Pipe Tobacco Top Seller Known?

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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Is it know which brand and blend of pipe tobacco is the world's top seller? Tobacco companies may not be willing to share this and thereby spur competition, but I thought maybe it is known for some other reason. I know Lane's 1Q is sold under many other names by individual tobacconists and chains, and I think this is true of a number of other blends, so it might depend on whether the alternately named versions are counted as 1Q sales. Prince Albert, Carter Hall, and some other of the OTC's seem like they might be other potential market leaders because of their established names and vigorous distribution. Does anyone have data on this? Or, if you don't, what are your best guesses?

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,630
44,855
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
It's probably 1Q, especially given that it's sold under more than 2 dozen other names. Then again, there's Captain Black, which has been around since the early 1970's and is Lane's biggest seller, claiming that Captain Black is the #1 seller in the US and that is is sold around the world, from Australia to Kazakhstan.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
warren, sable, I'm not much on 1Q, but selectively I think Lane and Sutliff make some excellent blends at admirably reasonable prices, all over the map with genres and styles. I happen to have some 1Q on hand and may give it a smoke, for old time's sake. So 1Q is a logical front runner. Any other candidates?

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,077
Carmel Valley, CA
I'd guess Lane 1Q. But of academic interest only. Sorta like what's the biggest selling coffee, or donuts or hamburgers, or TV's, or SUV's, etc., etc. Doesn't affect our choices.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
jpm, it's true, it's just a curiosity, but it suggests what and who the market is. Maybe I'm just nutty, but it interests me which blend is the sales leader and by what margin. I wonder if 1Q is accounted by the pounds or ton.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
woods', good point. I didn't know China contributed in proportion to their tobacco market to the pipe tobacco market, since they are so tied to cigarette manufacture, but maybe so. No telling, and no finding out, what their production and sales figures are. I don't think the Chinese culture has many pipe smokers, so most of that would be export, but they certainly do vast exporting. And I'm sure they will grow anything that sells, despite a disproportionately limited amount of tillable land on Chinese territory. If I am correct that there aren't many pipes smokers (or tobacco pipe smokers anyway) in China, I think that may reflect their associating it with English culture, and their long contest with the English surrounding the opium wars and trade in general. U.S. import of Chinese pipe tobacco might be knowable, but to other countries maybe not so much. The other largest population is India, and it had a long history with the British, and maybe pipe smoking took hold there to some extent, and I think they do grow some tobacco.
Does anyone know what the "Golden Cavendish" in 1Q is made of at base, Virginia or burley? I'm guessing Virginia because 1Q is so mild.

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,591
15,312
SE PA USA
China produces almost six times more tobacco than the US. Although pipe tobacco is a small part of the overall tobacco market on a world-wide basis, I have to believe that their annual production is still greater than that of the US.
Possible answers?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
woods, I bet there are some U.S. and European blenders who source from China who aren't mentioning it. I've seen mention of sourcing from Africa, Indonesia, and other places, but never China.
I went to SPC's listing on 1Q sold in bulk, and it gets one dot for strength, one for room note, and two for taste. It's a good beginner blend, and probably makes a good all-day smoke for nicotine sensitive people. It may not light you up, but it won't make you nauseous or make your gums burn either. And it may make you suddenly speak impeccable Mandarin, who knows?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Dipping into sub-categories, I'd guess Capt. Black, Borkum Riff, Sir. Walter, and Prince Albert are the pouch leaders, especially if we count all of the Capt. Black and Borkum Riff blends together, and both the SWR's. Half & Half might also be in the running. I don't think Granger is a contender, not any more, maybe in the past.

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,591
15,312
SE PA USA
My recollection is that in the US, Capt. Black is the largest selling brand, while 1Q is the largest selling tobacco (since it is sold under multiple brands).

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
One should take in account that people don't cellar 1Q as intensely as they cellar FVF and some other stuff. That might have some effect on the results

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I've had Clan, brought as a souvenir for me from Holland, and it wasn't bad, maybe a mite harsh, but flavorful. I don't see it sold in the U.S.

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
Not taking China into account, I would have said Captain Black for sure. It's available almost in each single country where you can find pipe tobacco (sometimes it's the only available option). Then, as woodsroad mentioned, China comes to the mind. Even English is the universal language, the sum of the native speakersof English with people who speak it as a second language is less than the native speakers of Mandarin. From that point of view, I can think about the pipe tobacco market of PRC or maybe they are not even smoking pipe tobacco as it's done in the Western world. Regarding the 1Q, most of the pipe smokers I've ever met from Eurasia never tried it before.

 

bonanzadriver

Can't Leave
Nov 28, 2016
476
6
According to the January 2017 Cap'n Black ad in P&C's catalog, they are America's top selling baccy.
As for China, an interesting side note, while I was taking the Dr. Grabow factory tour last month, the V.P. shared with us that the single largest consumer of their pipes were the Chinese. Seems that the vast majority of pipe smokers in China view the pipes as simply a "tobacco delivery device".
Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

 
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