Stokkebye: cheap tobacco or good tobacco cheap?

[Bruck]

I hope you ordered an ounce or two of Aromatic Dutch Sliced to try

No, dangit, that was even on my list of things to try... and I must have neglected to look at the list

[cpmcdill]

One important index of the value of the Stokkebye brand is how Peter Stokkebye was regarded in his day. It seems to me he was held in high regard among pipe smokers and people in the trade when he was alive, and the pipe magazines, including the legendary Pipe Smokers Ephemeris published a lot of tributes and eulogies to him after he passed away. Admittedly, he's no longer in control of the use of his name connected to pipe blends, but personally, I've been consistently pleased with all the PS products I've bought, which are the non-aros -- English, Virginias, VaPers, and blending tobaccos. Can't speak for the aro blends. When this sale came up I made sure to get ~5 lbs of flakes and Englishes, some for the cellar.

[bluenoser]

I have some of the peter stokkebye french vanilla aro and I think it's pretty good stuff, but I like aro's lol

[Ropey]

PS is respected as a brand with a consistent line of good tobaccos at good prices.

Not many in the PS line that would be called outstanding, but not many that would be called bad either.

[Ropey]

Here's a very detailed review of PS Luxury Navy Flake:

[NeverBend]

I already have some Davidoff Flake Medallions, which is pretty much the same thing from what I understand. So far I find it just okay, but if I learn to like it more I'll try the LBF, too. My pipe smoking palette is still fairly primitive - it likes latakias and big strong flavors, so I need to work on appreciating the subtleties more.

Morning Chico,

This goes back to a question that you asked elsewhere about blends that may be marketed under different names.

Stokkebye is a tobacco processor and they supply retailers and wholesalers and resellers. There aren't a lot of processors, so by knowing the processors you have an idea of who made a mixture based on its origin . Anyone can toss two ingredients together for a unique mixture but few have the ability to process, cut, press and pack (and market and sell). I no longer know all of the processors but Stokkebye is one of them.

It's possible that a reseller has a completely customized mixture but it's likely to be an altered form of a generic base, similar to adding pigment to a paint base. It's simply not good economics to manufacture, track (QC) and especially to source tobacco for a vast number of individual mixtures. Pipe and cigar leaf blenders have an ongoing war with the changes in crops. If you ask for Pekoe Virginia (in a mixture) you'll get the closest leaf that they process.

Don't let the prices fool you, Stokkebye knows how to process tobacco. I've smoked Luxury Navy, Bull's-Eye and Twist as well as Balkan Sasieni (that I believe they make), and all are quality tobacco products that are made with good leaf. I suspect that I've smoked other mixtures that they make but certainly I've smoked mixtures with one or more Stokkebye components.

With pipe tobacco, cheap is as cheap smokes. I've not tried a large quantity of their offerings but those that I have are inexpensive but not cheap.

[c.ortiz108]

Morning Chico,

This goes back to a question that you asked elsewhere about blends that may be marketed under different names.

Stokkebye is a tobacco processor and they supply retailers and wholesalers and resellers. There aren't a lot of processors, so by knowing the processors you have an idea of who made a mixture based on its origin . Anyone can toss two ingredients together for a unique mixture but few have the ability to process, cut, press and pack (and market and sell). I no longer know all of the processors but Stokkebye is one of them.

It's possible that a reseller has a completely customized mixture but it's likely to be an altered form of a generic base, similar to adding pigment to a paint base. It's simply not good economics to manufacture, track (QC) and especially to source tobacco for a vast number of individual mixtures. Pipe and cigar leaf blenders have an ongoing war with the changes in crops. If you ask for Pekoe Virginia (in a mixture) you'll get the closest leaf that they process.

Don't let the prices fool you, Stokkebye knows how to process tobacco. I've smoked Luxury Navy, Bull's-Eye and Twist as well as Balkan Sasieni (that I believe they make), and all are quality tobacco products that are made with good leaf. I suspect that I've smoked other mixtures that they make but certainly I've smoked mixtures with one or more Stokkebye components.

With pipe tobacco, cheap is as cheap smokes. I've not tried a large quantity of their offerings but those that I have are inexpensive but not cheap.

Informative post as usual, thanks! I find it all pretty confusing when one company makes brands for another, though I guess it's like cigars. Gurkhas are not made by Gurkha, but by various factories. Arango has their award-winning Balkan Supreme which I understand is made by Stokkebye. And Stokkebye has their own Balkan Supreme sold under their own name. I guess the only way to tell if they're the same is to smoke them side-by-side.

Anyway, with the P&C and SmokingPipes deals I have no excuse not to at least try a couple of their blends.....

[NeverBend]

Informative post as usual, thanks! I find it all pretty confusing when one company makes brands for another, though I guess it's like cigars. Gurkhas are not made by Gurkha, but by various factories. Arango has their award-winning Balkan Supreme which I understand is made by Stokkebye. And Stokkebye has their own Balkan Supreme sold under their own name. I guess the only way to tell if they're the same is to smoke them side-by-side.

Anyway, with the P&C and SmokingPipes deals I have no excuse not to at least try a couple of their blends.....

Hi Chico,

The P&C sale is great because the Stokkebye was already on sale at 4oz/$7.00 and now $5.60! That's $22.40/lb.

Like any industry there are source producers and many sellers (often including the producers). Nothing really different and your example of Gurkhs is appropriate.

Pete