Why a Round Tin?

[huntertrw]

I just noticed that The Standard Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania's Bengal Slices come packaged in a round tin rather than a rectangular one like those used by the previous manufacturers. Why? Just curious, that's all.

 

[mso489]

I think the round ones are known for sealing better and staying sealed.

 

[jpmcwjr]

And more room for artwork! They also make better hockey pucks when filled with rocks or sand after using the tobacco.

 

[huntertrw]

"I think the round ones are known for sealing better and staying sealed."
Really? I've never experienced a problem with the integrity of the seals on rectangular tins.

 

[misterlowercase]

The painted rectangular tin deffo looks better:

...but the American factory probably doesn't have the necessary equipment,

are any of the American-made baccies packed in a rectangular tin?
K&K also went with the stickered round tin for their Bengal Sliced...

 

[warren]

I find that the round tin seals better as you can twist the lid down tight.

 

[JimInks]

Hunter: Sam Gawith tins can fail. It happened to me twice, and I know others have reported the same problem.

 

[mcitinner1]

I just jarred (too late) the contents of a tin of SG Bothy Flake. The flakes were as dry and brittle as they could be.

 

[michiganlover]

I think it's standardization more than any thing. Why go to the trouble of acquiring a rectangular tin if it's not necessary? It's adding manufacturing expense for no benefit.

 

[sablebrush52]

Over the long haul, square tins don't hold the seal as well as round tins. The pressure is equally distributed with a round tin. Not so with a square or rectangular tin.
Don't get me wrong, they're fine for years, but if you're someone who's looking to keep a tin for longer than 10 years, you stand an increased chance that the seal will have failed and the contents will have dried out.
This happened with the two tins of Bengal Slices that a member of the LAPC brought for comparison, on the date that I presented STP's new version. The contents of both vintage tins had dried out in the tin. The tins looked brand spanking new, no rust, not a scratch. They simply had failed.

 

[dadgy]

I believe that Lane does the production work for Standard Tobacco, and all of their tins are round to my knowledge. It would likely be costly to set up a run with a different tin shape.

 

[misterlowercase]

The made in Denmark version of Bengal Slices is reputed to be pretty lousy...

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/20-year-old-bengal-slices

...and I believe it probably is.
The SToP version is probably much better I'd reckon.
Although this bit of data is widely circulated online:

Bengal Slices was, originally, the flake version of Balkan Sobranie. When Gallaher took over the Sobranie mixtures from the Redman family the original blenders finding the composition too complex and costly, they simplified it. After Gallaher stopped making the simplified Bengal Slices, Mssrs James B Russell, Inc., arranged for a composition similar to the Gallaher revision to be made exclusively for them by A & C Petersen, Horsens, Denmark. A & C Petersen has recently been sold to Orlik A/S, of Assens, Denmark, which promptly discontinued the manufacture of Bengal Slices. A replacement, under the James B Russell aegis, has been released, approximating the A&C Petersen blend.

Jon Guss gives a more accurate picture in his most excellent An Appendix on the dating of Sobranie Tobacco Tins,

where he states that from 1977 to 1980, Bengal Slices was made by Sobranie (this would be the Grail version!),

then in 1980 production was transferred to Manchester Tobacco Co. (still made in England)

until 1991 when it was transferred again to A&C Petersen in Denmark,

who made it until 1999 when production ceased,

possibly due to the impending acquisition of A&CP by Orlik.
I think that the mythic legend is based on the Sobranie version,

all the others fell quite short it would seem.

::

 

[cigrmaster]

In my experience round tins and rectangular tins were equal in performance, I have never had a seal go bad on me. Now the square tins I have not had any experience with them being ten years and older as I believe they are fairly new to the game. The only square tins I have smoked over 10 years was Three Nuns and the tobaacco was fine.
I recently opened a 2004 tin of SG FVF and it was perfect. I believe people run into issues from maybe moving tins around and touching them to often. Once I get a tin, it gets put away in a cool dark place and never gets touched until I decide to smoke it.
The older GL Pease tins were very problematic and I haad some from 2002 go bad and the tobacco was saw dust. Greg has acknowledged the problem and has come up with new tins. I hope they are good because I have aa shit load uf Navigator that I plan on aging for a long time.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I believe people run into issues from maybe moving tins around and touching them to often.

DON'T FONDLE THE TINS!!!

 

[leacha]

I believe that Lane does the production work for Standard Tobacco, and all of their tins are round to my knowledge. It would likely be costly to set up a run with a different tin shape.

This. They are using the machine they acquired for the Crown Achievement introduction. Arictocob has a review on a 1q tin and worth a look. He speaks of how thin the metal is which means long term storage may be questionable?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I appreciate that they are trying to keep it as affordable as possible. Since there are no square tins tinned in the US that I know of, I assume that making a square tin would require machinery from outside the US. Heck if they just put the Warhorse plugs in those Mylar zip-lock bags, I'be be happy. I'd even appreciate it if they sold it by having a tobacconist cut off a weight of plug and sent it to me like a bulk order. Just do it, gimme gimme!

 

[cigrmaster]

DON'T FONDLE THE TINS!!!

Especially don't roll around naked on the bed with them.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Especially don't roll around naked on the bed with them.

Ooops!

 

[misterlowercase]

A more pertinent question, for someone like me, admittedly somewhat of a curmudgeonly purist, is the historical inaccuracy of the WH ready cut --- I do understand that it was a "rush job" to get the brand name in before impending FDA regulation, but why not try and at least make a crumble cake similar to Bengal Slices? That would have been closer to what the original Ready Cut was historically and would have made for a more appropriate resurrection attempt.
War Horse was never available as a ready rubbed,

the P&C copy glosses over that fact and only suggests that it was once available,

in what cut form it was actually available I guess doesn't really matter...

The War Horse Ready-Cut was made until the thirties, but disappeared.

And in the accompanying video,

Russ states:

"...when we decided to bring back the War Horse brand, the very first one that we decided to ressurrect was the ready cut version..."

The ready cut version was simply the sliced bar plug,

not a loose strand blend.
This old showcard clearly depicts the slices,

what we now call flakes...

To me personally,

such things matter,

but I'm a bit of an odd duck.
That said,

I am greatly looking forward to the plugged Bar version and eagerly await its release.

::

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am anxious to try the bar too. It had better have a great big dose of lady N.