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Title edited for caps and brevity. -jpm ----> Rule 9!
For those who do not want to read a long post, I summarize: in the United States everyone dreams of European tobaccos, in Europe everyone wants American tobaccos.
I am European, and more precisely Swiss. Switzerland is considered by many to be "the land of wonders" (as far as pipe tobaccos are concerned) by those who live in neighboring countries. This is because here we have a very large variety of choices at fair prices. There are European and American produced tobaccos, limited editions, and there are also some micro blenders that make excellent blends.
I live on the border with Italy, a country where there is much less choice and very high prices. Many Italian pipe smokers cross the border regularly to find their favorite tobaccos at a fair price.
In Europe there are several big brands, which we all know and appreciate, easily available almost everywhere. Other small quality manufacturers such as Germain, HU and Motzek that are difficult to obtain outside their country of production (also because it is not always possible to ship tobacco to some european countries).
Yet, speaking to several longtime aficionados, some of them renowned pipemakers, other world-class slow smoking champions, and even a fairly well-known blender, they believe that the best tobaccos and blends available today are those produced in the United States.
This is to tell you how on the other side of the ocean we live the reverse situation.
Here not all American products are readily available and in some countries when they are found they are sold at ridiculous prices: the cans of C&D and Pease, the only ones very popular in Europe, cost twice as much in Switzerland as in the United States (11$ / 22Chf) while in Italy they get to four times their price !!! (11$ / 45 €)
I often read on this forum and on other channels that some European tobaccos are very hyped and difficult to obtain in the states, on the contrary we are looking for American products that are difficult to obtain and in some cases overpay them.
As for me, I love some European tobaccos, luckily for me, at hand and at a good price (and therefore I also stock up for the future) but I admit I envy those who can buy Pease blends for $11 and who have easy access to limited editions (sometimes even European products made exclusively for the American market), and to blends made by famous tobacconists available only at home (of which I have only heard of as Peretti, Wilke, Watch City ...).
Perhaps the old saying of the title of this post has some truth, but for us lovers of the brown leaf it is certainly a very distinct reality.
What do you think about it?
For those who do not want to read a long post, I summarize: in the United States everyone dreams of European tobaccos, in Europe everyone wants American tobaccos.
I am European, and more precisely Swiss. Switzerland is considered by many to be "the land of wonders" (as far as pipe tobaccos are concerned) by those who live in neighboring countries. This is because here we have a very large variety of choices at fair prices. There are European and American produced tobaccos, limited editions, and there are also some micro blenders that make excellent blends.
I live on the border with Italy, a country where there is much less choice and very high prices. Many Italian pipe smokers cross the border regularly to find their favorite tobaccos at a fair price.
In Europe there are several big brands, which we all know and appreciate, easily available almost everywhere. Other small quality manufacturers such as Germain, HU and Motzek that are difficult to obtain outside their country of production (also because it is not always possible to ship tobacco to some european countries).
Yet, speaking to several longtime aficionados, some of them renowned pipemakers, other world-class slow smoking champions, and even a fairly well-known blender, they believe that the best tobaccos and blends available today are those produced in the United States.
This is to tell you how on the other side of the ocean we live the reverse situation.
Here not all American products are readily available and in some countries when they are found they are sold at ridiculous prices: the cans of C&D and Pease, the only ones very popular in Europe, cost twice as much in Switzerland as in the United States (11$ / 22Chf) while in Italy they get to four times their price !!! (11$ / 45 €)
I often read on this forum and on other channels that some European tobaccos are very hyped and difficult to obtain in the states, on the contrary we are looking for American products that are difficult to obtain and in some cases overpay them.
As for me, I love some European tobaccos, luckily for me, at hand and at a good price (and therefore I also stock up for the future) but I admit I envy those who can buy Pease blends for $11 and who have easy access to limited editions (sometimes even European products made exclusively for the American market), and to blends made by famous tobacconists available only at home (of which I have only heard of as Peretti, Wilke, Watch City ...).
Perhaps the old saying of the title of this post has some truth, but for us lovers of the brown leaf it is certainly a very distinct reality.
What do you think about it?
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