Pipe Tobacco Blends: Under The Label

[c.ortiz108]

Evening Chico,

It was my business to quickly assess the level of a smoker by their words or small actions and this fellow seems to be a new arrival who is infatuated but has little foundation in fact. Fellows like this love the story and in the absence of detail they fill in the blanks.

Yes, there are a limited number of manufacturers and many brands (faces). These manufacturers usually make tobaccos under brand names that they own as well as brands that they're contracted to make. The Rattray's name, for example, was never owned by McConnell but he made the tobaccos for them under contract for the better part of a century. Unlike pipes, there are no seconds in tobacco. If there's a bad batch it's discarded. It comes down to how each manufacturer buys their leaf and processes it and there's a similarity across their brands and faces in quality and to some degree, content..

Tobacco Review is written by individual smokers who may or may not know the facts in any given situation. Until you can confirm what you read there (or elsewhere) put a question mark next to it .

Good to know about tobacco "seconds" - so assuming variation between the example above (Davidoff FM, Comoy's 7, and PS Bullseye), that would be due to differences in the quality of tobacco they started with, rather than anything that happens in processing. So if they're all made in the same factory, it may be something like the choicest cuts of what they purchased goes into DFM, the slightly less choice into PS, and the dregs into Comoy's.

Good to know about Tobacco Reviews, too - I'd assumed that the descriptive information on each blend was "official" and that it was just the reviews themselves that anyone could do. I guess that explains why some blends will list a particular kind of tobacco, and some reviews will swear it's not there and some swear it is.

[NeverBend]

Good to know about tobacco "seconds" - so assuming variation between the example above (Davidoff FM, Comoy's 7, and PS Bullseye), that would be due to differences in the quality of tobacco they started with, rather than anything that happens in processing. So if they're all made in the same factory, it may be something like the choicest cuts of what they purchased goes into DFM, the slightly less choice into PS, and the dregs into Comoy's.

Correct, there are no seconds, no need.

Incorrect about 'choicest cuts', there is no such thing. Leaf is graded and sold at or before the wholesaler (supplier) level. Manufacturer's buy graded leaf. If Davidoff FM, Comoy Cask #7 and Stokkeby Bullseye all have the same formula, then they will be the same tobacco. Make the roll, slice tobacco into tins and put three different labels on the stuff. If the formula calls for a different or better quality leaf then it's a different formula.

Manufacturers (normally) won't change they way that they make tobacco to suit a single client so each incarnation of a specific mixture should be the same no matter who the end customer is or what that customer claims. When re-selling the product, one may say, 'choicest' leaf and the other 'best quality' but they're both referring to the same VirginiaXYZ from that manufacturer.

Manufacturers may require a minimum quantity before they'll make custom mixtures but it's also possible that they'll insist on a small difference, as McConnell did.

Good to know about Tobacco Reviews, too - I'd assumed that the descriptive information on each blend was "official" and that it was just the reviews themselves that anyone could do. I guess that explains why some blends will list a particular kind of tobacco, and some reviews will swear it's not there and some swear it is.

Yes, very observant.

I read that Newminster is made in the Mac Baren factory; a collaboration between them and Villager.

Bryan, I'm smoking the Newminster #403 Superior Round Slices (P&C 20% sale) as I write. The curlies certainly look and taste more like MacBaren and not Stokkebye and they've been working with Dark Fired KY, so it's appearance in contract mixtures makes sense (and may be the same as something else under a different label).

The Newminster #403 smokes hot and a bit coarse but it's like a poor man's version of Gawith Hoggarth Curly Cut deLuxe Sliced and that's good company. Give me a few more bowls but I think that we should link them on profile and taste.

[c.ortiz108]

Correct, there are no seconds, no need.

Incorrect about 'choicest cuts', there is no such thing. Leaf is graded and sold at or before the wholesaler (supplier) level. Manufacturer's buy graded leaf. If Davidoff FM, Comoy Cask #7 and Stokkeby Bullseye all have the same formula, then they will be the same tobacco. Make the roll, slice tobacco into tins and put three different labels on the stuff. If the formula calls for a different or better quality leaf then it's a different formula.

Manufacturers (normally) won't change they way that they make tobacco to suit a single client so each incarnation of a specific mixture should be the same no matter who the end customer is or what that customer claims. When re-selling the product, one may say, 'choicest' leaf and the other 'best quality' but they're both referring to the same VirginiaXYZ from that manufacturer.

Manufacturers may require a minimum quantity before they'll make custom mixtures but it's also possible that they'll insist on a small difference, as McConnell did.

I have some Bullseye on the way, so will do a side-by-side comparison with DFM at some point. They again, this is a person that can't really tell the difference between one burley aro and another, so not sure my observations will be very useful!

[BryGuySC]

Correct, there are no seconds, no need.

Bryan, I'm smoking the Newminster #403 Superior Round Slices (P&C 20% sale) as I write. The curlies certainly look and taste more like MacBaren and not Stokkebye and they've been working with Dark Fired KY, so it's appearance in contract mixtures makes sense (and may be the same as something else under a different label).

The Newminster #403 smokes hot and a bit coarse but it's like a poor man's version of Gawith Hoggarth Curly Cut deLuxe Sliced and that's good company. Give me a few more bowls but I think that we should link them on profile and taste.

I heard that the 403 really needs some aging time to smooth it out.