Just in from STG/MacBaren/Sutliff

[HeavyLeadBelly]

I used to not like C&D until I understood that after opening up a tin you really have to let it sit for a while. I thought that Three Friars wasn’t that great when I first tried it fresh. A month later it got better and after six I started to really enjoy it. That one along with Yorktown, Briar Fox and Night Train are a few of my favorites from them.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Sadly, Sutliff’s non-aro, non-BC laden offerings were what I found excellent and different than what C&D blend in the same genres, and the “drugstore/B&M house blends” were not what got them used by WCC, KBV, etc.

I hope the process and source of their red virginias and perique find a way to make it to those who continue to blend in America (especially if all the tariff talk comes to be reality-that could hugely affect what we pay and have available long-term in the US).

Yeah I noticed that you and I really fell in love with Match Victorian. What an amazing blend for a low cost bulk. Glad I picked up a few pounds of it over the past few months.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I used to not like C&D until I understood that after opening up a tin you really have to let it sit for a while. I thought that Three Friars wasn’t that great when I first tried it fresh. A month later it got better and after six I started to really enjoy it. That one along with Yorktown, Briar Fox and Night Train are a few of my favorites from them.

That has been my experience as well. As soon as I get a C&D tin in the mail I pop it open and transfer the contents to a Ball jar. After a couple weeks in a jar C&D blends seem to really develop and intensify their flavors and aromas much more so than if they were smoked fresh out of a tin. Their Virginias especially benefit from even just a couple weeks of aerobic fermentation in a jar, and after 6 months in a jar they really smooth out a ton and become vastly more flavorful in my experience.

 

[jpberg]

His job for STG is to be the face of P&C. Not his roll as a blender. That was his passion project.

He’s been blending for P&C since before it was P&C. Kinda hard to get away from that, not that he should try.

 

[jpberg]

One man’s “compassionate” decision is another man’s loss. In this case, the list of blends being continued represents the most profitable products. The least profitable product, to be discontinued, is War Horse, a blend that several folks here are passionate about. In order for STG to move production to DK it has to undergo FDA and EU testing, a high cost that may never be recovered. So, does STG choose to lose money on blends that don’t sell, and short their investors (who undoubtedly include pensioners), just to be “compassionate” to you?

STG’s responsibility is to it’s investors. Like any other company, their mandate isn’t to keep people employed or to provide an obscure product to an ever dwindling customer base. By maintaining profitability they keep the doors open and they keep the last of the most popular blends in production.

And…WTF is “Commercially Abused”?

No no. You don’t understand.
Every whiny twat here deserves to be heard.

 

[jackets]

The revelation earlier in this thread that STG provides all of the leaf to Kopp is what has me nervous about this. I'm not sure what their financial situation is, but with regulations constantly getting tighter, and the fact that its doubtful that this will ever be a meaningfully growing industry it could put a strain on them. G&H has talked about how expensive and time consuming it has been to implement track and trace(or whatever its called) in the UK. Imagine doing that for 5 different countries, or adding very specific labeling that meets the requirements of 10 regulatory bodies.

If they have to sell there is really only one game in town, and its STG. Based on what they have done before why would they continue to make dozens or Rattrays blends, or three McConnels belnds that are all the same ingriedents in diffrenet perportions. It would likely end up with 1-3 blends from each of their brands made the cut if, if not less. I picked up two extra pounds of HH Burley Flake, and plan to get a pound of so of Old Dominion. Fortunatley for me those are the two affected belnds I enjoy the most. Now if it were Kopp in this situation I would need Smoking Pipes to deliver my Scottish Flake via forklift.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

If nothing else this sure has been an interesting look at what sells well among the offline pipe smoker crowd, some of which was quite a surprise.

Take for instance Three Nuns. Personally I love the current version of Three Nuns, but if you look at threads on the various pipe forums about it I'd estimate roughly 90% of the posts are going to be people saying not to bother with it because it doesn't have Perique in it anymore. Based on the online community response you'd think almost no one bought it, but clearly that isn't the case since it's one of the very few Mac Baren produced blends that will be sticking around.

I'm darn grateful that it is too, so if @leonardw happened to have a hand in keeping Three Nuns alive then thank you. That's the one big thing I'm thankful for today.

 

[dozicusmaximus]

I've been out of the loop for months. Just heard about this. Figured I'd go grab a pound of match walnut. Looks like you scarfbags already bought everything.
Oh well.
I actually bought a bunch of 1 ounce samples of a bunch of Sutliff this summer I haven't even got into yet. Now if I like something that's all I'll ever have. hahaha.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Sadly, Sutliff’s non-aro, non-BC laden offerings were what I found excellent and different than what C&D blend in the same genres, and the “drugstore/B&M house blends” were not what got them used by WCC, KBV, etc.

I hope the process and source of their red virginias and perique find a way to make it to those who continue to blend in America (especially if all the tariff talk comes to be reality-that could hugely affect what we pay and have available long-term in the US).

I feel for ya man.. personally it was only after McClelland went down that I even realized I liked Virginia's (luckily bought a few tins of Cheer previously on a lark) but afterwards I mostly focused on C&D's offerings in the VA arena (esp reds) since I figured (heard) they were the next best step/in the Carolina belt, etc.

It was only after I heard of all this going down i bought half a dozen tins of barrel aged and a pound of the matured red for the first time (both on backorder so we'll see if I even get them)
At this point I'm sort of almost hoping I don't.. probably best not to awaken the beast haha

I feel/hope though if there's one thing the good ole USA has to always have tho it's the ability to produce the world's best reds, no matter who's label is slapped on em.

 

[woodsroad]

I believe the reports were.....he got married, moved to Germany and then the relationship with Mac Baren ended.

Sweet story!

 

[fireground_piper]

Sweet story!

A man’s heart wants what it wants!

 

[Beers 'N Briars]

He’s been blending for P&C since before it was P&C. Kinda hard to get away from that, not that he should try.

Oh, for sure. But I don’t think that STG considers him one of their blenders necessarily, or they would have been producing his blends, and not letting him blend with a competitor’s leaf. He has legitimate cache in the business and respect. Which plays into him being the face of P&C for STG. Be great if they do allow him to do some things, but look at STG’s history. They aren’t in the bringing new blends to market kind of company.

 

[brian64]

And…WTF is “Commercially Abused”?

I think that's when you pay for it if you can't find someone to do it for free (some people are into that kind of thing).

 

[FurCoat]

I guess the good news is, I'm sitting on a metric shit ton of discontinued blends.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I guess the good news is, I'm sitting on a metric shit ton of discontinued blends.

Same

 

[sablebrush52]

I guess the good news is, I'm sitting on a metric shit ton of discontinued blends.

Same

Me three!

 

[Servant King]

Everyone needs to buy predominantly from C&D, G&H, Country Squire, etc. so that STG can't Sutliff these companies.

01/03/25: First use of "Sutliff" as a verb.

 

[Brad H]

01/03/25: First use of "Sutliff" as a verb.

That’s actually quite humorous that you recognized it as a verb! Made me laugh a bit.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Everyone needs to buy predominantly from C&D, G&H, Country Squire, etc. so that STG can't Sutliff these companies.

If Country Squire like other B&Ms were using Sutliff products, they've done been Sutliffed. I'll gladly support C&D though.

 

[renfield]

Yeah, The Squire was definitely Sutliffed.

Jon David has been accumulating leaf and is currently testing leaf from other suppliers. Sounds like they’ll lose a few blends and will have to alter others. He said they survived the loss of McClelland and they’ve been down this road before. Adapt or perish.