The Standard Tobacco Co Of PA At The WG Pipe Club

[papipeguy]

My understanding is that the STC blends will be available to all e-tailers and B&M's. Good news all around.

 

[prairiedruid]

They did say at one point that P&C would be where it first would be sold.

 

[andystewart]

To my mind the War Horse and the JC Mild are definite winners. If the War Horse plug is slightly stronger, tastier version of the loose cut then I don't think they'll be able to keep up with demand.
Andy

 

[woodsroad]

"does this mean they will only be available at P & C?"

The Standard blends will be distributed by the wholesale arm of P&C, so retailers across the US will be able to stock it!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I smoked some War Horse today and thought it was quite good, albeit not quite as stout as I was expecting. I did not feel the presence of Our Lady of N, but then I seldom do.
This summed it up aptly for me:

Nice Robust strong flavor, Easy on the tongue, lighter than expected with a bit of spice, The Kentucky stands out with some subtle spicy and sweet contrasts.

 

[jkrug]

Red and black of course the 'War Horse' colors. Its the ultimate posing pouch to put your 'War Horse' in and impress your friends!

Well played sir!! :clap:

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Smoking more of the War Horse now. This reminds me of Peter Heindrich Dark Strong Flake - I get a bit of anise flavour in the background and a mild maple and chocolate taste. It's a very strong blend.

 

[saltedplug]

What's the point of making WH not in all ways dark and strong? That's how it's always been made. What concerns me is that the ready rubbed's moderate nicotine bodes ill for the plug in the same way that Condor was apparently scaled back, both in flavor and nicotine when that Japanese corporation took over a half-dozen years back. I may not get what I want, perhaps because I don't deserve it, but I immediately cried hurray given the recent news of Standard's movement toward full production. Now I am more cautious.

 

[woodsroad]

Mike, have no fears.
War Horse Bar is currently under development and it will have a kick on it like Carli lloyd. We would have preferred to bring out the plug before the loose cut, but it just didn't work out that way. The world doesn't always follow my direct orders, and someday it will pay for it's errant ways, but for now we just have to roll with it and enjoy the cornucopia that is laid before us.

 

[johnnyreb]

We were planning on thong!

Red and black of course the 'War Horse' colors.

Who will be the first to revive Dave's ol' thread?
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pipe-hunks

 

[shanelktown]

I don think these blends being Penzanced would be an issue because these blends are being made by pipe smokers for the other pipe smokers. As long as resources allow Dan and company will make sure to keep these things available to us.

 

[misterlowercase]

What's the point of making WH not in all ways dark and strong? That's how it's always been made.

I feel the same way,

but what it is is what it is.
The initial iteration of WH R/R should have perhaps been called Battle Pony because it doesn't really check the big bad 'n bold War Horse boxes.
I smoked a bit of an old Gallaher's WH bar,

and I agree wholeheartedly with Jason's review...

If this plug had been created by a woodcarver and put on display, I would call it art - I would hail that craftsman as a master! I have spent many hours just looking at this plug and lamenting the passing of such exquisite craftsmanship in the preparation of fine tobacco, even though this was originally what you over the pond would call an OTC. OH! For the days when the everyday and mundane was done with pride and care!!!
I have just wallowed in ownership of this plug. Absorbed its glossy sheen. Been tantalised by its hidden promise. Been terrified by its reputation, wondering am I man enough. But, ultimately, I suppose, worried by its potential to disappoint.
This plug has been around for many years, in heaven only knows what conditions it's been kept before landing through my letter box. Would it be a limp and pale reflection of its former glory? A sad and bitter disappointment after all the expectation I have heaped on it? Could it live up to promises it never even made? Had it seen better days?
So, for the past few months I've been looking and pondering. Late at night as I try to sleep I imagine I hear the muffled snarle of this caged animal discontented in its confinement. If it could get its paws on me it would show me what for. In the mornings, I open my draw just to check it's still there in its jar and not waiting to leap out massacre me at the breakfast table before I've had a chance to have at least one last strong coffe.
This is how I have been thinking about this plug. I'm curious, excited, cautious, but ultimately terrified of its potential or possibly it's complete lack of potential.
So, anyway, the day came. I'd been busy, cutting wood being manly, and I felt emboldened. As I cut and split wood the notion just appeared and solidified. Today was the day. Once I'd done the work (to my mind, anyway), I washed-up, got clean and calm. Out with the heavy chopping board, and clean the cleaver. Retrieve the plug from it isolation in the bottom draw.
Why the cleaver? This is, without a doubt, the most solid, dense, impregnable plug of tobacco I have ever come across. Put this in a sock and swing it around your head and you have a lethal weapon. Load up a caterpault and this thing would make mince meat of an angry bull elephant. If I'd had something bigger, I'd have used it. No Katana in the house so cleaver it was.
I have never enjoyed shaving a plug so much as I have this one - because it's so rare - because I am a very lucky fellow - because I'm about to try something very very few people will now get a chance to try. I cut enough for one bowl. Why get greedy? Plenty of time for more? I've been patient thus far, let's not spoil it at the finish, eh?
I had a couple of nice slices, fairly even. Still had my fingers including the tips! Success. I was going to cube cut it, but given its potential strength I thought I'd rub it out. Also, this, while reasonably rehydrated, was still some solid lumps of tobacco, and I didn't want to be battling to light it and keep it lit. The slices were very dark, but had some lovely mahogany streaks in them, more towards the centre of the slices - you may notice that in the pictures. When rubbed out, the lighter colours were more obvious, and while reassuring, this was still very much a very, very dark tobacco. I assumed from age, though maybe it was quite dark to start with.
There was little to no noticeable aroma from this, at least not holding it some way from the face, as you can with a freshly opened tin. Up close and personal there was the remnants of a tobacco smell. It would once have been a deep, earthy, moist aroma - now it was faint, it hinted at past glory. This did not bode well. I thought this was going to be a disappointment. My spirits sank.
I loaded my pipe. The instrument of choice was a venerable old pre- Republic Pete I'd picked up in a junk shop and restored. It had to be a Peterson, as this was a tobacco made by the quintessential Irish tobacco manufacturers. Nothing else would do. Also, had to be a straight, not a system, so that I got the full experience of this tobacco. So, pipe loaded. Teapot ready. Off to the greenhouse.
I did a charring light - literally 2-3 short puffs holding the match over the tobacco, and then put the pipe down to rest. Remember, gently does it, patience. Held the smoke in my mouth, then exhaled through my nose slowly, hardly daring to acknowledge the sensations. Thin wispy smoke, from tiny, pathetic puffs. Even so, I was expecting a buzz-saw to my nostril; to fold over in agony as this animal ripped my membranes from my face and danced on them, leering at me all the while for my impertinence of daring to think I was man enought to challenge it.
It was sublime.
I had to take stock, as I was a little shocked. I sipped some tea. I sniffed the air - pleasant aroma - nothing over powering. My face was still intact. Nose where it should be. This is good. Though I must admit to being disappointed at not getting to be wheeled into causality and people shaking their heads at the folly of my actions, while secretly thinking how bold I was to tackle WARHORSE. Dreamland again! I didn't even contemplate the flavours of the tobacco at this point. Sadly, that moment is gone for good, and I missed it completely.
So I went for the main light, fully expecting it to spring on me and maul me. What I got was just the smoothest smoke I have ever tasted. This stuff was silk. Absolutely NO harshness, no kick, no surge of acidity, no miscreant behaviour of any type. It took light easily and evenly (more by chance than any design on my part). I sipped gently. Deep, rich, lustrous taste. Smooth, smooth, smooth. Denseness like I really can't describe. If all other tobaccos had a depth of flavour akin to sand falling through your fingers, this was like rich, vital, loamy soil fresh after a summer shower.
The smoke was thick, and clung to my mouth.
This has been compared to the mighty condor. PAH!!!! Condor plug is king in my book - the smoke is dense and fragrant. - the flavour is beyond anything else you will ever smoke. But, and I don't say this lightly: Condor Plug is the weak, skinny, sickly, but handsome, younger brother of Warhorse,. This is smoking the very earth we walk on. Smoking this I felt I should be striding majestically and purposefully across the land, in search of adventure, fearing nothing, and everything fearing me (albeit I would be a kindly tyrant).
This does not have Condors fragrance, or the oft maligned "Lakeland" (however you define it). This is no aromatic. This is TOBACCO - pure and simple and strong........but, oh, so smooth. If this were personified it would be a medieval knight, vicious, courageous, strong, resilient, but gentle and charming in female company. It is manly in the right way. It has strength, depth of character, resolve, but knows how to use it. It doesn't bully or flaunt itself. It is humble, unassuming, reassuring, companionable.
Back to the smoke. I won't say I didn't relight, or that I smoked it all the way down in only two lights. I took it gently and let the tobacco dictate the pace. Sipped tea. Pondered. Let the tobacco die gracefully. Relit as and when needed and progressed at a leisurely pace. As I did so, I noticed more in the taste. A lovely pepperiness developed and got more prominent the further down the bowl I smoked. It complimented the main pure strong tobacco taste excellently - neither overpowering or dominating the other. The smoke was full and rich. It was like a liquid merangue that had managed defy gravity and flow upward. Every puff was exhaled nasally - no harshness - even to the bottom of the bowl.
I spent a good hour in my little patch of heaven. I concluded that this tobacco is the old, world weary tom cat curled up contentedly in front of a glowing fire on a cold and wet winters evening having done his days prowling. He will let you rub his ears. Tickle his tummy. Revel in his soft, fur warmed by the fire.
BUT, make no mistake, this battered, unassuming old moggy has the DNA and heritage of his ancestress, and living wild cousins. He has claws, and by heck are they sharp, penetrating and lethal when taken unawares - it's in his very nature. Why do I say this? Well, having finished the bowl, and glowing in the hour of bliss I had just experienced. Having had all hopes and expectations surpassed bar one, I was feeling a little smug, maybe, a little off guard.
I had misjudged my new friend. It had beguiled me like the Sirens of old. I was doomed. I was in love. But the price was heavy - the claws were out. I stood up to go indoors and that's when I was pounced upon.
I have smoked for 29 years. First pipe at 14. Since then I smoked players navy cut, Sweet Afton, senior service, and all sorts of pipe tobaccos, and cigars. Now only pipes and the occasional cigar. Never, and I repeat, never, have I been buzzed by nicotine, or felt Ill. Until now. I actually had to go lie down for approximately 40 minutes - my stomach churned, my head swam. I'm still not sure how I made it indoors, but I did. I have never encountered nicotine like it. Amazing. Wonderful. The kick in the head I had been expecting initially. The beating I saw coming but then forgot about during the smoke. This was no chivalrous knight, this was a marauding Norse God, come to wreak havoc on a mere mortal who had dared to look him in the eye. He strode majestically across the universe while I meekly looked on and thanked my gods that he was moving away from me now.
I put the plug back in the jar and sealed it. Small bowled pipes from now on. After a meal fit for a condemned man, and then a bit more just to be sure.
So, the smoothest, richest, flavourful smoke I have experience, but with a kick to knock you into the middle of the 19th century. Maybe I'm hyping it, because a lot of to is about time, place, expectations, etc, etc, plus the exclusivity of the tobacco. Maybe not. All I know is that this is a beautiful plug, a wonderous smoke, a sublime taste, but a cruel mistress, for the unprepared.
Condor is still King - but only in the modern world, and because of longevity - in another time, Warhorse would be undefeated. It was named well. If I could, this would be my smoke de jour. for now, I have 1 and a half plugs of this in my meager cellar. But, I am a rich man for having it. It will be wheeled out sparingly, when I want to celebrate, commiserate, or simply reaffirm my own fragile mortality.

Due to the fact that the current stuff is a heritage Gallaher brand,

I feel that it must be held in close scrutiny against the original,

since it bears the name, it must bear the comparison.
That said,

the STP WH is a fine tobacco in and of itself.

I think it's more suited for puffing (appreciating the flavor) as opposed to smoking ( feeling deep meditative effects of Lady N), and in that area it shines as a flavorsome delicacy.
I respect STP and therefore must be frankly honest here.
My biggest disappointments are:
too mild

&

lack of body

&

American flavor profile
...the addition of perique is questionable as it alters the profile from traditional Irish into something else altogether.
The burley seems to be of American origin and carries that intense nuttiness associated suchwise, and it's delicious, but like the perique, it alters the profile more toward an American blend rather than an Irish one --- African burley would fit much better and be more true to the original incarnation.
I'm greatly looking forward to the plug and I have very high hopes.
I do hope that steam is involved and it isn't just simply pressed.
All in all,

I'm excited about what STP is doing and I wish them much success.
::

 

[peteguy]

The world doesn't always follow my direct orders, and someday it will pay for it's errant ways, but for now we just have to roll with it and enjoy the cornucopia that is laid before us.

:rofl: :rofl:
So true.

 

[woodsroad]

Troy, thank you for the review. I always appreciate your ability to put things in historical context and to give the reader a fresh perspective on the here and now by looking backwards through the prism of the past.
In comparing the pre-production sample of War Horse Loose Cut that you smoked to a vintage sample of War Horse Bar, however, you are comparing apples to oranges. War Horse Loose Cut, when it was available, was a different animal than the bar. We've done our best, given the constraints of not having a contemporary sample to "match", to deliver a blend, rich and flavorful, worthy of the War Horse name that once graced the OTC pouches in many a gentleman's vest pocket. It is not War Horse Bar, nor was it intended to be. War Horse Bar will return in short order, and it will be as close to the "original" (at a given point in it's long history and varied incarnations) as possible. Your points on leaf composition are also well taken. Just as we have been guided by the critical input of many other pipe smokers over the course of this project, your observations will help us to shape our blends as we move towards production.
Thanks.

 

[condorlover1]

Troy as soon as our technical section get through with the process I will see that you are the first to receive our proto type bar composed of coal dust, nicotine and hedge clippings compressed and steamed in a Streuben Stream Press. Get back to me to see if thats got the necessary rush you are looking for in a plug. :rofl:

 

[misterlowercase]

... you are comparing apples to oranges.

Comparing one thing to another based on fundamental similarities is a good thing.
However, comparing one thing to another based on superficial similarities or while ignoring fundamental dissimilarities that matter is a problem, and that problems name is false analogy (apples to oranges).
It is not logical to compare two things that are different in important ways,

but it is logical to compare two things that are supposed to be the same.
War Horse is supposed to be War Horse.
Period.
If War Horse was an apple,

why did you make an orange?
It would be a completely different discussion if the baccy in question was named Mr. Ed's Limp-Wristed Loose Cut and I could appreciate it as an entity unto itself, but that is not the case, the baccy is named War Horse and as such is under obligation to be War Horse, anything else is simply a crass exploitation or an outright misrepresentation.
Is it not?

War Horse Loose Cut, when it was available, was a different animal than the bar.

Loose Cut was never available.
However,

prove me wrong with some evidence and I will concede.
So not only is the baccy a false pretender,

it has a historically inaccurate cut,

a typical American bastardization.
Such details do matter.
A name is a name for a reason,

and to disrespect and do a disservice to a name as mythically important as War Horse,

is pretty close to heresy in my book.
I am passionate about these things,

thus the intense scrutiny.
This 1931 advert is too small to read...

...but,

here's a partial transcript,

with the emphasis in bold:

RICH DARK HONEYDEW

A specially selected long lasting Rich Dark Virginia tobacco.
RICH DARK , READY RUBBED

The same tobacco , rubbed ready for the pipe.
TWO FLAKES

A high-class scientific blend of the best of tobaccos.
ARMY & NAVY PLUG

(Also obtainable in cut form.)

The best Plug in its class.
IRISH

One of the first famous Gallaher tobaccos.
WRESTLER PLUG

(Also obtainable in cut form.)

An old favourite Plug tobacco with long lasting qualities.
WAR HORSE BAR

A full bodied blend.

A man's smoke.
WAR HORSE READY CUT

The same tobacco conveniently cut , ready for the pipe.



REINDEER COIL

A brand that has been popular since Gallaher started.
GALLAHER (DUBLIN) LTD.,

VIRGINIA HOUSE ,

EAST WALL.

DUBLIN E.1137

War Horse was only available as a bar,

and as ready cut,

aka cut plug aka sliced plug aka square cut,

it was never available as a "loose cut",

and even if it perhaps was,

it most certainly wouldn't be much different from the bar,

why would it be?

War Horse Bar will return in short order, and it will be as close to the "original" (at a given point in it's long history and varied incarnations) as possible.

I do hope so.
I will be interested in seeing how the bar comes out,

but this initial fumble has dampened my enthusiasm.
If the bar is farmed out to Scandinavian Tobacco Group to be manufactured in Denmark to specification,

I will actually be quite excited.
::

 

[woodsroad]

Pardon my error, the blend will be sold as "ready cut"

As for the rest of your plaint, I'm sorry that our efforts have disappointed you so resoundingly. You can return your unfinished portion for a full refund.

 

[misterlowercase]

Pardon my error, the blend will be sold as "ready cut"

As stated earlier,

the term "ready cut" is synonymous with the terms "cut plug","sliced plug", "square cut", et alia.
It don't connotate "ready rubbed".
It was a pretty major mistake right out of the gates by choosing to release a ready rubbed version,

and illustrates a lack of effort for historical accuracy,

as well,

the strength quotient displays a general misunderstanding of what War Horse actually was.

You can return your unfinished portion for a full refund.

I have already returned it,

to the dustbin from whence it came.
The refund is unnecessary,

I paid in blood.
:!:

 

[woodsroad]

We appreciate your helpful suggestions, Troy!

 

[warren]

Historical accuracy? Hysterical accuracy? They own the trademark and can release what they wish. Heck, they can market "War Horse" cigarettes, cigars, thongs or automobiles.
I'll be trying each as new blends, albeit assaying to replicate the originals to some degree. I do not recall reading anywhere, I may have missed some posts, a claim that these new blends are identical to an Aug of 19?? pouch or tin of the original. These three intrepids are simply trying to revive an old trademark with a blend, using today's tobaccos, which comes as close to the original as they can. For that they should be applauded for taking the risk, both financial and personal as opposed to being excoriated.