Looking to cut costs on pipe tobacco

[carcosa]

I've been spending about $80 a month on tinned tobacco, and I'm looking to figure out how to spend less. Sure I've cut down on smoking, but I think bulk might be the way to proceed. So, what is a good bulk flake, preferably a VaPer, that does not come wet and require extensive drying, that can be smoked right out of the package? Thanks!!!

 

[carcosa]

My regular tobacco was Escudo, with some University or Irish Flake once in a while. I prefer Pipes and Cigars....

 

[mso489]

I like PS Luxury Navy Flake, but I think there are lot of them out there. You're not going to get an Escudo match, so take some time to adjust and enjoy before you decide the alternatives aren't any good.

 

[prairiedruid]

I'll throw a vote in for PS Luxury Bulls Eye Flake.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

... and another for PS LBF or LNF. Hell, just buy a bunch of both. Can't go wrong with either of those.

 

[orobusto]

I like McClelland No.2015 VaPer Flake. I bought some awhile back along with Star of the East flake and enjoyed the McClelland much more. Good VA tangy blend.

 

[gloucesterman]

Peretti's has a number of bulk flakes. Check out their web page.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I have no idea what might fit every detail of those requirements, but this is good stuff (VaPer), easy burning, and not expensive.

http://www.4noggins.com/sutliff-altadis-bulk-dunhillelizabethan.aspx

 

[captainprophesy]

Another vote for PS LF or NF ... Very good bang for the buck.

 

[fadingdaylight]

Plus another for LNF. I like it a little more than the twist and bullseye. Not sure where you stand on dark fired kentucky, but Old Dark Fired is available in ready rubbed bulk, so you can just set it out a little while before you plan on packing it.

 

[danielplainview]

 

[JimInks]

Daughters & Ryan SJ Rimbouche is a good tobacco at a very good price.

 

[carcosa]

Just bought a half pound of PS LBF a half a pound of LNF and 6oz of Black Cherry Cavendish... haven't smoked cherry cavendish since I was in my 20s, hope it isn't chemical tasting like a lot of aromatics. Along with some pipe cleaners the whole thing cost me about 40 bucks plus shipping... not bad for the equivalent of about 11 or 12 tins (a little under 2 oz per tin I think).
I've smoked Elizabethan mixture: not a bad smoke but not my favorite. I also got some bulk flake a year or so ago, I think it might have been McClelland, but when I got it, it was a wet block of tobacco that you could barely tell was already sliced because it was so wet. I left it out day after day and it never seemed to dry properly... Hopefully the PS stuff won't have that problem.
Also, I have experimented with quite a few different tobaccos over the past couple of years, so I won't mind something that is a little different, I just fell into a routine with those tobaccos over the past 6 months or so.

 

[clickklick]

Good choices.
I haven't smoked a daughter's and ryan blend that I didn't find harsh.

 

[JimInks]

Clickklick: I hydrate the tobacco before I smoke it, which is a key to smoking D&R blends. And not being one to puff fast, I seldom experience harshness in tobaccos. Thin cut tobaccos can be have a little harshness if you puff beyond a moderate rate. In the case of the SJ Rimboche, the perique is spicy and raisiny, and a goodly amount is present. Mark Ryan uses high quality tobaccos in his blends, and with some moisture and moderate puffing, they are good smokes for a good price.

 

[clickklick]

That might be the ticket then. I prefer my tobacco dry so I would have never thought to hydrate it before hand. By harsh I did not mean to imply hot, but more so strong with less flavor . . . or something like that.

 

[JimInks]

To me, harsh means burning hot and missing flavor as a result. It can also mean - to me - that it's very strong and unpleasant on the tongue. I never cared much for dry tobacco, and feel I get more flavor with some hydration. But I know a few who disagree with me on that.

 

[anchovyd]

Jim, is the D&R stuff just glorified cig tobacco like the menthol stuff pictured above and the reborn Jester "pipe" stuff they are selling or is it legit pipe tobacco? The D&R sounds interesting to me but a bunch of people crap on it saying that it is just the old cig stuff repurposed and isn't very good in a pipe. When I first started smoking pipes and I was trying everything, I bought Douwe Egberts Drum and Bugler not knowing it was cigarette tobacco, it was right next to the regular pipe tobaccos at the Eckerd. Anyway after opening it up and realizing what it was, I smoked the stuff and really didn't like it. No flavor. Now I see that all that stuff is relabled as "Value Pipe Tobacco" at Pipes&Cigars. I was wondering if D&R was like that too or if they created pipe blends.
To the O.P., Stokkebye Bulls Eye flake is my recommendation for something cheap and in a similar style to Escudo. Also an idea is to get into aromatics, add a couple of good ones to your smoking rotation, they are cheap in bulk. It would cut down on the number of tins you smoke each month. That way you could smoke your cake and have Escudo too.

 

[newbroom]

I'll chime in with another decent alternative or two. Newminster makes Superior Slices and Superior Navy Flake.

I think that if you buy some bulks that are relatively of one genre, you can tweak them with a little bit of creative mixing. A codger blend usually mixes pretty well with some VA added or some Latakia or both.

Prince Albert, Match ERR, C&D Autumn Evening, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh, or the Hearth and Home Mid Town series, and also Peter Stokkebye 702 will give you both good smokes and good platforms for mixing.

 

[mso489]

If you really need the tobacco bargain basement, some of the non-aromatic bag tobaccos, which are mostly Virginia I think, are not bad. At least, the bag of 4 Aces regular that someone gave me (can't beat that price) is a pleasant enough Virginia with no flavoring and no bite. It's not going to make your heart flutter with nuance and complexity. It's not Dunhill. But if you were pinched for tobacco money, it might see you through. Also, you can use it to stretch your other blends.