Hard To Find Blends Available Here

[greeneyes]

Sorry you had a bad experience. Every time I've called them they've been nothing but patient and helpful.

I had three bad experiences. I figure after three I ought to give up.

 

[logs]

Yeah, I agree.. .those are 4noggins prices. It's probably in part

As to the Penzance; I would never pay that much for half a pound of anything, but try to find it. 4noggins had several listings from the $140 to $650 range... all out of stock. I couldn't find any in stock at any of the other big online retailers.

Yeah that was my first thought; these are 4Noggins prices. But they'll sell them (certainly the Germain and Esoterica anyway).

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Have you ever called them? If not; what do you base your statement on? I'm not a "local", I'm from Missouri and every time I've called I've had a great experience.
As to the Penzance; I would never pay that much for half a pound of anything, but try to find it. 4noggins had several listings from the $140 to $650 range... all out of stock. I couldn't find any in stock at any of the other big online retailers. Look at what McClelland's is going for. Supply and demand at it's best.
Do you really have 400+ lbs of tobacco put back? I did some rough math and figuring a low of 6 bowls per ounce that's 38400 bowls. At four bowls per day, 365 days a year you have 26 years of tobacco on hand. I think you can hold out for a better deal.

Yes I do. I had about 420 when I left the house for FL in January. I've bought about 15 pounds while in FL. I don't know what it is exactly. I inventoried my tins over the Christmas holiday and posted photos here. I will inventory the bulk sometime after I return home. I kept a reasonably accurate account of it but at some times, I had so much coming in I missed some. If I live to 103, I don't want to run short.

 

[Pierre1965]

Yes I do. I had about 420 when I left the house for FL in January. I've bought about 15 pounds while in FL. I don't know what it is exactly. I inventoried my tins over the Christmas holiday and posted photos here. I will inventory the bulk sometime after I return home. I kept a reasonably accurate account of it but at some times, I had so much coming in I missed some. If I live to 103, I don't want to run short.

If you don't have any inheritors and don't mind adopting a somewhat cranky 55 year old I'm available.

 

[Bowie]

If I called Telfords under normal circumstances and asked about those so called hard to get blends, I strongly suspect I'd be told out of stock. Telfords doesn't care about me and I don't care about them.

I agree and get your point of view. I've never even heard of them.

But, one of the appeals of local B&Ms that I've read about on this forum is that they will hold back hard-to-get stock for locals or regulars. (I don't have first hand experience to know if this is true because I don't have a B&M within 100 miles that sells tins.) I don't feel we can hold that against them now.

So perhaps this place - or some other B&M - is opening its doors and being a bit more cooperative and friendly with the non-locals during abnormal times. Looking at it purely as a consumer, abnormal times may be opening some doors for people who do not have access to a local B&M. And it seems like an opportunity for those like OP who do want to support B&Ms to get some good tobacco, even if it costs a $1 a bowl, and even if it isn't "their" B&M.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I’m well-heeled, but thanks very much for the notice...nice that you mentioned it for others!?️

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

If you don't have any inheritors and don't mind adopting a somewhat cranky 55 year old I'm available.

I'll add you to the list to consider. I should warn you, the list is long. All it takes is for a couple of decent looking pipe smoking ladies to come forward with this request and many people are going to be out of luck.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I agree and get your point of view. I've never even heard of them.

But, one of the appeals of local B&Ms that I've read about on this forum is that they will hold back hard-to-get stock for locals or regulars. (I don't have first hand experience to know if this is true because I don't have a B&M within 100 miles that sells tins.) I don't feel we can hold that against them now.

So perhaps this place - or some other B&M - is opening its doors and being a bit more cooperative and friendly with the non-locals during abnormal times. Looking at it purely as a consumer, abnormal times may be opening some doors for people who do not have access to a local B&M. And it seems like an opportunity for those like OP who do want to support B&Ms to get some good tobacco, even if it costs a $1 a bowl, and even if it isn't "their" B&M.

I hear what you're saying. To be fair, Pierre stepped forward with the offer on his own. And if someone has been really looking for a small quantity of some of those blends, the higher prices should mostly be irrelevant.

The one thing that struck me wrong was they marked up the bags of Penzance even higher. Rather mercenary when they're looking outside the box for new Customers. To be clear, $120 for an 8 oz bag of Penzance is actually somewhat cheap. It's the idea that struck me crosswise.

 

[wolflarsen]

The bags of penzance are $120 because one of the regulars was caught buying them for $70 and immediately reselling them on ebay for $120 back in 2018. The owner didn't like them being flipped over to the secondary market so he raised his price to match the going rate at large as a means of keeping it available to customers that actually want to smoke it. There are other stories like this as well, like how he had to raise the price of SG Golden Glow to keep an employee from buying and smoking it all up.

What those of you unfamiliar with Telford's don't realize is that pipes and pipe tobacco is a miniscule fraction of their business. They hardly sell any at all. They sell tons of cigars and it's purely the cigar sales that keep the lights on. This just one reason why I doubt the baseless assumption that they only sell their high demand blends to locals. There are no high demand blends there. The locals just aren't buying the stuff. With this in mind it only makes sense that they would be happy to do business elsewhere whenever they can. That Germain and Esoterica has been sitting there collecting dust for months at least and the Pease, Rattray, McConnell, and Sam Gawith for several years. I urge you to give them a call and ask for the dates on the tins that interest you if you're skeptical or looking for something with a little age on it.

I was there in mid December and noticed than none of the tins on the shelf had warning labels if that gives you any indication of how fast they move through pipe tobacco inventory. Almost all the GLP tins I looked at were from 2017 or 2018. I even saw a few tins of McClelland Legends, Wilderness, and Arcadia Mixture still sitting on the shelf. I ended up leaving with a 2015 tin of G&H Rum Flake, a 2016 tin of Union Square, and one tin each of Dunhill Royal Yacht and Dark Flake to try.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The bags of penzance are $120 because one of the regulars was caught buying them for $70 and immediately reselling them on ebay for $120 back in 2018. The owner didn't like them being flipped over to the secondary market so he raised his price to match the going rate at large as a means of keeping it available to customers that actually want to smoke it. There are other stories like this as well, like how he had to raise the price of SG Golden Glow to keep an employee from buying and smoking it all up.

What those of you unfamiliar with Telford's don't realize is that pipes and pipe tobacco is a miniscule fraction of their business. They hardly sell any at all. They sell tons of cigars and it's purely the cigar sales that keep the lights on. This just one reason why I doubt the baseless assumption that they only sell their high demand blends to locals. There are no high demand blends there. The locals just aren't buying the stuff. With this in mind it only makes sense that they would be happy to do business elsewhere whenever they can. That Germain and Esoterica has been sitting there collecting dust for months at least and the Pease, Rattray, McConnell, and Sam Gawith for several years. I urge you to give them a call and ask for the dates on the tins that interest you if you're skeptical or looking for something with a little age on it.

I was there in mid December and noticed than none of the tins on the shelf had warning labels if that gives you any indication of how fast they move through pipe tobacco inventory. Almost all the GLP tins I looked at were from 2017 or 2018. I even saw a few tins of McClelland Legends, Wilderness, and Arcadia Mixture still sitting on the shelf. I ended up leaving with a 2015 tin of G&H Rum Flake, a 2016 tin of Union Square, and one tin each of Dunhill Royal Yacht and Dark Flake to try.

Thanks for that explanation. It sheds a new light on this B&M and the conversations in this post.

 

[greeneyes]

This just one reason why I doubt the baseless assumption that they only sell their high demand blends to locals. There are no high demand blends there. The locals just aren't buying the stuff. With this in mind it only makes sense that they would be happy to do business elsewhere whenever they can.

I wouldn't call it baseless. Again, each time I called I was told the same thing. The rare stuff goes only to locals. I have no motive to mislead the forum members with my statement. Perhaps, because the pipe segment accounts for (as you say) such a small percentage of their sales, they were only too happy to be dismissive and condescending to boot. Respectfully I'd like to clarify that mine is a first-hand account, while your assertion is simply conjecture.

 

[Dallas Wynn]

Not trying to make enemies or start $#!+ but the RRRRREEEEEEEEE over prices is a bit redundant. If the price exceeds your budget, feel free to shop elsewhere. That said........what is the production year on those Cabbie's?

 

[Pierre1965]

Not trying to make enemies or start $#!+ but the RRRRREEEEEEEEE over prices is a bit redundant. If the price exceeds your budget, feel free to shop elsewhere. That said........what is the production year on those Cabbie's?

You'll have to call and ask, but as @wolflarsen said above the tins he saw there didn't have warning labels.

 

[sfduke]

The bags of penzance are $120 because one of the regulars was caught buying them for $70 and immediately reselling them on ebay for $120 back in 2018. The owner didn't like them being flipped over to the secondary market so he raised his price to match the going rate at large as a means of keeping it available to customers that actually want to smoke it. There are other stories like this as well, like how he had to raise the price of SG Golden Glow to keep an employee from buying and smoking it all up.

What those of you unfamiliar with Telford's don't realize is that pipes and pipe tobacco is a miniscule fraction of their business. They hardly sell any at all. They sell tons of cigars and it's purely the cigar sales that keep the lights on. This just one reason why I doubt the baseless assumption that they only sell their high demand blends to locals. There are no high demand blends there. The locals just aren't buying the stuff. With this in mind it only makes sense that they would be happy to do business elsewhere whenever they can.

I am a local and used to call this B&M my go-to when nearby. Want to support Brian, but some of the prices quoted for this forum, were more expensive when I was there in-person last month.

Unfortunate it takes a virus situation before a customer's loyalty is valued. Willing to pay more to support a local B&M, but would like consistent pricing. Demand-based pricing will alienate your customer base.

 

[morgansteele]

I am a local and used to call this B&M my go-to when nearby. Want to support Brian, but some of the prices quoted for this forum, were more expensive when I was there in-person last month.

I don't live in California but I'm frequently there for business. LA is a tobacco wasteland and Briar Patch (Sacramento) closed last year. There aren't going to be many B&Ms left in CA after too long. And, my take is that a ban on the online shipping of tobacco to California is not long in the making. I simply don't know what you folks in California are going to do once the B&Ms are gone.

 

[sfduke]

I don't live in California but I'm frequently there for business. LA is a tobacco wasteland and Briar Patch (Sacramento) closed last year. There aren't going to be many B&Ms left in CA after too long. And, my take is that a ban on the online shipping of tobacco to California is not long in the making. I simply don't know what you folks in California are going to do once the B&Ms are gone.

Agree it will get more difficult in the near future with all the bans. Only time will tell.

 

[Dallas Wynn]

You'll have to call and ask, but as @wolflarsen said above the tins he saw there didn't have warning labels.

I didn't see a contact form for the business, is it telephone contact only?

 

[Pierre1965]

I didn't see a contact form for the business, is it telephone contact only?

I usually call them, but I've also emailed them at telfords@telfordspipeandcigar.com

 

[Dallas Wynn]

I usually call them, but I've also emailed them at telfords@telfordspipeandcigar.com

Much appreciated!!

 

[badbriar]

OK - here is the rub...if a new customer calls or walks into an establishment, they may very well become a very good regular customer. BUT - that new customer needs to be given a chance. In most cases, the majority of 'good customers' slow down and eventually move along. To hold back stock is counter-productive to earning customers' loyalty. Since being a member of this forum, I have found two good online shops that I will never personally visit, but I am a very good customer to both. I continued after my first order with each simply because they were very cordial and the transactions were pleasant. One of the shops, I email fairly often just to keep in touch and we on first name basis. Seems more of the "I've got cool shit" shops are doing it all wrong!