Was wondering, besides Penzance and Stonehaven, which are the hard to find tobaccos to keep an eye out for not only online but at the b&M's?
What Tobacco to Look Out For?
- Thread starter mctrav
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mctrav:
I'm not sure I understand your original question. . . It doesn't take much time to discover if a blend you enjoy happens to be one of those in perpetually short supply. (I happen to be one of the unfortunate ones who loves Penzance. . . and, now, Stonehaven too!) But the in-stock issue changes over time. When I started smoking Penzance in 2004, I had no trouble ordering it whenever I wanted it or finding stacks of tins on the shelves of a B&M. Eight years later, the situation is markedly different. That's my round-about way of saying that if you love a blend, stock up; don't wait for it to make some list of "fabled" blends that are hard to find.
But I'm not entirely sure that's why you're asking this question. I can't help wondering if what you're really asking is: "What should I be stocking up on now, so that I can resell it down the road?" Otherwise, it seems odd that you'd want to stock up on blends you haven't tried or don't already enjoy. . . unless you're just wanting to play the odds and be prepared with stock in case you do end up liking a yet-untried blend in the future. Care to clarify?
I'm not sure I understand your original question. . . It doesn't take much time to discover if a blend you enjoy happens to be one of those in perpetually short supply. (I happen to be one of the unfortunate ones who loves Penzance. . . and, now, Stonehaven too!) But the in-stock issue changes over time. When I started smoking Penzance in 2004, I had no trouble ordering it whenever I wanted it or finding stacks of tins on the shelves of a B&M. Eight years later, the situation is markedly different. That's my round-about way of saying that if you love a blend, stock up; don't wait for it to make some list of "fabled" blends that are hard to find.
But I'm not entirely sure that's why you're asking this question. I can't help wondering if what you're really asking is: "What should I be stocking up on now, so that I can resell it down the road?" Otherwise, it seems odd that you'd want to stock up on blends you haven't tried or don't already enjoy. . . unless you're just wanting to play the odds and be prepared with stock in case you do end up liking a yet-untried blend in the future. Care to clarify?
You'll need to keep an eye out for Samuel Gawith blends.
They are a small producer and have (relatively)small runs.
Mi favrito... Samuel Gawith Grousemoor
I usually only see it available once or twice a year.
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T minus TWO
They are a small producer and have (relatively)small runs.
Mi favrito... Samuel Gawith Grousemoor
I usually only see it available once or twice a year.
:
:T minus TWO
Sorry for being vague, just looking for certain blends like Penzance and Stonehaven that If I stumble upon it would be wise to purchase. And it is for me, I have no desire to resell any tobacco. And like I stated above, I'm game for any kind really, haven't tried a blend I hatedm
Very cool thanks for those blends, my local b&m always gets some strange blends some blah but others are diamonds
I was going to let this slide without a mention, but what the hell...
mctrav, that tone is not going to do you any favours. That is how you respond to someone who is antagonizing you, not to someone who just provided you with multiple helpful leads.
No hard feelings, it just came off as rather dismissive to me - I thought the post you were referring to was quite constructive and on topic...
There are legions of guys (including most of the people on these forums) that spend countless hours tracking down these vintage tobaccos and many of them are first in line for the hard-to-get blends from the etailers and consignment shops because they have signed up for notifications or cultivated relationships with the owners.
Even the odds of you walking in on a motherlode of aged tobacco in some dusty B&M slims every day as people are becoming more informed about what is valuable and what is not, what is well-acclaimed and what is not... It may still be possible in some parts of the country but by and large somebody has been there before you to retrieve the "gems".
rmbittner has the best advice here: "That's my round-about way of saying that if you love a blend, stock up; don't wait for it to make some list of 'fabled' blends that are hard to find."
In response to your question, though, the others have answered it pretty well. Samuel Gawith and Esoterica lead the pack as far as rare still-in-production blends go. Discontinued blends are probably too numerous to mention, but everyone has made a valiant effort of it for you so far...
I'm sorry but I'm not going to go into detail about current-production blends that are hard to find. That question just rubs me the wrong way. But as for discontinued blends. . .
The king of all sought-after blends is the original Balkan Sobranie from the 1970s (and earlier). I would put Bengal Slices from that same era in the same boat, since it was originally the flake version of Balkan Sobranie. You can pay upwards of $500/tin for original-production Sobranie.
An original tin of Craven's Mixture (probably circa 1950s) would definitely be worth acquiring. It inspired one of the classic books related to pipe smoking, J.M. Barrie's My Lady Nicotine. And many men in Barrie's circle regarded it very highly.
John Cotton #2.
Dunhill blends from the 1980s and earlier. (You'll need to do your homework to be able to identify tins from Dunhill's major eras.) Any Dunhill blend that is no longer being produced (Elizabethan Mixture, Durbar, The Aperitif, etc.)
Any Rattray's tins produced by Rattray's themselves (probably 1970s and earlier). A tin of Black Mallory recently sold on eBay for just $51, so they are definitely still affordable.
The G.L. Pease Syrians: Bohemian Scandal, Raven's Wing, Renaissance, and Mephisto. These were discontinued in 2004 when the extraordinary Syrian latakia used in the blends was lost in a warehouse fire. (The same Syrian was also used in some now-discontinued Cornell & Diehl blends; Pease and C&D shared the warehouse that was destroyed.) These crop up often on eBay and tend to go for around $50/tin. And I would say that Bohemian Scandal tends to be the most highly valued of the four. (As it should be; it's a phenomenal blend that tastes like nothing else out there.)
Finally, any Virginia-dominant blend that has more than a decade on it would be collectible, in my opinion.
The king of all sought-after blends is the original Balkan Sobranie from the 1970s (and earlier). I would put Bengal Slices from that same era in the same boat, since it was originally the flake version of Balkan Sobranie. You can pay upwards of $500/tin for original-production Sobranie.
An original tin of Craven's Mixture (probably circa 1950s) would definitely be worth acquiring. It inspired one of the classic books related to pipe smoking, J.M. Barrie's My Lady Nicotine. And many men in Barrie's circle regarded it very highly.
John Cotton #2.
Dunhill blends from the 1980s and earlier. (You'll need to do your homework to be able to identify tins from Dunhill's major eras.) Any Dunhill blend that is no longer being produced (Elizabethan Mixture, Durbar, The Aperitif, etc.)
Any Rattray's tins produced by Rattray's themselves (probably 1970s and earlier). A tin of Black Mallory recently sold on eBay for just $51, so they are definitely still affordable.
The G.L. Pease Syrians: Bohemian Scandal, Raven's Wing, Renaissance, and Mephisto. These were discontinued in 2004 when the extraordinary Syrian latakia used in the blends was lost in a warehouse fire. (The same Syrian was also used in some now-discontinued Cornell & Diehl blends; Pease and C&D shared the warehouse that was destroyed.) These crop up often on eBay and tend to go for around $50/tin. And I would say that Bohemian Scandal tends to be the most highly valued of the four. (As it should be; it's a phenomenal blend that tastes like nothing else out there.)
Finally, any Virginia-dominant blend that has more than a decade on it would be collectible, in my opinion.
Because there's a sneaking suspicion that people will buy up that tobacco just to hold on to it and re-sell it for a profit at a later date becase they can't figure out how the stock market works.
That's the only reason I could think of. Very "Scumbag Steve".
Instead I can just say that penzance tastes like #%^&#%^*&%^$%^##$%2%#$@7^*(^&$%
And then buy it all up after I've pursuaded people to hate it. Yum. ^_^
That's the only reason I could think of. Very "Scumbag Steve".
Instead I can just say that penzance tastes like #%^&#%^*&%^$%^##$%2%#$@7^*(^&$%
And then buy it all up after I've pursuaded people to hate it. Yum. ^_^
If you read my response to an earlier reply I did say that they are for MY stock. I have no interest on reselling anything in my cellar.
Simoneon..reading your post in reply to my curt response I had to take another look as to why I replied that way originally. I actually misread rothnh's post. I took it initially as a jab at my intentions but that doesn't seem to be the case, so for that I do apologize. But before that I did thank him for the couple of blends he named for me. Glad you called me on that as it was uncalled for.
I have been on the lookout for tobaccos by Dan. I remember reading something not too long ago that they were putting some of their long lost blends back into production like Midnight Ride and Old Ironsides, and all that stuff is sold out at every retailer I look at and hasnt been back in stock for weeks. I have been looking for some Old Ironsides, Bill Baileys Balkan Blend, and Treasures of Ireland-Limerick. Those are the last blends on my TAD list and I cant find them anywhere, so if anyone knows where these can be found please let me know, since were on the topic of hard-to-find tobaccos.
I look for what I'm ageing, and that's a problem because so are many others. The three I watch for:
SG BBF, FVF and SJF. Sometimes you have to shop around the smaller internet stores, and even then they can get illusive. For example I just recently saw SG SJF come on P&C, which I check almost every day looking for it. I put in my order for a pound, which should have been one box, but got a half with two other quarters added to it. I could tell because they didn't line up, and an apology note about not having the box. When I had checked the site an hour or so later thinking about upping the order it was listed out of stock.
The best things are those you like most of all.
But if you plan on ageing rather than storing, VA is all that ages. So when you get into blends, check and see if there's a good amount of VA if your ageing. Aromatics and those with low VA may have some blending changes over the years, mainly a mellowing due to loss of flavor *ducks*
If you’re B&M hunting always see if there is anything that has a few or more years on it. Even with the Nazi's at the door, aged tobacco has already gained in value.
Craig
SG BBF, FVF and SJF. Sometimes you have to shop around the smaller internet stores, and even then they can get illusive. For example I just recently saw SG SJF come on P&C, which I check almost every day looking for it. I put in my order for a pound, which should have been one box, but got a half with two other quarters added to it. I could tell because they didn't line up, and an apology note about not having the box. When I had checked the site an hour or so later thinking about upping the order it was listed out of stock.
The best things are those you like most of all.
But if you plan on ageing rather than storing, VA is all that ages. So when you get into blends, check and see if there's a good amount of VA if your ageing. Aromatics and those with low VA may have some blending changes over the years, mainly a mellowing due to loss of flavor *ducks*
If you’re B&M hunting always see if there is anything that has a few or more years on it. Even with the Nazi's at the door, aged tobacco has already gained in value.
Craig
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