Blends to pick up while across the pond...

[19Volks71]

Taking a trip to the U.K. in a few months and was wondering if there were some tins I should keep an eye out for that aren't available to us in the states. I prefer straight-forward English/Balkans and the occasional VaPer. No aro's or blends with cavendish.

Thanks for the suggestions mates.

 

[Rusty]

English/Balkans & the occasional Va/Per. Hmmm... prepare yourself for disappointment.

It would be better if you were hunting for Imperial Flakes, Condor, or Irish Plugs. Those they have, where the US doesn't. For years Condor and St. Bruno traded positions as number one and two in volume sales in the UK. It tells us something about their preferences. Most of the rest, available in the UK, is also available on this side of the pond for less. In fact the US probably has the widest and most interesting variety of Latakia mixtures in the world. Still there will be some things.
Erinmore Balkan - An English mixture, under an Irish brand, made by a Danish company! It makes me laugh every time I see it. Orlik launched it in the UK market within 3 mo. of the Dunhill blends being discontinued there. It's not in the US and I would guess it's because the market for mixtures is very competitive with a huge number of blends in the US. That really wasn't the case in the UK when they introduced. Of course the Dunhill blends have returned in the UK too.
McLintock Syrian - maybe, I see McLintock so it's possible...

In terms of Va/Per's I'm drawing a blank. I can't think of anything that isn't here too. I suspect that you really have to go beyond those two tobacco categories to happily anticipate a trip to the UK for tobacco. Of course they have Cuban cigars too.

There will also be some incidence of store bulk brands which are generally supplied by one of the two Kendal firms and perhaps some of the continental Euro company's. Some of these will be mixtures.

Of course Sam Gawith blends will actually be in stock at most tobacconists! That's really different and worth the trip.

 

[Ol'Dawg]

Some VAs and VApers (possible burley content) I've tried in the past include Capstan Mild and Navy Cut, Three Nuns, Dobie 4 Square and Mick McQuaid. If you have time you may want to search some out of the way shops for some old Gallaher, Imperial and Larsen tins.

Have fun on your trip,
Jim

 

[Harlock999]

I'm jealous!

 

[Rusty]

There is a pretty good list of UK tobacconists organized by region here:
http://www.uktobacco.co.uk/retailers.htm
Some of it might be a bit dated so call before visiting.

Some of them are online. Browsing their stock lists will give you a good idea about what you can expect. For example McGahey's in Exeter, Greens of Leeds, and others:
http://www.the-tobacconist.co.uk/default.asp
http://www.smoke-king.co.uk/
http://www.uktobacco.com/

 

[NeroWolfe]

Be forewarned, though: If it is avialble in the U.S., buy it here, as the cost in the U.K., with the high taxes, will take your breath away! Also, you will no longer find much pipe tobacco in the duty free shops at the airports (unlike the "old days", when you could pick up Dunhill tobaccos at a good price at the airport duty free shops).

 

[19Volks71]

Thanks for the help guys. I imagined taxes on tobacco products over there must be through the roof.

Rusty: I hope I didn't make myself sound to picky. Irish plugs sound fantastic. Any you might recommend?
I just wanted to be specific about aromatics and blends containing cavendish. I can enjoy those, I just don't like the way they- some say ghost, I say stain pipes.

I can enjoy aro's, I just choose to do it in cobs.

 

[Rusty]

Ah so you're intrigued enough to drop the requirement that it contain demon weed or be a Va/Per. Good, good. This is progress.
Now, just a little bit of elasticity on the Aromatic prohibition is in order. If we achieve that then we'll work on a rapprochement with Cavendish.

First all tobaccos (including demon weed) leave their trace in our pipes. So the words stain or ghost are really just value-judgments that are inversely proportional to smoking frequency. Outside our idea of their normal scent, so to speak.
Second, not everything is an American Aromatic. For example the Irish and English were magicians with toppings. And many of the Irish Plugs are good examples of that. They're really quite restrained and only slightly aromatic. After all, what do you think makes them Irish?

There used to be a lot more of them. Today there are a few old names still sold and you should be able to find them:
Mick McQuaid Plug
Yachtsman Plug
Warrior Plug
and from England
Revor plug
and of course a number of Lake District Plugs.

You may be able to find the Lake District Plugs in the US but the other three or four are distributed in the UK only. They're not made in the UK anymore but the current ones are pretty good.
Here's a historical list of what used to be:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1956/en/si/0125.html

Now lest you feel reluctant I must tell you that straight tobaccos are pretty much a myth. Is this surprising?
You don't know the power of the flavoured side.

 

[19Volks71]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard of Revor, and will have eyes out for that one as well as Three Nuns.
I'm aware that the idea of pure tobacco is nearly non-existent-
It happens to be the specific 'stain' left behind by cavendish and the blandness resulting from humectant-soaked weed that I do not care for.

 

[PipePuffer]

Also, you will no longer find much pipe tobacco in the duty free shops at the airports (unlike the "old days", when you could pick up Dunhill tobaccos at a good price at the airport duty free shops).

Last time I was in Switzerland I looked for pipe tobacco in the duty free shop. Since I couldn't find it I asked one of the employees if they had pipe tobacco. She stared at me for a minute like "WTF, who smokes pipes anymore???" and took me to a dark corner of the store where they only had 2 tins of Erinmore Mixture! They didn't even carry Davidoff. Disappointing. The selection wasn't much better at those little tobacco shops found on street corners. I picked up some Amsterdamer from Altadis in one of those shops. Smells like cr@p but my dad used to smoke that stuff so I wanted to give it a try. I guess I should have stopped at a proper tobacconist and paid a small fortune.

 

[Rusty]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard of Revor, and will have eyes out for that one as well as Three Nuns.

The McQuaid is excellent, as is Yachtsman. Many of the Irish plugs (eg Yachtsman, McQuaid) are medium strength tobaccos. Very approachable. McQuaid, as it is now, isn't so far from an uncut plug of Gawith FVF. There are also stronger plugs that include much more fire-cured Virginia. If you see fire-cured Virginia in the ingredients - think strong. Revor is of the second type. They're both worthwhile but you may find the second a little too strong, given your preferences.

Three Nuns is not.
We're a long way down the pike from when it was little coins with a Perique center made in Glasgow. Today the one offered in the UK is a pouch of nondescript bland ribbon cut brown tobacco. It's really not worth the price. No matter what the price.
There have actually been multiple versions of Three Nuns for many years. This has its origins in history and the peculiarities of the BAT- Imperial relationship. Today there is the pouched chaff that the UK has and the tinned coins that are made in Denmark. Only one occurs in any given market. Neither are really Three nuns anymore but the continent has it marginally better. Anything is an improvement on the disappointing chaff in the pouch.

Buy St. Bruno flake if you want to try something that is still good.

I'm aware that the idea of pure tobacco is nearly non-existent-
It happens to be the specific 'stain' left behind by cavendish and the blandness resulting from humectant-soaked weed that I do not care for.

Yes. Agreed. But none of these things are anything like that.