Über Tabak

 

 

 

Was wäre eine gute Pfeife ohne Tabak?

Das Internet eröffnet uns die schönsten Möglichkeiten auszuwählen und es lebe die Vielfalt! Ein kleines Stück Unendlichkeit...

Hier werde ich den ein oder anderen Tabak vorstellen.

what would a good pipe be without good pipe tobacco?
the internet brings us up a good variety to choose from and thats just good. a little never ending story...
here i will present some tobacco.

Lange Zeit hatte ich an erster Stelle hier den unten stehenden Bericht. Mittlerweile bin ich aber auf die Tabake von Hans Wiedemann getroffen und so begeistert von der Idee und Umsetzung seiner Tabaklinie, zumal unbeschwert erhältlich in Deutschland, dass ich beschlossen habe, ihn hier an die erste Stelle zu setzen. Über e-mail hatten wir Kontakt und so haben wir auch ein kleines Interview geführt, dass ich hier wiedergeben möchte:
HU Tobaccos Original Warehouseblend Directors Cut mein absoluter Favorit!

Bei dem doch ziemlich komplexen deutschen Markt, plus der Internetoption auch Überseetabak ordern zu können, was hat dich denn bewegt, deinen eigenen Tabak herzustellen?

HW: Mein Beweggrund war ganz einfach gesagt die Lust etwas mit Tabak zu machen. Seit jeher war es ein Traum von mir einen kleinen Tabakladen zu besitzen. Da dies aus finanziellen Gründen nicht machbar ist , bin ich auf die Idee mit dem Tabakblenden gekommen.

Natürlich haben K&K und DTM nicht auf mich gewartet und der Anfang war ein harter Kampf. Ich hatte einfach das Glück bzw habe den Vorteil ausgespielt, dass ich über den Vertreter eines befreundeten Tabakladenbesitzers gegangen bin. Dieser Tabakladen ist schon sehr lange mit K&K verbunden und bringt gute Umsätze. Dieser Rückhalt hat mir auch die Möglichkeit eröffnet mit eigenen Mischungen anzutreten. begeistert war K&K beileibe nicht, aber mit viel Streitereien und Abnahmezusagen meinerseits hat es dann doch geklappt. Zwischenzeitlich ist es kein Problem mehr. Die Absätze haben bewiesen, dass sich das auch für die Hersteller lohnt.

Bei DTM hat mir einfach die lange Bekanntschaft zu Michael Apitz geholfen. Sonst wäre das auch nicht so reibunmgslos gegangen.

Wie hast du denn das Ganze ins rollen gebracht?

HW: Ich bin eigentlich sehr naiv an die Sache rangegangen. Da meine Mischungen auf Basis von ready - rubbed Flakes aufgebaut sind, war natürlich der Ausgangspunkt verschiedene Basisflakes von K&K. Ich kann und möchte jetzt nicht von mir behaupten ein ausgewiesener Tabakfachmann zu sein, aber ich habe schon sehr, sehr viele verschiedene Mischungen geraucht und kenne daher das Programm von K&K und DTM sehr gut. 

Und was ich für mich in Anspruch nehmen kann ist mein hervorragendes Tabakgeschmacksgedächtnis.

Deshalb entstanden und entstehen meine Mischungen erstmal im Kopf.  Erst danach mische ich die verschiedenen Basistabake zu Hause zusammen. Natürlich haut das nicht immer perfekt hin, aber ich weiß zwischenzeitlich schon sehr gut was paßt und was sich wie verhält. Von daher komme ich ganz gut zurecht. Sobald das Mischungsergebnis paßt lasse ich nach meiner Rezeptur von den Herstelleren ein Muster anfertigen. Da muß dann meist noch nachgebessert werden, was aber nur eine Feinabstimmung ist.

Neben den Flakes habe ich mir natürlich verschiedene Basistabake von dem jeweiligen Hersteller besorgt.

Ich arbeite derzeit mit 3 verschiedenen Latakia`s, 1 firecured Virgina, 1 darkfired Kentucky, 2 verschiedene Kentuckysorten, 3 verschiedene Burleys bzw burleylastige Mischungen, 3 verschiedene Virginias, 8 verschiedene VAPER Flakes, 1 Honigflake, 2 verschiedene Black Cavendish ungesüßt, 2 verschiedene Black Cavendish gesüßt. Dazu kommt jetzt natürlich die Tatsache, dass ich meine eigenen Mischungen schon wieder als Basistabake nutze.

Wie definierst du denn für dich Tabakqualität?

 

HW:Tabakqualität ist natürlich ein magisches Wort. Hm... was definiert denn die Qualität. Ich für mich definiere es wie folgt:

 

1.) Optimale Kondition des Tabaks

 

2.) Brandverhalten und das Bild der Asche 

 

3.) Durchgängigkeit und Vielschichtigkeit des Geschmacks

 

4.) Kondensatbildung bei vernünftigem Rauchverhalten

 

Das sind für mich die wichtigsten Punkte. 

 

Wie kommt so ein Sortiment zustande?

HW: Mein Programm ist bisher nach eigenen Vorlieben entstanden. gerade was den Naturbereich angeht, ist kein Tabak dabei, den ich nicht selbst kaufen würde. Bei den Aromaten muß ich Abstriche machen. In diesem Bereich habe ich zumindest meine Vorliebe für behutsame  Flavourings durchgängig beibehalten.

Aromatisierte Tabake habe ich allerdings noch nicht alleine kreiert. Hier wurden die Mischungen nach Vorstellung meiner gewünschten Geschmacksrichtung /Tabaken vom Hersteller umgesetzt .Oder aber ich habe verschiedene aromatisierte Tabake mit Naturtabaken selbst gemischt. gerade die Hauptdreher wie der Out of Africa bzw der Hadde`s und der Ju 52 sind komplett von mir.

Was dürfen wir denn für 2012 von dir erwarten?

 

HW: Das Jahr 2012 wird einige Neuheiten bringen. Als erstes wird es zur Lohmar Pipeshow eine komplett neue Tabaklinie geben. Das sind 6 sehr markante Mischungen von denen 5 davon mit Latakia sind. Auf diese Mischungen bin ich richtig stolz, da sie doch Geschmacksnoten transportieren, die hierzulande nicht sehr stark vertreten sind.

Ich möchte innerhalb der United Passion  Linie in Summe 6 Flakes bringen. 4 Naturbelassene und 2 Aromaten. Das wird sich aber noch hinziehen, hoffe aber für die Lohmar Pipeshow 2 Flakes als Limited Edition  anbieten zu können.

Das wären sogenannte Messeflakes die es dann so oder leicht verändert zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt,

als United Passion Flake geben wird. 

Das sind die Vorhaben für 2012. Was ich auf alle Fälle auch noch machen möchte ist eine reine Virginiamischung. Bisher habe ich VA nur in Verbindung mit Perique.

Kannst du auf Kundenwünsche eingehen?

 

HW: Natürlich können Kunden wünsche äußern und ich habe auch einen regen Kontakt mit meinen Kunden.

Nur vieles läßt sich nicht, oder nicht so schnell umsetzen. Es ist doch sehr viel Arbeit im Vorfeld (Blenden/Etiketten) und natürlich ist jede neue Sorte eine Investition mit ordentlicher Kapitalbindung. Gerade im Naturbreich halte ich einen sehr großen Vorrat um die Tabake nicht frisch verkaufen zu müßen. Dies ist mein Qualitätsanspruch, den ich lediglich beim Director`s Cut brechen mußte. Hier hatte K&K Probleme beim Druck der Etiketten und die Einführung hat sich um Wochen verschoben. Hier gab ich dem Druck der Kunden nach und habe den DC fabrikfrisch verkauft. Die nächste Charge ist aber wieder mindestens 6-8 Wochen gereift.

 

Mr. Pease ist zu Unizeiten mit Tabak und Pfeife erstmalig in Kontakt gekommen, ausgelöst durch einen Wissenschaftler, dessen Umgang mit der Pfeife ihm im Gedächtnis geblieben ist. Aber erst als er bei Drucquer & Sons, einem Tabakhänder der "alten Welt"ankam, begann seine richtige Lehrphase. Jede freie Minute will er dort verbracht haben, um alles dort vorhandene und gesammelte Wissen in sich aufzusaugen.

Über zwanzig Jahre habe er dann seine Liebesaffären mit schönen Pfeifen und Tabak kultiviert. Anfang 1998, habe er einen seiner Träume verwirklicht und mit einem Freund (Friedmann) eine kleine Firma gegründet, die Pfeifentabak zu produzieren begann, von denen einige auch mit Erfolg verkauft wurden (Winters Tale). Im November 1999, war das aber schon wieder vorbei.

Mit der gleichen Begeisterung gründete er dann G. L. Pease Tobaccos Anfang 2000, mit dem Versprechen die alte Kunst des Tabakmischens am Leben zu erhalten und alles zu tun, um Pfeiferauchen zum Genuß mit Freude werden zu lassen.

G. L. Pease mixtures werden kreiert, um den wahren Liebhaber von Pfeifentabak zu beglücken. Alles dreht sich um den natürlichen Geschmack und Aroma der besten Tabakblätter aus der Neuen Welt und des Orients, gemischt, um das beste aus jeder einzelnen Komponente herauszuholen und dem Erfahrenen in der Summe mehr bringen soll als die Einzelteile. Zusätze, wenn überhaupt benutzt, werden zurückhaltend eingebracht, um den natürlichen Charakter der gewählten Tabake zu unterstützen. Die Sorgfalt im Umgang mit dem Tabak, bringt Mischungen, die ausgewogen und harmonisch sind.

Die Mischungen werden in kleinen Mengen produziert (In Zusammenarbeit mit Craig und Patty Tarler von CD), von Hand gemischt und alter Tradition verpflichtet. So kann auf Schwankungen in der Tabakqualität eingegangen werden.Es wird sich auf Mutter Natur und die eigenen Fähigkeiten verlassen.

Diesen Text habe ich frei übersetzt und der Originaltext entstammt der Homepage von Mr. Pease: www.glpease.com

Es gibt die: Original Mixtures, Classic Collection, Fog City Selection, Heirloom Series und Limited Editions.
Über diese werde ich hier fortlaufen berichten und, soweit mir persönlich bekannt, auch Reviews einstellen!

 

Stratford 

Einer meiner Virginia Lieblinge, der Stratford. Mit ihm kann man gut testen, ob eine Pfeife in der Lage ist, Tabaknuancen herauszuarbeiten...
Herstellertext:
"Stratford is an enticing blend of delicately sweet brights and rich, ripe, red Virginia tobaccos, seasoned with just the right measure of fine Louisiana perique. The wonderfully nuanced interplay of sugar and spice is sure to delight the lover of this time honored combination. The room note is soft and subtle, the taste zesty and piquant. This is the one for the Virginia/perique fans.

Stratford was released in July, 2003".

the fans.
Der Tabak ist in der Dose auffällig durch seine sehr hellen Virginias und hat einen sehr natürlichen, unaufdringlichen leicht heuartigen Duft. Da er sehr eng gepresst eingefüllt wird, fülle ich ihn gerne in ein Schnappdeckelglas um, damit ich ihn auflockern kann, ohne das er austrocknet, was in der Original- Dose belassen, leicht passieren kann.
Er hat eine ordentliche Portion Nikotin und ich nehme daher gerne eine Pfeife mit engerer Tabakkammer und nicht zu großem Volumen. Mich erinnert der Tabak immer ein wenig an meine Zeit als Zigarrettenraucher, eben wegen der Nikotinwirkung.
Die schönen Nuancen im Geschmack entfalten sich erst nach einigen Füllungen und am besten in einer neuen Pfeife!

 

Cornell & Diehl, Inc.

Aus Zeitgründen zunächst nur die englische Originalversion. Hier bei Craig und Patty Tarler werden auch alle Pease Tabake hergestellt. Daher dieser kleine Bericht an dieser Stelle:
"Cornell & Diehl, Inc. in its' present incarnation was founded in 1990. However, the company's roots and heritage are well over 100 years old. C&D began life in the 1880's in New York as The Atlas Blending Co. From the very beginning, the company flew somewhat in the face of convention; quality of product was stressed above profitabililty, and the focus of the company was on "English" blends rather than the mostly Virginias and Burley based tobaccos America was much more familiar with at the time. Interestingly, a number of the original recipes remain in our present day catalogue of blends, including the lone aromatic manufactured by Atlas back then, Spice Nut.

In the 1950's a young master blender from Pennsylvania named Jack Creamer bought Atlas Blending Co. and moved it lock, stock and (literally) barrel from New York to Carversville, Pa. The Atlas Blending Co. now became something of an attraction since Creamer located the business in Carversville's old Post Office building and stored the large barrels in which the raw tobacco leaf was shipped in full view of the building's large plate glass windows. Jack Creamer also began a tradition that continues to this day, that of being primarily a wholesaler of his blends to tobacconists around the country, but also selling direct to customers who couldn't find the Atlas Blends elsewhere and were willing to either go to Carversville or search out and contact the company about purchasing the blends via mail order.

By 1972 Jack Creamer was ready to retire and Atlas Blending returned to New York (specifically Long Island) when Sol Lefkowitz purchased the company and re-located it. For the first time the company also underwent a change of name when Sol decided to name it after his wife, a well known exotic dancer of the time who performed under the stage name of "Amar". Thus, The Amar Blends came into being. By the way, there is no truth to the rumor (or at least, very little truth) that it was the fact that the company was named for an exotic dancer that led Craig to purchase it!

In fact the story of how the present incarnation of the company came to pass is much more interesting. We'll let company President Craig Tarler pick up the story in his own words:

"In 1990 I was Director of Marketing for a firm which shall remain un-named for now. My wife Patty and I were preparing for a long planned and deserved trip to England when, two days before our departure I was invited to lunch by the firm's president and told to have a wonderful time on my well deserved vacation and oh, by the way, not to bother returning to the office when we got back since my position had been eliminated. I'd been downsized! Now, I'd been a fan of the Atlas blends since the Jack Creamer days and continued to buy my tobacco from Sol after he took the company over. I called to lay in a supply for the England trip and Sol mentioned that he was looking to sell the company. The whole time Patty and I were in England the wheels wouldn't quit turning in my mind so, when we got home, I put together a business proposal, went to the bank and got a loan for Sol's asking price of $17,500. I went with my cousin's wife in a van from our home in Bucks County, Pa. to pick up my new business. I returned with half a van full of tobacco and sauces for the aromatics and all the original blend recipes. Patty and I decided to re-name the business Cornell & Diehl, which is a combination of my middle and her maiden names. Our first year in business we grossed exactly what we had paid for it, $17,500. Needless to say,our gross is a little higher than that now!" Craig ends with the hearty laugh that is his trademark.

Cornell & Diehl moved again in May of 1994 when Craig and Patty decided to move to Morganton, N.C. to be closer to their daughters and grand-children. 1994 was a fateful year in the future of Cornell & Diehl in another way as that was when Craig, with his many years of marketing expertise, glimpsed the future and first launched a site on a new medium called the Internet. From 1994 until Sept. 2005 Cornell & Diehl was located in a space literally the size of a two car garage connected to the Tarlers' home. To say the business was literally bursting at the seams is an understatement, so new quarters were found and the company moved to our present 5500 square ft. facility. Today Cornell & Diehl Pipe Tobaccos are known and sought out all over the world, whether it be our own blends or those we manufacture for others, such as the very popular and well respected G.L. Pease line of pipe tobacco blends and the Two Friends line of tobaccos. The success of Cornell & Diehl, Inc. can be attributed to our faithfulness to the origins of the company. Producing the finest quality tobaccos and offering exemplary customer service is still our primary focus and goal. And while we are manufacturers and not retailers, we remain true to the principles of Jack Creamer. We will gladly work with those who are interested in our tobaccos but cannot find a source for them. Please feel free to contact us at 800-433-0080 Mon-Fri, 9-5 Eastern time, or 24/7 by e-mailing us at cnd@hci.net.

Ein weiterer Artikel ist im WNC Magazine erschienen:

It was a long way up for Tarler when he bought the business in 1990. Then called Amar Blends and located on Long Island, the company started in the 1880s as The Atlas Blending Co. in New York City. When Tarler took over the outfit, of which he was a patron, it had about 175 individual customers and was sold in 100 stores. He fit Amar Blends’ whole operation—some tobacco, scales, flavorings, and blend recipes—into his van and set up shop in the cellar of his Pennsylvania home. Tarler paid $17,500 for the lot of it, the same amount of his gross sales in the first year.
Tarler thought the endeavor would be an entertaining challenge in retirement. He had just left a career in public relations and marketing in New York, on a sabbatical to run what he says was an unsuccessful horse farm. Even he didn’t foresee his success with Cornell & Diehl. “Now I’ve got this little tiger kitten. The more I feed it and the better I take care of it, the larger it gets and the more fun it is,” he says. “That’s what’s kept me at it, and I still don’t know how big this tiger is going to get.”
All this even as the pipe tobacco market has shrunk. Sales have declined in the United States in the past 10 years, Tarler notes. Still, he decided to dive into the organic arena. “It’s another marketing challenge for me,” he says. “We’re going to try it and see what happens.”
That approach has served him well with Cornell & Diehl, a moniker derived from Tarler’s middle name, Cornell, and his wife’s maiden name, Diehl. The couple expanded the business in 1994, when they moved to Morganton to be near family. Then, the company was based in a garage-size space at the couple’s home. After a promising reception at a pipe show in Chicago, they grew again in 2005 by increasing the staff to five and moving into a 5,000-square-foot building.

The tobacco is mostly from North Carolina and Virginia with some imported from the Middle East. The pungent leaves arrive already threshed, or destemmed: 440-pound boxes of burley; 140-pound burlap bales of latakia, a Turkish variety; 500-pound barrels of perique, grown only in Louisiana. The tobacco is treated with a mold deterrent, moistened, cut into strips, and recut to granulate it. After the tobacco dries, it’s bagged and shelved until it’s time to blend.
A shiny, stainless steel blending table is the heart of the operation and where the tobacco’s taste is refined. Master blender Ted Connelley pulls out the da Vinci recipe card and piles a mound of slightly moist latakia onto a scale. “Then the magic hands get at it,” Tarler says. Connelley adds some rough-cut burley and bright Virginia flake and mixes the brown and black concoction by hand as if tossing a salad. For aromatic mixtures, the flavoring is sprinkled on and the tobacco is reblended. “It’s very much like cooking. You know what the tobaccos taste like and what they’ll taste like in combination,” Tarler says. “It’s the blender’s art.”
While a big producer might make 1,000 pounds of a blend, Cornell & Diehl’s small batches of five to 100 pounds showcase quality. “It gives them a level of fine-grain control that a larger manufacturer doesn’t have,” says Wilford, whose store sells most of Cornell & Diehl’s varieties.

 

OPENING NIGHT

Ich mag ja immer die bunten Dosen mit den leicht naiv anmutenden Malereien.
Es liegen tatsächlich schöne Flakescheiben darin. Dunkelrot, fast braun mit einigen blonden Strähnchen.
Der Geruch ist wenig vielversprechend. Die Flakes bringe ich mit Kicken und Falten in die Pfeife ein. Anzünden und Abbrand sind unkompliziert.
Der Geschmack ist großartig mit einer Süße, nach der ich schon lange suche!
Mit dem Tabak kann der erste Sommerabend kommen!
Ein neuer Virginiafavorit, sehr schön narürlich und unkompliziert und mit einer guten Portion Nikotin. Nichts fürs Vormittags, aber das sagt ja auch schon der Name :lol:
Eine Kaufempfehlung für Virginiapuristen!

 

 

Organic Pipe Dream

 

Cornell & Diehl is proud to partner with Organic Smoke, Inc to bring you the world's first certified organic pipe tobacco blend!

Alleine schon das Design versprüht den ganzen Charme des frühen Ökoladens.

Dieser Virginia ist wirklich abolut empfehlenswert und eine neue Erfahrung! frei von allen üblichen Zusätzen riecht er frisch aus der Dose wie frisch gemähtes Gras. Ganz unwiederstehlich. Von der Schnittbreite her fast ein Feinschnitttabak und von der Konsistenz her Knochentrocken. Da dachte ich zunächst an den perfekten Zungenbrand aber der Tabak ist wunderbar mild. Nuancenreichtum ist nicht vorhanden aber ein ganz leicht süßer konstanter reiner Virginiageschmack.

Zum Thema Organic Tobacco hier noch ein sehr interessanter Artikel:

 

S. Gawith

Ein kleiner historischer Überblich über diese englische Traditionshaus. Entnommen aus deren Homepage:

A chronological history of Samuel Gawith and Company
(after J.W. Dunderdale)

The history of the company begins, interestingly, not with a Gawith at all, but an enterprising Kendalian by the name of Thomas Harrison, who, aware of the popular interest, and associated commercial potential, of snuffs and tobaccos, removed himself to Glasgow to learn the trade of snuff making. He returned to Kendal in 1792 with not only knowledge of snuff making, but the means, also.
He had bought approximately 50 tons of second hand machinery, estimated to be manufactured around 1750, and transported it via packhorse, to a mill at Mealbank, on the river Mint, a few miles North East of the centre of Kendal. Although the building disappeared about fifty years ago, some of the machinery is still intact and in day-to-day use at the Brown House today. Indeed, in 1965, the industrial trade magazine "Design and Components in Engineering" judged it to be the oldest piece of industrial machinery still in regular production use - "The reason we feel confident in accepting the estimate of (at least) 210 years as being the age of the machine is that the central drive bevel wheels have wedged wooden teeth. Had cast iron gear wheels been available they would most probably have been chosen as the central drive members, and since they were available about 1760 it is safe to assume that the machine dates back to about 1750".
But enough about machinery, and back to the people who created the company. Shortly after establishing his new business, Thomas Harrison appears to have entered business with Thomas Brocklebank, a "chymist and druggist" of Kendal. At that time chemists would frequently sell tobacco and snuff (as opposed to those today who dispense nicotine patches!), so we can presume that the partnership was split evenly between production and retail. In this same year, 1793, Thomas Harrison's namesaked son was born and effectively took over the business after his father's death. Possibly it was this Thomas Harrison who bought 27 Lowther Street, around 1830, as both family residence and factory, as was the habit of the time.
By 1837, Thomas Harrison the second's eldest child, Jane, reached 18 and had fallen in love with a "plumber and glazier" of Kendal, one Samuel Gawith. Apparently against her father's wishes, the two married "over the anvil" at Gretna Green on 15 January 1838.
In 1841, Thomas Harrison died, leaving the premises, and his share in Harrison and Brocklebank, to Jane and her sister Ann. Consequently Samuel and Jane moved into Lowther Street, the former relinquishing his earlier trade and working alongside the elderly Thomas Brocklebank.
In 1842, Samuel Gawith (The Second) was born, and over the next 14 years 5 siblings followed.
Somewhere in the mid 1840s Thomas Brocklebank passed away, and when Ann Harrison died in 1852, the ownership of 27 Lowther Street, and by now the whole of the business, fell to the hands of Samuel Gawith.
In 1864, after serving some years as councillor, Samuel Gawith was elected mayor of Kendal, but suffered a personal tragedy also when Jane died on 3rd October. A year and six days later, Samuel followed his wife, to be buried together at the cemetery on Castle Street, a few minutes walk from the current company premises.
Samuel Gawith left the business, and the well being of the family, in the hands of 3 trustees, as Samuel the Second, already active in the business, was only 22. The trustees were Samuel himself, Henry Hoggarth and John Illingworth. Those familiar with snuff in the UK, and especially production within Kendal, will now recognise names associated with 3 seperate snuff manufacturers, and their significance will unfold in this text.
Henry Hoggarth was apparently a "land surveyor" of Kendal, indeed, of no.29 Lowther Street, so we can assume a friendship existed between him and Samuel the First, as well as some civic responsibilities that were shared between the two.
John Thomas Illingworth was the commercial traveller for Samuel the First, and had been for some 10 years at Samuel's death, himself then aged 35 years.
In greater detail, the business was now to be run by Samuel the 2nd, and the next eldest son, John Edward. John was only 18 (and therefore a minor at law) at the time, and his directorship had to be sanctioned by the Lord Chancellor. The property at Lowther Street was bequeathed to the other children as a home, for as long as they required it, provided Samuel and John had access to the business section.
In 1867, J.T. Illingworth left the company to set up on his own, building a factory on Sandes Avenue in 1869 and then moving to larger premises on Canal Head (literally next door to the Kendal Brown House!). 1931 saw the company cease tobacco production and become "Illingworth Snuffs Ltd." The premises were destroyed by fire in the early 1980s, after which the company continued in Kendal for a few more years before being bought up by Joseph Wilson's.
Back to Samuel Gawith.
The partnership between the two brothers worked for some years, but, not for the first time in a family firm and surely not for the last, Samuel and John decided that they would be best served by not working in partnership anymore and on 31st March 1878 an "agreement of seperation" came into effect. The premises at Lowther Street, and the mill at Meal Bank were to be split and that Samuel Gawith was to have the choice of which to possess. Samuel chose the mill, and Lowther Street passed to John E. Gawith, Tobacco Manufacturer.
Samuel must have found Mealbank, either in location or size, deficient, as he designed and built new premises - the current Kendal Brown House, and an adjoining private house "Greenbanks" (possibly he was fond of Kendal's colours-Kendal Green cloth was famous in the 1400s, Kendal Brown is a world renowned snuff) at the terminus of the Lancaster-Kendal Canal, in 1881.
Although the "Agreement of Separation" allowed Samuel and John to both produce tobacco and snuff, Samuel concentrated on snuff, John on "twist" tobacco. John, however, soon moved into production of snuff also, and acquired a water-driven grinding plant at Low Mills, just South of Kendal. It was possibly this rapid overexpansion that contributed to John's bankruptcy in 1885, at which Samuel bought John's goodwill, trademarks etc. John died seven years later, in 1892, one hundred years after Thomas Harrison established himself at Meal Bank.
Samuel could see the financial reward of continuing tobacco production, after buying up John's goodwill, and received a license to manufacture tobacco from the Inland Revenue on 6th July 1885. He also kept the Lowther Street premises.
In 1884, Samuel's Scottish wife gave birth to their first son, Samuel Anderson Gawith (Samuel the Third-his middle name coming from his mother's maiden name), brother to four older sisters.
Sadly, two years later, on November 27th, 1886, Samuel Gawith the Second died, aged 44. Apparently, the flag on the Town Hall flew at half-mast as a mark of respect. Respect, not necessarily or solely from his success as a local businessman, but also as a member of the "Westmorland Volunteer Rifles", a precursor to the present Territorial Army. He had joined on their formation in 1859 and held every rank from private in 1860 to major in 1878, and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel "for long service" in 1886. His military funeral was a great civic occasion, with over 200 members of the "Volunteers" in attendance.
Samuel the Third was two years and five months old at his father's death, and once again the company was put in the hands of trustees, probably Samuel the Third's mother, John Edward Gawith (who died six years later) and William Henry Gawith, Samuel the Second's youngest brother.
A word here about William, who set up in rivalry to the Samuel Gawith dynasty, about the time John's enterprise failed. He set up in partnership with Henry Hoggarth, whose sister he married. Together they purchased the Lowther Street tobacco factory, and made snuff at Marble Mills outside Kendal. The firm continues now as Gawith Hoggarth TT.
Samuel the Third took control of the company about 1904/05, and saw it's production increase during the First World War to meet growing demand - as the American General J.J. Pershing put it "You ask me what we need to win this war. I answer tobacco as much as bullets".
By 1920 new premises at Sandes Avenue, Kendal were opened, and the whole of the machinery transferred from Meal Bank, and adapted to power by electricity, rather than water.
In 1929, Derek Dakeyne-Cannon, Samuel Gawith's nephew became a shareholder, and was named Managing Director, Samuel being named Chairman.
At some time in the early 1930's there was further expansion, and Samuel Gawith took over the idyllically situated snuff mill of William Nevinson at Eamont Bridge, immediately south of Penrith. This had originally been a corn mill, then gunpowder mill, then from 1835 a snuff mill.
This ran in operation until about 1936-7, when, probably as a result of the change from snuff taking to cigarette smoking immediately after the First World War, operations at Samuel Gawith's were consolidated. Eamont Bridge and Sandes Avenue were closed and the Kendal Brown House expanded. For at least it's third time, the original four-pestle mill was dismantled, moved and re-instated. A tribute, indeed, to the undoubted craftsmanship and ingenuity of it's constructors.
Samuel Gawith the Third passed away in 1953, leaving his widow Louie as Chairman and Derek Dakeyne-Cannon as Managing Director.
The latter was succeeded on his death by Wilfred LloyMrs. E. Dakeyne-Cannon, 1992d Link, in 1961, and Derek's widow Edith Dakeyne-Cannon was appointed to the board as Chairman, and continues to this day as a director.
In 1979, Doug Harris, who joined the firm as a boy in 1935 (and served in the RAF with great distinction in the Second World War) became M.D. on the death of Wilf Link.
When Doug retired in the early 1990s, Graham Forrest (who like many of his predecessors started as a young man fresh from school, learning his trade in all the various departments of the factory) was appointed as Managing Director.
And that brings us to the present time. In a shrinking world, ruled by technology, few enough products are manufactured in such a time-honoured and traditional way as the many varied snuffs and tobaccos of the House of Samuel Gawith.

Best Brown Flake

In der "Virginia Reihe" der Lakelands von S. Gawith mein absoluter Favorit!
Der Tradition verfallen, hatte mich auch gleich deren Geschichte interessiert, s.o. oder auf deren Homepage: www.samuelgawith.co.uk
Herstellerbeschreibung: "A firm favourite for the pipe smoker looking for a medium strength, gentle and slow burning tobacco. Manufactured using hand-stripped flue cured Virginias with no flavours added, Best Brown will reward with a cool, sweet smoke with a delectable aroma and good sidestream. Mild to medium".
Länger gepresst als der Medium Virginia Flake und kürzer als der Full Virginia Flake, liegt er irgendwie in der goldenen Mitte.
Nachteilig: Die Flakes sind sehr unterschiedlich geschnitten (Handarbeit?!) und damit in der Vorbereitung etwas schwieriger. Ich nehme mir dafür aber immer gerne Zeit und somit: Was soll es?.
Anzünden ist auch aufwendiger und die Flakes brauchen definitiv Platz. Mit einem guten Feuerzeug komme ich aber ans Ziel!
Recht malzig, buttriger echter Virginiageschmack mit optimaler Süße.
Keine bissige Natur...
Insgesamt wenig Aufregung unterwegs, eher ein sanfter Monolog.
Für mich ein Tabak zum kalibrieren.

Peterson Irish Flake

dieses Review ist natürlich einmal mehr herrlich subjektiv und zeigt vielleicht auch, was für Faktoren bisweilen bei der Tabakwahl eine Rolle spielen können. Zunächst habe ich vor einem Jahr David Wagner von Baff Pipes das Magritte Bild gemailt "Dies ist keine Pfeife", damit er mir eine Pfeife baut, die auch eine ist. Irgendwie assozierte ich mit dieser Pfeife dann meinen geliebten Kommissar Maigret und mit dem wiederum mein geliebtes Frankreich. Also welchen Tabak hier nehmen? Der geneigte Leser ahnt es durch die Überschrift: Peterson Irish Flake! Auf der Dose steht: "A full bodied blend made of equal proportions air-cured, flue cured, and dark fired. True to the pure, unspoilt tobacco taste. Recommended for the experienced pipe smoker".
Was hat das mit all meinen Vorbeschreibungen zu tun? Für mich schmeckt dieser Tabak ähnlich der Boyards oder Gintanes Mais, die ich in zartem Alter von 18 in Frankreich am Atlantik rauchte und der Nikotingehalt lässt mich auch ähnlich "fliegen" wie seinerzeit. Kräftig und gut und grundehrlich, aber stark! Hin und wieder werde ich dann schwach....

An dieser Stelle muß ich dann noch das Review von BriarChef hinzufügen:

"The Dude. El Dudarino, for those of you not into the whole brevity thing. The Big Lebowski.

Looking for full blown, full strength tobacco? This flake abides. Nicotine to spare. No scents, no flavorings. Pure tobacco enjoyment for those so inclined. Not for beginners. No complexity here. Just tobacco.

Nuance? Isn't that what happens when you go to a psychic and hold hands trying to speak to the dead? This flake may help. Subtle delivery of leather and spice? Spice, no. Leather, yes...in the form of a bull whip.

This stuff will get Mediaeval on your a$$. Treat this with due respect and you will be rewarded with a wonderful full bodied smoke. Get cute with it...you better have your cardiologist on speed dial and the EMT crew parked out front. This is the tobacco that will make "your boys" retreat to higher ground and have you singing soprano in mere minutes.

Very Good".

Schöner kann das doch sicher keiner beschreiben, falls doch, bitte ich um eine mail!

Dunhill Flake/Light Flake Dosenstudie

Seit mich der Dunhill Flake interessiert, günstigerweise natürlich erst, seit er vom Markt ist, sind mir bereits drei Dosenvarianten untergekommen:

Links: Definitiv Murrays Produktion.Der alte schönere dunhill Schriftzug.Made in the United Kingdom. Alfred Dunhill, Duke Street, St. James London.Manufactured and blended in the United Kingdom. The name Dunhill is the registered Trademark of Alfred Dunhill LTD.To open insert coin in corner groove and twist.

Mitte: US Import.Made in the UK in assosiaction with Dunhill Tobacco of London.Manufactured under the Authority of the Trade Mark Owner. The Name Dunhill is a trade Mark that is registered internationally.To open insert coin in corner groove and twist.

Rechts: UK Import.Flake.Dunhill EU Directive. Manufactured in the UK under the Authority of Dunhill tobacco of London Limited.1A St James. London SW1A 1EF

Sehr hilfreich hierzu sind zwei Artikel, welche der Loringpage.com entnommen sind:

DATING ENGLISH TINNED TOBACCO

© 1999 John C. Loring

(2/1/99)

[This article comes at a price - if you are aware of any errors or additional information on how to date English tobacco tins generally or for specific brands please advise me at

It is useful and valuable to be able to generally date tins of English made tobacco.

Until recent years English tobacco blending laws prohibited blenders in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from using the chemicals commonly found in the blends of Continental Europe and the United States and placed very strict limitations on the use of natural additives. Out of these restrictions arose the traditional English blends, blends which derive their distinctive aroma and flavor from the natural properties of the tobacco as opposed to chemical additives.

Natural products, free of chemical additives and preservatives, change and mature with age. Tobacco is no exception and this is especially true of virginia tobacco which has a high sugar content. Initially sharp and biting, virginia tobacco will mellow and sweeten over decades. Oriental tobaccos will also evolve in time, most notably latakia, traditionally the most desirable of aged tin tobacco, which will both soften and grow more pungent. On the other hand some tobaccos, such as burley will not change appreciably with age. [I suspect that the aging of tobaccos treated with chemical additives and/or preservatives is effected in two ways. First, preservatives will retard the aging process. Second, the chemicals and the tobaccos will neither uniformly age nor maintain the original balance of flavors. Personal experiences leads me to believe that for at least the first decade the chemical component becomes more noticeable as the years go by. For these reasons I generally avoid 'cellering' of chemically treated or preserved tobaccos and tend to believe the manufacturers of those blends when they state that their blends are best smoked shortly after purchase.] Since English blends are invariably based on virginia or virginia and oriental tobaccos and rarely use burley tobaccos, a tin of traditionally blended English tobacco will evolve for decades. [It is important to note that this is true not only for English 'virginia' and 'latakia' blends but also for English cavendish and matured press flake or roll blends. While these latter blends invariably contain natural additives, traditionally, unlike 'non english' blends of similar name, that use was very limited and the tobaccos used were of the highest quality virginias as opposed to burleys or low grade leaf.]

English blenders long recognized the importance of age in the blending process and before the high cost of money dictated otherwise, they aged their tobaccos at three stages, prior to blending, prior to tinning, and prior to shipment. Beginning in the mid to late 1970's however, rising interest rates and the invasion of the industry by MBAs forced the use of younger tobacco. Coincidentally it was also about this time that blenders began to run out of Syrian latakia. Unquestionably Syria produced the finest latakia, but the heat/smoke process consumed so much wood that in the early 1970's the Syrian government banned the manufacture to save what remained of its forests. The 1970s also saw the beginnings of a concentration of the English tobacco industry and by the end of the decade for instance, both Dunhill and Rattray had farmed out production of their blends to third party English blenders with noticeable changes in the blends resulting from the transitions. Twenty years later, in the 1990's, production of most English blends (Dunhill being the most notable exception) shifted to the Continent resulting in quite significant changes in the blending and characteristics of the blends, the most important of which being the common use of chemical additives.

Thus when you pick up a tin of English made tobacco it is important to know the age of that tin in order to determine the character and maturity of the tobacco, where the tobacco was blended and who was the actual blender. Fortunately, it is in fact possible to approximately date English tinned tobacco.

Generally Dating English Tins

There are five major indicia useful to generally date an English tin, the tin type, the origin labeling, the weight labeling, tax stamps and the US importer address. While often no single one of these indicia alone will be definitive, used together most tins can be comfortably dated. I shall deal briefly with each seriatim.

Tin Types

There are three major types of English tobacco tins as well as some minor varieties:

The 'knife lid' or 'cutter top' tin style appears to have come into use during World War I (although there may be evidence of late 19^th century use) and was generally used through the 1960s. This tin type has two tops, a disposable metal inner top used to create an airtight seal and a loose metal outer top. The inner top is a thin metal sheet which effects an air seal until the initial opening of the tin. The outer top is used to initially open the tin by cutting away the inner top (the inner top being then disposed of) and then used to loosely cover the opened tin. There is a cutting point on the inside of outer top near the edge that comes in one of two styles 'fixed' and 'moveable'. This point is used to cut away the inner top and is activated by either sliding a movable cutting point towards the center of the top about a quarter of an inch or bending the tip of a fixed cutting point down 90 degrees. In either case, once the point is activated the outer top is placed on the inner top and pressed down with the result that the cutting point pierces the inner top. The outer top is then turned 360 degrees so that the cutting point completely cuts away the inner top. It appears that the fixed cutting point style was the first to be used and was phased out in the early 1950's. I am not certain when the movable cutting point style began use but I have seen it on tins dating to at least the 1930's, and it was the predominate style after World War II and the only style after the early 1950's.

The 'coin twist' tin, which is still used today, appears to have been introduced in the 1940's following World War II and by the '70s became the predominant tin style. Some early 'coin twists' dating to no later then the early 1950's had rubber gaskets that extended past the outer lip of the top or rubber stoppers that plugged a hole in the bottom of the tin.

The 'pop top' or 'ring pull' tin was introduced in the 1970's and like the 'coin twist' continues in use through today. In essence it is a modern day 'knife lid' with a disposable inner metal top that is pulled away and a plastic outer top that is used to cover the tin after initial opening. Into the 1980's the tops of this type of tin often had text, pictorial or a combination of text and pictorial instructions. The text or combination of text and pictorial instruction styles (but not the pictorial only style) are generally the earlier and suggests the early or mid '70s.

The 'key top' tin is a tin having a top that is sealed to the body by a thin strip of metal. A removable 'key' affixed to the tin top is used to open the tin by winding up and removing the metal strip (in America this type of tin was commonly used for coffee). This seldom seen tobacco tin style was used occasionally by John Cotton in the 1970's, for most Fribourg and Treyer tins into the 1980's, and perhaps by McConnell for larger tin sizes in the '70s. I suspect it was introduced in the 1960's as a substitute for the 'knife lid'.

The 'lever top' tin is most commonly associated with American tobacco blends between the 1950's and 1980's in 8, 14 and 16 ounce sizes. The removable top of this type of tin is about a quarter inch smaller than the circumference of the tin. The top is levered open via a lever that is permanently hinged to the top. I have never seen this specific type of tin for an English blend but I have seen a few instances of a similar style lacking an attached hinged lever (you use a coin, at least I do) on two and four ounce Rattray and Sullivan tins dating to the 1960's. While this type of tin can be very nearly air tight it is seldom absolutely so, so tobacco in older such tins will almost always be found to be on the dry side.

The 'Canister' tin, like the 'lever top' is rarely seen in connection with post World War II English tobacco. This type of tin has a screw on, hinged, or slip-on top which does not create an air tight seal and is generally associated with foil packed tobacco inside. Balkan Sobranie used this style for 7 ounce packaging in the late 1970's (rectangular tin with a hinged top) and again during the 1990's (round tin with a screw on top). A more common earlier pre World War variant of the canister tin, used by Bell's Three Nuns among others, was a rectangular hinged top style holding up to eight ounces of pressed flake tobacco.

Lastly, in America during World War II war time material shortages forced the occational use of glass jars for tobacco and although I have not seen any English varieties I suspect the same may exist for at least some war time English blends.

[A note about some of the above older tins as they are found today. The two principal problems presented by older tins today are dried out tobacco and rust. The inner top of a knife lid tin should be 'puffed out', if it is not there is a good possibility that a small hole has developed somewhere in the tin. Also regardless of external condition there is a tendency for knife lid tins to develop internal rust. The thick metal of coin twist tins generally means that external rust rarely penetrates to the inside. The particular danger presented by coin twist tins, especially the rectangular variety, is that in time the top will slightly lift away from the bottom breaking the air seal - gently pulling up on the top with your fingertips will not break a sound seal but will generally expose an already broken one. Also note that the oversized rubber gaskets or stoppers used in some early '50s coin twists have deteriorated by now and most probably are no longer air tight. The pop top tin metal tends to thin towards the top making pin prick rust holes a danger. Unlike wine and cigars however, the forgoing problems do not necessarily spell disaster. Dry tobacco may almost always be rejuvenated with good, sometimes exceptional results and even when rust is involved the rust generally effects only a small portion of the tin often allowing the bulk of the tobacco to be rejuvenated.]

[Besides dating, tins and similarity of tins can also be used to identify the actual manufacturer of blends. For instance blends in the '60s - '70s from the famed English 'high end' pipe shop Simmons come in exactly the same 4 ounce 'tall boy' coin twist tin used by Dunhill at that time - obviously Dunhill was the blender. Likewise, in the comparison the English made Ashton pop tops and those of the last English blender of Rattray are from the same English blender. As we know that the Rattray blender was Robert McConnell it follows that it too was the Ashton blender. Similarly, the McConnell coin twist tins of the '60s-'70s are fairly distinctive, so when one comes across 'store brand' 'Made in England' tins from Leavitt & Peirce (a famed Cambridge, Massachusetts pipe shop) in the same distinctive style and with McConnell blend names the conclusion is self evident. More intriguing is that at the same time Leavitt & Peirce offered its 'Made in England' blends in 8 ounce key top tins, assumedly also produced by McConnell. English key top tins however, are unusual otherwise known only from Fribourg and Treyer and John Cotton, both important albeit deceased UK pipe shops, which in turn leads to the speculation that perhaps McConnell was the blender of these blends as well. Hopefully, response to this article will allow for better definition of the 'true blenders' of the many British and American 'store brand' 'made in England' blends.]

Origin

A large bold face lower case " e " on the tin or label indicates that the tin dates from the 1980's or 1990 and is never found on tins prior to the late 1970's. [Note however, that the converse is not true, i.e. tins dating from the '80s & '90s may be found without an "e".] The " e " references the Euromarket.

Prior to the 1980's the country of origin on English tins was generally indicated as being "Great Britain", "England", "Scotland" or Northern Ireland". Beginning in the 1980's however, the tendency has been to use "United Kingdom".

Weight

While there are exceptions, generally speaking:

• weight labeled only in ounces suggests the mid 1970's or earlier. 1 ounce or less tins (that are not obviously samples) especially in the form of 'short filled' 2 ounce sized tins, suggest 1950's or earlier, but are known in later decades as well. Even numbered ounces only, i.e. 2, 4, and 8 ounce tins (other than Germain's Esoterica blends) strongly suggests mid 1970's or earlier, especially if that weight is embossed on the bottom of the tin. While fractional ounce only tins, e.g. 1 3/4 ounces, suggest the mid 1970's or earlier, it is not that unusual to also see them after the mid 1970's.
• weight labeled both in ounces and grams suggests the late 1970's to present. However, two styles strongly suggest only the mid to late 1970's: (i) dual weights embossed on the bottom of the tin or (ii) dual weight labeling where the ounce weight is a whole number, e.g. 2 oz / 56 gr (other than Germain's Esoterica blends); and
• weight labeled only in grams strongly suggests the 1980s to present, although it should be noted that Republic of Ireland tins dating to the 1940's and 1950's may be found measured only in grams.

Tax Stamps

A US tax stamp or remnants of the same is indicative of a tin dating from the 1950's or earlier. Note that the printed year on the tax stamp, 1926, is the year the tax law was enacted and says nothing about the age of the tin. However, if the tax stamp is largely intact you will find printed a "Series number", e.g. "SERIES 124". Adding 29 to that number will give you the approximate year of the tin, e.g. a tin with a series 124 tax stamp dates to around 1953. On occasion a US customs date will also be found rubber stamped on the tax stamp, this date will also give you the approximate date of importation.

Tins will also be found with Canadian tax stamps. Unlike the US tax stamp however, these stamps are currently in use. I have not seen enough of Canadian stamps to determine whether over time there have been differences useable for dating purposes.

Importer Address

Many tins found in the US will indicate the importer and its address. If the address contains a postal zone as opposed to a zip code, the 1950's or earlier is suggested. [While not English made tobacco it should be noted that Lane tinned tobacco labels apparently continued to have a postal zone address well into the '60s.]

When found, the changing address of one important importer, James B. Russell, can be quite useful for dating purposes. A Russell address of:

• W.
  56^th Street
  dates the tin to the 1960's or earlier;
• W.
  61^st Street
  dates the tin from the 1960's to the early 1970's;
• Van Brunt Street
  dates the tin from the 1970's to mid 1980's; and
• Parkway dates the tin from the mid 1980's to present.

[Please note that the dates given here are approximate and somewhat speculative. Hopefully response to this article will allow for some more definitive dating.]

Lastly, it is not unusual to find tins which have handwritten dates. Such dates can be quite useful but take care for they can also be quite misleading. Usually these dates are of two sorts, either they represent when someone acquired the tin, first, second or third hand and often well after manufacture, or they can represent someone's guess as to the age of the tin, which guess can often be considerably off.

Some Specific Brands

[Please note that in most cases the dates given below are approximate and somewhat speculative. Hopefully response to this article will allow for more definitive dating. The absence of some popular blends from those listed below is simply an indication that at the present time I use the general dating methods set forth above to date those tins as opposed to any special brand specific indications.]

Ashton

In the 1990's production of the Ashton branded tobacco blends was shifted to the Continent using exactly the same labels that were used in England. The English made blends, which were blended for Ashton by McConnell, may be distinguished from the Continental made by the 'pop top' tin top. The tin top of the McConnell English made Ashton blends was imprinted with pictorial opening instructions while the Continental made Ashton tin tops are plain.

Balkan Sobranie

• Tins labeled as manufactured by Sobranie Limited, Sobrainie House appear to date from the 1970's or earlier;
• Tins labled as manufactured by Sobranie Limited,
  17 Worship Street
  appear to date to the '70s for a brief time just after 'Sobranie House';
• Tins labeled as manufactured by Sobranie Limited,
  Chichester Road
  appear to date from the late 1970s;
• Tins labeled as manufactured by Sobranie of London, 65 Kingsway appear to date to the early 1980's;
• Tins labeled as manufactured by Sobranie of London, 34 Burlington Arcade appear to date to the 1980's; and
• Tins labeled as manufactured by Sobranie of London,
  13 Old Bond Street
  date to the 1990's.

Balkan Sobranie was imported by James Russell so as discussed earlier the Russell addresses are also useful for dating.  (a Sobranie tin paper with a Russell '

Bell's Three Nuns

Bell's Three Nuns tins may be found in five flavors.

• Prior to the 1980's Three Nuns came either in an orange bordered solid brown (or earlier, sold black) 'coin twist' tin or through the 1960's in a 'knife lid' tin or prior to World War II in a hinged rectangular tin.
• In the 1980's the 'coin twist' tin was changed from orange bordered solid brown to an orange bordered brown wood grained and marked Made in Scotland although there are some 50 gram tins without that latter marking.
• In the 1990's production was shifted to Denmark. The Danish production came in both orange bordered solid brown and wood grained tins but all tins regardless of size or color are marked Made in Denmark either on the top or side of the tin top.

Dunhill

The key year for Dunhill tobacco is 1981 when production of most Dunhill tobacco blends was shifted from Dunhill to Murray in Northern Ireland (at the time both Dunhill and Murray were subsidiaries of the same parent company). While the blends remained of very fine quality, distinct differences were immediately apparent, I suspect from Murray's use of younger tobacco and probably some recipe changes due to the unavailability of some tobacco varieties. The only exception to the Murray transition were the My Mixture blends (other than 965). The My Mixture blends (other than 965), were, (and are) available only from the

• '20s - '60s: During this period the 'knife lid' was the primary tin style. In the '50s some 'coin twist' tins were introduced with a decade long, transition from the 4 ounce 'knife lid' to a 4 ounce 'coin twist' starting in the early '60s. [This decade long 'transition' may be indicative of the extended 'in the tin' aging that Dunhill gave its tobaccos.] These 4 ounce 'coin twists' are often called 'tall boys' because they were the same circumference as the 2 ounce 'coin twist' tins, just twice as high. Not all tins during these five decades were imprinted with the packaging weight but when they were it was only in ounces. Closer dating may generally be arrived at through the royal crest that appears on most tins. A Prince of Wales Crest dates from 1921 to 1936; a George VI Crest with a reference to the King dates from 1936 to 1953; a George VI Crest with no reference to the King dates to 1954; a George VI Crest with reference to the late King dates from 1954 to 1962; and an Elizabeth II Crest dates from 1963 to 1995. In addition tins from the WWII era bore a small reference to war time packaging requirements.
• '70s: 'Coin twist' tins were used exclusively during the '70s in the 2 ounce, 4 ounce 'tall boy', and 8 ounce sizes and as in prior years generally were labeled with words to the effect that the tobacco was been blended 'by Dunhill' in 'England' (or prior to the '70s often 'Great Britain').
• Early '80s: The last of the 'in house' Dunhill production, ending in 1981, was packaged in 'coin twists' tins with 'painted' labels showing weight in either fractional ounces only, e.g. 1 3/4 or 3 1/2, or in both fractional ounces and grams with, in either case, the country of origin labeled as 'England'. Sometime in 1981 production of standard brands (but other then 965, not the My Mixtures) was taken over by Murray. These tins may be identified by their paper (rather than 'painted') label which, for the first time, generally indicated the country of origin as being the 'United Kingdom' (I have seen a few paper label Murray tins with 'England'). In addition, distinctively, the now 3 1/2 ounce/100 gram 'tall boy' tin style was flattened resulting in the tin having a noticeably larger circumference than its 1 3/4 ounce/50 gram counterpart.
• Mid to Late '80s: Murray changed back to painted labeling within a few years, these tins however, may be easily distinguished from earlier Dunhill production in that the Murray tins uniformly label the country of origin as the 'United Kingdom'.
• '90s: In about 1990 the Murry blended tobacco label was changed to show that it was manufactured under the authority of Dunhill. In 1995 the Elizabeth II Crest was deleted from the tins and 'authority' was changed to 'in association' with Dunhill.

In short (and with some generalization):

'Association' or 'authority' equals Murray / '90s;

'United Kingdom' equals Murray / '80s - '90s;

Paper label 'coin twist' standard blends equals Murray / early '80s;

Fractional or dual weight painted 'coin twists' made in 'England' equal Dunhill/early '80s;

Whole ounces, or tall boy 'coin twists' equals Dunhill / '70s - '60s; and

'Knife-lid' equals Dunhill / '60s or earlier.

Rattray

More mistakes are made in dating Rattray tobacco tins than with any other brand. The key is to generally disregard the label and look at the tin itself.

Rattray was a Scottish tobacconist who closed up shop in about 1980 but whose highly regarded pipe tobacco blends continue to the present day. Up to about 1970 all Rattray tobacco was blended by Rattray and came in tall thin 4 ounce 'knife lid' (or briefly in the 1960's in 4 ounce 'lever') tins. These tins were all labeled 'Made by Rattray'. [For reasons unknown the Highland Targe label has never been imprinted either 'Made by' or 'Made for' and dating of this blend has to be done by the tin top and bottom alone.] It is generally thought that Rattray continued blending all of its blends for another ten years and then, in 1980, turned them over to Robert McConnell, a fine English blender. However, based on a conversation related by Irwin Friedman with a former Rattray employee and which I find, with some modification, collaborated by the packaging, it appears rather that in about 1970 Rattray turned over the blending of some of its blends intended for the United States to McConnell. McConnel labeled the tins it blended 'Made for Rattray'. Rattray continued to blend itself the tins intended for the English and European markets, as well as all the blends of lesser demand, which tins were labeled, as in the past, 'Made by Rattray'.

When Rattray closed its doors in 1980 McConnell took over the blending of all the Rattray labeled tobacco, but did not change the labeling, thus after 1980 some McConnell blended tins were labeled 'Made for Rattray' while others also blended by McConnell were nonetheless labeled 'Made by Rattray'. McConnell blended in England through the 1980s but shifted production to Germany (and later elsewhere) beginning in about 1990 without any change in the labels, thus continuing the now meaningless 'Made by Rattray' and 'Made for Rattray' duality. Further, the country of origin for the German made Rattray was not included on the label (in the US only it was on a removable tab on the bottom of the tin).

Thus for Rattray tobaccos it is impossible to determine from the label alone who was the blender or when or where the tin was blended.

But if you largely disregard the label and look at the tin top and bottom you will do just fine:

• if the 'pop top' tin top is plain, the tin dates to the 1990's and was blended on the Continent;
• 'if the 'pop top' tin top has pictorial opening instructions and there is a "Made for Rattray" label Robert McConnell of England was the blender and the tin dates to the 1970's -1880s;
• if the 'pop top' tin top has text only opening instructions and there is a "Made by Rattray label it dates to the 1970's and was blended by Rattray of Scotland; and
• if the 'pop top' tin top has pictorial opening instructions and there is a "Made by Rattray" label the tin dates either to the 1970's and was blended by Rattray in Scotland, if it has a silver tinted bottom, or to the 1980's and was blended by McConnell in England, if the tin has a gold tinted bottom.

The problem with the last category of tins however, is that it is extremely difficult to determine whether you are looking at a silver or a gold tinted tin bottom unless you have one of the other for comparison (and do not believe any one that tells you they can do it without a comparison tin). For comparison purposes you can safely use either a Rattray's 'pop top' with text only instructions on the top, which tin will only have a silver bottom or, more readily findable, a tin with pictorial instructions on the top and a 'made for Rattray' label, which tin will only have a gold bottom.

DUNHILL PIPE TOBACCO: 1907 – 1990

© John C Loring  levlor@rcn.com

When Alfred Dunhill opened his shop on

When he opened the doors that first day, it was not to the type of shop where you or I buy our pipe tobacco, a shop with a wide variety of pre-tinned, vacuum packed tobacco made by any number of manufacturers.  Rather the shop Alfred opened was that of a bespoke blender of tobacco, with each “My Mixture” custom blended for an individual customer with the blending tobacco, according to Balfour, Alfred Dunhill One Hundred Years And More, initially obtained from George Dobie & Son of Paisley (makers of the ‘4 Square’ blends) and the Tobacco Supply Syndicate.  Or as he wrote (and most assuredly these are his words):

“The senses of taste and smell are distinct senses in each separate person …. It is impossible for a ready-made mixture to exactly suit the individual senses of taste and smell.  Consequently the only method available is the scientific method whereby the tone of the sense of taste, and the quality of the sense of smell, is accurately determined and assured …. No method avails save that of individual test …. by personal interview.

        “[The shop] is not in any way like the ordinary tobacco shop.

“’A particular mixture cannot be expected to suit the tastes of all and sundry, any more than one medical prescription can be efficacious in all diseases.  I [Alfred Dunhill] therefore make it my business here to prescribe (if I may be allowed to use such a term with reference to tobacco) a special mixture to suit each individual customer.  If my first attempt does not quite attain the ideal, I alter the proportions of the mixture until absolute success is achieved.’

“A few skilful questions from Mr. Dunhill soon enabled him to assort the tobaccos for the mixture I [a customer] longed for.  Taking a bunch of the weed from one cell, a mere pinch from another, and so on, for the world like a chemist making up a prescription!  Then a few rapid movements of the hands and the different tobaccos were uniformly blended and the mixture wrapped up.  … In my case I must say that Mr. Dunhill hit the right thing first time. … The prescription was duly register in a book and I was given its number.”  1910 Dunhill About Smoke Catalog  

Then again, not to make to fine a point of it, when Alfred Dunhill published his first catalog in 1910 success was already forcing alteration of this marketing model.  A bespoke blending shop has its limits, one can not expect every wealthy English pipe smoker to visit a small shop on

Custom blending of the sort Alfred described in his catalog had another problem as well.  It does not necessarily produce the best possible blend.  Blending is more then just mixing together different leaf in proportion.  There are blending techniques, e.g., stoving, toasting, pressing, that take time and experimentation and can hardly be done at the store’s  blending counter.  Then too, once a blend is mixed it needs time to ‘marry’ both in bulk and in the tin.  Above all else Alfred strove for the best, thus it was only natural that a few years later, in 1912, bespoke blending took a back seat again as Alfred Dunhill introduced his first pre-packaged ‘name’ blends: “Royal Yacht”, “Cuba” and “Durbar”.  And priced not at the “My Mixture” 10/8 but at the very considerable premium of 16/- per lb for “Durbar” and 21/- per lb for “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba”.

It is interesting to note at this point, some five years after Alfred opened his shop, that if the shop he opened was not the type of store we go to today, five years later it was.  For when one reviews the pre tinned blends offered in the early catalogs through 1912 you find that they include the full range of what we consider today to be the English style blends, from matured Virginias such as “Royal Yacht” and “My Mixture #288”,  to straight Virginias such as “#36” and “#190”, Oriental blends such as “Durbar”, “#1”, “#28”, “#108”, “#187”, and “#850”, Latakia blends such as “#10” and “#965” and for the odd occasion, “Cuba”, a cigar leaf blend.  Thus for the balance of the near century, from 1912 through 1990, we find that the keynote for Dunhill the tobacconist is “refining” with an increasing emphasis on generally available ‘name’ blends as opposed to custom “My Mixture” blends.  For in most all respects everything was in place by 1912.  Although that is not to say that the custom blending business withered away, for by the end of the century over 36,700 individual blends had been recorded in the

Two additional pre tinned blends were introduced during the World War I a straight Virginia, “Ye Olde Signe” in 1915 and an Oriental, “Harmony” in 1917 but Dunhill’s primary concern was to meet the needs of the fighting forces.  Aside from packaging changes discussed later there were   two essential ‘war time’ measures:  reduced tobacco pricing of standard blends to overseas forces and introducing temporary blends for servicemen at still lower prices.  In 1915 rather then 25/ per lb for “Cuba” Expeditionary Forces paid 19/ and Naval Forces 18/, and rather then 19/ per lb for “Durbar” or “Ye Olde Signe” soldiers paid 13/4 and sailors 12/6. (I suspect the difference in price for soldiers and sailors may relate to tax savings for on tobacco sent to a ship.)  The three temporary  war time blends, “Campaign Plug” a matured Virginia, “Campaign Mixture” (blend type unknown) and “Best Scotch Thick Black Twist” were offered at still lower prices.  “Campaign Plug”, priced 3/- per lb was “of a strength and character to appeal to the non commissioned officers and men [and of a] form suitable for campaign conditions”.  It was really intended to be purchased in bulk and contributed to overseas units for distribution to the troops.  To that end Dunhill also offered a pipe, the “Campaign Pipe”, “in lots of not less then 100” at a shilling each.  The other two war blends, were a bit more expensive 5/- per lb for “Campaign Mixture” and 4/6 per lb for “Best Scotch” but still considerably less then the standard blends even at reduced military prices. 

However, while prices to the armed services were reduced, by the end of the decade, the Great War and aftermath had taken its toll on prices to civilians with  “My Mixture” blends at 19/8 per lb, “Durbar”, “Ye Olde Signe” and “Harmony” at 24/8 per lb, and “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” at 30/8 per lb.

Prices continued to rapidly increase in the 1920’s and by 1923 the 24/8 mixtures were 28/8 and the 30/8 had increased to 34/8.  These increases however, were somewhat alleviated by the introduction some lower priced ‘name’ blends at 20/- per lb: “Standard Mixture” (in all three Latakia strengths - mild, medium and full), a light matured Virginia, “Prince of Wales” and a Virginia  “Three Year Matured”. One new 28/8 blend, “Super” which appears to have been a Virginia or Oriental, was also introduced in the early 1920’s.  Then, save for the 1928 introduction of the Latakia/Cavendish “London Mixture” at 20/8 per lb, the blend card remained unchanged in terms of mixture and fairly stable in terms of pricing for more then a decade. In 1928 for instance:  “Standard Mixture”, “London Mixture”, “Three Year Matured” were all 20/8 per lb; all the “My Mixture” blends were 21/8 per lb; “Ye Olde Signe”, “Harmony” “Durbar” and “Super” were all 29/4 per lb; and “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” were 35/4 per lb.  By the mid (and late) 1930’s we find that the “My Mixture” blend price had been lowered slightly to 21/2 per lb and that the higher priced blends had been ‘rounded’ slightly higher to 30/- and 36/- .   (Two additional notes: First, the “Prince of Wales” mixture was specifically blended for and in honor of Edward, Prince of Wales as a ‘thank you’ for granting of his Royal Warrant in 1921.  Somewhat surprisingly, that blend survived the subsequent and varied scandals of three decades and was not dropped from the line until the 1960s.  Second, although never carried as a “Dunhill” product or at Dunhill shops, at least during the pre World War II period beginning in 1923 Dunhill wholesaled the Continental Tobacco Co/Philip Morris & Co blended ‘Barking Dog’ pipe tobacco mixture outside the US through its Parker subsidiary.)

In 1936 “Throgmorton” and “Old Colonial” (blend types unknown) were introduced, as was “Twist” (referred to as “Negro Head Twist” in 1938) which was sold in the form of three twisted rolls, either sliced or unsliced.  Also in the late 1930s Dunhill bought the assets of  the Savory tobacco shop, including two Oriental blends “Baby’s Bottom” and “Savory’s Mixture” as well a third, straight Virginia “Baby’s Bottom” blend.   I lack English pricing data for the Savory tobacco additions but in the United States, “Baby’s Bottom” was priced in line with “Standard Mixture” and “Savory Mixture” 20% below  making “Savory Mixture” the then least expensive Dunhill ‘name’ blend tobacco. “Throgmorton” was named after the second Dunhill London “City” store (1923 – 1946).  “Old Colonial” was a blend of tobaccos from the then British empire intended to take advantage of lower import duties on those tobaccos thus allowing for significantly lower pricing, 24/- per lb, although not as low as the “My Mixtures” or “Standard Mixture” or, one can assume, “Savory’s Mixture”.  It might also be noted that while several ‘name’ blends were added to the line card between 1912 and World War II, none were dropped.  With the coming of the Second World War however, that was to change.

The onset of World War II  curtailed the introduction of new blends save for the  American blended “American Mixture”.  That blend, probably introduced because cross Atlantic commerce was limited by the war, was never marketed outside the US although it continued to be offered in America into the 1980s.  Interestingly, unlike during the Great War I have never seen any indication that Dunhill offered World War II servicemen either special low cost blends or reduced prices on standard blends. 

Following the Second World War several blends were dropped, “Harmony”, “Throgmorton” “Twist”/“Negro Head Twist” and “Old Colonial” by the late 1940’s and “Super” in the early 1950’s.  But three important new blends were introduced in 1951, Orientals “Aperitif” and “Early Morning Pipe” and “Nightcap” a Latakia blend.  I suspect that blends were dropped because the English post war economy forced Dunhill to focus on its more popular pre war blends and that nonetheless  three blends were added for the specific purpose of increasing penetration of the critically important post war American market. It may also be that certain raw tobaccos necessary for the dropped blends were unavailable.  In any event the early to mid 1950s catalogs expressly offer only the “My Mixture” blends, the three new blends and “Royal Yacht”, “Cuba” and “Durbar”, thus clearly there were still production bottlenecks in England even a decade after VE Day (if nothing else, perhaps due to a lack of sufficiently aged tobacco because of the inability to purchase raw leaf during the war years).

The aftermath of World War II saw a major, or better said, awesome increase in pricing.  In 1951 the pre-war 21/2 per lb “My Mixture” blends quadrupled to 84/- per lb, similarly  the new “Aperitif”, “Early Morning Pipe” and “Nightcap”; “Durbar”, as well as “Ye Olde Signe” and “Super” were 89/- per lb and “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” were 96/- per lb. (For comparison purpose the increase in pipe prices was similar with a 1939 25/- standard Bruyere priced in 1951 at 90/- to 105/-).   Beginning in 1956 those prices increased annually and by the end of the decade most blends, e.g. “My Mixture” blends, “Standard Mixture”, “Three Year Matured”, “London Mixture”, “Early Morning Pipe”, “Aperitif”, “Nightcap”, “Flake” and “Shell” were 98/- per lb, while a few were somewhat more, “Durbar” and“Ye Olde Signe” being 104/- per lb and “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” at the top at 112/- per lb.

When we turn to American pricing it becomes clear that the tremendous post war increase in tobacco prices in England was almost wholly the product of the British government.  In the United States Dunhill tobacco pricing was remarkably stable from the early 1920s through World War II.  Specifically during that quarter century “Standard Mixture”, “Three Year Matured”, “London Mixture” sold for $5 per lb; the “My Mixture” blends,  and “Prince of Wales” sold at $6 per lb.; “Durbar”, “Ye Olde Signe”, “Harmony”, and “Super” sold for $7 per lb; and “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” sold for $10 per lb.  I lack data for the immediate post war US pricing but even by 1962 there had only been a 20% price increase over pre war prices with the pre war $6 per lb mixtures selling for $8 (“Apertif”, “Early Morning Pipe” and “Nightcap” were also priced with this group); the pre war $7 per lb mixtures selling in 1962 for $10; and the premium pre war $10 per lb mixtures selling in 1962 for $12 per lb.  (US pipe pricing shows a more dramatic increase, although somewhat less than in England - before the war a standard Bruyere pipe sold for $12, by 1962 the cost was $30 - $35. It should also be noted that for consistency I have used ‘per pound pricing’ throughout but it appears that after World War II only “My Mixture” blends continued to be offered by the pound with all other blends offered in either two or four ounce tins.)    

In the late 1950s “Flake” (later known as  “Light Flake”) a pressed straight Virginia was introduced, as were “Negrohead” and “Shell” (the latter likely being a quickly renamed version of former, both appear in turn to have been a sliced form of the pre-World War II “Twist”/“Negro Head Twist” – obviously Dunhill in this pre/post war period was uncomfortable in the naming of a tobacco blend style that typically was given a cruder  name by other blenders). In 1963 a fourth blend was introduced, “Rough Cut Virginia”, but this blend, like “Negrohead” and “Shell” was offered for only a few years. The 1960s also saw the demise of “Prince of Wales”,  “Savory’s Mixture” “Three Year Matured” and, no doubt a consequence of the American embargo, “Cuba”. 

Although I have not seen it in a catalog, in my collection I also have a 2 oz knife-lid/cutter-top tin of “My Lady’s Dunhill Mixture” which appears to date to the mid 1960’s.  Over the years Dunhill made at least three attempts to develop a market for feminine pipe smoking.  The first came in the early 1920’s and while I know of no tobacco blends specifically directed to the effort at that time, I do have a small Japanese lacquer tobacco container with a Dunhill My Mixture # 50 label that appears to date from this period and the initial marketing efforts directed at female smokers.  The second marketing effort appears to have been made in the late 1930’s but I know of no tobacco blends with respect to that promotion, although there may be a possible connection to “My Mixture #950” a denicontinesed blend introduced in 1938.  A third attempt dates to the 1950’s - 1960s.  A 1954 catalog identifies three “My Lady’s” blends, #s 101, “recommended by Mary Dunhill”, 102 and 103 – two oriental blends and a Virginia blend respectively.  In addition of course is the unnumbered “My Lady’s Dunhill Mixture” noted above (blend type unknown) and which dates to the mid 1960s. 

The late 1960a and 1970s saw a significant but temporary expansion of  catalog offered ‘name’ blends including Orientals “Mr. Alfred’s Own”, and “Aromatic”, three Virginia’s “Baby’s Bottom Virginia” and “Baby’s Bottom Flake” and “Dark Flake” (a stronger version of “Flake” which was renamed “Light Flake”), a Virginia/Perique “Elizabethan”, a Cavendish “Golden Label (aka Gold Blend), an aromatic “Golden Hours”, and a matured Virginia “Virginia Ready Rubbed”.   But the end of the 1970s and 1980s also saw a number of blends dropped including “American Mixture”, “Aperitif”, all of the Baby’s Bottom mixtures,  “Dark Flake”, “Durbar” (aka “1066”),  “ Alfred’s Own” and “Ye Olde Signe”.

The longest running Dunhill ‘name’ blend?  “My Mixture #965” “Originally blended for E. A. Baxter, Esq.” sometime before 1910 and proclaimed in the catalog of that year and most all subsequent :”the finest Mixture ever produced”, followed by “Royal Yacht” first introduced in1912,  “Standard Mixture” (in all three Latakia strengths) introduced in 1921,  and “London Mixture” introduced in 1928.  An interesting selection heavily weighted on the Latakia and matured Virginia extremes with the middle ground completely absent, a middle that includes such dearly beloved but, as of the 1990s, departed blends as:”Aperitif”, “Baby’s Bottom”, “Durbar”, “Mr. Alfred’s Own”, and “Three Year Matured”. 

It’s difficult to opine a rationale for many of the deleted ‘name’ blends after the late 1960s since they include blends that were particular favorites of pipe smokers.  The answer however, probably lies in substantial part in a changing blending environment generally and equally important, Dunhill’s efforts to rationalize its own specific business. 

Beginning in the 1960s there were major, adverse, developments in the supply of Oriental tobaccos.  The complexities of some of Dunhill’s blends depended upon being able to  source individual Oriental sub-varieties, but beginning in the 1960’s there was an increasing tendency for leaf from various localities to be bulked and sold together.  Better known, the Syrian government banned production of Latakia in that country in order to preserve what remained of its forests (the production of Syrian Latakia involves large log fires).  As a consequence  blenders were forced to turn to Cypriot and Turkish Latakia which has distinctly different characteristics and results in a different tasting blend.  

The effect on Dunhill blends was not immediate as Dunhill had significant supplies of Oriental on hand in various stages of its aging process, but ultimately there was no avoiding the more generalized Oriental leaf and the disappearance of Syrian Latakia.  In order to postpone those effects Dunhill may have had to consolidate, cut some ‘name’ blends in order preserve leaf for other blends.  And in time, lacking the proper leaf it may have abandoned some blends altogether, rather then change blend characteristics through substitution.  I suspect that such may have been the case with the “Durbar” blend, which was dropped from the line in the late 1960s and then in short order replaced, at least on American store shelves, with “My Mixture 1066” with the explanation that it was ‘Durbar’.  While this may have just been an attempt to placate customers upset over the loss of “Durbar” it is also possible that a lack of the correct leaf meant that Dunhill either had to drop or change the blend, and that this was their answer.  One acquaintance who has smoked both “1066” from the 1970s and “Durbar” datable to a few years before believes that in fact the blends differed.

Equally important were changes at Dunhill itself.   Traditional English tobacco blending is a costly business.  Limited during most of the twentieth century by English blending laws from freely using flavor additives in blending, Dunhill and other English blenders, in contrast to those of Continental Europe and America, had to rely much more heavily on the natural flavor characteristics of Virginia and Oriental leaf as opposed to naturally  blander, less costly, additive enhanced Burley and similar leaf.  Moreover those Virginia and Oriental flavor characteristics had to be developed naturally through aging and pressing.  But money tied up in aging inventory has an interest cost and blending techniques such as pressing, toasting and stoving not only take time, they also require additional equipment and increased labor expense.  Dunhill used all these blending techniques and aged its tobacco as raw leaf, then in marrying blends in bulk and lastly in marrying and settling blends in the tin before shipment.  Tobacco blended and aged in this manner gives off a distinct ‘matured’, ‘spoiled’ or, not to mince words, ‘rotten’ aroma when the tin is first opened. Undoubtedly, during this period Dunhill was wrestling with managing traditional blending methods in the context of remaining a for-profit enterprise, and one can not help but suspect that blends such as “Three Year Matured” lost out in the upshot.

At the same time Dunhill was in the process of evolving from simply being a leading provider of smoker requisites to being part of a retail oriented corporate conglomerate, one of whose members was Murrays of Northern Ireland, itself a major blender of pipe tobacco.  The 1981 consolidation of most all tobacco blending into Murrays was an obvious rationalization (specifically, the transfer to Murrays included all ‘name’ blends including “My Mixture #965”).  However, while Dunhill and Murrays were both blenders, there were significant differences.  Being in Northern Ireland, Murrays was subject to less restrictive blending laws then Dunhill.  More importantly,  Murrays tended to mass production blending using fewer varieties of leaf to produce blends of less complexity and with significantly less aging at all stages.  One immediate consequence was that the Murrays Dunhill ‘name’ blends did not ‘stink’ when opened, most likely reflecting a sharp curtailments of the traditional Dunhill aging processes.  I suspect another consequence was that some ‘name’ Dunhill blends were discontinued because they were too complex  to be produced efficiently.   The net effect in any case was that not only were blends discontinued but equally,  there were distinct changes in all of the continuing blends, in some cases undoubtedly due to recipe changes, e.g. substitution of Cypriot Latakia for Syrian, in other cases due to changes in blending technique, and in all cases due to significantly less aging.  (In all fairness  problems in leaf supply and economic realities would probably  have led to at least some of the same results even had Dunhill ‘name’ blends not been transferred to Murrays.  I suspect for instance that by the 1981 transfer, Dunhill had very little aged leaf left on hand.)  

One exception to the 1981 blending transfer should be noted.  The

Today, it is a commonly held view among pipe smokers who smoke both older and contemporary tins of Dunhill tobacco that the blends available today represent for the most part an evolution and simply are not the same blends of the past.  Of course that view may in part be simply a case of several decades of additional aging in the tin as opposed to being just off the store shelf.  But I do not doubt that in most cases the newer blends do represent an evolution as well, the work of skilled blenders attempting to capture the spirit of the older blend handicapped by a lack of aging and having to use different leaf. 

I turn now to packaging.  Initially, Alfred Dunhill offered his tobaccos in non-air tight, unsealed quarter pound, half pound and one pound tins imprinted “My Mixture” in fancy broad red letters similar to that found yet today. Lesser weights were sold in folding foil packs.  Vacuum packaging was commercially available in the 1900’s but the newly opened  London tobacco shop catered to a local market and had no need. 

The first packaging development was the 1910 offering of “Self-Filling Tobacco Cartridges”, paper ‘shotgun shell like’ cylinders of tobacco that slipped right into the pipe bowl.   While Dunhill obtained a patent for its version of this packaging/filling system in 1910, the concept was not a new one and was offered at the time by others as well.  Aside from cost the basic problem with the system was the need to keep the pipe well and evenly reamed so that the cartridges would continue to fit over time.  Dunhill continued to both develop the concept, obtaining additional patents in 1918 and 1920, and to offer its blends in cartridge form up to and probably briefly after World War II.  The self filling cartridges were sold by unit rather then weight and were favored by both Edward Prince of Wales and his brother King George VI.  Indeed according to Balfour, supra, the former abandoned his namesake “prince” (shape 314) pipe for the somewhat similar 302 shape that was better suited for cartridges.  Similarly, George VI had Dunhill make him a special pipe, with a built in reamer, particularly suited to the cartridge system.

A second, little noticed today, packaging development dates to the Great War when, in 1915 Dunhill began offering all its blends “packed for campaigning” in a patented quarter pound compressed pack covered with lead foil and sold in a canvas bag intended to serve as a tobacco pouch when the tobacco was rubbed out.  This compressed packaging, unchanged in form and design, was offered into the 1960s “for Sportsmen and Travellers”.  It appears that throughout the time offered there was essentially no pricing premium for the compressed packaging.

The most important packaging development however, was the introduction of the ‘knife-lid’ or ‘cutter-top’ air tight tin in 1916.  This packaging method, which had been in general commercial use even in the 19^th century, became necessary for Dunhill in order to better serve the troops in France and sailors on the high seas.  A ‘knife-lid’ or ‘cutter-top’ tin is an air tight tin with two tops.  The inner thin metal top seals the tobacco in the tin.  The outer, loose fitting top has a small sliding knife element which is used to open and cut away the sealed inner top.  Only “Campaign Mixture” was offered in this form in 1916, in a 4” tall 4 ounce tin (of the style used for the Rattrays blends) but by the next year the catalog shows all the ‘name’ blends, i.e. “Durbar”, “Ye Olde Signe”, “The Harmony”, “Royal Yacht” and “Cuba” in this packaging (although the “Ye Olde Signe” tin was shorter and wider, 2” x 3”).  Each of these tins had colorful paper labels around and atop the tin with an additional  strip of paper running across the outer top holding that top to the tin and imprinted with facsimiles of a red seal and Alfred Dunhill’s signature. 

The importance of this tin style for Dunhill was that it allowed its tobacco to be sold and shipped throughout the world after World War I, not just to the front lines in France and to sailors at sea during that war.   In late 1920 the four ounce 4” tall tins were changed to 4” x 2” tins, and in that form remained unchanged until the change over to ‘coin twist’ style tins in the mid 1960s.  During this ‘knife-lid’ tin period, Dunhill tobaccos were generally available in two, four, eight and sixteen ounce tins with the four ounce variety being the most common.

The ‘coin twist’ style tin was introduced in the mid 1960s and by 1970 was the exclusive tin format.  Initially, these tins were offered in two and four ounce tins identical in dimensions to the replaced ‘knife-lid’ tin.  However, the old paper labels were abandon with the new ‘coin twists’ having ‘painted’ tops and undecorated sides.  The 1970s saw the beginnings of EEOC integration with rarely seen 25, 50 and 100 gram export version tins being offered by mid-decade.  By late decade Dunhill generally changed over to 50 and 100 gram tins, perhaps encouraged by the fact that the metric weight tins were 10% lighter in content then the predecessors, i.e. 100 grams equals but  3.53 ounces, not 4 ounces.  Of course there was no equivalent price reduction.  These late 1970s tins were weight stamped both in grams and ounces, initially with the ounce equivalents being exact, e.g. 3.53 ounces but by 1980, rounded, e.g. 100 grams/3 ½ ounces.  

As discussed above, in 1981 tobacco production was generally transferred to Murrays in Northern Ireland, and with that transfer there was a change in tin styles.  Initially, a ‘coin-twist’ tin with paper label pasted to the top was used with, for the first time, the country of origin being identified as the “United Kingdom”.  (I have seen a few paper label tins with the country of origin labeled as “England”, suggesting either that such tins are the very last of the ‘in-house’ Dunhill blending, or alternatively that there is truth to a rumor that for a brief time some blending was farmed out to McConnells, another English blender.)  In addition the 100 grams / 3 1/2 ounces tin became shorter and wider, 1 ½” x 4 7/8”  (sometimes referred to as the “pancake” tin).  In short order however, still in the early 1980s, ‘painted’ top tins were introduced for the Murrays production with weight usually given only in grams and usually followed by an “e” (a common market reference) and uniformly identifying the country of origin as “the United Kingdom”.

Dating Dunhill tins is relatively easy.  The outer boundary dates are of course defined by the blend and tin style in question, e.g. a “Royal Yacht” ‘knife-lid’ tin must date not earlier then 1912 or later then today by virtue of the blend and as  our hypothetical tin is  a ‘knife-lid’ tin those outer limit dates can further be limited to 1917 – 1970.  But label information invariably allows for far greater definition.

• From 1921 through the 1995, Dunhill had a Royal Warrant of one sort or another for its tobaccos and usually (but not always) included a warrant on the label.  Specifically:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->¨ <!--[endif]-->a Prince of Wales Crest was used between 1921 and 1936;

<!--[if !supportLists]-->¨ <!--[endif]-->a George VI Crest with a reference to the King was used between           

                    1937 and 1953;

<!--[if !supportLists]-->¨ <!--[endif]-->a George VI Crest with no reference to the King was used in 1954;

<!--[if !supportLists]-->¨ <!--[endif]-->a George VI Crest with a reference to the “late King” was used        

                     between  1954 and 1962; and

<!--[if !supportLists]-->¨ <!--[endif]-->an Elizabeth II Crest was used between 1963 and 1995.

                     (note that the use of the Elizabeth II Crest comes a decade after her coronation)

• Tins dating to World War II will have a small reference to war time packaging requirements.

• Older tins from before the 1970s will be found with blue United States ‘Act of 1926’ tax stamps –  adding ‘1829’ to the  “Series” number on such stamps will give the approximate year of import, also the year of import will sometimes be stamped on the tax stamp.

• Tins showing England or Great Britain as the country of origin date to 1980 or earlier (i.e. ‘in-house’ Dunhill production – note that not all tins prior to 1980 showed the country of origin).

• Tins with words to the effect that the tobacco is blended ‘by Dunhill’ date to 1980 or earlier (i.e. ‘in-house’ Dunhill production. – note that not all tins prior to 1980 show that information).

• Tins showing the United Kingdom as the country of origin date to after 1981 (i.e. Murrays production).

• Tins advising that the tobacco was manufactured under the “authority” of Dunhill date to 1990 – 1995.

• Tins advising that the tobacco was manufactured “in association” with Dunhill date to after 1995.

• Tin weights shown in whole ounces or fractions of a pound date to before the late 1970s.

• Tin weights shown in grams and ounces date to after the late 1970s.

• Tin weights shown in grams only generally date to after 1981.

(The most important dating issue generally is: ‘is it Dunhill or is it Murrays’.  Normally, the answer can be quickly determined by looking for the country of origin, if it is the United Kingdom, it is Murrays production.  Similarly  a 100 gram ‘pancake’ tin indicates Murrays production.)

Dunhill Blends Appearing in its Catalogs from 1910 - 1990

• Note also the following H. Simmons Ltd. oriental blend mixtures: Down The Road, Royal Air Force, Army, and Navy.  H. Simmons was a noted London pipe & tobacco shop and  it is clear from the tin styles of the above blends found in the US that the blends were tinned by Dunhill some time prior to 1980.  Dunhill retail and wholesale catalogs do not suggest that Dunhill ever marketed these blends either before or after Dunhill purchased H. Simmons in 1976, but in the late 1970’s Dunhill did introduce “H. Simmons Ltd” departments into at least some American department stores and these Simmons blends were sold there.  This suggests to me that the Dunhill tinned Simmons tobacco were simply part of a short lived effort to develop a complementary alternative US retailing approach. 

Damals und Heute

Früher war natürlich nicht alles besser, aber manches anderes. Sofern mir möglich, möchte ich gerne Tabak plus Dosen hier unter dieser Überschrift vergleichen. wer mithelfen mag, möge mich bitte kontaktieren!

Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake:

Der auffälligste Unterschied fällt gleich mal durch den Warnhinweis auf! Auch das Gesamtdesign ist sehr verändert.

Das schönste am Inhalt: Der Tabak ist nach Jahren der Reife sehr viel runder und weicher. Ein toller Tabak und einmal mehr ist mir überhaupt nicht klar, woher McBaren seinen schlechten Ruf herhaben soll. Der Tabak ist von bester Qualität.

Kurze Firmengeschichte, der Hompage der Firma entnommen:

Like many other young people, Jørgen Halberg (24) wanted to go out and see the world. In 1938 he left his hometown - Svendborg, Denmark - and travelled to the USA to take up an offer of a job at the World Exhibition in New York. However, when the exhibition was over and he wanted to return home, he found it impossible to cross the Atlantic as the Second World War had broken out.  
Therefore, Jørgen had to stay in the USA, and found a job working with raw tobacco at various factories. What started as nothing more than a job developed over the years, and when the war came to an end he returned to Denmark with a particularly good idea. Jørgen's idea was to develop a new kind of pipe tobacco, which he was sure would soon take over the market from the inferior types of tobacco available in Denmark at that time.  
In the 1950s, Jørgen launched his new products under the name of Mac Baren. One of the products - ‘Golden Blend' - had previously been tested on the Copenhagen market. This made Mac Baren one of the first companies in the country to use the modern concept of test sales as a part of its marketing strategy. The idea was a resounding success and pipe-smokers were thrilled with the new tobacco.
Shortly afterwards, Mac Baren Mixture was launched, but the new brand did not really catch on until 1958. Just five years after that, Mixture became the bestselling pipe tobacco in Denmark - and Mac Baren has held onto that position ever since!
Mac Baren is also at least partly responsible for the fact that Denmark has the highest number of pipe-smokers per head of population in the world.

Four generations. The Danish tobacco dynasty is proud of its roots that stretch back over more than 150 years. Hans Nissen Halberg was a ship's captain, running cargoes of chewing tobacco, snuff and tobacco for the smokers of long-stemmed pipes. His son, Harald Halberg, did not have the stomach for life at sea, so he had to remain ashore with all the other landlubbers.

 In 1887, Harald set himself up as a tobacco manufacturer in Svendborg, buying up ‘S. Bønnelycke's Factories', which had been established back in 1826. Harald had two sons, Otto and Einar Halberg, who carried on the family business under the name of Harald Halberg Tobacco Factories - and it was Einar Harald Halberg's son, Jørgen Halberg, who was ‘lucky' enough to end up stranded in the USA, where he invented the popular and always fashionable Mac Baren Mixture. Today, the fourth generation, Henrik Halberg, is director of the Mac Baren Tobacco Company of Svendborg, Denmark. He, too, is far from averse to a plug or two of Mac Baren Mixture.