Secrets Revealed: Bulk Blends

[pcfdave]

Context. This continues from the “last bowl thread.” I would love to hear from former employees and store blenders. I’ve always assumed more exotic tobaccos and brands were used to blend renamed store blends (I.e. McClelland tobaccos and thus the end of some of the store blends because of McClelland’s end). But I have been brought into the light. Thus my questions. 1. What brands do store use to blend their bulk branded blends? 2. Do you think branded bulk blends should be required to be some kind of true “blend” of some tobaccos thus having them be truly unique to each store? Thanks for any answers.

 

[paulfg]

I have always thought that the majority of store blends in the US were just renamed Lane or sutcliffe blends (from what I have read on here)
Their are of course some blends which I dont know if you would class as store blends ,probably not.Watch City,KBV etc who I assume source there own tobacco and blend them but I am guessing the tobacco is processed by someone like Sutcliffe.

this is all a guess as I look from across the pond

 

[warren]

My original tobacconist helped customers create preferred blends and then provided some of them for sale to his customers blend. They were named after the cusomer, "Stoney's Blend", "Warren's Blend" and so forth, ala Dunhill.. He also used some Lanes and such again, rebranded with a name associated with Alaska ... "Mount McKinley", "Knick River" and so forth. I was told tobacco retailers across the country did similar.

 

[orvet]

Having managed a small chain of three pipe shops for about 10 years and having worked in two or three other stores, they mostly just renamed bulk tobaccos from Lane Ltd, PS, and McClellan. But this was during the 1980s, I know the industry has changed substantially since then. McClellan for example is gone and with it some very nice blends.
The best selling blend in the 1980s seem to be Lane's 1Q which was the same blend as Captain Black Blue. Most shops I knew in the 1980s carried 1Q but with their own name for it. It became popular enough that many customers knew that most shops carried it and we were often asked for Lane's 1Q by name.
We did carry some tobaccos that were Blended in house, but they were never big sellers because they were usually made for a very select clientele, such as English blend smokers.