Escudo Discontinued?
- Thread starter captainpeg
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Howdy Gang,
I talked to the blender who gave me the original Escudo info again yesterday on the phone. He says he was told that the reason AC Peterson originally gave up the line is because they could not make a profit margin large enough to justify the labor intensive process of making the blend (second hand info only). He indicates Stokkebye is having problems with uniformity (some batches are very good and others mediocre) due to the difficulty in obtaining the kind of tobacco required at a cost that warrants continued production (again, second hand info only). According to the person I spoke with who is usually a reliable tobacco source, the current Escudo maker is managing due to critical mass as it sells well for them, but would prefer to sell the recipe to someone else (again, this is second hand info). After reading the posts above, the big run on Escudo right now may keep that blend going for a long time!
I again specifically asked whether Escudo will remain in production (in his opinion) until they find a new buyer for the recipe. He says I misunderstood when he said Escudo is going out of production. He said it MAY go out of production - which is, to me, a HUGE difference. And, all I did by repeating what was originally said was cause a panic among the Escudo collectors in our hobby. For that, I deeply apologize to all of you. In retrospect, I should have just kept my mouth shut until I had the facts rather than just an opinion. Lesson learned.
Thanks,
Pipestud
I talked to the blender who gave me the original Escudo info again yesterday on the phone. He says he was told that the reason AC Peterson originally gave up the line is because they could not make a profit margin large enough to justify the labor intensive process of making the blend (second hand info only). He indicates Stokkebye is having problems with uniformity (some batches are very good and others mediocre) due to the difficulty in obtaining the kind of tobacco required at a cost that warrants continued production (again, second hand info only). According to the person I spoke with who is usually a reliable tobacco source, the current Escudo maker is managing due to critical mass as it sells well for them, but would prefer to sell the recipe to someone else (again, this is second hand info). After reading the posts above, the big run on Escudo right now may keep that blend going for a long time!
I again specifically asked whether Escudo will remain in production (in his opinion) until they find a new buyer for the recipe. He says I misunderstood when he said Escudo is going out of production. He said it MAY go out of production - which is, to me, a HUGE difference. And, all I did by repeating what was originally said was cause a panic among the Escudo collectors in our hobby. For that, I deeply apologize to all of you. In retrospect, I should have just kept my mouth shut until I had the facts rather than just an opinion. Lesson learned.
Thanks,
Pipestud
Thanks Steve for the clarification. Your tops. Saved by the bell again, cause I plumb run out of money for tobacco acquisition. Thankfully Escudo will still be on the shelves by the time I scrimp together the cash to place a large volume order.
Wow... Glad I missed this entire fiasco at the lake... I would have just spent my last few bucks on a bunch of tins and called it a day. Glad it's sticking around; one of my faves for sure.
Steve, what does your gut tell you? Do you think the production of many flakes are in jeopardy because the profit margins are just not in line with production costs?
NOt sure about the rest of you, but I'd be willing to pay a bit more per tin to ensure great blends stay around. By a bit more, I'm talking a dollar or two so that the manufacturers are making some profit on the tins. I understand the pricing concerns, but wouldn't it be better to pay $12 for a tin of Escudo and have it stay around and be profitable for manufacturer vs paying $10 hoarding it when you can find it and having it go the way of the dodo? We're kind of all in this together, the reality is a buck or two is pretty significant increase, but if the company goes under its just less and less competition making our blends. Kind of a goose and the golden egg situation going on here.
Harris, I am not sure flakes in general are the problem. The tightly spun discs which are exacting with just the right amounts of the various leaf (hard to obtain and keep consistent these days with the great blends) is more troublesome. That's just what I've been told and read about in P&T Mag and elsewhere over the years. The only time I ever blended tobacco was by accident when my hand ran across my desk and over turned two or three opened tins. Rather than waste the weed I stuck it all in a Mason Jar, shook it up and tried it. Not so good.
Pipestud
Pipestud
Steve, I gotcha. If the mfg were smart, he would just raise the price to cover his costs. Escudo is so iconic that it could easily sell for more than most other blends. I think people would still buy it at 15 a tin. If the sourcing of the tobacco itself is one of the major issues, then price is not relevant and the hassle is probably not worth it for them. There are many factors it sounds like that could make this blend go away.
brdavidson, your theory is all well and good and I think most people would not care about an extra couple of bucks, however there is always the risk that the mfg will discontinue it the same way Three Nuns was. I for one am not taking any chances and have loaded up. There has been too many examples of blends getting discontinued over the years that to think it won't happen again is wishful thinking.
brdavidson, your theory is all well and good and I think most people would not care about an extra couple of bucks, however there is always the risk that the mfg will discontinue it the same way Three Nuns was. I for one am not taking any chances and have loaded up. There has been too many examples of blends getting discontinued over the years that to think it won't happen again is wishful thinking.
:laughat:
I have info on Capstan and Three Nuns.
The announcement will be made on May 31st.
Be sure to visit on that day.
In case you missed it, Leonard is from Lane / STG. You know have official word on Escudo.
I have info on Capstan and Three Nuns.
The announcement will be made on May 31st.
Be sure to visit on that day.
Isn't it amazing what rumors can do?
Several years ago, the iconic Deli "Katz's" on the lower east side of NYC, East Houston street, had a rumor floating around that the building was sold and Katz's was going to close.
I can't tell you how busy Katz's became (this deli was always busy, but...) after the rumor floated around for a while. My business group made trips there every 6 weeks or so, knowing that ultimately it was going to shut down and be nevermore.
Well, the whole thing was BS. There were some plans to redo the building, as the entire neighborhood has been 'yuppified', but it just disappeared.
Now don't get me wrong-I always loved Katz's since I was a little boy and would go periodically anyway. But the rumor was so powerful that it made it a MUST to go down repeatedly before its demise. In fact, my group is going tomorrow night, (wednesday) for dinner.
For those of you who don't know what Katz's deli is, it is an old time operation with hand cut pastrami, corned beef, brisket cut by deli men behind a counter. "Buy a salami for your boy in the army"-a slogan from WWII that hangs everywhere in the place. Photos of an incredible number of luminaries from Sid Ceasar to mayors and actors for over 60 years adorn the walls. The place hasn't been updated in over 60 years.
If you are ever in NYC, this is a must see place if you love super excellent fatty pastrami. My mouth is watering as I'm typing this.
Allan
Several years ago, the iconic Deli "Katz's" on the lower east side of NYC, East Houston street, had a rumor floating around that the building was sold and Katz's was going to close.
I can't tell you how busy Katz's became (this deli was always busy, but...) after the rumor floated around for a while. My business group made trips there every 6 weeks or so, knowing that ultimately it was going to shut down and be nevermore.
Well, the whole thing was BS. There were some plans to redo the building, as the entire neighborhood has been 'yuppified', but it just disappeared.
Now don't get me wrong-I always loved Katz's since I was a little boy and would go periodically anyway. But the rumor was so powerful that it made it a MUST to go down repeatedly before its demise. In fact, my group is going tomorrow night, (wednesday) for dinner.
For those of you who don't know what Katz's deli is, it is an old time operation with hand cut pastrami, corned beef, brisket cut by deli men behind a counter. "Buy a salami for your boy in the army"-a slogan from WWII that hangs everywhere in the place. Photos of an incredible number of luminaries from Sid Ceasar to mayors and actors for over 60 years adorn the walls. The place hasn't been updated in over 60 years.
If you are ever in NYC, this is a must see place if you love super excellent fatty pastrami. My mouth is watering as I'm typing this.
Allan
Well call me duped! However, I couldn't take the risk of not having any Escudo available as I'm so new to the hobby in general and cellaring in particular. I wish I'd discovered this hobby even 5 years ago, my cellar would be very well stocked by now and I wouldn't be scrambling with rumours such as this. Oh well, an order of 10 tins and 1.5lbs of PS LBF are on their way to me soon. Guess I can't complain too much.
Glad to hear it won't get discontinued in the near future, but as we all know nothing is for certain. I have been meaning to complete my cellaring of Escudo so this just got me off my ass, you can never have too much Escudo. Now I can concentrate on other blends.
Good news and Harris is right, anything can happen. I think by mid 2014 we're going to start seeing some blends/brands falling off due to sales. I needed a full Escudo order anyways, have to get that tin count up 8)
- Status