I just bagged my SG tins in Mylar, 2 per bag. I didn’t check the seals, just assumed all needed protection. Light vacuum with food saver to keep the lids pressed to the tins.
Public Service Announcement re: Samuel Gawith tins
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I noticed this issue 2 years ago when I ordered a dozen FVF and Squadron. 80% with a broken seal. It's really sad finding your expensive product (I'm in Canada) bone dry and in an artless tin.
I just received my tins of Grousemoor this week. The tins were not sealed under the cellophane wrap around the tin. I wish I had taken a photo but one the tins actually had tobacco under the tins lid hanging out under the cellophane lol. All of the contents were dry and the aroma was very subdued. Maybe it is related to the lack of seal, maybe they used less "sauce" on this batch. Who knows. Batch number is 10-307
Got my order in from tobaccopipes.com and this was the first time I didn't find any broken seals. All 7 tins were sealed and the packing was excellent. I'm counting myself lucky
And again EVERY SINGLE TIN IS SEALED. EACH TIN GOES IN THE VACCUM SEALING MACHINE. Just because you do not have to tug the lid off does not mean it was not sealed. The new tins are a new design, have been specifically tested and seal well.
False. There's something wrong with the tins as they do not maintain the vacuum seal. Perhaps your machine is not functioning correctly, or your QA/QC people are not bothering to verify the tins are sealed.
You can continue to play ostrich and disavow what your customers are reporting across multiple forums, but the fact is the tins are not maintaining their seal, this condition is found on the majority of tins received in the last year, and your insistence that everything is operating as normal flies in the face of years of Samuel Gawith tins that mostly maintained their seal after years of setting on a shelf.
Not false at all and have addressed this issue a hundred times. The old tin manufacturer went out of business. We were strung a long for a long time by the tin importer and eventually managed to get replacements but these were not as strong tins and did not stand up as well to vacuum sealing. So after we used that batch up (and we have to buy the container load which is around half a million tins) we moved to a new supplier, whom we worked with and ensured the tins sealed, tested them and these are the tins now being used. So not playing ostrich to anything. We noted the issue and went out of our way to solve it. BUT again I will state we sell tobacco to be smoked, not this new trend of cellaring everything for years. If you want to do that then put in your own jars.
But you don't like the product, don't buy it. We can't keep up with demand as it is so don't want the tobacco being wasted on people that do not appreciate it is. And are only bothered about whether the tin is sealed and they ca age it for years.
But you don't like the product, don't buy it. We can't keep up with demand as it is so don't want the tobacco being wasted on people that do not appreciate it is. And are only bothered about whether the tin is sealed and they ca age it for years.
Damn straight!!!!!! Love G.H. Please keep doing what your doing, and I'll keep buying,
This is an interesting discussion, given that it reveals so much dissociation.
On the one hand there's consternation over tins not holding up because they SHOULD hold up because the tobacco needs aging to "improve" over years and years, long after it's purchased, VS the tins aren't supposed to hold up long term because the product is ready to smoke upon release. The tin may be sealed, but not with the intent that it will hold up long term. Short term, the contents will have extra water added to them to keep them from drying out white making their way through distribution and retail sales. A robust seal isn't needed. So Hoggarth's response is the same as Germaine's: stop faffing about.
Unlike some manufacturers in the US, Denmark, and Germany, who stick you with the maturing process, the better British blenders release a product that is already been aged to the point that they think it represents what they want their product to taste like. It's ready to go. Just pack a bowl and enjoy. Just stop by your tobacconists and pick up a tin.
All this talk about their products "needing" further aging to become "improved" are essentially an insult to the blenders, who have already done this. Stop "faffing about" and just smoke it.
On the other hand, you can't just stop by your neighborhood tobacconist because he closed up shop. The nearest tobacconist is 50 or 200, or 1,000 miles away. Maybe you can find some of these great blends on line, if they show up, which is not often, and where the piranha wipe the carcass clean in minutes. So actual distribution is not resembling in the least how it was 40 years ago.
People will buy in greater amounts to have some on hand, whether they are buying to age or not, because distribution is a fucking mess.
So what to do? End users, jar the tobacco or seal it up in Mylar if you like how it changes over time. It won't be what the blenders intended, but who cares. And if you don't care one way or the other about aging, just want to have some on hand to smoke when you feel like it do the same, jar or seal in Mylar.
Blenders? We love your creations. Conditions aren't what they used to be, it's unpredictable in the extreme, so going forward, how about recognizing this unpredictability, factoring it into your future packaging decisions, but no strong pressure seal can easily pried with fingers, let's be clear about that.
On the one hand there's consternation over tins not holding up because they SHOULD hold up because the tobacco needs aging to "improve" over years and years, long after it's purchased, VS the tins aren't supposed to hold up long term because the product is ready to smoke upon release. The tin may be sealed, but not with the intent that it will hold up long term. Short term, the contents will have extra water added to them to keep them from drying out white making their way through distribution and retail sales. A robust seal isn't needed. So Hoggarth's response is the same as Germaine's: stop faffing about.
Unlike some manufacturers in the US, Denmark, and Germany, who stick you with the maturing process, the better British blenders release a product that is already been aged to the point that they think it represents what they want their product to taste like. It's ready to go. Just pack a bowl and enjoy. Just stop by your tobacconists and pick up a tin.
All this talk about their products "needing" further aging to become "improved" are essentially an insult to the blenders, who have already done this. Stop "faffing about" and just smoke it.
On the other hand, you can't just stop by your neighborhood tobacconist because he closed up shop. The nearest tobacconist is 50 or 200, or 1,000 miles away. Maybe you can find some of these great blends on line, if they show up, which is not often, and where the piranha wipe the carcass clean in minutes. So actual distribution is not resembling in the least how it was 40 years ago.
People will buy in greater amounts to have some on hand, whether they are buying to age or not, because distribution is a fucking mess.
So what to do? End users, jar the tobacco or seal it up in Mylar if you like how it changes over time. It won't be what the blenders intended, but who cares. And if you don't care one way or the other about aging, just want to have some on hand to smoke when you feel like it do the same, jar or seal in Mylar.
Blenders? We love your creations. Conditions aren't what they used to be, it's unpredictable in the extreme, so going forward, how about recognizing this unpredictability, factoring it into your future packaging decisions, but no strong pressure seal can easily pried with fingers, let's be clear about that.
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I’ve only bought one recently, Sam’s Flake, it was not sealed at all, but the tobacco had regular gawith moisture. FWIW.
Lot’s of interesting points in this discussion.
Regardless of aging, etc. I personally do not think it’s an unreasonable expectation for the average pipe smoker to expect a tin to be well sealed. It’s been the industry standard, for lack of a better phrase, for decades.
I get that Gawith had issues with a recent batch of tins. Shit happens. As long as folks are made aware, and the issue gets fixed, no biggie.
But if the tin i bought three weeks ago is “fixed” then something is still wrong.
Regardless of aging, etc. I personally do not think it’s an unreasonable expectation for the average pipe smoker to expect a tin to be well sealed. It’s been the industry standard, for lack of a better phrase, for decades.
I get that Gawith had issues with a recent batch of tins. Shit happens. As long as folks are made aware, and the issue gets fixed, no biggie.
But if the tin i bought three weeks ago is “fixed” then something is still wrong.
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I stopped trying to find Gawith tobacco, but it is not because I do not like it.
It used to be very easy to find, and I could buy as needed any time I liked. I bought much more then, compared to a brief period of time when I tried chasing it down during scarcity to buy in bulk.
Now I don't buy any at all. And I do not recommend it to other people, as I once did. It's just not worth the hassle.
It shouldn't be a surprise that people (your fans, customers, cheerleaders) want a tin to be sealed if they have to buy enough to last a year or two because it will be that long before they'll get a chance to buy it again, because the supply chain is a mess. Tobacco is expensive enough to avoid wastage.
Glad to hear that you've got plenty of customers to lose! That's a mighty position to be in, if it lasts.
Hear me out!!! I deliver for Fed-Ex as a personal contractor. I've seen anything you can think of when it comes to a package (Not getting into details). The only way to really insure you get a decently treated item is buy getting it straight from the person and place its made.
Any time an item is placed in the care of third party or party's, I can assure its not being treated with the care the business that sold it or the person who is buying it would be treating it with. Even if you get it from a local B&M, it's still handled by more then just that store. The company selling the stuff might believe the product was perfect when it leaves them. But just time and handling of an item multiple times can really damage the integrity of a certain item, especially if the item or packaging was subpar do begin with.
With all that said, the way S.G. G.H. sell out so fast, I'm sure 50,000 tins go pretty quick. So maby instead of being quick to blame the business, especially one that has history of being reliable. We factor in the unpredictability of humans and human made items and materials.
Any time an item is placed in the care of third party or party's, I can assure its not being treated with the care the business that sold it or the person who is buying it would be treating it with. Even if you get it from a local B&M, it's still handled by more then just that store. The company selling the stuff might believe the product was perfect when it leaves them. But just time and handling of an item multiple times can really damage the integrity of a certain item, especially if the item or packaging was subpar do begin with.
With all that said, the way S.G. G.H. sell out so fast, I'm sure 50,000 tins go pretty quick. So maby instead of being quick to blame the business, especially one that has history of being reliable. We factor in the unpredictability of humans and human made items and materials.
Rachel, you know what they say about wrestling with pigs…
Just a couple of points :
1.AGAIN every tin is sealed and a tin you bought 3 weeks ago could very well be of the older batch given the large number of tins in a batch AND the time it takes to get product across to America and then distributed.
2. The supply chain is a 100 times better than it was, now we are working with Laudisi and there is far more tobacco being shipped and more regularly and it is something we are actively working on.
3. Tins are expensive to produce and pack and come with many additional issues. So yes we constantly look at packaging and hence why we now have new tray sealed packaging.
1.AGAIN every tin is sealed and a tin you bought 3 weeks ago could very well be of the older batch given the large number of tins in a batch AND the time it takes to get product across to America and then distributed.
2. The supply chain is a 100 times better than it was, now we are working with Laudisi and there is far more tobacco being shipped and more regularly and it is something we are actively working on.
3. Tins are expensive to produce and pack and come with many additional issues. So yes we constantly look at packaging and hence why we now have new tray sealed packaging.
Fair enough. I would assume it was one of the older batch then and look forward to sealed tins now that the issue has been addressed. I’m also glad to hear that distribution may be improving as well. Thanks!
I often wonder the percentage of GH smokers v GH dabblers.
The GH&Co. sealed/unsealed tin bitchfest continues...
When I used to buy my meats at the grocery store, I kept them in the saran wrapped styrofoam trays in my pantry... but the meat kept rotting. You'd think that these grocers could make a sealed saran wrapped styrofoam container that permanently retards rot, I'll never buy any meat from those bastards again, but I digress...
Obviously I jest... but if long term storage is your goal, then take the time to store your product properly. And even if your tobacco dries out, in most cases (99.89%) it can be rehydrated. Do you think manufacturers have giant vacuum sealed containers to hold tobacco while waiting to be processed?
I think the manufacturer has stated their position clearly, and if you can't wrap your brain around that then go buy something else. I'm sure the 6-7 "customers" that they lose here won't have them up worrying nights.
There isn't a big push in the consumer foods sector to preserve foods until the sun goes Red Giant... so I'd hardly expect that the tobacco industry would follow suit, especially on what thin margins they probably operate.
When I used to buy my meats at the grocery store, I kept them in the saran wrapped styrofoam trays in my pantry... but the meat kept rotting. You'd think that these grocers could make a sealed saran wrapped styrofoam container that permanently retards rot, I'll never buy any meat from those bastards again, but I digress...
Obviously I jest... but if long term storage is your goal, then take the time to store your product properly. And even if your tobacco dries out, in most cases (99.89%) it can be rehydrated. Do you think manufacturers have giant vacuum sealed containers to hold tobacco while waiting to be processed?
I think the manufacturer has stated their position clearly, and if you can't wrap your brain around that then go buy something else. I'm sure the 6-7 "customers" that they lose here won't have them up worrying nights.
There isn't a big push in the consumer foods sector to preserve foods until the sun goes Red Giant... so I'd hardly expect that the tobacco industry would follow suit, especially on what thin margins they probably operate.
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For those that are bitching, more for the rest of us. And send me all those "opened" tins asap. And all the ones doused with PG ! LOL