Edward G Robinson .. What Do I Do Now?
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When I first tried EGR my only reference point for it was Macbaren plum cake. Completely different smokes and not really any point in comparing them, but I used to think of it as a plumcake lite
This is the way most of these codger blends are/were, actually. It's funny because most people just say "Ehh they're drug store burley blends, all the same."
In my experience most of the blends today are far more similar to each other than any of the old school blends. Why? Because many of the old school blends were essentially made of the same exact tobaccos so the only differentiating factor they had was their topping... therefore many were extremely unique and even patented (In the case of my Middleton's Cherry). I've tried basically every clone and they don't come even close because their solution is "make stock burley blend and coat with FDA Cherry Flavor #5"... Middleton's wasn't just some stock cherry flavor.. some say it isn't even really cherry at all and I tend to agree with them. It's more a flavoring that tastes similar to certain aromas of cherry.
Yet another important distinction between a company like Sutliff vs. a boutique blender like Peretti... Sutliff had the power and resources to either A) track down and buy the proprietary recipe outright or B) utilize their staff food flavor scientists to blend toppings out of base chemicals that would match it to a high degree of similarity based on trial and error. They also had the machinery to make sure the cut of the raw tobaccos was just right. Etc. Etc.
A place like Peretti on the other hand... they work with stock flavors and stock tobaccos. They can blend whatever tobacco they have on hand to make the basic leaf proportions similar and then look up flavor note descriptions saying "light fruit/plum note" and say welp, let's try some 'FDA standard plum flavor' mixed with 'FDA standard mixed fruit flavor' and hope for the best.
Now when it comes to coming up with 50 different kinds of aromatic blends or like C&D 4,578 different blends all with the same 3 or 4 tobaccos just in slightly different proportions, no problem lol. But when it comes down to nailing a proprietary topping that was developed with chemical technology 50-150 years old... It's just a completely different methodology and set of resources.
Wanted to let Edward G.Robinson fans know: Jock at West Virginia Smoke Shop was able to locate some Sutliff Modern English 310. AND if you have been paying attention to the wise words of @JimInks here and at Tobacco Reviews, you KNOW it is the same EXACT blend. Shop quick or forever hold your fave EGR pipe sighing mournfully as our supply dwindles to memory. 
EG Robinson / Modern English 310 <------- click for link
EG Robinson / Modern English 310 <------- click for link
Only 2lbs left…Wanted to let Edward G.Robinson fans know: Jock at West Virginia Smoke Shop was able to locate some Sutliff Modern English 310. AND if you have been paying attention to the wise words of @JimInks here and at Tobacco Reviews, you KNOW it is the same EXACT blend. Shop quick or forever hold your fave EGR pipe sighing mournfully as our supply dwindles to memory.
EG Robinson / Modern English 310 <------- click for link
Only 2lbs left…
Thanks @Nevaditude !Wanted to let Edward G.Robinson fans know: Jock at West Virginia Smoke Shop was able to locate some Sutliff Modern English 310. AND if you have been paying attention to the wise words of @JimInks here and at Tobacco Reviews, you KNOW it is the same EXACT blend. Shop quick or forever hold your fave EGR pipe sighing mournfully as our supply dwindles to memory.
EG Robinson / Modern English 310 <------- click for link
I just bought 2 Lbs . Hmph , the last EGR on the market ever ?!?!?
Ok , another member (who is a good guy) resurrected this thread , so I wondered if someone could answer a couple of questions I've been pondering .
Peretti , Watch City , Windy City etc ,etc , all bought from Sutliff . They are (not to be vulger) in a bit of a pickle .
1. What would it take/what are the chances that they could form a consortium , partnership if you will , & start a Sutliff type facility ?
2. a .What kind of money would likely be required ?
b. Is it public knowledge how much STG paid for Sutliff/MacBaren ?
Peretti , Watch City , Windy City etc ,etc , all bought from Sutliff . They are (not to be vulger) in a bit of a pickle .
1. What would it take/what are the chances that they could form a consortium , partnership if you will , & start a Sutliff type facility ?
2. a .What kind of money would likely be required ?
b. Is it public knowledge how much STG paid for Sutliff/MacBaren ?
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1. Zero
2. A couple million, or possibly more, considering that all that machinery is custom fabricated.
3. Yes, and it was a fraction of what STD spent to buy Lane.
At least it wasn’t me this time…..Another planned payday purchase ruined
Maybe your payday needs to be a week earlier….
Glad you were able to at least snag a last couple few pounds though Dave!
I never even knew Modern English was bulk EGR... what wasted knowledge to find out only now lol
I never even knew Modern English was bulk EGR... what wasted knowledge to find out only now lol
EGR was definitely one I really wanted to try, I was very intrigued by the idea of an aro with some Lat in it. A true shame such a historic cult blend is going the way of the dodo, but as we all know STD cares nothing for history only the ability to sell an arbitrary quota of pounds per year.
Even if the sales happened at the same time I think MacB still woudl've been a fraction of Lane's price simply because of Captain Black and the bulk counterparts.
Zero ? You may be right , small blenders banding together seems like a long shot .
My thought isn't just wishful thinking , though . There is an unfulfilled demand ..
It's basic market economics . It's hard to believe some entrepreneur wouldn't step up ........
To make that work, you would have to jump over a lot of hurdles, such as getting STD to agree to sell you the IP and you would need to make more blends that people would be willing to buy. One blend does not a business make. Assuming that you get hold of the blend recipes it would take months of trials to replicate them in a new facility, with different leaf sources. You'll need a blender with a gift for replicating blends. Not all blenders have that gift. You're eating up a lot of expenses before you fill a single tin.
And wait! There's more!
There's all of the government BS to deal with, since it is a discontinued blend being recreated by a different company. Welcome to the magic of the Deeming Regs.
Exactly, this is the problem. The fact that they were up and running making them with everything they needed already in place and they still couldn't (read wouldn't) justify them as being 'profitable enough' to just keep going means that there's basically 0 chance that it would be profitable enough to now fight to completely resurrect them (and a whole new company, equipment, talent, etc) from scratch.
Hell, I bet that even right now, if by some miracle, STD had a metanoia today and was like 'never mind just kidding' it would still cost them 100's of thousands if not millions in order to simply get back to where they were just 3 short months ago... and they still own/control everything needed. Unfortunately 98% of such things (in business as well as life in general) comes down to simple momentum.. an object at rest takes quite alot more energy than keeping an object already in motion...
And again to your point, that's without even accounting for gubment BS which will had an extra 300% onto that previous 98 lol
FYI, WVSmokeShop still has some 1lb bags of Sutliff 310 Modern English in stock. I snagged one this weekend. If you like EGR, get yourself a bag of the bulk equivalent while it lasts.
WV SmokeShop / WV Merchandise LLC
Nice selection of pipes, pipe tobaccos & pipe accessories.
wvsmokeshop.com
What would be a fair price for a sealed 12oz tub? Perhaps I might consider letting some of my cellared EGR go. - Sherm Natman
...and it's gone again. Hope you all got some while it lasted!FYI, WVSmokeShop still has some 1lb bags of Sutliff 310 Modern English in stock. I snagged one this weekend. If you like EGR, get yourself a bag of the bulk equivalent while it lasts.
WV SmokeShop / WV Merchandise LLC
Nice selection of pipes, pipe tobaccos & pipe accessories.wvsmokeshop.com