OTC ... ??? Over the Counter ... ? And ?

[elbert]

Part of the confusion about the proverbial "counter" is that retail practices have changed dramatically over the last century. It used to be that you'd go into a grocery with your shopping list, hand the grocer your list, and him or one of the lads would go into the stockroom and fetch what you needed.
A drugstore might have operated the same way--if you needed a basic remedy, you'd go to the shop and get it "over the counter"; if you needed something a little heavier, you'd go to the physician and he'd give it to you out of his professional stock.
The open-plan supermarket is a modern invention engineered towards consumer impulse.

 

[jpmcwjr]

For the etymologists concerned about the accuracy of whether goods are physically delivered "OTC", the stock market of that name no longer delivers certificates across a counter; it's all electronic.
Words and meanings morph over time. Remember when "dumb" meant silent and not stupid? When "gay" meant a happy, carefree time or event?

 

[carver]

Words and meanings morph over time. Remember when "dumb" meant silent and not stupid? When "gay" meant a happy, carefree time or event?

and when "oldie" meant ... oh yeah, no, still means that.
That being said, I do appreciate to see and analyse the evolution of a language and see how things have changed. And you know what, I am going to create a thread on this one.

See you in a few clicks. Which here really just mean "clicks", not any measurement unit of distance.

 

[stanlaurel]

anchovyd should receive the PipesMagazine.com Award For Satirical Posts ...or get kicked in the nuts. I don't know which.

I just can't seem to get too worked-up about this subject.

 

[aldecaker]

@stickframer- Codgerdom is a state of mind, not necessarily age-related! I've proudly embraced the sacred tenets of Codgerdom since a very young age, and was constantly reminded of it by parents, friends, girlfriends, etc. Let your Codger flag fly, and while you're at it, get the hell off of my lawn! :laughat:

 

[eriksmokes85]

I am a fan of Captain Black, its a consistant smoke, nice room note for others around, cheap, and easy to find. I dont always smoke it but I dont look past it either. Pipe tobacco is just like everything else you do..choose it for you not for what other people will think. If you like it, SMOKE IT!

 

[deathmetal]

An over-the-counter product is fully democratized like Coca-Cola, so there are different expectations. Tradeoffs in return for convenience.
I'll say this about OTCs though: they are durable, easy packing, easy lighting, relatively low cost unless you smoke enough to make a $99 order worthwhile, and like most aros have a nice room note so your family/friends STFU.
Convenience.

 

[andrew]

What really gets me is the intense anglophilia that exists in the forums. All these snobs smoke English tobaccos while reciting the purity laws and worship at the alters of Dunhill, Charatan and Sobranie. Psst, hey fellow pipesters, I want to let you in on something. We had a little war with these guys about 240 years ago. We kicked the limeys out of America once and for all. It's over. Why are you guys longing for the colonial days smoking your latakia blends, watching your Monty Python reruns and overpaying for Dunhills turned in Spain? Get over it. We are Americans, now smoke a drugstore burley or American Aromatic and goddamn act like it. Its time again to knock the brits off their pedestal.

Don't own any Dunhills, never smoked Sobranie, and all the members on this forum aren't americans btw myself included. Also to further put those brits ahead OTC's over there are St. Bruno, Condor, SG, Erinmore, etc...

 

[deathmetal]

I find anglophilia wholly defensible. England is a lovely place. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[elbert]

That rant was almost as tedious as the France-bashing after the invasion of Iraq.

 

[deathmetal]

"Freedom Fries"?

 

[elbert]

You got it! In WWII it was'Liberty Cabbage' (sauerkraut). Some folks need to have another go through Lincoln's second inaugural address, and recognize that Western Civilization is a common and fraternal project.
And that's my rant for the week.

 

[jruthledge]

A friend of mine gave me my first pipes with some Balkan Sobranie and some Dunhill Nightcap years ago. I tried them and decided that I didn't like pipes. Ten years later I was given a cheap pipe, so I filled it up with some Captan Black from the drug store and have been enjoying pipe smoking ever since. After some time with various aromatics, I'm starting to experiment more with non-aros and even recently picked up a blend with some latakia in it that I really like. I might even like to try some of that Nightcap now.
I guess my point is that what really distinguishes an OTC from other blends is the volume and the distribution network of that particular blend, which has almost no bearing at all on whether or not any individual pipe smoker is going to like it. For you, OTC is a totally meaningless term. If someone in the US likes an OTC, that's nice because they'll have an easy time finding it. And if they hate OTC's and only want to smoke English tobaccos rolled up in American flags, that's their God-given right! Along with having really strong opinions about other people's opinions!! USA!!!

 

[elbert]

I guess my point is that what really distinguishes an OTC from other blends is the volume and the distribution network of that particular blend...

Right. Like how a Scotch drinker can walk in to any bar anywhere and order a Johnnie Walker Black without getting a blank stare. That's not to say that it's better or worse than your favorite single malt--just a different animal.

 

[brian64]

Good heavens, but there seem to be some rather brutish Americans here who might benefit from an instructional video such as this:
Proper Etiquette for Afternoon Tea in London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSBpIc5raxg

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Of the few OTC blends I have tried, I've enjoyed them and have no reason to hate on them.

 

[sablebrush52]

People crap on these tobaccos because they are snobs who think world starts and ends with virginia tobaccos and orientals.

Great Caesar's ghost! The world doesn't start and end with Virginia and oriental tobacco??!! I've been misinformed!

Burleys are feces in their eyes

I don't think that feces in my eyes would be a very pleasant experience. Perhaps I should avoid Burley.

What really gets me is the intense anglophilia that exists in the forums.

Well, when it come to British birds, I'm all for Anglophilia...just as long as it doesn't involve feces in my eyes. Some sexual practices fail to attract.
OTC is an obsolete descriptor. It lingers on as a reminder of how things used to be.

 

[jruthledge]

Thank you for that video, Brian. I'll be taking tea at 4PM today. And I will be adding the milk to the tea, not the other way around. I will also be careful to avoid getting feces in my eyes. I feel a little more calm already...
And I'm also looking forward to a nice pipe after work. So back to flogging the horse. What about the new tinned Captain Black blends? Would those be considered OTC's? I had a tin of the Midnight Gold and really liked it. Black cavendish and burley blends might be my thing.

 

[judcole]

OTC tobaccos - codger burleys - whatever you call them - and the low-end aros are loaded with chemicals so they don't dry out, and often are heavy with flavorings.

I did my stint with drugstore aros 40 years ago, and happily moved to better quality tobaccos when I found them. I've tried several of the codger burleys recently - PA, CH, KC, Granger. They're perfectly OK for what they are - the pipe tobacco equivalent of White Owl and Dutch Master cigars. But if you enjoy burleys - and I keep them as part of my rotation - you can get much better quality burley blends from, say, C&D.

Smoke the best tobacco you can afford - in the best pipes you can afford. ::

 

[newbroom]

I don't think that Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, Carter Hall or Half and Half are loaded with chemicals.

I think Captain Black White has a fair amount of polypropylene glycol and probably some flavorings, and though you can get a fairly decent smoke from it, it isn't the pure and natural tobacco that others are.