You couldn’t sample or even smell the tinned tobaccos beforehand unless someone you knew happened to buy one. It was a pig in a poke and if you didn’t like it, that was too bad, because you couldn’t return opened tins!
I was lucky enough, fifty years ago, to have a tobacconist who knew the tins from his experiences at the various annual shows where the manufacturers exposed him to their wares. I miss those brick and mortars staffed by knowledgeable people. He'd often come back, followed by shipments of tinned blends specially chosen for various customers to try. He and his two employees would always open a tin for a customer and for their own edification. I miss those days. I mentioned, didn't I, that I really miss my old neighborhood shop. He sold to a guy, a Texas oil patch transplant, who turned it into a cigar place. He promptly, took a second on his house and went broke in two years. It's been revived but, the owners are struggling with societal changes going around, fewer smokers, targeted taxes, etc.
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