Discontinued Blends?

[lonepiper]

I have a question for those who are much more knowledgeable about pipe tobacco than I. Why are some blends no longer available in the US? What makes a blend disappear? I am not a huge fan of aromatics but two of my all time favorites were Peterson‘s Luxury Blend and Nutty Cut. Those blends are no longer available here from what I can tell but I was reading they are still produced in Europe. Do tobacco shops here just stop selling them because low demand or are there government forces at work?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Government forces. . . now I know why I can never find the Dunhill Area 51.

Not being knowledgeable about tobacco, but having some sense of market, I'd guess that it's demand driving it and/or moving on to newer blends over time to attract buyers/improve the brand and something having to give if other blends are being produced. But, just a guess.

 

[karam]

Why does any product stop being produced? There can be 1000 reasons, I can’t see it being any different for tobaccos.

 

[kcghost]

Some times the blender of the blend decides to retire (they don't live forever) and he doesn't want to sell out. Some times the blender dies. Some times he/she just decides to hell with it. Lots of reasons for quitting a business.

 

[warren]

Easy! Lack of profit. Successful blends, (profitable) usually hang around. Pipe smokers are a tiny little slice of the population. To be available, they must contribute to the bottom line.

 

[sablebrush52]

There are any number of reasons blends disappear. But what they mostly have in common is profitability.

With McClelland they stated that the end of Federal subsidies to tobacco farmers resulted in economies of production and harvesting that made it increasingly difficult to find leaf of the quality they required for their blends.

There are component tobaccos that are no longer grown, causing some blends to go extinct.

Purchasing agents for importers and distributors make decisions, sometimes curiously obtuse ones, about what blends will sell and what won't in a given market, and so blends come and go.

Some blends require more steps in their production and the resulting sales don't justify the extra cost.

And after more and more consolidation, very few brands are independents, but are just names owned by some conglomerate where the decision to produce something is all tethered to increasing profitability.

In an increasingly hostile regulatory environment the bottom line is the bottom line.

 

[JOHN72]

Tobacco is an obstacle for politicians. And politicians live on speculation. The death of tobacco follows its sad path.................hopefully not........

 

[Servant King]

My favorite blender just happens to be Drew Estate. They decided to start making pipe tobacco blends in 2013, and produced eight of them, six aromatics, a VA/Cav flake, and an English. Five years later, they threw in the towel, but continued making cigars as they had always done. From what I understand, the pipe tobacco market was such a small sliver of the pie, that it just made sense to stick with the cigars, from a cost-effectiveness standpoint anyway. Like Sablebrush says, the bottom line is the bottom line, and it really is that simple. I had the misfortune of getting into pipe smoking more than a year before DE stopped making pipe tobacco blends, but the good fortune of being able to obtain several tins of theirs off of this forum. Remember, they only made blends from 2013 to 2018, in stark contrast to McClelland, for example, who made blends for decades, and therefore can be relatively frequently found for sale. Those of us who enjoy discontinued blends quickly learn to cherish their beloved leaf, 'cause when it's gone, it's onto Borkum Riff we go it's truly gone.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Tobacco is an obstacle for politicians. And politicians live on speculation. The death of tobacco follows its sad path.................hopefully not........

There's a thread where you can turn that into a haiku!

 

[cigrmaster]

I have seen one of my favorites get discontinued in the American market 2 times now. I am talking about Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky. The first time it happened I was totally un prepared. I had some 1997 and 1998 100 gram tall boys. I smoked it sparingly. Then out of the clear blue in 2016 it came back on the market.

I bought a test tin, smoked a few bowls then ordered 100 tins for a whopping 701.00 . I was amazed at how cheap it was and it tasted freaking great. I have enough of my older stock so that I won't have to dig in t the 2016 stock for another 4-5 years which will allow me to smoke 10 year and older stock for years to come. My only wish would have been if they also made the 100 gram tall boys. At least they came back at all. I still look for aged tall boys. The last three I bought were 2005 tall boys and it tastes awesome.

If you have a real favorite don't screw around, grab all you can before it becomes discontinued. You just never know when this shit happens.

 

[anotherbob]

1 reason. The people who distribute it don't feel it's worth it. Now why don't they feel like it's worth it, lots of possibilities there.

 

[karam]

I bought a test tin, smoked a few bowls then ordered 100 tins for a whopping 701.00 . I was amazed at how cheap it was and it tasted freaking great.

If you have a real favorite don't screw around, grab all you can before it becomes discontinued. You just never know when this shit happens.

I’d love to have that level of confidence in my tastes as well as in blenders, and how a blend will age, but still missing experience.
Having said that I’ve put some 500-1000g orders in.
And…US prices, damn!

 

[karam]

1 reason. The people who distribute it don't feel it's worth it. Now why don't they feel like it's worth it, lots of possibilities there.

Why would the power lie with the distributor? They’d buy and move what sells, wouldn’t they?
I specifically recall reading that HH Acadian Perique failed because it didn’t fit in a clear niche, so it basically didn’t sell well because most smokers - I assume - felt confused by what exactly they were expecting to smoke. It’s a VaPer in name, with DFK, Oriental, Cavendish and burley (?) in it. Still once of the tastiest blends I ever had, for my tastes. Even the fact that SP.com still has some tins years after it was discontinued means it is STILL not moving, so those who like it are few and far between. If I lived in the US I’d go big on it given it’s discontinued, but I don’t, and Swiss customs can be steep for tobacco.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

There’s only like… what… 160 of us pipesmokers left? Ha ha. JK

 

[anotherbob]

Why would the power lie with the distributor? They’d buy and move what sells, wouldn’t they?
I specifically recall reading that HH Acadian Perique failed because it didn’t fit in a clear niche, so it basically didn’t sell well because most smokers - I assume - felt confused by what exactly they were expecting to smoke. It’s a VaPer in name, with DFK, Oriental, Cavendish and burley (?) in it. Still once of the tastiest blends I ever had, for my tastes. Even the fact that SP.com still has some tins years after it was discontinued means it is STILL not moving, so those who like it are few and far between. If I lived in the US I’d go big on it given it’s discontinued, but I don’t, and Swiss customs can be steep for tobacco.

my point is that there are lots of reason but all boil down to someone has decided it's not worth it to them. Does give them what they're looking for.

 

[judcole]

There can be other reasons as well. For example, when Mac Baren introduced the HH line a number of years ago, two of the blends were lightly topped - Highland Blend and Mature Virginia. At some point they decided the HH line would not include topped blends, and these were discontinued. (I cannot speak to any questions about sales volume, etc.)
I never tried the Highland, but liked MV well enough to stash a few tins. Still have one that I acquired in Feb of 2014. Past experience shows that it ages wonderfully.

 

[Road To Pines]

There are any number of reasons blends disappear. But what they mostly have in common is profitability.

With McClelland they stated that the end of Federal subsidies to tobacco farmers resulted in economies of production and harvesting that made it increasingly difficult to find leaf of the quality they required for their blends.

There are component tobaccos that are no longer grown, causing some blends to go extinct.

Purchasing agents for importers and distributors make decisions, sometimes curiously obtuse ones, about what blends will sell and what won't in a given market, and so blends come and go.

Some blends require more steps in their production and the resulting sales don't justify the extra cost.

And after more and more consolidation, very few brands are independents, but are just names owned by some conglomerate where the decision to produce something is all tethered to increasing profitability.

In an increasingly hostile regulatory environment the bottom line is the bottom line.

Well noted.

To this list we can also add rejigged international trade pacts, new tarriffs in one country cutting into profits globally, closed borders, unrest and oppression in producing countries, increasingly chaotic climate and ravaged environment, 'acts of god', and an ever-shifting geopolitical landscape.

 

[woodsroad]

My favorite blender just happens to be Drew Estate. They decided to start making pipe tobacco blends in 2013, and produced eight of them, six aromatics, a VA/Cav flake, and an English. Five years later, they threw in the towel, but continued making cigars as they had always done. From what I understand, the pipe tobacco market was such a small sliver of the pie, that it just made sense to stick with the cigars, from a cost-effectiveness standpoint anyway. Like Sablebrush says, the bottom line is the bottom line, and it really is that simple. I had the misfortune of getting into pipe smoking more than a year before DE stopped making pipe tobacco blends, but the good fortune of being able to obtain several tins of theirs off of this forum. Remember, they only made blends from 2013 to 2018, in stark contrast to McClelland, for example, who made blends for decades, and therefore can be relatively frequently found for sale. Those of us who enjoy discontinued blends quickly learn to cherish their beloved leaf, 'cause when it's gone, it's onto Borkum Riff we go it's truly gone.

To the best of my knowledge, Drew Estate never produced pipe tobacco. They did license their brand name to a pipe tobacco manufacturer, though.

 

[Grangerous]

A good point was made this week that blends bearing the same name on the packaging , may not be of the same tobaccos, proportions, quality or taste that you remember. — So, if it’s profile at present pleases you, stock up. Blends change too. Cellar what you know you like.

 

[beargreasediet]

Those blends are no longer available here from what I can tell but I was reading they are still produced in Europe.

The Gawiths, Germain (and with it Esoterica), Dan, etc., are obviously in short supply but evidently still in manufacture.

Anyone have any insight into this? Is it the global thing that has disrupted? Are they producing less because of supply chain problems?