Fairly new to the pipe but an observation about pipe community is that it seems to be obsessed about one or two specific blends/blenders even though most tobaccos taste almost the same if they have same ingredients. It is a bit amusing isnt it?
SP has Rattray's in stock
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Not sure I agree. It would be like saying that all wine is the same since the makers all use grapes. Or, all Coke drinkers should like Pepsi and Coke the same. There are distinct nuances (to my pallet) between different brands. What makes a bottle of red worth $300 vs a 20$ bottle? Is a 30 year old tin of Escudo worth $350? It all depends how much you chose to spend. Forcasted regulations, McClelland + Dunhill closing, cellaring and aging has created a shortage. It is what it is.
Yes Rectangle-dude....the buyout thing is a bummer. People are worried that the blends they like may be gone without notice (thank you McClelland’s),while others are simple speculators looking to resell (Esoterica) for a substantial profit.
It’s pretty easy to avoid both though and find blends that are well stocked and tasty.
It’s pretty easy to avoid both though and find blends that are well stocked and tasty.
It is amusing, but not because all blends pretty much taste the same. Flavors of Virginias vary a lot depending on where they're grown, as do other varietals. Brazilian Malawi doesn't taste like any other burley. On top of that, the processing style varies from maker to maker. Germain's Virginias taste nothing like McClelland's, but both exhibit a consistency of flavor within their range of house made blends. While there are a lot of blends that seem to be similar in flavors, there are also a lot of blends that are very different and in some cases, unique.
The notion that the pipe community is obsessive compulsive is well spotted. My personal belief is that it revolves around the psyhcopathy of scarcity, which creates an unnatural desire to obtain that which is scarce since, being scarce, it must be THE BEST. The simpler the mind, the stronger the grip of this particular mental illness. On the bright side, it's very beneficial to scalpers.
Escudo worth $350 for a 30 year old tin? Well, not to me it isn't. There isn't a blend I've tried that's worth that kind of money to me. With all the vintage tins I've bought whose contents had gone to hell in the tin, I think it's a sucker's bet. But I'm a sucker when it comes to ancient Britwood. So we all have different things about which we're completely and irredeemably stupid.
Shortage? What shortage? Oh, because SP ran out? BFD. There's a ton of just about whatever out in the wild. Call a B&M. So you pay a few bucks more. Steal your kid's lunch money. They'll just waste it on growing. You can afford it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's not worth it to me, but based off the prices I am seeing, somebody is buying it. We have collectors from China on this forum looking to buy aged product, prices on Fleabay are up around 2-300% in the past 2 years.
Is this a real shortage or is it Beanie Baby's? Time will tell. It is fascinating to observe. I think that pipe tobacco futures are a surer bet that the DJIA these days.
Is this a real shortage or is it Beanie Baby's? Time will tell. It is fascinating to observe. I think that pipe tobacco futures are a surer bet that the DJIA these days.
I Don't do this often, open a tin when it arrives in the mail. I generally like to age the tins for a minute. But Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream showed up at 10:45am. And I dug in. Wonderful Aromatic. Vanilla, Cinnamon, apricots, Plums, a little floral in the background. Wow. And the virginias are smooth. Oh! Soaking wet and didn't bite a bit.
In general, prices are out of hand but I can't really blame anyone for making hay while the sun shines. The rampant speculation on the resale market is a bit obnoxious but that's to be expected with increased scarcity around the corner...
I have a small stock of Marlin Flake and Hal of the Wynd that I was hoping to supplement with a few fresh tins but I don't think that will happen any time soon!
I have a small stock of Marlin Flake and Hal of the Wynd that I was hoping to supplement with a few fresh tins but I don't think that will happen any time soon!
As compared to what? Canada? The UK? It's still well less than a dollar per bowl.
We're spoiled here I think and unfortunately, if you think the prices are out of hand now, I suspect you're going to think they're gouging plus some in the coming months or years. When you consider all the farms that are closing or converting to cigarette tobacco (thus, material shortages) plus the demand for the product (top products sell out in minutes or a few hours), pending tariffs plus the never ending crap from the FDA and then factor in looming taxes on internet purchases, you ain't seen nothing yet. Pipe tobacco could easily double in cost in the next year or two.
I remember when cigarettes were 30 cents per pack. What are they now? $5 to $7? And that's here in the States. Buy a pack in Canada and see what they cost.
Buy now, pipe tobacco isn't going to get any easier to obtain and it certainly isn't going to get cheaper.
Agreed.
Buy now while you got these so called out of hand prices. Its not going to get better.
For perspective; a tin of Dunhill Flake at my BnM(in Vancouver) is $64, sure its in a square tin but at that price do I like it that much.
Hoosier, I was referring to the resale market such as consignment sales and eBay being out of hand.
I guess I didn't say it outright. I was basically responding to folanator's comment above.
I know that American pipe tobacco prices are probably the best in the world. It can only get worse from here on out...
I guess I didn't say it outright. I was basically responding to folanator's comment above.
I know that American pipe tobacco prices are probably the best in the world. It can only get worse from here on out...
Picked up some Hal, marlin in both tins and bulk and a ton of exotic from Mars. Can’t wait to try them.
Yes it is unsliced abest Brown. I’ll have to get a better knife. I had to work hard cutting it to fit into a wide mouth 32 oz jar.
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