What Happened To Tsuge?

[Snook]

I was reminiscing today about the beginning of my pipe smoking journey and the pipes and blends that I started out with. I remember my first online order of several tins included a couple from Tsuge, a Japanese company. I understand that they made both pipes and tobacco, but I haven't seen their wares available for sale for many years now. Of course, this was well before I knew much of anything about blends or tobacco companies or pipe smoking in general, so I never learned what came to be of them. All I remember is that I really enjoyed those couple of blends.

What's the story with Tsuge? How long were they around? What happened to them? I'm not losing sleep over it, but I am curious if anyone cares to provide some insight.

 

[Chasing Embers]

They still make pipes but only had two lines of tobacco for a couple of years. The tobacco was part of the Drew Estate brand and when it was gone, so went Tsuge's tobacco.

 

[Snook]

They still make pipes but only had two lines of tobacco for a couple of years. The tobacco was part of the Drew Estate brand. When it was gone, so went Tsuge's tobacco.

Oh so it was pretty short lived? When did Drew Estate close shop?

 

[OzPiper]

Oh so it was pretty short lived? When did Drew Estate close shop?

Drew Estates is primarily a cigar company.
Pipe tobacco was only a very small part of their portfolio.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Oh so it was pretty short lived? When did Drew Estate close shop?

I believe they're still making cigars but their pipe tobacco line was done around 2018.

 

[lazar]

DE and therefore Tsuge blends were made by STG, and very probably were just rebrands of existing blends.

 

[Zamora]

I believe they're still making cigars but their pipe tobacco line was done around 2018.

Correct, their cigar business is alive and well. They do make a few with pipe tobacco, notably the Kentucky Fire Cured and Deadwood line which uses cavendish. They used to have one with perique but I believe that's long out of production