Ever Like a blend but not for the price?
- Thread starter harlockfan
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I probably wouldn't buy a tin, nor four ounces of bulk, of a tobacco that was twice as expensive as another
quality brand, unless I had a chance to try a bowl first at a pipe show or B&M at little or no cost. I don't want
to spend $16 or more to see if I like something. I have gone in not knowing for $10 or $12 now and then,
after a lot of reading both of how the blend is constructed, at retail sites, and of internet reviews. I've had
several blends that I realized were reasonable quality that I just didn't like. For example, Mac Baren's
Navy Mixture, and several others.
quality brand, unless I had a chance to try a bowl first at a pipe show or B&M at little or no cost. I don't want
to spend $16 or more to see if I like something. I have gone in not knowing for $10 or $12 now and then,
after a lot of reading both of how the blend is constructed, at retail sites, and of internet reviews. I've had
several blends that I realized were reasonable quality that I just didn't like. For example, Mac Baren's
Navy Mixture, and several others.
I am in Canada and it drives me nuts to have to spend 28.00+ for 50g of Captain Black or something similar. I wanted to go get Pipe tobacco tonight but sitting here I refuse to go pay that price for the otc tobaccos that are available. Only Bricks and mortar Pipe Shops in the GTA seem to be Downtown or well North of the city.
I have only encountered one so far that I just won't keep buying. Capstan Blue flake. It is a very tasty smoke, but at almost $13 a tin there are other flakes I enjoy just as much for a lesser price. I refuse to smoke something distasteful, as I enjoy this hobby. However at the same time I like to make my tobbaco funds stretch where I can to keep the cellar growing.
B
B
Have had Reiner Golden Label in the wish list for a while now but at over $22 for 3.5oz I have not pulled trigger. Love Escudo, OGS (Solani 633 on backorder) and always happy to add another fine Virginia/Perique to the cellar. Anyone confirm that the double price is worth a try?
Metarzan:
Isn't $22 for 3.5 oz. roughly the same as $11 for 50g.? That's about the average cost of a typical tin of pipe tobacco, and it seems fair to me. So I wouldn't personally call it "double price."
To me the only downside would be having to buy 100g to try something I may not enjoy. But I've certainly done that with any number of Rattray's blends (which sometimes don't come in 50g tins) and others.
Bob
Isn't $22 for 3.5 oz. roughly the same as $11 for 50g.? That's about the average cost of a typical tin of pipe tobacco, and it seems fair to me. So I wouldn't personally call it "double price."
To me the only downside would be having to buy 100g to try something I may not enjoy. But I've certainly done that with any number of Rattray's blends (which sometimes don't come in 50g tins) and others.
Bob
I am with Bob, the price of pipe tobacco is so cheap in comparison to cigarettes and cigars that I never worry about the price I pay for something I enjoy. I get 1.0-2.0 hours of smoking pleasure per bowl and for 87 cents( my most expensive blend) price never enters into the equation. Of my 28 blends in my rotation and cellar, only 5 are bulks, the rest are tins. My most expensive tins are Capstan Blue Flake and those cost me 10.89( I bought 25 at a time from Sp) and a 4 gram bowl is only 87 cents, a three gram bowl is 65 cents so I honestly could care less about either 85 or 65 cents. I have never smoked a blend that I was just so so about just because it was cheaper than a blend I really liked, life is too short.
Having been a cigar smoker in the past, I don't worry about relative prices. They're all relatively cheap, as others have pointed out. They're so cheap, in fact, that I usually avoid paying much of a premium for aged or discontinued blends. When you consider what a good cigar costs, even an $80 tin of pipe tobacco isn't really that expensive.
I can see where the OP is coming from, even though there are a lot of valid statements about going for exactly what you want, or for the general cost effectiveness of this hobby (most especially for US citizens). One thing that needs to be addressed is the palate at play. If you do not have a well informed palate and are still working your way there, or if your tastes can be satisfied by more cost effective blends, then the cost differential between blends is in fact validly questionable. Like a booze palate; if you can't tell the difference between Caymus and Yellowtail, or Jim Beam and George T. Stagg, you really really should try them both, but don't bankrupt yourself until you yourself can clearly and honestly say to yourself "Damn! There are whole worlds of difference here! And I really DO like the "better" option". But, if you are truly happy with the one, why pay more because the other is better to some?
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