High Quality Bulk Tobacco

[ArtAraya]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

As I've learned how to improve my smoking technique, I'm finding that I can tell the difference between high/low quality tobacco. The bulk tobaccos that I used to enjoy are now lacking in depth for me - these were primarily codger blends and Lane tobaccos. Who are some producers of high-end bulk tobacco? Here's some that I've found...

LJ Peretti
Boswell
Wilke
PipesandCigars.com

Peter Stokkabye (some)
Sutliff (some)

I hope this post isn't controversial or insulting to anyone who likes the tobaccos I've spoken poorly of. That's not what I'm trying to do here. Just trying to find sources of bulk tobacco (not tin) which are known to use high-quality leaves, flavors, blends, etc...

 

[lawdawg]

You listed some of the well known tobacconists who make their own shop blends. Country Squire is another one, especially if you like Latakia blends.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Out of the ones you listed, I much prefer the few Wilke’s blends I’ve tried if we’re talking aromatics. Very natural tasting toppings, and unlike many other aromatics, they don’t leave my mouth super dry. Boswell’s blends sometimes do.
Sutliff has some excellent bulk blends, but most of the ones I keep on hand are not aros. BSOSM Match, BS 759 Match, and 515 RC-1 are all great.
The pipesandcigars blends that I’ve had are a swing and a miss in my book. Scotty’s Stonewall has the honor of being the one and only tobacco I’ve ever thrown in the trash. Some of the others I’ve had are ok, but I never felt the need to re-order them. That said, I certainly haven’t tried them all, so there may well be a gem or two.
Peter Stokkebye: Luxury Navy Flake and Balkan Supreme (also sold as Arango Balkan Supreme) are staple blends for me. Cube Cut is good too.

 

[eugenepark]

Wasn't there a time when Dunhill blends were sold in huge bags? Did Peterson resume that practice?

 

[unadoptedlamp]

My favourite bulk tobacco is Luxury Bullseye flake. To my tastes, it is high quality.
HH Old Dark Fired is also a tobacco you can get in bulk.
And, whenever a new shipment comes in, Rattray's has great bulk offerings in factory sealed bags. I have quite a few 500 gram bags from them, all in factory sealed bags with their labels and it is just as good as what is in the tins.

That being said, I don't ever recall smoking a tobacco and thinking to myself... "wow, what bench did they sweep this out from under?"

That has happened with a few cigars, but never pipe tobacco. But what I listed was pretty much the only bulk I've ever bought, aside from those Gawith boxes, which are also identical to the tins for my tastes.

For the price of pipe tobacco, even the most perceived "premium" of brands by price (not counting aged or discontinued brands), I think it is difficult to find another form of tobacco that is less expensive.

Relatively speaking, pipe tobacco is as inexpensive as it gets.

Well, except for cigarettes in places like Brazil. But... even premium cigarettes tasted like hell to me.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Wasn't there a time when Dunhill blends were sold in huge bags? Did Peterson resume that practice?

To the first question, I believe so. To the second, I believe not. I’ll let someone else verify though. I’m not 100%.

 

[eugenepark]

That being said, I don't ever recall smoking a tobacco and thinking to myself... "wow, what bench did they sweep this out from under?"

That has happened with a few cigars, but never pipe tobacco.

I see we have both had the unfortunate experience of smoking Villiger Export cigars. ?

 

[ArtAraya]

The pipesandcigars blends that I’ve had are a swing and a miss in my book. Scotty’s Stonewall has the honor of being the one and only tobacco I’ve ever thrown in the trash. Some of the others I’ve had are ok, but I never felt the need to re-order them. That said, I certainly haven’t tried them all, so there may well be a gem or two.

I'm looking at Russ Oulettes blends on PipesAndCigars.com - most of those seem to be very well reviewed.

 

[ArtAraya]

Wasn't there a time when Dunhill blends were sold in huge bags? Did Peterson resume that practice?

To the first question, I believe so. To the second, I believe not. I’ll let someone else verify though. I’m not 100%.

Funny you should mention that since it's sort of what started me down this rabbit hole. I wanted to buy bulk of Peterson's Early Morning Pipe and found none. Russ Oulette's Daybreak on PipesAndCigars.com seems to be a close match and is sold in bulk and is fairly low-priced per ounce.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

I see we have both had the unfortunate experience of smoking Villiger Export cigars

Ha! That's exactly it! I was in Switzerland and mislaid a bunch of my tobacco. It took me a week to get to a proper shop for a box of Bolivars. Paid a lot more than I wanted, but I had to rinse that stuff out with something memorable. Never again.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I'm looking at Russ Oulettes blends on PipesAndCigars.com - most of those seem to be very well reviewed.

Yep, sorry, I should’ve been more clear. I was talking about the Scotty’s bulk blends, not Russ’s blends.
Edit to add: I don’t mean to sound like I’m dogging the Scotty’s blends, they just weren’t for me. ?‍

 

[sablebrush52]

Bear in mind that some of the makers you cite, like Peretti, Wilke, and Hearth and Home (P&C) source their blending tobaccos from companies like Sutliff and Lane, as well other suppliers. A source of amusement for me, were those "ex[erts" who trashed Sutliff for being inferior tobacco while singing the praises of blends that were made by, and composed of, Sutliff tobaccos though branded with a different name.

Since you are looking specifically for bulk I'd also suggest that you take a look at Watch City blends, Deluxe Crumb Cut being a favorite of mine.

Match Victoria, made by Sutliff, is a pretty good imitation of the Murray's version of Dunhill Eizabethan.

Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake is really good with a minimum of 4 years of aging. Fresh it's pretty bland.

Hearth and Home blends are made by Lane and primarily use Lane tobaccos, except for a couple that still use Sutliff.

While I'm not much of a fan of C&D, I really like one of their bulks, Yorktown.

 

[drrock]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

As I've learned how to improve my smoking technique, I'm finding that I can tell the difference between high/low quality tobacco. The bulk tobaccos that I used to enjoy are now lacking in depth for me - these were primarily codger blends and Lane tobaccos. Who are some producers of high-end bulk tobacco? Here's some that I've found...

LJ Peretti
Boswell
Wilke
PipesandCigars.com

Peter Stokkabye (some)
Sutliff (some)

I hope this post isn't controversial or insulting to anyone who likes the tobaccos I've spoken poorly of. That's not what I'm trying to do here. Just trying to find sources of bulk tobacco (not tin) which are known to use high-quality leaves, flavors, blends, etc...

Nice list when it comes to quality blends.

I'd suggest adding Uhle's, The Country Squire, Milan Tobacconists, Watch City, & Straus Tobacconists to it. In my experience they use high quality tobaccos in their blends.

Keep in mind that, most likely, they use tobaccos from Sutliff, Lane, &/or Stokkebye as base tobaccos for their blends.

 

[ArtAraya]

Since you are looking specifically for bulk I'd also suggest that you take a look at Watch City blends, Deluxe Crumb Cut being a favorite of mine.

Just ordered a couple ounces - thanks for the recommendation!

 

[ArtAraya]

I'd suggest adding Uhle's, The Country Squire, Milan Tobacconists, Watch City, & Straus Tobacconists to it. In my experience they use high quality tobaccos in their blends.

Thank you for the suggestions!

 

[ArtAraya]

Bear in mind that some of the makers you cite, like Peretti, Wilke, and Hearth and Home (P&C) source their blending tobaccos from companies like Sutliff and Lane, as well other suppliers. A source of amusement for me, were those "ex[erts" who trashed Sutliff for being inferior tobacco while singing the praises of blends that were made by, and composed of, Sutliff tobaccos though branded with a different name.

That's good information which I didn't know. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[NomadOrb]

It's been mentioned here, but Watch City Cigar has some amazing bulk blends for good prices. I'm not sure where they source their tobacco, just from the cut of the flakes, I would guess Sutliff.

 

[kschatey]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

As I've learned how to improve my smoking technique, I'm finding that I can tell the difference between high/low quality tobacco. The bulk tobaccos that I used to enjoy are now lacking in depth for me - these were primarily codger blends and Lane tobaccos. Who are some producers of high-end bulk tobacco? Here's some that I've found...

LJ Peretti
Boswell
Wilke
PipesandCigars.com

Peter Stokkabye (some)
Sutliff (some)

I hope this post isn't controversial or insulting to anyone who likes the tobaccos I've spoken poorly of. That's not what I'm trying to do here. Just trying to find sources of bulk tobacco (not tin) which are known to use high-quality leaves, flavors, blends, etc...

I have yet to discover any low quality bulk tobacco of what I have tried so far, so I'd be interested to know what you have encountered that you consider low quality tobacco.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't know there's a difference between quality of bulk and tinned. If there is, it's minuscule in my experience. And define quality. Quality is not defined by one's taste rating. In some cases quality and taste may correlate but I don't think most people's sense of taste is attuned to quality.

Sable hit on a key point. Most of the B&M blenders buy their leaf from places like Sutliff and Lane. They're not going to the tobacco markets and purchasing their leaf.

I consider 250 gr and one pound boxes or bags as bulk. I buy bulk when I can because it is a bit cheaper and I prefer storing it long term in mason jars or mylar. As a rule, I don't remove tobacco from tins/cans and transfer it to mason jars or mylar bags.

 

[mso489]

Let me sing the praises of Cornell & Diehl, at least for people who have a strong affinity for burley based and blends with burley as a condiment. I've been a customer since they were under original ownership and located in Morganton, N.C. (which was actually their second location). C&D probably has done the most in elevating burley leaf from a codger blend base (and there's nothing wrong with that) to a blenders' leaf. Burley can be polarizing: Some find it throw-up awful; others simply can't taste it much; some tolerate it in some blends; and others, like me, have a pronounced affinity for it. If you will, C&D has become to burley what McClelland was to Virginia tobacco, and I don't think that is an overstatement, and they offer a wide variety of blends in bulk as well as tins. Laudisi in purchasing C&D has maintained many of its positive features and expanded its variety of blends. If you like burley.