I think we are all lamenting the demise of many great blends either through varietal or process loss. That said, look at the way Gawith clears the shelves in short order, no one blinks an eyelid.......why? I think the answer is simple enough. The process of steaming plug tobacco and either marketing them as plugs or slicing them and presenting them as flakes adds to the smoking experience. Blends presented in this way are smoother, cooler burning and to me more flavourful and then there is the capacity of the tobacco to age with the steam having nullified the mold issue to a very large extent. I already pay way over the odds for tobacco so to add $20 or $40 to a tin that is what I believe a superior product is neither your arse nor your elbow. I would also go so far as to suggest that the lesser quality or varietal availability could be extended or morphed from the current iterations to something much better/new. By this I mean a blend like Telegraph Hill by G.L.P. for example, I wonder what changes would take place if this was presented as a plug formed under pressure and steam. It's already a great blend but would it become "the" most sought after VaPer and command a premium in the market place, maybe, I doubt we will ever find out though.
I mean, I smoke what most would consider garbage by that standard haha.
I think price changes your perception of quality. I have done a bit of pricing research professionally and found it an interesting field, but it’s not my area of competence. There is such a thing as “too cheap”, where consumers ignorantly doubt the quality of a product because it’s much cheaper than similar products. I don’t think we are there with tobaccos. There’s economically-justifiable price, there’s break even, marginal, profitable prices…all can be either close together or far apart. I don’t like C&D’s products but I never thought they are of poor quality.
I'd say these two are related. The problem, as to @karam regarding profits... is volume. This holds in items with rampant sales figures - it's why Costco has elected to corner the wine industry. Because over 90% of wines retail for under $10, one might think the sub-$10 range is the safest place to compete, but that's not quite true. Selling a product by its price makes the product about price. If you begin a winery and intend to compete for that ideal 9.99 market, you can't claim a superiority of product versus your competitor because the argument falls on deaf ears. For the consumer, it was the price driving the sale.
I remember an experiment years ago when one snuff maker produced carrots (sorta what would happen if a rope and cigar had a baby) by first making ropes. The process by hand doesn't seem replicatiable on an industrial scale. Was an interesting thing to see the results of.
You make many interesting points, I don't think we can get any conclusions, but interesting nonetheless!
DTM (Donau Touring Masters) and Orlik are both well-known brands in their respective fields, but without further context, it's challenging to provide specific information or answer a question related to them. DTM is a popular touring car racing series primarily held in Germany, while Orlik could refer to various entities, including a tobacco brand, a village in Poland, or a manufacturer of model kits.
Indeed, and that tends to be why they're my favorite. Hot pressed flakes are the best, but I also love coins and was hoping for some more traditional types. That's why I was disappointed in finding out that it was the same one who makes everything else, essentially.Dan Tobacco Manufacturing GMBH, DTM for short, has its own hot presses:
Company – DTM - https://www.dantobacco.de/en/company/ (scroll down for the above pic)
In native tribes (the first to smoke), certain plain pipes were had by the many, while specially and intricately carved pipes were for the few. The same held true in the 18th century of British officers versus their soldiers. Fast forward to the 20th century and Dunhill stores would ran your ass out of the shop if you proved not to be their clientele.
