What EU Blend Would You Like to Try?

[Chasing Embers]

it is drugstore stuff at its best.

Considering blends such as those are now more expensive than most "boutique" blends, they'll likely become more sought after in years to come due to the price versus quality mentality that many have. The price of a 7 ounce tin of Captain Black is now on par with 8oz Esoterica bags.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

A LOT of stuff. Try ordering Pfeifen Huber Virginia Golden Flake from Smoking Pipes, any of the Ascanian blends, any of the HU blends, etc, etc. Or, how about Rich Dark Flake by Germain's, as well as a number of G&H blends? There's a reason why people are ordering from Estervals.

So you can get it here? The question is not what I can't get off of Smoking Pipes.

 

[sablebrush52]

What is Estervals?

Estervals is a German tobacconist that ships to the US. These days it's pretty fast and reliable, which wasn't the case a few years ago. Even now, the occasional order runs afoul of US Customs, usually really large orders, but it's rare.

 

[sablebrush52]

So you can get it here? The question is not what I can't get off of Smoking Pipes.

No you can't get it here.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

No you can't get it here.

I am not trying to argue, and I don't think you are ignorant. I still have a hard time believing that I can't use a translator and buy off of any EU site. Is there really a legal restriction from mailing to the US? Am I the ignorant one? Enlighten my @sablebrush52

 

[Auxsender]

I

I am not trying to argue, and I don't think you are ignorant. I still have a hard time believing that I can't use a translator and buy off of any EU site. Is there really a legal restriction from mailing to the US? Am I the ignorant one? Enlighten my @sablebrush52

I think some shops in EU simply won’t ship to USA, regardless of the languages spoken. I believe Pfeifen Huber is one.

 

[mso489]

My tastes are so wide-ranging among the blends I can get in the U.S., and my backlog of interesting blends I haven't opened is deep, so I feel whiny pining for others. A Forums member sent me an unopened tin of Brown Sugar Flake that i understand is not regularly available here, and it was one of the best blends I've tried, so that is one.

I finally snagged a bulk order of GH&Co. Irish X, and with some hand grating to wake it up and get it to burn evenly, it is superior. I know there are some fine blends not available here, but I'm looking forward to a dozen or two blends right here in my cellar at home.

Any time I can avoid frustrations with customs is a happy day.

 

[sablebrush52]

I am not trying to argue, and I don't think you are ignorant. I still have a hard time believing that I can't use a translator and buy off of any EU site. Is there really a legal restriction from mailing to the US? Am I the ignorant one? Enlighten my @sablebrush52

The question was whether you can get them here, which is no, not whether you can buy them from here. That said, not all tobacconists will ship to the US, only a few, like Estervals, Pfeifen Depot, Synjeco or Motzek, will ship to the US. Most of the EU member nations have rules against exporting tobacco, so I'm not sure how Estervals does it, unless they paid some sort of licensing fees to be allowed to ship and were grandfathered in.

A few years back, a growing number of such Estervals shipments were seized by the USPS, citing Customs regulations, which Customs told me wasn't the case, and sending the orders back to Germany where they were impounded by German Customs and destroyed. I had one such shipment where that happened.

What has changed is that Estervals now uses DHL Express, so the shipment doesn't use US shipping at any point. Even then, you might have to answer questions from DHL and satisfy them that the transaction doesn't break any regulations, but that's rare. There's an element of chance to the whole thing.

While Estervals carries a wide assortment of blends, they don't carry all of them, Pfeifen Huber being an example. You have to know someone who can buy what you want from the shop in Munich and who is willing to mail it to you. A friend here, on the forum, who lives in Switzerland, did that for me, so now I have Virginia Golden Flake, which is one of my favorite blends.

It just depends of the whims of the various entities involved as to whether it will be smooth sailing or a shipwreck.

 

[kcghost]

None, really. If they have a brand I want and don't sell it here I just move on.

 

[Scottmi]

HU Flanagan.
and what @sablebrush52 said.

 

[pappymac]

The question was whether you can get them here, which is no, not whether you can buy them from here. That said, not all tobacconists will ship to the US, only a few, like Estervals, Pfeifen Depot, Synjeco or Motzek, will ship to the US. Most of the EU member nations have rules against exporting tobacco, so I'm not sure how Estervals does it, unless they paid some sort of licensing fees to be allowed to ship and were grandfathered in.

A few years back, a growing number of such Estervals shipments were seized by the USPS, citing Customs regulations, which Customs told me wasn't the case, and sending the orders back to Germany where they were impounded by German Customs and destroyed. I had one such shipment where that happened.

What has changed is that Estervals now uses DHL Express, so the shipment doesn't use US shipping at any point. Even then, you might have to answer questions from DHL and satisfy them that the transaction doesn't break any regulations, but that's rare. There's an element of chance to the whole thing.

While Estervals carries a wide assortment of blends, they don't carry all of them, Pfeifen Huber being an example. You have to know someone who can buy what you want from the shop in Munich and who is willing to mail it to you. A friend here, on the forum, who lives in Switzerland, did that for me, so now I have Virginia Golden Flake, which is one of my favorite blends.

It just depends of the whims of the various entities involved as to whether it will be smooth sailing or a shipwreck.

The order I placed with Estervals arrived at my doorstep six days after the order was placed and that included a weekend where it sat without any movement. This order contained 14 tins.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I’m not fully schooled on what is available there that I cannot access. But, when Jay @mawnansmiff first joined the forums, he sent me a package of Virginia Slices, which were a nice flake that was sold as an OTC tobacco in the UK. They were pretty good. I had never heard of them, nor do I hear anyone talk about them since. Maybe there are more like this?

 

[UB 40]

You enjoy that? :D sorry no offense but it is drugstore stuff at its best.

Try to get some kohlhase kopp tobacco for aros. I love 66 tobacco . I feel like Hercule poirot with it

I tried it 40 years ago and I remember it as a great tobacco. The planta version was a bad experience compared to that. But now it’s produced by Mac Baren and it’s told that this blend has improved almost to its old virtue.

 

[Raisedbands]

I thought I was pretty avant garde ordering (and receiving) a big box of assorted HU from Estervals last year. It was fingers crossed for 6-7 weeks after paying, but worked out. My favorites so far are Zulu and Director’s Cut. Excellent.

 

[Chris from Cigarworld]

You enjoy that? :D sorry no offense but it is drugstore stuff at its best.

Try to get some kohlhase kopp tobacco for aros. I love 66 tobacco . I feel like Hercule poirot with it

Not anymore. Planta has closed it's doors in 2018.
R&M is made now at Mac Baren and has gained so much in quality that it has become a real pleasent and easy to smoke blend. Give it a try again. Although, the brand suffers a lot from the bad reputation it once had.

 

[Chris from Cigarworld]

A LOT of stuff. Try ordering Pfeifen Huber Virginia Golden Flake from Smoking Pipes, any of the Ascanian blends, any of the HU blends, etc, etc. Or, how about Rich Dark Flake by Germain's, as well as a number of G&H blends? There's a reason why people are ordering from Estervals.

G&H are not available in Germany to date, but Samuel Gawith (at least from time to time). Although, Rich Dark Flake was never available outside UK. Maybe mixed some up a bit?

 

[UB 40]

G&H are not available in Germany to date, but Samuel Gawith (at least from time to time). Although, Rich Dark Flake was never available outside UK. Maybe mixed some up a bit?

At least Samuel Gawith is available. I bought a fresh tin of Cabbie’s Mixture just two weeks ago. But after two years of problems with delivering the stuff GH tobaccos are soon sold out again, the seller said.

 

[Chris from Cigarworld]

I

I think some shops in EU simply won’t ship to USA, regardless of the languages spoken. I believe Pfeifen Huber is one.

The Problem is, you must prevent to be really successful. When order volumes reach a certain level, US tax authorities will pay close attention. They might charge or even sue your company for not paying tobacco taxes. To be honest, it's a miracle to me how Esterval can do business like that for such a long time.

 

[Chris from Cigarworld]

At least Samuel Gawith is available. I bought a fresh tin of Cabbie’s Mixture just two weeks ago. But after two years of problems with delivering the stuff GH tobaccos are soon sold out again, the seller said.

True. The next shipment is scheduled for autumn this year. Our last shipment was sold within hours. The problem is, there is no shipping company that wants to dig to tobacco shipment legislation outside/inside the EU. So the distributers have to send Trucks on their own.

 

[pappymac]

The Problem is, you must prevent to be really successful. When order volumes reach a certain level, US tax authorities will pay close attention. They might charge or even sue your company for not paying tobacco taxes. To be honest, it's a miracle to me how Esterval can do business like that for such a long time.

True.
I keep my orders under $200 before shipping. The one order I had over that amount (about $250 total before shipping) spent four days sitting and waiting for Custom clearance.