I went on Cup O Jose’s and got 7 different types of tobacco and it cost me $40. Just 2oz zip lock baggies shipped in a brown cardboard box. No fancy packaging, I picked out the blends I wanted and was very happy with what I got, the price and the speed of delivery.
I started smoking a pipe against popular opinion because my granddaddy has always done it and other men of my family in the past have smoked one. But you, sir, have really given me more of a reason to continue smoking it. You bring a sense of culture and honor to it that I haven't seen before. I, being mid 30's, do not care about the opinions of others my age. I drive a propane truck and enjoy the podcast there. Yours and Dwaynes. Thank you!
I agree with you totally on this product, and would also add the fact that the whole neighborhood sees what you purchased - would rather a plain box setting on my stoop all day, till I get home from work
You are absolutely right on the expensive presentation products. We have our own labels that we attach to zip lock bags, not fancy at all, we print out sticky back labels on our in store printer with our Cargo Hold name and logo on each label. Like most retail tobacco shops we buy bulk tobaccos from major sources and rename them with a nautical theme (since our store is a nautical themed store) for example we have Old Joe Krantz in bulk under our name of Riverboat Burley, Lane 1Q we call Captain's Choice etc. Many newcomers to any retail approach assume they have to spend inordinately large sums of money on packaging, it often kills new businesses before they get started. For example, we used plain brown paper bags with stick on labels for several years before we arrived at a more comfortable financial position to afford our shopping bags which we use now. The bag now is a sleek black bag with a hot stamp gold logo of a sailing ship as the label. Our customers love that look but if we had not pinched a lot of pennies 30 years ago and spent too much $ on supplies we would probably not have survived to offer the quality products we now market. If Pipe Crate used a plain brown box with a stick on label and food grade clear ziplock bags and did their own printing of that brochure, they could make their product and service much more affordable. Most pipe smokers I serve are not looking so much for flashy packaging as they are for a quality smoking experience. My 2 cents, for what it's worth.
Great video and content. I’m in the coffee business and I find this challenging as well with our subscription business. You hit the nail on the head. While the marketing/branding looks nice, it places the cost in an arena where most patrons have a hard time justifying the price. Some simple ways to cut down the cost is simple craft boxes and 2oz bags and stamp them with your logo. Get rid of the fizzle pack and extra fluff, and provide more product. Love your direct and honest feedback. That what I look for at my company. Thanks for all you do and advice you provide. I could listen to you all day long!
I've been a cigar smoker for 30 years and occasionally picked up a pipe, but now things have switched. I can't afford cigars anymore, so I'm getting into Pipes and tobacco. I am just learning about all the blends and types of tobaccos and how they work together, so I took you advice and took out a subscription. It's a little pricey, but education costs.
Totally agree Mr. Harrelson. It would be great to see someone willing to take the time to reach out to the tobacco manufacturers, work out some sort of agreement to showcase a select blend at a discounted price, then put these blends together in a subscription box. I believe this would be a win/win for everyone, by allowing the consumers to experience different blends they may not be naturally drawn to, and allowing the manufacturers to get their products out there at a promotional price.
I work with a lot of startups, one of the biggest mistakes I see a lot of new entrepreneurs make is spending way too much time/money on custom packaging and branding early on. I've literally seen it cripple young companies. Your customers are going to throw away the box and forget about it within 10min of receiving the package. It looks nice and it makes things feel more "real" but it doesn't add enough value for the ROI to be there when you're early-on and every cent means more runway to get this thing off the ground.
As a new pipe smoker, I like the idea, but at the end of the day, I’ve found that hanging out at my local Pipe and Cigar lounge I’ve found great recommendations from the staff and other fellow pipe smokers. Some have even been generous enough to share while I’m figuring out my palate.
Agreed, Alan. Price is too high. The fancy packaging provides no benefit to the buyer beyond the ziplock and the foil for freshness. The rest is advertising. They also appear to be out of touch with the market - pipe smokers tend to be sensible, practical and analytically adventurous. We know the only way to know what you like is to try it and would much rather make a $12 “mistake” instead of a $60 one! Thank you and cheers!
Hi from Scotland Alan. I’m relatively new to the pipe and bought sample packs from online stores which contain 4 or 5 bags of different tobacco’s , just under 0.5 oz (10grams) to get a taste for what I like. Thing is, that’s how I now buy my tobacco . I love trying a small amount of everything. Not had a bad one yet..
@@Venza12G turmeaus and cgars are the same place. They sell exactly the same stuff. One pipe I’m looking at ,although only one left ,it’s available on both sites.
If this idea is going to survive in the long run, they need to be directed more towards categories and peoples preferences. For example vapors, burley/virginias, english, and aromatics would be good options for people to pick from.
Without being too much of a contrarian, I wonder who this is aimed at. I am not entirely sure this product is directed at “the older smoker“ - I suspect this has been marketed at younger people coming into the hobby, who expect a certain degree of style with their product. That being said, I think all your points were valid as you can get a “boho“ effect with recyclable paper, biodegradable bags and boxes, with a funky sticker on top. Very hipster, but might work for our younger initiates.
Agree with you Al. This would be excellent for a beginner to find out what they would like. For those of us that have been around the block we are subscribed to every newsletter of the big players and bulk buy when they have sales. We are "tobacco hounds", for the lack of a better term, and we tend to sniff out sales and capitalize. If this was a quarterly thing or a type subscription where you could subscribe for burley blends, or virginia blends, or english blends only then it might be more appealing in that 30-35$ range.
They should swap the print logo for a sticker with the logo. You can get tons of custom stickers for a lower price and you could put them on any box or package. Maybe save the higher quality custom print logo for a higher dollar subscription (assuming they offer multiple tiers of subscriptions).
For a newbie, this would be a good deal. There is value there for the seller to be choosing the tobacco and the price can reflect that. But, cutting costs and the seller cutting the price some will get more people on board with a subscription.
Purchased 2 MM Cobs a few days ago. I wanted to get into this hobby without investing too heavily in case I didn't care for it. I find enjoying a smoke to be very relaxing and peaceful while sitting on the backporch and enjoying the views. Your channel is what brought me into the fold, thank you for keeping this tradition alive.
Thankyou Mr. Harrelson. I agree that this product is simply overpriced. However, I am undoubtedly certain that there would be a market for this kind of product amongst the young and impressionable demographic. I am so pleased to see your wife, Alex, assisting you with this video. That new truck of yours is delightful.
Hi Alan, I believe a box subscription would be worth it if it took tobacco tins and gave you ~1oz samples of blends that are otherwise only available if you bought them as a full 2oz tin. This would enable you to sample a tinned blend without commiting to a full tin price. Or if they bought one ounce samples from local blenders that normally you would pay lots of individual shipping prices for, which would make the single box shipping worth it. The problem here is that because of tax laws the repacking of tobacco requires a manufacturing license (which makes zero sense). Compare this to cigar subscriptions that can give you samples of cigars that do not need such a license even though they are repackaging tobacco. Pipe tobacco is unfortunately suffering collateral damage from our cigarette laws. I'd love to be proven wrong but this is what my summary reading of the law provides. - Sam
This would work much better if they could work out a deal to include a rare or limited blend to go with the regular stuff, maybe they could get together with the different producers or even collectors to do this.
I enjoy watching your channel. I noticed today, your videos are at the pace of nice enjoyable pipe. Thank you for doing what and how you do. I’ve been smoking for 1 1/2 years now. Bought lots of different blends and styles of pipes and I feel its time to expand on tobaccos. I would buy a page at a time of blending my own and mixing existing blends.
Great idea and very attractive presentation but with shipping cost and all the various taxes, you are probably approaching well over $60. I can get a heck of a lot more of those two bulk tobaccos and that HH tin for that kind of money.
Pretty much every pipe and cigar shop in my area (Memphis) sells 2 ounces tins and house blends for about 20 dollars. I can't get 2 ounces any cheaper unless I go to an online store that doesn't have as much overhead as a brick and mortar, and I prefer to support my local brick and mortar stores as often as I can. I think the Country Squire can keep their prices down simply because they've grown large enough that they have customers buying from them all over the country, not just locally. 6 ounces of tobacco like you show in the video in the majority of brick and mortars will put you upwards of 60-70 dollars, so 50 dollars doesn't seem that high to me, especially if they include house blends for various brick and mortars across the country.
@@2xbigbear390 There are about 3 or 4 Tinder Box locations in the Memphis area that sell pipes and pipe tobacco. And there's also Smokers Abbey on Germantown Road as well which is run by a pastor of a local church in the area. They all deal in pipes, pipe tobacco, and cigars.
I would have to agree. Damn near $50+ is too much in this economy currently. Id be fine with a normal ziplock bag and a sticker on it, like The Country Squire does for their own tobacco anyway. 🤦🏻♂️ And a plain brown box that its shipped in. Yes, the packaging is nice and makes you feel like its Christmas every month… but its not necessary at that price point. I want to do this, but i refuse to at that price. If it was $30 for the box plus shipping id consider it. Thank you for the honesty in this video!
I think $19.00 with free shipping would be the absolute most I would ever consider. That’s just a small sample pack that you are gambling on enjoying or despising. A Holiday basket or seasonal basket would be much more appealing.
As always, you are very well spoken. You are on point with your commentary. I do agree that the price is prohibitive. The presentation is very professional, the cost can be a stumbling block for the novice or beginner. I learned one thing from the person who sold me my first pipe. Do not skimp on price for your pipes. If you don't spend decent money for a decent pipe you will be dissatisfied and disappointed. For the beginner, the cost of tobaccos could be a problem. There are quite a few companies out there that offer tobacco samplers. I started with Boswell's samplers and Boswell Blends dominate the majority of my collection. I have observed that by perusing several websites, one can find quite a number of varieties of tobaccos package together as samplers. Subscriptions based on that concept would be a great idea so long as the costs are kept down.
Was looking at this site earlier today and when I did the math I thought it would be best to just go to the websites of different brick and mortar shops and order a few houses blends and tin or two for the same price.
All valid points that you make and I agree with your assessment. I do not belong to any subscription services for pipe tobacco but do belong to two different ones for cigars. Given the cost of most of the cigars when bought in a brick and mortar, the cost is not so far of as what you are showing here. I like to try different types of smokes and so I am satisfied with what I am receiving vs the cost. Honestly, I do not smoke enough with the pipe to justify this for my usage. Thanks for showing this.
I have a question for you. Have you ever visited the Gatlinburlier tobacconist in Gatlinburg TN? They have cigars, chews, and they specialize in Pipes.
I agree at the price being to high. I am a newer pipe smoker and have so far tried over 20 blends. It is a lot cheaper to just buy samples and have them shiped. But I do however do like the idea...they may send something I have never thought of trying and enjoy it.
very good review Alan. regarding your comments about packaging type, I buy a lot of tobacco in increments of a pound. For the stuff that’s sealed from the manufacturer, a.k.a. "tinned" it doesn’t come in a metal can it comes in a heavy duty, Ziploc bag with a stick on label with the logo and artwork and stuff on it. That’s straight from the manufacturer and quite frankly that packaging is not as nice as what the pipe crate had.
Your wife did an excellent job with the camera! I don't know if it's her first time helping you with a video, but it sure seems like she's a seasoned camera operator.
If they cut the cost by making cheaper packaging and added another blend maybe two it would be worth it. We have to keep in mind the knowledge base being offered of picking the blends and consider the value add for the new pipe smoker. The problem is going to be new pipe smoker become quickly experienced to some degree, and we must consider the fact that pipe smoking is not a booming culture limiting the ability to acquire new customers. It’s a hard business and we can’t expect them to undercut the big boys
I would do a subscription service that focuses on seasonal items and rare tobaccos that are difficult to get due to the waiting lists at smokingpipes. How about Sleepy Hollow (which I like and purchased a couple years ago, but at a high price and more than I needed for the season), Autumn Evening, etc. in the Fall, Xmas themed products like Boswell's Xmas Cookie, etc., in November, and the bonus of jumping the line on the rare stuff like Penzance. I don't know who is packaging and shipping for the Pipe Crate, but Smokingpipes itself could probably do a much more affordable subscription service and pay Pipe Crate to market/promote it. I'm sorry to say that I agree it's too expensive and more experienced pipers may prefer to get products that they already know they like.
Personally it cost too much for me. I have tried many blends, but I keep keep coming back to peterson's early morning and night cap. Only aromatic I continue to use is Missouri malta. Thanks for the review.
So I’m a relatively new pipe smoke and very much enjoying my journey. So I see a couple of potential problems if I may Sir. First I’m not sure what the average pipe smoker smokes in a months time. It seems like a lot of people are a bowl or so a day give or take and perhaps a bit more on the weekends. That is about average for me so my fist question is how much tobacco is that? I don’t think that’s 6 oz a month. A person is liable to end up with a stock pile of tobacco now needing to canister several different blends. Perhaps 1 oz of each blend for a total of three oz would be a better choice. Very much enjoy your content Sir. Derek V.
I've smoked cigars since about 2006-07. just ordered my first pipe this week and have no clue what tobacco id like. i went with Peterson nightcap. i am excited to say the least.
Hello from the Midlands of SC! My question is not really related to this video, but what is the brand name of the ginger ale that you prefer? I'm looking for a good brand to use with my bourbon. Thanks!
I'd think having a way of getting more, smaller samples would be more worthwhile than spending 50+ dollars on the equivalent of three tins. It's an interesting service nonetheless though. I think for the casual smoker who has the money to spend it may be worth it to some.
Jesus's, Mary & Joseph, I'd take a dozen to start with for that price. Here in Australia, due to all the government taxes and import duties we are paying roughly AU$120-130 for 50gm/2oz Tobacco was grown here in Victoria from about 1870 and ramped up around 1920 after the WW1 after then In 2006 our last crops of tobacco were harvested due largely to global competition. Great channel Doc, love your recommendations. Health and happiness to you and your family. All the best from down under
I agree! But the problem that I see. No matter what kind of package is created for the seller to make money, and the consumer to be happy. It wont be long before the consumer leaves the subscription (1 or 2 months) and start customizing his/her own purchases. Namely Smoking Pipes, or CupO Joe's and such. COMPLETE starter packages? Maybe... Subscriptions? Possibly not.
Sadly I've seen these subscriptions fail time and time again. Even if the price is brought within a proper range the variety becomes an issue eventually. Everything shown here could be simply purchased from the Country Squire for much less (~30% less). I'd like to see someone actually put in some work and venture overseas to brings us things we can't easily get here in the States or at least provide a larger variety (more than 3) of truly top notch house blends from around the US. This might actually help slow the demise of B&M's. While the presentation here is quite elegant we simply don't need a fancy box of things we can get cheaper and faster from SPC.
Alan--if the brick-and-mortar corner pipe and tobacco stores are doomed to extinction, what will happen to the pipe clubs, which invariably meet at a local B&M pipe store? I belonged to a pipe club that met in a pipe store so close to where I live that I could walk to it (if I didn't mind risking life and limb crossing a certain busy street); Alas, the store closed, and so did the club. I'm looking for another club, but the nearest tobacco store is a couple of miles from me and deals overwhelmingly with cigar smokers--and there is no pipe club there. I could make the effort to start a club, if the management of this store was amenable to hosting it; but I'm gathering from your remarks anent the future of neighborhood pipe stores that you foresee them passing away for the most part. There is something about a club that a simple gathering of pipesters lacks. This is one time that I hope your prediction is dead wrong.😦
Thanks for this video. Love this concept,. but I agree that the price is way too high. I'm going to pass due to the price. The person that can do this at an affordable price will do well. They will undoubtedly get nice volume and will help spread awareness of the pipe tobacco hobby.
In today’s world, I think EVERYTHING is priced too high! And I’m seeing this across the board. I had a subscription from a tackle warehouse at one point in time, but it started costing me more than I was benefiting from so I dropped it. But some people will, and are continuing to pay for it and receiving their monthly tackle boxes. I just recently saw where the pocket knife community was getting into this subscription nonsense. I just can’t even imagine! New pocket knives every month?! Lol... Some people just have more money than they know what to do with. Or, more money than sense, one or the other...
Would you do a review on or speak of Erinmore ? It was my fathers preference and I have enjoyed it over the past decade. Yet I hear no one saying anything about it
I think this is a fantastic idea! You said you think they should sell it at 30$-35$. Just those tobaccos alone currently of those 3 tins are around 35$. So, how on earth are they supposed to be profitable? I love you channel BTW. I just disagree with this particular assessment.
Exactly. I can purchase more for less. How about offering only house blends from different B&M''s . Except for The Country Squire, I'm not very adventurous.
This almost seems like a middle man inserting themselves into the distribution chain. If they really wanted to help the new pipe smoker, I'd suggest they send out more tobaccos in each order, perhaps a blend from each family. A Virginia, Burley, VaPer, Latakia, Dark Fired, and God forbid, an Aromatic. That along with pipe accessories like cleaners.
I like the idea of a tobacco subscription. But pipe crate is way too expensive. Some fancy cardboard isn’t worth the price. There’s only $32 worth of tobacco.
I was so excited until you said the price. Utterly ridiculous. I think tin society was half that price and you even got a free corn cob! I wish someone like country squire would take this up for their house blends.
Theres no way I could smoke the equivalent of 3 full tins per month. This would be piling up all around me before I could even get to it all. Just don't smoke a pipe *that much*
35 a month, times 12. I love the look of what you got, but I am not a monthly subscriber guy. Waste of money most of the time. 5 Oz of tobacco is a lot for one month.
I agree with everything you presented, but, another consideration is if you are getting that much tobacco every month you are probably going to have a lot of leftover tobacco to enjoy later along with whatever else you may buy. The price really is too much.
Definitely not worth it IMO I can spend less and get more tobacco and I know that it will be what I want. It would definitely suck to get tobacco that ya pay for and not like it. I don't see that company lasting long doing subscription boxes. For 60 bucks ya can get 4 Missouri meerschaum pipes and 4 ounces of tobacco with them. I have yet to see any subscription boxes pushed by you tube content creators worth the money.
There is one reason I would want a COTM club, or a Pipe Crate, it's to receive hard to get tobacco or cigars respectfully. The tobacco or cigars should be rare, special, or unique in some sort of way. This way, the premium price would be justified. 3rd party service to get you a Coke, Pepsi, and a mountain dew that I could have gotten myself for a low price if shopped around is a middle man no one asked for. As far as the packaging goes, this sort of packaging could be marketed towards non smokers, who want to purchase a gift box for someone who does. Gifting someone a plastic sandwich bag with tobacco would still probably make the average pipe smoker happy, but it's not ideal. Also their crate design looks much more suited for fragile cigars, but they have to look at the competition and realize they're doing the same but cheaper.
I went on Cup O Jose’s and got 7 different types of tobacco and it cost me $40. Just 2oz zip lock baggies shipped in a brown cardboard box. No fancy packaging, I picked out the blends I wanted and was very happy with what I got, the price and the speed of delivery.
I too have had that same experience with Boswell & Pipe & Cigar 👍👍
for a quarter of that price you can purchase a variety of sample packs that come out all the time from all the major online retailers.
I started smoking a pipe against popular opinion because my granddaddy has always done it and other men of my family in the past have smoked one. But you, sir, have really given me more of a reason to continue smoking it. You bring a sense of culture and honor to it that I haven't seen before. I, being mid 30's, do not care about the opinions of others my age. I drive a propane truck and enjoy the podcast there. Yours and Dwaynes. Thank you!
I agree with you totally on this product, and would also add the fact that the whole neighborhood sees what you purchased - would rather a plain box setting on my stoop all day, till I get home from work
You are absolutely right on the expensive presentation products. We have our own labels that we attach to zip lock bags, not fancy at all, we print out sticky back labels on our in store printer with our Cargo Hold name and logo on each label. Like most retail tobacco shops we buy bulk tobaccos from major sources and rename them with a nautical theme (since our store is a nautical themed store) for example we have Old Joe Krantz in bulk under our name of Riverboat Burley, Lane 1Q we call Captain's Choice etc. Many newcomers to any retail approach assume they have to spend inordinately large sums of money on packaging, it often kills new businesses before they get started. For example, we used plain brown paper bags with stick on labels for several years before we arrived at a more comfortable financial position to afford our shopping bags which we use now. The bag now is a sleek black bag with a hot stamp gold logo of a sailing ship as the label. Our customers love that look but if we had not pinched a lot of pennies 30 years ago and spent too much $ on supplies we would probably not have survived to offer the quality products we now market. If Pipe Crate used a plain brown box with a stick on label and food grade clear ziplock bags and did their own printing of that brochure, they could make their product and service much more affordable. Most pipe smokers I serve are not looking so much for flashy packaging as they are for a quality smoking experience. My 2 cents, for what it's worth.
Concur. I just (03/22/24) looked for the site. The site appears to be closed.
Great video and content. I’m in the coffee business and I find this challenging as well with our subscription business. You hit the nail on the head. While the marketing/branding looks nice, it places the cost in an arena where most patrons have a hard time justifying the price. Some simple ways to cut down the cost is simple craft boxes and 2oz bags and stamp them with your logo. Get rid of the fizzle pack and extra fluff, and provide more product. Love your direct and honest feedback. That what I look for at my company. Thanks for all you do and advice you provide. I could listen to you all day long!
I've been a cigar smoker for 30 years and occasionally picked up a pipe, but now things have switched. I can't afford cigars anymore, so I'm getting into Pipes and tobacco. I am just learning about all the blends and types of tobaccos and how they work together, so I took you advice and took out a subscription. It's a little pricey, but education costs.
Totally agree Mr. Harrelson. It would be great to see someone willing to take the time to reach out to the tobacco manufacturers, work out some sort of agreement to showcase a select blend at a discounted price, then put these blends together in a subscription box. I believe this would be a win/win for everyone, by allowing the consumers to experience different blends they may not be naturally drawn to, and allowing the manufacturers to get their products out there at a promotional price.
I work with a lot of startups, one of the biggest mistakes I see a lot of new entrepreneurs make is spending way too much time/money on custom packaging and branding early on. I've literally seen it cripple young companies. Your customers are going to throw away the box and forget about it within 10min of receiving the package. It looks nice and it makes things feel more "real" but it doesn't add enough value for the ROI to be there when you're early-on and every cent means more runway to get this thing off the ground.
As a new pipe smoker, I like the idea, but at the end of the day, I’ve found that hanging out at my local Pipe and Cigar lounge I’ve found great recommendations from the staff and other fellow pipe smokers. Some have even been generous enough to share while I’m figuring out my palate.
Agreed, Alan. Price is too high. The fancy packaging provides no benefit to the buyer beyond the ziplock and the foil for freshness. The rest is advertising. They also appear to be out of touch with the market - pipe smokers tend to be sensible, practical and analytically adventurous. We know the only way to know what you like is to try it and would much rather make a $12 “mistake” instead of a $60 one! Thank you and cheers!
Hi from Scotland Alan. I’m relatively new to the pipe and bought sample packs from online stores which contain 4 or 5 bags of different tobacco’s , just under 0.5 oz (10grams) to get a taste for what I like. Thing is, that’s how I now buy my tobacco . I love trying a small amount of everything. Not had a bad one yet..
Which online store? I’ve tried turmulus/cgars and smokeking for the same thing, always looking for new mixes
Turmeus*
@@Venza12G turmeaus and cgars are the same place. They sell exactly the same stuff. One pipe I’m looking at ,although only one left ,it’s available on both sites.
If this idea is going to survive in the long run, they need to be directed more towards categories and peoples preferences. For example vapors, burley/virginias, english, and aromatics would be good options for people to pick from.
Without being too much of a contrarian, I wonder who this is aimed at. I am not entirely sure this product is directed at “the older smoker“ - I suspect this has been marketed at younger people coming into the hobby, who expect a certain degree of style with their product. That being said, I think all your points were valid as you can get a “boho“ effect with recyclable paper, biodegradable bags and boxes, with a funky sticker on top. Very hipster, but might work for our younger initiates.
what is 'boho'
Agree with you Al. This would be excellent for a beginner to find out what they would like.
For those of us that have been around the block we are subscribed to every newsletter of the big players and bulk buy when they have sales. We are "tobacco hounds", for the lack of a better term, and we tend to sniff out sales and capitalize.
If this was a quarterly thing or a type subscription where you could subscribe for burley blends, or virginia blends, or english blends only then it might be more appealing in that 30-35$ range.
I knew that was going to be pricey when I saw those bags. Those look really nice.
They should swap the print logo for a sticker with the logo. You can get tons of custom stickers for a lower price and you could put them on any box or package. Maybe save the higher quality custom print logo for a higher dollar subscription (assuming they offer multiple tiers of subscriptions).
Or a one off wooden box when you buy an annual subscription?
Well said
Very professional presentation - and well done to the new business that created it - there will be a market for this for sure in my opinion.
For a newbie, this would be a good deal. There is value there for the seller to be choosing the tobacco and the price can reflect that.
But, cutting costs and the seller cutting the price some will get more people on board with a subscription.
Purchased 2 MM Cobs a few days ago. I wanted to get into this hobby without investing too heavily in case I didn't care for it. I find enjoying a smoke to be very relaxing and peaceful while sitting on the backporch and enjoying the views. Your channel is what brought me into the fold, thank you for keeping this tradition alive.
I appreciate this channel, 👍🐿🤠🇺🇸
That box is silly though.
Thankyou Mr. Harrelson. I agree that this product is simply overpriced. However, I am undoubtedly certain that there would be a market for this kind of product amongst the young and impressionable demographic. I am so pleased to see your wife, Alex, assisting you with this video. That new truck of yours is delightful.
Hi Alan,
I believe a box subscription would be worth it if it took tobacco tins and gave you ~1oz samples of blends that are otherwise only available if you bought them as a full 2oz tin. This would enable you to sample a tinned blend without commiting to a full tin price. Or if they bought one ounce samples from local blenders that normally you would pay lots of individual shipping prices for, which would make the single box shipping worth it.
The problem here is that because of tax laws the repacking of tobacco requires a manufacturing license (which makes zero sense). Compare this to cigar subscriptions that can give you samples of cigars that do not need such a license even though they are repackaging tobacco. Pipe tobacco is unfortunately suffering collateral damage from our cigarette laws. I'd love to be proven wrong but this is what my summary reading of the law provides.
- Sam
your reading is correct.
This would work much better if they could work out a deal to include a rare or limited blend to go with the regular stuff, maybe they could get together with the different producers or even collectors to do this.
I enjoy watching your channel. I noticed today, your videos are at the pace of nice enjoyable pipe. Thank you for doing what and how you do. I’ve been smoking for 1 1/2 years now. Bought lots of different blends and styles of pipes and I feel its time to expand on tobaccos. I would buy a page at a time of blending my own and mixing existing blends.
Thanks for the review! Love your channel! In fact you and your channel are partially responsible for my pipe smoking adventures. Thank you!
Great idea and very attractive presentation but with shipping cost and all the various taxes, you are probably approaching well over $60. I can get a heck of a lot more of those two bulk tobaccos and that HH tin for that kind of money.
Pretty much every pipe and cigar shop in my area (Memphis) sells 2 ounces tins and house blends for about 20 dollars. I can't get 2 ounces any cheaper unless I go to an online store that doesn't have as much overhead as a brick and mortar, and I prefer to support my local brick and mortar stores as often as I can. I think the Country Squire can keep their prices down simply because they've grown large enough that they have customers buying from them all over the country, not just locally. 6 ounces of tobacco like you show in the video in the majority of brick and mortars will put you upwards of 60-70 dollars, so 50 dollars doesn't seem that high to me, especially if they include house blends for various brick and mortars across the country.
Is their many brick and mortar there for pipe stuff? I’m about a hour and a half away and just getting into this
@@2xbigbear390 There are about 3 or 4 Tinder Box locations in the Memphis area that sell pipes and pipe tobacco. And there's also Smokers Abbey on Germantown Road as well which is run by a pastor of a local church in the area. They all deal in pipes, pipe tobacco, and cigars.
I would have to agree. Damn near $50+ is too much in this economy currently. Id be fine with a normal ziplock bag and a sticker on it, like The Country Squire does for their own tobacco anyway. 🤦🏻♂️ And a plain brown box that its shipped in. Yes, the packaging is nice and makes you feel like its Christmas every month… but its not necessary at that price point. I want to do this, but i refuse to at that price. If it was $30 for the box plus shipping id consider it. Thank you for the honesty in this video!
I think $19.00 with free shipping would be the absolute most I would ever consider. That’s just a small sample pack that you are gambling on enjoying or despising. A Holiday basket or seasonal basket would be much more appealing.
As always, you are very well spoken. You are on point with your commentary. I do agree that the price is prohibitive. The presentation is very professional, the cost can be a stumbling block for the novice or beginner. I learned one thing from the person who sold me my first pipe. Do not skimp on price for your pipes. If you don't spend decent money for a decent pipe you will be dissatisfied and disappointed. For the beginner, the cost of tobaccos could be a problem. There are quite a few companies out there that offer tobacco samplers. I started with Boswell's samplers and Boswell Blends dominate the majority of my collection. I have observed that by perusing several websites, one can find quite a number of varieties of tobaccos package together as samplers. Subscriptions based on that concept would be a great idea so long as the costs are kept down.
Thank you Alan I appreciate your honest opinion and canter it does me a lot to me & saving money is not a bad idea either! 👍👍👍
Was looking at this site earlier today and when I did the math I thought it would be best to just go to the websites of different brick and mortar shops and order a few houses blends and tin or two for the same price.
All valid points that you make and I agree with your assessment. I do not belong to any subscription services for pipe tobacco but do belong to two different ones for cigars. Given the cost of most of the cigars when bought in a brick and mortar, the cost is not so far of as what you are showing here. I like to try different types of smokes and so I am satisfied with what I am receiving vs the cost. Honestly, I do not smoke enough with the pipe to justify this for my usage. Thanks for showing this.
Thank you sir, for your honest review! It is much appreciated.
Your spot on!!! they’re just like the fishing tackle subscription boxes.💰
I have a question for you. Have you ever visited the Gatlinburlier tobacconist in Gatlinburg TN? They have cigars, chews, and they specialize in Pipes.
He has mentioned this store in a previous video. That place is awesome.
I agree at the price being to high. I am a newer pipe smoker and have so far tried over 20 blends. It is a lot cheaper to just buy samples and have them shiped. But I do however do like the idea...they may send something I have never thought of trying and enjoy it.
Very diplomatic.
very good review Alan. regarding your comments about packaging type, I buy a lot of tobacco in increments of a pound. For the stuff that’s sealed from the manufacturer, a.k.a. "tinned" it doesn’t come in a metal can it comes in a heavy duty, Ziploc bag with a stick on label with the logo and artwork and stuff on it. That’s straight from the manufacturer and quite frankly that packaging is not as nice as what the pipe crate had.
Your wife did an excellent job with the camera! I don't know if it's her first time helping you with a video, but it sure seems like she's a seasoned camera operator.
If they cut the cost by making cheaper packaging and added another blend maybe two it would be worth it. We have to keep in mind the knowledge base being offered of picking the blends and consider the value add for the new pipe smoker. The problem is going to be new pipe smoker become quickly experienced to some degree, and we must consider the fact that pipe smoking is not a booming culture limiting the ability to acquire new customers. It’s a hard business and we can’t expect them to undercut the big boys
Guess where that fancy box and printed bags are going to end up?
At the end of the day, they only needed to use standard packaging and just include a business card with their logo/contact details.
The Tea has been Spilled. lol
I would do a subscription service that focuses on seasonal items and rare tobaccos that are difficult to get due to the waiting lists at smokingpipes. How about Sleepy Hollow (which I like and purchased a couple years ago, but at a high price and more than I needed for the season), Autumn Evening, etc. in the Fall, Xmas themed products like Boswell's Xmas Cookie, etc., in November, and the bonus of jumping the line on the rare stuff like Penzance. I don't know who is packaging and shipping for the Pipe Crate, but Smokingpipes itself could probably do a much more affordable subscription service and pay Pipe Crate to market/promote it. I'm sorry to say that I agree it's too expensive and more experienced pipers may prefer to get products that they already know they like.
Personally it cost too much for me. I have tried many blends, but I keep keep coming back to peterson's early morning and night cap. Only aromatic I continue to use is Missouri malta. Thanks for the review.
So I’m a relatively new pipe smoke and very much enjoying my journey. So I see a couple of potential problems if I may Sir.
First I’m not sure what the average pipe smoker smokes in a months time. It seems like a lot of people are a bowl or so a day give or take and perhaps a bit more on the weekends. That is about average for me so my fist question is how much tobacco is that? I don’t think that’s 6 oz a month. A person is liable to end up with a stock pile of tobacco now needing to canister several different blends.
Perhaps 1 oz of each blend for a total of three oz would be a better choice.
Very much enjoy your content Sir.
Derek V.
I've smoked cigars since about 2006-07. just ordered my first pipe this week and have no clue what tobacco id like. i went with Peterson nightcap. i am excited to say the least.
Hello from the Midlands of SC! My question is not really related to this video, but what is the brand name of the ginger ale that you prefer? I'm looking for a good brand to use with my bourbon. Thanks!
I'd think having a way of getting more, smaller samples would be more worthwhile than spending 50+ dollars on the equivalent of three tins. It's an interesting service nonetheless though. I think for the casual smoker who has the money to spend it may be worth it to some.
Jesus's, Mary & Joseph,
I'd take a dozen to start with for that price. Here in Australia, due to all the government taxes and import duties we are paying roughly AU$120-130 for 50gm/2oz
Tobacco was grown here in Victoria from about 1870 and ramped up around 1920 after the WW1 after then In 2006 our last crops of tobacco were harvested due largely to global competition. Great channel Doc, love your recommendations. Health and happiness to you and your family. All the best from down under
You poor Auzzies. It's that damned Government getting in the way again, those taxes are absurd.
Lower price, smaller amounts that allow more variety. ❤
He speaks the truth
I would definitely be interested in this, but that price point is way too high to justify for me. I'd pay $30-35 a month for it.
Have you ever tried 2nd breakfast from the country square it is a very pleasant Blend to my palate and I would like to hear your opinion of it
Will your merch shop be reopening soon? I was hoping to get a beer mug but saw the site was down
$50 for 6 oz man I wish something like that was in Canada. a tin of HH virginia flake is $ $62.99 here for one tin!
I agree! But the problem that I see. No matter what kind of package is created for the seller to make money, and the consumer to be happy. It wont be long before the consumer leaves the subscription (1 or 2 months) and start customizing his/her own purchases. Namely Smoking Pipes, or CupO Joe's and such. COMPLETE starter packages? Maybe... Subscriptions? Possibly not.
It would be a long month if they gave me what I opened today. Peterson, Irish Whiskey....... wow what a challenging tin. Will see how it ages.
Sites down cant order the crates anymore
I would just use generic blank boxes and packages, slap a sticker on there and let the quality of the service sell it.
Sadly I've seen these subscriptions fail time and time again. Even if the price is brought within a proper range the variety becomes an issue eventually. Everything shown here could be simply purchased from the Country Squire for much less (~30% less). I'd like to see someone actually put in some work and venture overseas to brings us things we can't easily get here in the States or at least provide a larger variety (more than 3) of truly top notch house blends from around the US. This might actually help slow the demise of B&M's. While the presentation here is quite elegant we simply don't need a fancy box of things we can get cheaper and faster from SPC.
Alan--if the brick-and-mortar corner pipe and tobacco stores are doomed to extinction, what will happen to the pipe clubs, which invariably meet at a local B&M pipe store? I belonged to a pipe club that met in a pipe store so close to where I live that I could walk to it (if I didn't mind risking life and limb crossing a certain busy street); Alas, the store closed, and so did the club. I'm looking for another club, but the nearest tobacco store is a couple of miles from me and deals overwhelmingly with cigar smokers--and there is no pipe club there. I could make the effort to start a club, if the management of this store was amenable to hosting it; but I'm gathering from your remarks anent the future of neighborhood pipe stores that you foresee them passing away for the most part. There is something about a club that a simple gathering of pipesters lacks. This is one time that I hope your prediction is dead wrong.😦
Thanks for this video. Love this concept,. but I agree that the price is way too high. I'm going to pass due to the price. The person that can do this at an affordable price will do well. They will undoubtedly get nice volume and will help spread awareness of the pipe tobacco hobby.
My mind immediately went to the math, and the premium for the service (for me) just isn't worth it.
$40!?!? My Lord...
In today’s world, I think EVERYTHING is priced too high! And I’m seeing this across the board. I had a subscription from a tackle warehouse at one point in time, but it started costing me more than I was benefiting from so I dropped it. But some people will, and are continuing to pay for it and receiving their monthly tackle boxes. I just recently saw where the pocket knife community was getting into this subscription nonsense. I just can’t even imagine! New pocket knives every month?! Lol... Some people just have more money than they know what to do with. Or, more money than sense, one or the other...
I think it’d be worth the price if it was four tins. But definitely not 3
Would you do a review on or speak of Erinmore ? It was my fathers preference and I have enjoyed it over the past decade. Yet I hear no one saying anything about it
I think this is a fantastic idea! You said you think they should sell it at 30$-35$. Just those tobaccos alone currently of those 3 tins are around 35$. So, how on earth are they supposed to be profitable? I love you channel BTW. I just disagree with this particular assessment.
Exactly. I can purchase more for less. How about offering only house blends from different B&M''s . Except for The Country Squire, I'm not very adventurous.
Question: why are my 2 pipes cracking on the bowl where the bowl meets the handle? Any idea why
Are you pulling out the stem while the bowl is hot?
are you banging your pipes to empty them?
This almost seems like a middle man inserting themselves into the distribution chain. If they really wanted to help the new pipe smoker, I'd suggest they send out more tobaccos in each order, perhaps a blend from each family. A Virginia, Burley, VaPer, Latakia, Dark Fired, and God forbid, an Aromatic. That along with pipe accessories like cleaners.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR NEWBIES:
The box stuffing IS NOT tobacco
I like the idea of a tobacco subscription. But pipe crate is way too expensive. Some fancy cardboard isn’t worth the price. There’s only $32 worth of tobacco.
I just (03/22/24) went on line and tried to check this site out. Does not appear to be in business any longer.
Or add more items/value.
I was so excited until you said the price. Utterly ridiculous. I think tin society was half that price and you even got a free corn cob! I wish someone like country squire would take this up for their house blends.
New blends & comprehensive reviews are just a click away... this type of service has gone the way of the Dodo...
Theres no way I could smoke the equivalent of 3 full tins per month. This would be piling up all around me before I could even get to it all. Just don't smoke a pipe *that much*
35 a month, times 12. I love the look of what you got, but I am not a monthly subscriber guy. Waste of money most of the time. 5 Oz of tobacco is a lot for one month.
Lol all the Americans thinking this is overpriced while Canadians/Australians would die for 6oz for $50.
I agree with everything you presented, but, another consideration is if you are getting that much tobacco every month you are probably going to have a lot of leftover
tobacco to enjoy later along with whatever else you may buy. The price really is too much.
Definitely not worth it IMO I can spend less and get more tobacco and I know that it will be what I want. It would definitely suck to get tobacco that ya pay for and not like it. I don't see that company lasting long doing subscription boxes. For 60 bucks ya can get 4 Missouri meerschaum pipes and 4 ounces of tobacco with them. I have yet to see any subscription boxes pushed by you tube content creators worth the money.
There is one reason I would want a COTM club, or a Pipe Crate, it's to receive hard to get tobacco or cigars respectfully. The tobacco or cigars should be rare, special, or unique in some sort of way. This way, the premium price would be justified. 3rd party service to get you a Coke, Pepsi, and a mountain dew that I could have gotten myself for a low price if shopped around is a middle man no one asked for. As far as the packaging goes, this sort of packaging could be marketed towards non smokers, who want to purchase a gift box for someone who does. Gifting someone a plastic sandwich bag with tobacco would still probably make the average pipe smoker happy, but it's not ideal. Also their crate design looks much more suited for fragile cigars, but they have to look at the competition and realize they're doing the same but cheaper.