What's Up With The Seattle Pipe Club Blends?

[lordofthepiperings]

I saw a YouTube video by Stuff&Things last night mentioning this. Thought it should be passed along.
The word is that Mississippi River hasn't tasted quite as good as of late. It's no longer being offered in bulk at Pipes&Cigars and it's not available at all at SmokingPipes.Com because they only had the bulk.
SPC said that they're being discontinued in bulk and will be released in tins, but don't know when just yet.
P&C said the bulk and 8oz tins of Plum Pudding and Mississippi River may not be available in the immediate future due to product quality concerns. They're working to increase the availability without sacrificing the excellence of the leaf and processes involved in it's blending. It will likely be several weeks before any reliable estimate of availability can be provided.

 

[monty55]

Hmm. That's interesting, and disappointing.. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[mattguss]

Thank you for the comment about Mississippi River lordofthepiperings. The Seattle Pipe Club works extremely hard to be certain our blends are up to the high standards our customers expect. Consistency is everything to us. We care a lot about this blend because it is one of our favorites too! Please be assured Mississippi River is made exactly the same way and with the same leaf components as it always has been. Joe Lankford -the creator and SPC club Master Blender - personally tasted and approved the blends for quality control. Still, we will check into this.
It's true we stopped offering bulk for now. The Seattle Pipe Club blends are a victim of our own success: it is really hard to keep them in stock. This blend is extremely popular and has many fans around the country. Mississippi River and Plum Pudding are pressed blends in small batches and they are much more time consuming to produce. The tinned blends should allow us to offer a more steady stream of our tobaccos for our customers. The decision to offer only tins (2 oz & 8oz) was not an easy one. We're sorry to have disappointed some folks.
However! All Seattle Pipe Club blends should be in stock (or will be very soon) in 2 ounce and 8 ounce sizes. Thanks again for the comments and your support.
BTW, we just got back from the Chicago Pipe Show and had the privilege of meeting hundreds of SPC blend fans in person. Amazing! All five of our blends were there for sampling including our new VaPer Deception Pass and Potlatch which was introduced at the show.
--Matt

Seattle Pipe Club

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I think moving to tins can be a good idea. I've got more than a few samples of bulk tobacco that were not in good condition.

That said I've also seen a few dud tins (aromatics that arrived bone dry and flavourless, the tins were the peel top type).

 

[delro]

My first bulk buy of MR was outstanding...my next pound not so much. So I went back to buying the tins and it was the same shwag as before. Don't get me wrong I'm going to smoke it, but it certainly is muted compared to when I bought it over a year ago. I hope they get it right in the future.

 

[pruss]

I was just chatting with Matt about these on Facebook when I found this...
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-news/seattle-pipe-club-to-release-three-new-blends-in-2015/
-- Pat

 

[monty55]

Thanks Matt for the clarification. Since I prefer tins, and don't buy bulk anyway, It's all good to me! I love SPC blends, and I'm really looking foward to the new ones coming out this year!

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Mississippi River and Plum Pudding are some very touted blends. I've never had them, but most people I've see on forums and YouTube etc. have only said great things about them and the other SPC blends. It's good to hear they're not going away for good, just switching from bulk to strictly tins.

 

[andrew]

Well this makes me extra happy I have 2 pounds of each in bulk, no complaints of the quality from me but I can see how some people would end up with the bottom of the barrel loose stuff. One of the pounds I bought came in 2 big cakes

 

[pipejunky]

The last batch of MR that i smoked I felt there was something missing. The lingering flavor that when i got half way through it was no great shakes compared to some of the finishes I've had with this blend.I'm glad it just wasn't me that has noticed it.I really like that blend and I hope they straighten it out.

 

[minfarshaw]

I have about half a pound of MR. It wasn't the same so I am aging them. I thought it was just me. I smoked a bowl the other day and was underwhelmed. I chalked it up to a change in taste. Hmmm maybe not. I am still a fan though. I'll just open the jar I have from last year.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I should add that my comments were regarding tobacco in general, the Mississippi River that I have has all been fantastic (though I have not bought any in the last eight months).