co makes? Esoterica? Samuel Gawith? etc... If this law is so, then... I just don't get it. Adding things from the perfume industry is still an additive. Right? I mean, it's not even food grade stuff.

 

[sablebrush52]

I can't help but wonder what led to those "purity laws." Were they putting in chunks of asphalt, tar, or maybe adding fecal matter to their tobaccos? What was the deal before those laws?

What is an English Blend Pipe Tobacco? - Classy Vice

An English Blend Pipe tobacco originally meant any tobacco made under British Tobacco Purity laws, but the meaning has morphed

www.classyvice.com

I will have to question this article, because...

Well, then what about everything GH&co makes? Esoterica? Samuel Gawith? etc... If this law is so, then... I just don't get it. Adding things from the perfume industry is still an additive. Right? I mean, it's not even food grade stuff.

I did a bit of researching about the Purity Laws a few years back. They go back to the 17th century, and the cause was people being people. Whenever there's an opportunity, a percentage will find a way to abuse it. In the case of tobacco being shipped from the Americas, unscrupulous exporters were mixing in wood shavings, hay, and whatever else they could get away with, to increase the weight of the "tobacco' being shipped and therefore increase the profit.
Even with the Purity Laws, people would find ways around them to add in flavorings and other oddities, like asbestos, talc, and in the case of '30's era Warhorse bar, belladonna.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I did a bit of researching about the Purity Laws a few years back. They go back to the 17th century, and the cause was people being people. Whenever there's an opportunity, a percentage will find a way to abuse it. In the case of tobacco being shipped from the Americas, unscrupulous exporters were mixing in wood shavings, hay, and whatever else they could get away with, to increase the weight of the "tobacco' being shipped and therefore increase the profit.
Even with the Purity Laws, people would find ways around them to add in flavorings and other oddities, like asbestos, talc, and in the case of '30's era Warhorse bar, belladonna.

Interesting, in one of the Hangman's Daughter's novels, which are richly based in historical pipesmoking facts, there was a part set in the early 1700's where they discussed how the Danes would add sugary confectionaries to their tobacco blends to subvert taxes and increase profits... as well as make the tobacco appealing to the tastes of the Germanic people. Oliver Pötzsch, very good writer and historical researcher.

Belladonna gets a bad wrap. The witches get to use it to ride around on their brooms, while the rest of us just get marketed the whole poison BS, ha ha. JK. Actually Pötzsch mentioned belladonna quite a bit also in his novels.

Actually, I highly recommend all of the series to pipesmokers. A lot of good historical stuff in them. And, the main character, the Hangman, is always getting some humorous flack for his "nasty" smelling pipe tobaccos.

 

[anotherbob]

If I were still smoking and wanted to use the term "English" I would mean with latakia. But when you use it you mean unflavored. In that confusion I would stop using it entirely.

I didn't say that's how I used it. I said that's how I first encountered the term. Don't even know if that was common usage or what. But it is how I first encountered the term. Funny fact at that time I felt like if I was smoking a pipe go for aromatics when I can get tobacco flavor in rollies or cigars. Now maybe because I don't smoke cigs ever and cigars almost never I really prefer tobacco forward blends.

 

[saltedplug]

I did a bit of researching about the Purity Laws a few years back. They go back to the 17th century, and the cause was people being people. Whenever there's an opportunity, a percentage will find a way to abuse it. In the case of tobacco being shipped from the Americas, unscrupulous exporters were mixing in wood shavings, hay, and whatever else they could get away with, to increase the weight of the "tobacco' being shipped and therefore increase the profit.
Even with the Purity Laws, people would find ways around them to add in flavorings and other oddities, like asbestos, talc, and in the case of '30's era Warhorse bar, belladonna.

Hey, I'm all for tobacco with wood shavings and hay as it brings out the beaver and the horse in me.

 

[virginialover]

I call English/Balkan mixtures Latakia mixtures it simplifies things.

 

[yaddy306]

I did a bit of researching about the Purity Laws a few years back. They go back to the 17th century, and the cause was people being people. Whenever there's an opportunity, a percentage will find a way to abuse it. In the case of tobacco being shipped from the Americas, unscrupulous exporters were mixing in wood shavings, hay, and whatever else they could get away with, to increase the weight of the "tobacco' being shipped and therefore increase the profit.
Even with the Purity Laws, people would find ways around them to add in flavorings and other oddities, like asbestos, talc, and in the case of '30's era Warhorse bar, belladonna.

Sable, if you managed to actually track down the Purity Laws, I'd love to have a read.
I'm sure if they actually exist, they would be written down somewhere so everyone can follow them, just as all other statutes are.

 

[warren]

A quick Google search shows many entries. Well, actually, not much in the area involving tobacco. So, scratch that. You'll need to rely on Sable's eidetic memory.

 

[sablebrush52]

Sable, if you managed to actually track down the Purity Laws, I'd love to have a read.
I'm sure if they actually exist, they would be written down somewhere so everyone can follow them, just as all other statutes are.

It was a bitch to find them, but as I recall, it involved a Google document search and the material consisted of photographs of the pages. If you’re good at reading page after page of 17th century printed English you’ll find the relevant information buried within the document. Frankly, it made my head hurt, sort of like when I tried reading Chaucer in the original Middle English.
There’s fascinating stuff to be found, like entries for new products from 1851, 1853, and 1855, that mentioned the use of Vulcanite for pipe stems.

 

[Bax Burley]

I smoke a lot and still get confused by Balkan vs English. Most blends that I see commonly referred to as English, like Nightcap, contain enough Oriental/Turkish that some may say it's a Balkan. Nearly every English tobacco that I enjoy may be called a Balkan by some. I've read claims that the addition of Black Cavendish makes an English a Balkan (like Arango Balkan Supreme), but that doesn't fit the classic description.

It gets confusing. And are Va/Bur/Pers technically Va/Pers?? Can of worms.

 

[Chasing Embers]

still get confused by Balkan

Balkan is just a marketing term to liken a blend to the original Balkan Sobranie, they're still English blends. Some have come to differentiate the two by calling a heavy Oriental forward English blend a Balkan and English blends with cavendish Scottish.

 

[Sgetz]

To the English a condom is a French letter and to the French an English letter. To Americans our tobacco is an English blend and to us sweet smelly tobacco is an American blend. I suspect we name any pleasure as foreign to increase its image etc.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Were they putting in chunks of asphalt, tar, or maybe adding fecal matter to their tobaccos?

I would try that blend?

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

It's funny because over here the term "American blend" often means a heavily caused aromatic. Were Americans known for smoking aros?
Gawith do a range of aromatics called "American" and some of them are very tasty.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I would try that blend?