On the one hand, I'm not a huge fan of Penzance. I love a good English or Balkan, but I can think of a half-dozen offhand that I like more than Penzance and even more that I think are as good.
But why the befuddlement at the high prices? Some people obviously can't get it cheaper. Bear in mind, not everyone can lurk around their computers and then win the race to one of the first folks to call P&C or 4Noggins and actually score some. When something is rare and in high demand, it'll fetch a high price. I sold four 2 oz tins through E-bay in the last couple of weeks, two for $50 each and then two for $60! I've also had some Stonehaven go for $120 a pack. But those wren't even the big surprises -- I got $73 for a tin of Durbar! As a side note, though, all of those tins ended up going to some guy in China, where many of these tins probably aren't distributed at all.
As expensive as tins can be, I don't find it as befuddling as some. As these prices, the tobacco is probably competitive with top-of-the-the cigars if you compare them on a smoke-to-smoke basis (one cigar equals one smoke one bowl equals one smoke). Heck, a cigarette smoker can easily go through $50 to $60 a week (more depending on where they live). When you look at it from that perspective, it doesn't seem like that outrageous a deal at all…
