Same Name But is the Recipe Different?

[Dutch09]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hello, quick question. I've noticed that different tobacco companies are putting out remakes of classic blends which have gone away. Are these different blends being put out or are they all from the same recipe? An example is SmokingPipes.com and PipesandCigars.com both putting out their version of Bengal Slices or Presbyterian Mixture. Are they the same? If not, does anyone have an opinion on which company puts out a more "original" blend more so than the other?

 

[litup]

I don't think Presbyterian ever went away. I think the parent company that owns it changed in the last year or two but it's supposedly being made the same way with the same equipment as before.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hello, quick question. I've noticed that different tobacco companies are putting out remakes of classic blends which have gone away. Are these different blends being put out or are they all from the same recipe?

They are recreations. Occasionally a recipe may be conveyed if the rights to a blend have been transferred, but that's not much of a help, except, possibly, for the toppings. The flavors of various tobaccos vary from year to year, from location to location, from grower to grower and so on. Many of the sources that a previous maker used are no longer available. The processing pipeline also plays a role, so if the pipeline changes, adjustments need to be made.
It comes down to the company's blender using existing samples of the target blend, his palette, knowledge of tobaccos, and interpretation of what the blend might have been when fresh, to create a close approximation.

 

[rmpeeps]

They are recreations. Occasionally a recipe may be conveyed if the rights to a blend have been transferred, but that's not much of a help, except, possibly, for the toppings. The flavors of various tobaccos vary from year to year, from location to location, from grower to grower and so on. Many of the sources that a previous maker used are no longer available. The processing pipeline also plays a role, so if the pipeline changes, adjustments need to be made.
It comes down to the company's blender using existing samples of the target blend, his palette, knowledge of tobaccos, and interpretation of what the blend might have been when fresh, to create a close approximation.

The pipelines are crucial.

 

[sasquatch]

I want to say that there's a fundamental difference between a vendor, like Pipes and Cigars, or Smokingpipes, and a blender, like, say Sutliff, offering something. If you buy Presbyterian Mixture from PnC, it's the same tin as you would buy anywhere else, previously made by Planta in Germany, now made in Denmark by Mac Baren. If you buy something called "Presbyterian Match" or "Orthodox Mixture" or somtehing like that, then that is a re-creation, a "best guess". In the case of the Dunhill blends, they have simply been rebranded as Peterson blends because reasons, but the blender is still the same (STG I believe). There are "match" blends by any number of sources, mimicry of the Dunhills (McConnell has a whole series out, so does Sutliff). But if you buy Presbyterian or Bengal Slices, that's what you are buying, no matter where it comes from.

 

[Casual]

I don't think Presbyterian ever went away. I think the parent company that owns it changed in the last year or two but it's supposedly being made the same way with the same equipment as before.

It didn’t go away, but I don’t think it’s being made with the same equipment. I thought Mac Baren moved all production of previous Planta blends to Denmark.

 

[mikestanley]

If you listen to the third installment of the conversations with Allan Schwartz (episode 312 IIRC) on the Pipesmagazine podacast, he gives some insight to the same blend going into different tins. It is well worth the listen IMHO.

My stepfather worked 30 summers at a Sherwin Williams paint mixing facility. He was a teacher and, many teachers worked summer jobs back then. The same paint was used to fill premium Sherwin Williams cans as was to fill K-Mart (or some other retailer) and other branded cans. The only difference was the label, and the price.

Mike S.

 

[condorlover1]

@Dutch09 In the case of Bengal Slices when we owned it and P&C distributed it I was told that Russ O got it spot on after dissecting several original unopened tins. I was at trade shows with Dan (woods road) one of the other directors of Standard Tobacco Company of PA and people would tell us that it was exactly the same as they remembered back in the day. I believe it was and still is one of P&C top selling niche tobaccos long after we were taken over by P&C. I hope that is of some help in answering part of your question.

 

[shanez]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hello, quick question. I've noticed that different tobacco companies are putting out remakes of classic blends which have gone away. Are these different blends being put out or are they all from the same recipe? An example is SmokingPipes.com and PipesandCigars.com both putting out their version of Bengal Slices or Presbyterian Mixture. Are they the same? If not, does anyone have an opinion on which company puts out a more "original" blend more so than the other?

I don't know about any of the originals or the blends you mention but I quite like Sutliff's Balkan Sobranie Original Mix, Troost, Ready Rubbed, and Victorian matches.

 

[jpmcwjr]

And I almost single handedly made Std. of PA's Bengal Slices just what Simon says above. It's damn good!

 

[condorlover1]

@jpmcwjr You are most kind. I know this going to sound odd but I think I probably only ever smoked a few bowls of the stuff. I know that Dan loved the stuff and you probably remember the poor German fellow at the Chicago Pipe Show story.