M'lady and I were invited guests at the Sutliff Tobacco Company on Friday, Nov. 1. We were greeted by much of the front office, and given a very detailed tour of their headquarters. Upon entering the manufacturing plant, we were immediately greeted with an intoxicating aroma of latakia, which was what was being processed that day. It was fascinating to see the steps that go into taking tobacco leaves, and turning them into quality smoking pipe tobacco. I saw the giant containers of different kinds of Virginias and burleys before their use, and in various stages of preparation. I saw the different ways tobaccos are flavored, and all the steps leading to bagging and tinning products for sale. I was shown production sheets of what was being blended, and percentages of what went into one particular blend. Their production equipment was an interesting hybrid of old school machinery merged with present day computers. Everybody in the plant were well trained and efficient in their duties, and were exceptionally friendly. I was greeted by genuinely warm smiles by every single worker I encountered, and chatted with a few of them. It was easy to see that the employees enjoy their jobs.
It's common knowledge that a number of local B&Ms relabel blends with their own house names, and I saw some of them used in that process under both real and house blend designations. There are some companies that come to Sutliff for their tobacco, some I knew about, a few I didn't. Their inventory is logically detailed in its storage, and is easily accessed when needed. I also saw large, heavy duty cabinets containing flavors for some products, and though I didn't get to personally sample the rum or the bourbon (darn it!), I was assured that they came from top companies. Well, having smoked Barbados Plantation (a rum based blend) and Top Shelf (a bourbon based blend), I have no doubt it's true.
At one point, several of us sat in the lobby in very comfortable chairs, and discussed the ins and outs of the pipe smoking world, not to mention baseball and cigars. Previously, I had only been known to them by e-mail and a few telephone calls, and of course, by the reviews I've been writing for their company as one of several taste testers. I was treated like an old familiar relative visiting the family, and simultaneously as a special guest of importance. To a man, they profusely and repeatedly thanked me for what I have done for them, pointedly noting that I was fair in my reviews, whether I was complimentary or constructively critical.
Though Carl McAllister is the artistic mastermind behind their blends, and certainly, absolutely knows infinitely more about his craft than I do, he was very appreciative of my praise and suggestions. I learned a lot about his thoughts on various tobaccos and their properties, and how they work together. Carl has an open minded approach on the subject of blending, and treated my comments as though they came from someone of greater standing and knowledge than I possess. He also had lots of praise for his fellow blenders, particularly Russ Ouellette of Pipes & Cigars, whom I have had the fortunate privilege of speaking to on more than one occasion. We filled the room with pipe smoke as the time flew by, and he gifted me a tin of MacBaren Old Dark Fired from which we both smoked.
Sutliff's purchasing and logistics point man, John Schone, arranged our visit, and along with Carl, was our tour guide. John also does other jobs for the company when needed, and generously made sure I was loaded up with a number of sample products, including a few he knew I already smoked and liked. He was funny, unpretentious, with an easy going manner. He thoughtfully gave m'lady a Sutliff baseball cap, t-shirt and coffee mug. In fact, everybody made sure she was part of the lively conservations that dominated the day.
One of the things that pleasantly surprised me was that the President of Sutliff, Paul Creasy, came out of his office to greet me, and later, after the plant tour, joined in on our gab fest in the lobby for a while. He was funny, very down-to-Earth, and keenly interested in what I had to say during our exchange of ideas about the nuances regarding the state of the industry and his business philosophy. I found him to be a self-assured man eager to listen to others, and willing to adapt or change his views when presented with an idea that makes sense to him. His knowledge of his craft and company is exhaustive in detail and thought. He clearly loves and believes in his products. When he discovered I hadn't tried either Voodoo Queen or Count Pulaski, he saw to it that I was given very generous amounts of each. Paul has created an atmosphere of cordiality, fun, and consideration that one seldom sees in a business of their size.
In this day of corporate mega-structures and faceless, insensitive businessmen who care about nothing but the bottom line, it's refreshing to see how a smaller company like Sutliff conducts their business. Don't think of the former Altadis Pipe Division as the large corporate guys; they have been in the Richmond plant functioning with less than thirty people for over fifty years, many of whom enjoy long tenures. Top to bottom, the people at Sutliff have the look of family about them. A family that cares about their jobs, their customers, and the world of pipe smoking that means so much to serious and occasional smokers alike. They may be used to being the small guys, but to me, they are important players in our smoking lives, and we are the richer for what they do and how they do it. After all, how many companies would shut down much of their front office work for a customer/tobacco reviewer and his wife for the better part of a day? I dare say not many.
If you've read any of the threads I've started in this or other forums, you may recall that all this started with me inquiring about Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend earlier this year. Jonathan, the company Operations Manager and my first contact with Sutliff, was the man who kindly gifted me the sample of EGR, which lead to me promoting the blend at several pipe smoking forums, and eventually being a taste tester. It was he who started this train down the tracks, and aptly noted, "Who knew that all this would happen because of Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend?" Who knew indeed, Jonathan? You have my profound gratitude for all that this has led to for me: a great day with great people who generously gave their most of their work day and sample products for m'lady and me. I thank all of you for a truly wonderful visit.
It's common knowledge that a number of local B&Ms relabel blends with their own house names, and I saw some of them used in that process under both real and house blend designations. There are some companies that come to Sutliff for their tobacco, some I knew about, a few I didn't. Their inventory is logically detailed in its storage, and is easily accessed when needed. I also saw large, heavy duty cabinets containing flavors for some products, and though I didn't get to personally sample the rum or the bourbon (darn it!), I was assured that they came from top companies. Well, having smoked Barbados Plantation (a rum based blend) and Top Shelf (a bourbon based blend), I have no doubt it's true.
At one point, several of us sat in the lobby in very comfortable chairs, and discussed the ins and outs of the pipe smoking world, not to mention baseball and cigars. Previously, I had only been known to them by e-mail and a few telephone calls, and of course, by the reviews I've been writing for their company as one of several taste testers. I was treated like an old familiar relative visiting the family, and simultaneously as a special guest of importance. To a man, they profusely and repeatedly thanked me for what I have done for them, pointedly noting that I was fair in my reviews, whether I was complimentary or constructively critical.
Though Carl McAllister is the artistic mastermind behind their blends, and certainly, absolutely knows infinitely more about his craft than I do, he was very appreciative of my praise and suggestions. I learned a lot about his thoughts on various tobaccos and their properties, and how they work together. Carl has an open minded approach on the subject of blending, and treated my comments as though they came from someone of greater standing and knowledge than I possess. He also had lots of praise for his fellow blenders, particularly Russ Ouellette of Pipes & Cigars, whom I have had the fortunate privilege of speaking to on more than one occasion. We filled the room with pipe smoke as the time flew by, and he gifted me a tin of MacBaren Old Dark Fired from which we both smoked.
Sutliff's purchasing and logistics point man, John Schone, arranged our visit, and along with Carl, was our tour guide. John also does other jobs for the company when needed, and generously made sure I was loaded up with a number of sample products, including a few he knew I already smoked and liked. He was funny, unpretentious, with an easy going manner. He thoughtfully gave m'lady a Sutliff baseball cap, t-shirt and coffee mug. In fact, everybody made sure she was part of the lively conservations that dominated the day.
One of the things that pleasantly surprised me was that the President of Sutliff, Paul Creasy, came out of his office to greet me, and later, after the plant tour, joined in on our gab fest in the lobby for a while. He was funny, very down-to-Earth, and keenly interested in what I had to say during our exchange of ideas about the nuances regarding the state of the industry and his business philosophy. I found him to be a self-assured man eager to listen to others, and willing to adapt or change his views when presented with an idea that makes sense to him. His knowledge of his craft and company is exhaustive in detail and thought. He clearly loves and believes in his products. When he discovered I hadn't tried either Voodoo Queen or Count Pulaski, he saw to it that I was given very generous amounts of each. Paul has created an atmosphere of cordiality, fun, and consideration that one seldom sees in a business of their size.
In this day of corporate mega-structures and faceless, insensitive businessmen who care about nothing but the bottom line, it's refreshing to see how a smaller company like Sutliff conducts their business. Don't think of the former Altadis Pipe Division as the large corporate guys; they have been in the Richmond plant functioning with less than thirty people for over fifty years, many of whom enjoy long tenures. Top to bottom, the people at Sutliff have the look of family about them. A family that cares about their jobs, their customers, and the world of pipe smoking that means so much to serious and occasional smokers alike. They may be used to being the small guys, but to me, they are important players in our smoking lives, and we are the richer for what they do and how they do it. After all, how many companies would shut down much of their front office work for a customer/tobacco reviewer and his wife for the better part of a day? I dare say not many.
If you've read any of the threads I've started in this or other forums, you may recall that all this started with me inquiring about Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend earlier this year. Jonathan, the company Operations Manager and my first contact with Sutliff, was the man who kindly gifted me the sample of EGR, which lead to me promoting the blend at several pipe smoking forums, and eventually being a taste tester. It was he who started this train down the tracks, and aptly noted, "Who knew that all this would happen because of Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend?" Who knew indeed, Jonathan? You have my profound gratitude for all that this has led to for me: a great day with great people who generously gave their most of their work day and sample products for m'lady and me. I thank all of you for a truly wonderful visit.
