Historic tobacco blends?

[JR McDuff]

Without resorting to a time machine or tracking down an especially ancient blend that has somehow been preserved to be smokeable, I think some of the so-called codger or over-the-counter blends resemble blends of yore, despite the brand names being bought out by one or more new owners over time.

I think Granger bears a fair resemblance to its early 20th Century self, as does Sir Walter Raleigh. Remembering that all brand blends change from year to year depending on sourcing, soil, weather conditions, and so on.

The old standard blends, despite their homely origins and relatively moderate prices, have the suspicious traits of burning evenly without many relights, better than many of the premium blends. They're fairly dependable from one purchase to the next, and the fact that people have bought them for a century or more, when most pipe smokers aren't scholars of the subject, tells you something about good smoking experiences sustained.

Not to be overlooked here is the Edward G. Robinson blend, rescued and restored to commerce by our own fellow member jiminks here, which harkens back to the early 20th Century and earlier in terms of genre.

Sometimes finding what you want depends on not working too hard at it. Some of this is a click away.

You are right about the old standard blends. My elderly neighbor puttsing around in his yard unknowingly lassoed me into the hobby with his Dr. Grabow wafting Prince Albert into the neighborhood. I still haven't tried PA.

 

[JR McDuff]

Edit: Crap, nevermind... that was a bad search result. Disregard.

I was surprised to find a copy of it on Amazon. Just bought it.

There are quite a few used copies of Sublime Tobacco on Biblio.com

 

[gawithhoggarth]

Add Germain's - 1820
Sutliff - 1849
Sam Gawith - 1792

Samuel Gawith is no longer an independent company and is just a brand of Gawith Hoggarth so not sure it can be included in the list.

 

[Briar Lee]

The oldest continuously produced commercial smoking tobaccos are likely the twist type products like Happy Bogie.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Happy (Brown) Bogie Bulk by the Ounce

Watch City Cigar & Pipe is more than an online pipe tobacco and cigar sales website. Our physical store has tens of thousands of pipes and tobaccos, as well as robust custom ordering for hard-to-get smoking items.

watchcitycigar.com

 

[vosBghos]

Oldest retail tobaccanists still doing there thing i know of are:
Gawith Hoggarth - 1887
LJ Peretti - 1870
Iwan Ries - 1857

This

 

[vosBghos]

I went down the Sam/ Hoggarth road and parked , some really great stuff and although a lot of the bends have changed I really enjoy the Fribourg and Treyer offerings too , at least with the GH stuff you can get 2oz samples at SP , and enjoy some blends without too much coin commitment

 

[sablebrush52]

Samuel Gawith is no longer an independent company and is just a brand of Gawith Hoggarth so not sure it can be included in the list.

True, but the Gawith name goes back that far and blends are still issued under that name, even though the split no longer exists. It's like with pipes. We date from the founding of the brand, not by who currently owns it.

 

[JR McDuff]

The oldest continuously produced commercial smoking tobaccos are likely the twist type products like Happy Bogie.

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Happy (Brown) Bogie Bulk by the Ounce

Watch City Cigar & Pipe is more than an online pipe tobacco and cigar sales website. Our physical store has tens of thousands of pipes and tobaccos, as well as robust custom ordering for hard-to-get smoking items.

watchcitycigar.com

View attachment 207225

I'll be trying that and Kelly's coin down the road

 

[gawithhoggarth]

True, but the Gawith name goes back that far and blends are still issued under that name, even though the split no longer exists. It's like with pipes. We date from the founding of the brand, not by who currently owns it.

True but then the dates are a bit misleading as in 1792 it was technically Harrison & Brocklebank and there was no [Samuel] Gawith involved until around 1841 when he married into the family. Then it became Brocklebank and Gawith and it was not until a few years later it became Samuel Gawith's. In around 1865 it became "Samuel and John Edward Gawith, Tobacco and Snuff Manufacturers" and only following the split of the brother's partnership in 1877/78 did it become Samuel Gawith (although it was mostly snuff manufacturer) and John E Gawith (who retained the tobacco side of the business). The Kendal Brown House opened in 1881 and it was around this time that Samuel Gawith's moved back into tobacco production, following the bankruptcy of John E Gawith. Gawith Hoggarth & Co was set up in 1887 although the younger Gawith brother and the younger Hoggarth had been working for the other firms before this.

 

[The Clay King]

Ogdens St Bruno was around in the 1890s and Condor followed shortly thereafter. Most of S&G twists were sort of regional from what I understand. I know that Bondman was popular, my Mothers Father smoked that stuff and he kicked off in 1948 and it was still around in the late 80s early 1990s. Old Holborn and Golden Virginia both date to the late 1870s but are shag cuts and usually used for RYO. In the plug universe you had Digger, Battle Axe, War Horse with the later made by STG these days. The only survivors these days are Yachtsman Plug, Revor, Condor. I am told the oldest plug around is Cannon Plug from S&G which supposedly dates back to the civil war which I assume would be the U.K one and not the U.S one. In the U.S I would imagine Cotton Ball would probably be the best example of a jurassic survivor.

@condorlover1 Yes Cannon Plug is said to date back to the English Civil War in the 1640s. I've been recommended this one for the Sealed Knot / English Civil War re-enactments. I was smoking GH Brown Twist at the Sealed Knot Battle of Nantwich re-enactment this year, in my Old Dominion Jamestown clay. This will be my pipe of choice if I enlist, with some Cannon Plug or GH twist in it.

 

[The Clay King]

Samuel Gawith is no longer an independent company and is just a brand of Gawith Hoggarth so not sure it can be included in the list.

@gawithhoggarth I was smoking GH Brown Twist in my Old Dominion Jamestown clay pipe when I went to the Sealed Knot Battle of Nantwich re-enactment:

I imagine the twist being popular with re-enactors!

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Half & Half and Velvet have been around for over 100 years.

 

[ThermionicScott]

"Harrison & Brocklebank" sounds like a 1970s/1980s ex-Beatle music project that no one remembers for good reason.

 

[Alejo R.]

I imagine that each one of us has a different one that is a good tobacco classic. But nothing is lost, it's fun and maybe you'll find the blend of your life.
Half & Half. Granger. Prince Albert. Mixture N79. Amphora full Aroma. Borkum Riff, Three Nuns. CarterHall. All versions of Capstan. erinmore. Holger Danske. Presbyterian. sail. St Bruno.
They are all being manufactured, although they are not the same as their classic period version.

 

[sablebrush52]

True but then the dates are a bit misleading as in 1792 it was technically Harrison & Brocklebank and there was no [Samuel] Gawith involved until around 1841 when he married into the family. Then it became Brocklebank and Gawith and it was not until a few years later it became Samuel Gawith's. In around 1865 it became "Samuel and John Edward Gawith, Tobacco and Snuff Manufacturers" and only following the split of the brother's partnership in 1877/78 did it become Samuel Gawith (although it was mostly snuff manufacturer) and John E Gawith (who retained the tobacco side of the business). The Kendal Brown House opened in 1881 and it was around this time that Samuel Gawith's moved back into tobacco production, following the bankruptcy of John E Gawith. Gawith Hoggarth & Co was set up in 1887 although the younger Gawith brother and the younger Hoggarth had been working for the other firms before this.

Thank you for that excellent information. Still, in a way, it's still all in the family, not like Rattray's, McConnell, Peterson, Murrays, etc which are just IP's owned by K&K or other unrelated firms.

When the Gawith plant was relocated to the G&H plant, didn't the equipment move as well?

 

[telescopes]

Does Prince Albert still count now that he has escaped his imprisonment in the"can" and moved to the DR?

 

[Briar Lee]

Does Prince Albert still count now that he has escaped his imprisonment in the"can" and moved to the DR?

If I ran the company I’d dispatch a minion with one mission—

Reissue the pocket can.

Immediately after Prince Albert discontinued pocket cans, Half and Half took them up and sold Half and Half in a can for a few years.

The technology to can tobacco dates to 1907. It cannot be impossible to do it again.

 

[ray47]

When the Gawith plant was relocated to the G&H plant, didn't the equipment move as well?

Yes Samuel Gawith (III) died in 1953 and his widow, Louie, became Chairman. In 1961 Mr Dakeyne-Cannon died and his widow, Mrs D.M Dakeyne-Cannon was made a director and remained in charge until her death in 2008 at the age of 101. Her niece and nephew-in-law came on as directors at some point but having no real interest or connection with the tobacco trade and not being from the area, in 2015 they opted to sell the company. The business name, goodwill, trademarks and some machinery were bought by Gawith Hoggarth & Co, once again bringing the famous Gawith snuff and tobacco companies under one ownership. Some of the machinery and several of the staff also made the move to Gawith Hoggarth's factory on the Lake District Business Park in Kendal. The Kendal Brown House was sold to a local printing company for development.

 

[FurCoat]

I think Gawith would win here. As far as blends that are still being produced from the same house, Gawith!

To name a blend, I would say Grousemoore is possibly their oldest blend that is still in production today.

Cannon Plug might have Grousemoor beat. I got some on the last drop and it didn't disappoint.

 

[gawithhoggarth]

Thank you for that excellent information. Still, in a way, it's still all in the family, not like Rattray's, McConnell, Peterson, Murrays, etc which are just IP's owned by K&K or other unrelated firms.

When the Gawith plant was relocated to the G&H plant, didn't the equipment move as well?

When GH moved from Lowther Street to the current premises some of the machinery moved, but some of it is still in the old factory. When SG was bought by GH again some machinery moved, but the old mill machinery was I believe sold to a collector or museum in Holland but nobody seems to know much about this. Other stuff ended up being sold to a local scrap merchant. But various presses etc were brought across.