Fusilier's Ration vs Bengal Slices?

[choch]

Good evening gentlemen, I have fallen in love with Fusilier's Ration. I've almost smoked my way through the one tin that I have and I'm concerned that I can't find more right now. I see that Bengal Slices is available at various providers. Wondering about any opinions of one versus the other? Appreciate any feedback.
Craig

 

[cohibajoe]

Good evening gentlemen, I have fallen in love with Fusilier's Ration. I've almost smoked my way through the one tin that I have and I'm concerned that I can't find more right now. I see that Bengal Slices is available at various providers. Wondering about any opinions of one versus the other? Appreciate any feedback.

Most are out...BUT..TP has 14..now 12...Just ordered 2. I do like this blend plus I needed some Rubber Pipe Bits and a Tamper.

 

[condorlover1]

Smoke Bengal Slices! Its the best and I am not in the least bit biased :rofl:

 

[prairiedruid]

I find Bengal Slices to have more flavor than Fusiliers Ration. Fusiliers is milder and softer in taste to me.

 

[condorlover1]

I am told by Russ that there are distinct differences between the two blends. Fusiliers Ration was blended by Russ as a tribute to Bengal Slices based on Russ's memory of smoking the stuff 'back in the day' during the late 70s and early 80s. When we at Standard Tobacco got our hands on the Bengal Slices trademark along with some original unopened samples of Bengal Slices we told Russ to as far as possible to take it apart and recreate the blend as of the 1970s iteration. If you look at Standard Tobaccos March 31st 10 Q report to OTC Markets you will see that it continues to be Standards biggest selling line of tobacco out selling even the War Horse blends and Dobies and the customer reviews on Pipes and Cigars website seem to support the fact that customers like the blend and buy one heck of a lot of it. If you really are interested in the differences in the two blends you might PM Jim Inks or read his reviews on the blends since he was kind enough to smoke his way through the various prototype blends of Bengal before it was released to the public through Pipes and Cigars several years ago. I am hoping Dan will chime in here as well as he was pretty instrumental in getting Bengal off the ground and actually smokes the stuff so he would be a far better authority on the subject than I could ever be!

 

[mikestanley]

It’s been ages since I smoked BS. I bought five tins of Fusiliers Ration during the initial release in pop top tins. It, and Gaslight are occasional smokes. Love them on rainy, cool days.

Mike S.

 

[woodsroad]

Before we brought back Bengal Slices, I used to smoke a lot of Fusilier's Ration. It was one of Russ's great creations and served as a jumping off point for our recreation of Bengal Slices. Russ and I worked on the Bengal project together, sampling a wide array of vintage Bengal Slices, then discussing what it must have tasted like when fresh. Russ smoked a good bit of the old Bengal back in the day, so I relied on him for that sensory memory. Russ can remember aroma and taste like most people remember their social security number or their first kiss. He also has an uncanny ability to translate those memories into a tin of tobacco using today's tobacco leaf stock. We've been told that he pretty much nailed it with Bengal Slices.
Since then, I haven't touched Fusiliers. Not for want of smoking it, but I do get a nice discount on Bengal's, so that's what I buy.

If you look at Standard Tobaccos March 31st 10 Q report to OTC Markets...

That 10th Quarter was boffo.

 

[JimInks]

I prefer Bengal Slices. It has a deep, entrancing English flavor, and is a faithful recreation, and maybe a tad better than to older version.

 

[unkleyoda]

I've never had Fusilier's Ration, but Bengal Slices are top notch.

 

[pepesdad1]

Love Bengal Slices..now if you would just recreate Condor Long Cut and Plug.....please?
Walt

 

[woodsroad]

There will be no new creations in the US, Walt. Thank you, FDA. There will be "new' rebadged blends, some resurrected blends that were on the market in 2007 and subsequently withdrawn, and there will be blends with ostensibly the same ratios of leaf type as existing blends, but using different crops, sources, vintages etc. to create a "new" blend. There may even be pressed versions of existing loose-cut blends (the FDA doesn't seem to care about process), but nothing that hasn't already been done before.
This leaves the window open to a lot of possibilities, but recreating Condor Long Cut or Condor Plug probably isn't in the cards.

 

[condorlover1]

If anything Condor needs recreating after whatever the idiots at Japan Tobacco did to the stuff when they moved production to Poland as its a shadow of its form self and discussed in previous threads!

 

[prairiedruid]

after whatever the idiots at Japan Tobacco did to the stuff when they moved production to Poland
Xuan Wu International Group Holding Company (OTC Pink: XNWU) announces the acquisition in an all-stock transaction of The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania Ltd and its subsidiary SToP Brands, Inc.

Should we be worried about the same happening to the SToP blends?

 

[condorlover1]

Not in the least. That transaction is designed to ensure SToP's survival and to make sure it cannot be bullied by big tobacco or its distributors!!

 

[blendtobac]

Should we be worried about the same happening to the SToP blends?

If anyone tried to change these blends, they would have to deal with me and a lightsaber.
Russ