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NookersTheCat

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 10, 2020
180
524
I'll repeat myself:
It bears repeating (for the umpteenth time): your own backyard may not even be representative of the average back yard, nor as big as you think it is, especially when you're only looking at your own backyard, or you aren't even aware of just how many backyards exist or where they exist.

The viability is far more complicated than just 2,000 lbs of a specialized blend being sold out quickly, especially considering part of it's quick sale is due to collectors jumping on it partly because "limited run" (built-in "prestige" value to collectors/enthusiasts that doesn't matter to the majority of people).
I understand all that but neither of us have the numbers so we're both speculating. But to me it just seems like the same kind of short sighted thinking as spending money on buying back stock shares with debt instead of investing in operations.

I mean, it's kinda like a beer company in Antarctica saying "We have this whole different country that's our most profitable market. They produce all the raw ingredients right next door to where they process it and produce the beer and consume it in the most profitable fashion. And while the rest of the world prefers Antarctic-Lite which has slim margins, they prefer craft brews which have high margins AND they're already set up to produce them. They have a few complications and inefficiencies. So instead of correcting those, obviously let's just shut them down completely, pay to ship all the raw materials halfway across the world, only produce Antarctic-Lite, and then tell them drink our Antarctic-Lite or piss off" lol

Like, you mention different backyards... the fact that place was already "In our backyard" IS the point I'm trying to make lol

Idk, time will tell which of our speculations is right I suppose. And in whose perspective...
 
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telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
Um, should we follow your lead and bitch about people bitching instead of just bitching about the closure of Sutliff ? Sutliff is closing shop. People are going to bitch. You are making the choice to bitch about the bitching.
That's interesting logic. You get to "bitch" because it's your God-given right, on a thread that was already previously shut down because the bitching went too far - as it always does. This thread was reopened so people could converse with Leonard. If you want to bitch, open up a bitching thread. If this thread is closed again, I doubt it will reopen, and all the bitches will have succeeded in shutting down another thread - because they wanted to be heard. Many of us don't give a damned about the bitching. None of us like what is happening, but many of us do care to learn more from the horse's mouth and could care less what a bitcher has to say - especially given that bitchers know noting of value and only want to be the loudest loud mouths in the room. Please, open another thread, label it for bitching, and move on. @cosmicfolklore and @sablebrush52 have each made it clear - buy what you can. The deed is done. But why in God's earth come to a thread set up for serious questions and answers from someone who can provide answers and then clog it up with the hot air best reserved for a pug's saliva filled mouth.
 
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Jan 30, 2020
2,349
7,741
New Jersey
I'll repeat myself:
It bears repeating (for the umpteenth time): your own backyard may not even be representative of the average back yard, nor as big as you think it is, especially when you're only looking at your own backyard, or you aren't even aware of just how many backyards exist or where they exist.

How much of that small batch was bought by what percentage of the overall market? Was all that 2,000-2500 lbs bought by just 2% of the visible and vocal community? How does that 2500 lbs compare to how many pounds of 1-Q is sold in the overall market?
Even with the mass buying, the usual suspects still reign the best seller list on SPC. If the mass panic buying doesn't crack a blend into the top 25 seller list, it at least makes you raise an eyebrow to either how much those popular blends sell online or how little the ones being cut sell (at least from a single, though popular, outlet).
 
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NookersTheCat

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 10, 2020
180
524
Even with the mass buying, the usual suspects still reign the best seller list on SPC. If the mass panic buying doesn't crack a blend into the top 25 seller list, it at least makes you raise an eyebrow to either how much those popular blends sell online or how little the ones being cut sell (at least from a single, though popular, outlet).
True but this is also partial information. Most of the desired blends (Esp HH) have been sold out for a couple weeks already and what's brought back in stock may not be enough to start with to compete with the rest of C&D's stock at this point.
 
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telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
Then, you’ve not tasted good homegrown. But, you’re allowed you opinions, albeit wrong.
LOL. Every home brewer and wine maker I've ever known believes their own creation is the best. That is their right of course. It doesn't mean they are in fact right. I simply haven't tasted a home made tobacco that for me reaches the level of excellence of say, Pembroke, let alone Prince Albert. But that's me. I am happy to accept that people who home grow their own feel differently. And I hope they would. It's a lot of work to make your own product and my hat's off to everyone who does indeed do so. I applaud their efforts and actually believe that there is great value in them doing so. This is how innovation and improvements occur to the industry overall. These home growers are valuable and we need more of them. Personally, I think if their were venues opened to them where they could share their products with other growers and smokers, we would see them be able to improve their products even more.
 
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paulfg

Lifer
Feb 21, 2016
1,637
3,119
Corfu Greece
In that case can you with any specificity inform us as to what will and will not exist in the EU markets? That primarily means Germany since the rest of us situated in the EU get scraps.
good question,
I live in Greece.I just looked at the limited choice available here and every one except Davidoff and clan are mcbaren or stg products.I dont know who makes Davidoff or clan.

After the cut ,if it is similar to US then we have F ALL left,at least in the US you will still have C&D ,Pease plus the remaining blends from small blenders.
Good job there isnt a single STG/McBaren product in my small cellar.If G&H/S Gawith went away then I would be f*cked (it is hard enough for me to get it via friends visiting as it is)
 
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lazar

Can't Leave
May 5, 2015
469
93
ON TOPIC....

@leonardw -- a couple of questions:

1. Am I correct that the MacBaren/Sutliff bloodbath is only the first phase of this blend cull? Meaning many STG-made blends are also heading for the chopping block? Any idea when we'll know what they are?

2. Yesterday someone posted an email from Mac Baren confirming that they make the John Aylesbury blends for Kopp. Do they make others, or does STG, and does this mean that Kopp's portfolio of blends is also about to crash and burn?

Thanks.
 
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AroEnglish

Rehabilitant
Jan 7, 2020
5,194
15,301
#62
This requires a bit of a history lesson that starts with Peter Stokkebye. STG had always produced the Stokkebye blends in DK, and sometime around the early 2000s (maybe earlier) STG purchased the brand.

Prior to 2011, the Peter Stokkebye brand was distributed in the U.S. by a company called Villiger-Stokkebye. When STG purchased Lane Limited from Reynolds in 2011, we now had a U.S. presence, so distribution shifted from Villiger-Stokkebye to Lane. Villiger-Stokkebye is now just Villiger.

In 2011 Villiger went to Mac Baren and asked them to attempt to recreate the Stokkebye blends. Hence the Newminster brand was born. It was always an attempt duplicate the Stokkeybe portfolio and only intended for the U.S. market.
So what's the PS blend that Newminster 400 was trying to copy?
 

NookersTheCat

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 10, 2020
180
524
I have a question for Leonard. Why did STG buy sutliffe and Mac Baren at all?
Just to discontinue most of their blends?
What exactly does STG get out of this?
He's said previously... it was 'because STG is the only company of scale that still cares about pipe smokers anymore and saving our cherished heritage blends (yanno, like creme brulee and vanilla loose-cut) and to ensure the future stability of the pipe smoking hobby/community...'

The beatings shall continue until morale improves... 😂 😜
 
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