French Tobacco Recommendations

[jaytex1969]

My coworker is headed to Paris tomorrow. I will be covering her shift on Saturday. I slid her a $20 and have requested that she bring me a tin of French pipe tobacco.
She's expecting further guidance on the matter, so please help me out.
I don't want to send her on a tough pilgrimage, so recommend something somewhat easily available there, but that I can't just order online in the states.
I'm open to all types, but prefer non-aro's.
Thanks!

 

[jaytex1969]

Also. with European taxes on tobacco as they are, I should probably slide her another $20?

 

[lasttango]

When I was in Paris, I looked all over for Pipe tobacco and found nothing. NADA. I was told that there was a very famous pipe shop/Tobacconist near the Louvre. I never made it there.

A LA CIVETTE I believe.

 

[georged]

This is the most well known/famous one. No idea what it tastes like, though:

 

[jazz]

Also. with European taxes on tobacco as they are, I should probably slide her another $20?

Yep. I'm in the UK and that would get you a tin of some stuff but not a tin of anything.

 

[cigrmaster]

lastango, I was at A LA CIVETTE in 2000, very cool shop. I was staying right near there. I bought a Davidoff pipe lighter there, got a great deal as the French Franc was in the toilet then.

 

[fabioptrn]

I smoked several pounds between Gris, Gris Bleu, St. Claude, Bergeraque, Caporal Exported when they were from the Altadis portfolio. I took them to Briancon, a village near the border with north-western Italy. I have tried again since they were produced to Mac Baren and I must say that they are not bad products, but it seems to me that they have lost some of their peculiarities.

 

[jaytex1969]

I imagine A La Civette may be affected by the current flooding.
Apparently they celebrated their 300th anniversary in 2016. Hopefully, they weren't wrecked last week.

 

[lestrout]

The great, late Bob Runowski (Morleysson) told me at Morley's that since the French government controlled, maybe even owned, the local tobacco industry, that there was very little innovation or quality to be found in French pipe tobacco. This is a real shame, since the French pipe makers are quite excellent.
hp

les

 

[virginialover]

Bergerac, Caporal Export, Saint Claude and Le Superieur Melange Caporal in higher to lower quality.

 

[madox07]

I had a tough time finding genuine French blends when I was in Paris. I did smoke some St Claude aromatic once, not at all impressed with it. $20 should be enough for one tin, a tin of tobacco across Europe should run anywhere between EUR 10.99 to EUR 15.00.

 

[armonts]

In France she will find almost everywhere "Caporal export" pipe tobacco, or anything similar to it,

St Claude and others.

This is all that is easily found even in the less well-stocked traders ...

(Around around 10 €, or 12 $ 45, the joke plastic / package, no metal box!)
(I am French in France)

 

[jaytex1969]

Thanks for all the help.

 

[edwinbaz]

Looking forward to reading your experience once you smoke some.

This thead piqued my interest. Pity you can't buy french tobaccos online.

I wonder if you could get something similar to Scaferlati Caporal by mixing say 5 Brothers and D&R Three Sails. Guess you'd still be missing the "special, fermented tobacco" from the description.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

U.S Cock Strong ribbon.

pour la France, Caporal Export, Amsterdamer, BC Semois Medium cut

 

[jazz]

I just remembered this video by Bremen Pipe Smoker. It may be useful, it may not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpXFuSdMfG0

 

[armonts]

The French brown tobacco is quite far from the blond aromatics,

it's a bit more "strong", like a cigarillo compared to a blonde cigarette.

This is more for confirmed pipe smokers than for sweet taste seekers.

It's natural tobacco, close to the land, farmer's tobacco.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

C'est vrai, and be prepared most all of French and Italian pipe tobaccos come on the dryer side there are no added PC in these

 

[jaytex1969]

Well, my friend is on her way and I will leave it to fate now.
I'll report back with her findings in 2 weeks.

 

[jaytex1969]

Belated follow up. I received two pouches, Caporal Export and St. Claude.
I've only opened the Caporal so far. Nothing fancy. That's for sure.
That said, I like it. A straight forward, woodsy, just a tiny undertone of molasses type of sweetness.
Can turn bitter if you crank on it too hard. Smokes dry and even.
Claims to be 89% tobacco and 11% flavors, textures and preservative, as best as my decoder ring can tell me.
It has a slight cigar-ish note.
It's the kind of tobacco you'd smoke while standing beneath a street lamp in the fog, if standing beneath a street lamp in the fog was all you had to do...