Who Are The Real Tobacco Snobs?

[PipeIT]

Actually when I posted pics with expensive Esoteica prices, I didn’t explain myself good at all, so that is my bad.

For me, this had nothing to do with costs or snobs, but simply about being able to purchase at retail when drops happen.

Supply and demand can be extremely difficult, that’s the problem, and it makes it even worse, depending on where you live.

I never thought, trying to buy some blends would be so challenging, take such effort.

I’m not concerned what anyone wants to sell or buy for, that’s their business.

The problem is, unless you live in a part of the world when tobacco drops happen, you miss out. Even many of the members living in the Continental USA, I’ve read about, sometimes receive their newsletters late, so by the time they received them on a blend they went to go buy, it was sold out.

Or, some of the recent episodes with SPC being offline, making it difficult for some to buy.

So, I’m not crying, bitching, moaning, or any of the above, it’s just that unfortunately, if you don’t live, where there is either good access to local stores, and the time zones differ a lot when drops happen, you miss out.

Like the last Gawith & Esoterica drops, I missed out on all of these.

If there is any blend that is in demand, I’ll miss out because of my time zone difference. So, the problem I didn’t explain, is because, then when I see a chance to finally grab something, it’s when it’s all sold out everywhere, and then you have to buy from someone way over cost, that’s the problem.

Bottom line, supply and demand is tough, depending on where you live, to grab something when it comes available.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

There are snobs in every hobby I've been a part of - art collecting, hifi audio, watches, whiskey, antiques, etc. Also lots of bitching and moaning.
I learned a good lesson early on with these hobbies. Id find myself being jealous of a fellow collectors purchase. I'd chase something similar or better and beating myself up along the way with failure. This would cause resentment to build and joy for the hobby to dissipate.
Fast forward, I'd come to find out the collector with "everything I wanted" wasn't so happy after all. He didn't have a wife that loved him more than the world, didn't have kids that he got to come home to every day, or a farm to maintain, etc. My wife kinda shook me and made me realize what I had.
It's the same with pipes. I can't afford multiple high end danish pipes, or a cellar with 400 pounds of McClelland. But what do I have? More than enough of my favorite tobaccos, some of the best smoking pipes made by carvers that are now considered friends, and a family to enjoy all that with. Once I quit caring about chasing the unobtanium, these hobbies became more enjoyable than I ever would have imagined.

Great write up Steve. Hope to make another purchase from ya, I for one have had great experiences with PipeStud. Thanks for sharing man

 

[Chasing Embers]

Like the last Gawith

?

Most of those are still in stock at SPC.

 

[PipeIT]

?

Most of those are still in stock at SPC.

I meant the plugs...

And boxes of SJF and FVF, and some others in the boxes too.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I never thought, trying to buy some blends would be so challenging, take such effort.

...

If there is any blend that is in demand, I’ll miss out because of my time zone difference, and then, the problem I didn’t explain, is because then when I see a chance to finally grab something, it’s being sold way over cost, that’s the problem.

If interested in Gawith (or Esoterica), you may need to expand your sources beyond the "Big 3" online vendors. For some drops, it may be that you need to pick up the phone and call around (which I have not done), since I typically see old stock of various companies at the two B&M's I visit on rare occasions (that have little online presence).

 

[PipeIT]

If interested in Gawith (or Esoterica), you may need to expand your sources beyond the "Big 3" online vendors. For some drops, it may be that you need to pick up the phone and call around (which I have not done), since I typically see old stock of various companies at the two B&M's I visit on rare occasions (that have little online presence).

I don’t only look at a few online vendors, I look at all the big name vendors out there, and then I call local shops in various states.

By the time I was able to get around calling shops in the USA, all the Esoterica bags were sold, and I only found a bag at one local store, I think in Oregon, wanted $150 for a bag.

When I was done looking and calling, I must of checked like 15-20 sites, and called a dozen shops, but no luck.

When you wake up where I live, the day is almost over on the East Coast, and that has given them a big advantage, not to mention all that time too between Mid and Pacific. It’s hard to compete and I just can’t stay up all night either.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I meant the plugs...

And boxes of SJF and FVF, and some others in the boxes too.

Gotcha. I tend not to buy SG, only GH.

 

[sablebrush52]

Actually when I posted pics with expensive Esoteica prices, I didn’t explain myself good at all, so that is my bad.

For me, this had nothing to do with costs or snobs, but simply about being able to purchase at retail when drops happen.

Supply and demand can be extremely difficult, that’s the problem, and it makes it even worse, depending on where you live.

I never thought, trying to buy some blends would be so challenging, take such effort.

I’m not concerned what anyone wants to sell or buy for, that’s their business.

The problem is, unless you live in a part of the world when tobacco drops happen, you miss out. Even many of the members living in the Continental USA, I’ve read about, sometimes receive their newsletters late, so by the time they received them on a blend they went to go buy, it was sold out.

Or, some of the recent episodes with SPC being offline, making it difficult for some to buy.

So, I’m not crying, bitching, moaning, or any of the above, it’s just that unfortunately, if you don’t live, where there is either good access to local stores, and the time zones differ a lot when drops happen, you miss out.

Like the last Gawith & Esoterica drops, I missed out on all of these.

If there is any blend that is in demand, I’ll miss out because of my time zone difference. So, the problem I didn’t explain, is because, then when I see a chance to finally grab something, it’s when it’s all sold out everywhere, and then you have to buy from someone way over cost, that’s the problem.

Bottom line, supply and demand is tough, depending on where you live, to grab something when it comes available.

A store in Oregon wanted to charge you $150 for a bag they probably paid@ $18 for? Wow! Has the scene changed since I did my stocking. I stopped trying to buy from on line stores years and years ago, and established a regular customer relationship with a couple of stores that carried Esoterica when it dropped. Because I had bought from them during the rest of the year they sold to me, sometimes kept some back for me, when the drops happened. It's the best way to to eventually connect. Also, put yourself on the waiting list at Iwan Ries. You may wait a few years before you come up, but they will hold the tobacco for you for three days after sending you notice, instead of those useless notices other shops send, and they won't gouge you.

 

[K.E. Powell]

It's on Steve's site.

That's probably where I saw it then! I knew I wasn't (completely) losing my mind, thank you!

 

[AJL67]

I mean we all have complaints, the eagles kicking a field goal before the half cost me the halftime win in my Cuban cigar squares pool, 50 cigars… now THAT is something to bitch and complain about,!{!’kdufujb

 

[OzPiper]

A 50gm tin/pouch (a bit less than 2oz) costs on ave AUD$125-145 here in Oz.
I bitch about the cost all the time. But a tin lasts me quite a while as I am a weekend smoker

A AUD$200-300 bottle of wine doesn't last that long when you have a few thirsty mates

 

[craig61a]

“Give me convenience, or give me death”

-Jello Biafra

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

“Give me convenience, or give me death”

-Jello Biafra

It's not every day you see a Dead Kennedys reference.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I always have that problem when I read posts from @Nomadorb my mind always says Noma-Dorb.

Holy crap. I just realised I think “noma-dob”. That doesn’t even make sense

 

[captainsousie]

A lot of this thread reminds me of the old thread (I believe Kevin started) entitled "reverse snobbery is snobbery" along with the pontificating that went along with.

We all need something to bitch about so why not tobacco "scalping"?

 

[rmpeeps]

A little different take here.
I’m a tobacco snob.
I want what I want, and sometimes I’ll even splurge for it.
Where can I find it?
Usually, only from pipestud.

 

[Davy]

My issues with both are having owned both. Castello had to be saved and promoted by a drugstore pipe mogul before buyers took notice of them and I find their buttons uncomfortable without having to file them. Out of the five Dunhills I've owned, four were horribly drilled. The price isn't an issue for me, only the quality.

I agree with the Castello's buttons.
As for your Dunhill, I don't know what happened, but I own sensibly more and none displayed those issues. I did return a couple Bent Billiards because they didn't pass a pipe cleaner when they should have, but for the rest, they were all impeccable.

 

[Davy]

I am not sure snobbery would explain all of it, while it's ironic, considering it's a reverse kind, like those who call themselves 'Cob snobs' because they swear only by their cobs, only smoke this type of pipes and consider anyone paying more than $20 - $30 on a pipe not very smart, or financially practical to put it lightly.

Targeting specific private sellers remains, in any case, uncalled for. This market exists, needless to say, because there is strong demand and someone has to offer the service. Criticizing it, therefore, is futile and counterproductive. Especially when one has to admit that Pipestud's prices are, compared to many other private resellers, fairly reasonable.

However, I think, for the most part - at least, it's the way I understand it - these criticisms against some of the prices these vintage (and not so, as in more recent production) tins and bags yield, are stemming, at times, more from frustration than anything else.

I was lucky enough to try 8 Esoterica offerings. And do not seek them because I don't care much for them. But I can understand that someone who has been seeking them for years can become frustrated. After all, I remember spending 2 or 3 years to manage to try them. That's a long time and that was between 2015 and 2018. and it got worse since.

So, for those who never tried any and would like to, because of the generally high praises they receive, not being able to get any because they go at the speed of light whenever a drop is announced at retailers, is annoying, at the very least. And to see some resurfacing via private sales at 4 and 5 times the retail value, for recent production, can indeed be frustrating. And I can understand that.

Our world sure is changing, over the last 4 or 5 years. I hear often how pipe smokers are supposed to be generous and how they love sharing. When I see such a phenomenon of binge purchasing, mostly aimed at speculative resale of pipe tobacco, it does leave me somewhat perplexed at times.

But, then, what some would consider a few rotten apples (not my personal position) don't necessarily spoil the barrel, in this case. I have witnessed many extraordinarily generous gestures among our community, over the years, and I believe this is encouraging.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Our world sure is changing, over the last 4 or 5 years. I hear often how pipe smokers are supposed to be generous and how they love sharing. When I see such a phenomenon of binge purchasing, mostly aimed at speculative resale of pipe tobacco, it does leave me somewhat perplexed at times.

But, then, what some would consider a few rotten apples (not my personal position) don't necessarily spoil the barrel, in this case. I have witnessed many extraordinarily generous gestures among our community, over the years, and I believe this is encouraging.

Placing unrealistic expectations on a group doesn't end well and brings us all down a bit. There are good and bad just as there are anywhere. Any sort of person can smoke just as they can do anything else without being categorized. There are pipe smokers that think we should act a particular way, dress a particular way, or conduct ourselves in a particular way, etc. It almost makes me want to hang up three decades of pipe smoking in favor of my lesser smoked cigarettes.

 

[judcole]

I started smoking a pipe back in college, in the late 1960s, when you could still walk into a drugstore and buy pipes and tobacco, and B&Ms were a lot more common. Smoked an occasional cigar as well.
Then at some point - in the late '80s, I think - I put aside my pipes for a few years and just smoked cigars. This was before the big cigar boom hit, and a box of 10 Fuente Double Chateaus was $25. Then the cigar boom hit, and cigars became as much a consumer product as a way to enjoy tobacco.
I started smoking my pipe again in the early 00s, found the old Yahoo Pipesmokers 2 group - which included people like Pipestud and Joe Harb and a bunch of other great folks. Learned a lot from those folks, and enjoyed smoking a lot of different tobaccos. It was a very relaxed sort of hobby.
Then pipes and tobacco became a consumer product. We started seeing all sorts of fearmongering - "Oh, no, THEY are going to (do some horrible thing that will make it impossible to buy your favorite smokes)."
I personally don't care if people spend a lot of money for unobtainium. I choose not to do so.
What I mourn is the disappearance of the relaxed nature of the hobby - how what pipe or tobacco you smoke has something to do, in some folks' minds, of how "manly" you are. I well recall threads here about how women shouldn't smoke pipes, about which tobacco or which pipe shape is the most "manly" - how people rush off to buy more tins of tobacco than they will ever be able to smoke - and so on.
I guess I'm just old - I don't worry about any of it. I smoke what I like, and like what I smoke. YMMV.