Hi everyone. I'm trying to understand supply and demand, and why some tobaccos just disappear. One of my favorite pipe tobaccos: Esoterica Margate seems to have just up and disappeared. I've searched every possible supplier and they all say out of stock. I don't understand how this could happen. Is this normal in the pipe tobacco industry. It's frustrating when your favorite flave disappears.

Maybe someone can teach me how all this works.
Thanks a billion, Prozac

Seems its normal for Esoterica, why? i dont know, just shows up every now and then

As far as I know Esoterica is only available 2-3 times a year. It's usually gone fast as in a day or two. I've seen it in stock once myself in the past 3 years but I don't check pipe tobacco websites daily. There is an in stock thread that is here on the boards that is helpful when it does show up.

It would certainly be cool to get an answer straight from the horse's pipe, I can't imagine they can only make high quality, small batch releases and stay in business. Maybe the Esoterica brand is the high end version of some bigger brand......I dunno.....

Germain, who makes Esoterica, also make their own line of blends, Smoker's Haven. and Balkan Sobranie. They are a small producer with a small factory in a small town on a small island. They have been doing it this way for nearly 200 years. This limits their yearly production. Why would they make a radical change, and incurr the inherent risks of expansion, in a shrinking industry? During the last 20 to 40-years, all of the major U.K. producers consolidated and then went out of business. Part of the high demand for Esoterica is that Germain is the only one left who still produces with the old U.K. Quality Standards. The last 10 years has seen a shortage on the market but with the industry in decline then it makes little economic sense for them to invest in more capital (e.g. Machines, bigger factory etc) just because of a medium term increase in demand. So far, they have survived quite well using this business model.

If it was easy to find it would no longer be special.

It's like chasing a girl, did you want the girl anyone could get or did you want the one that was unobtainium?

Yea ..penzance it was the chase. Once I got her, I figured out she wasn't for me.

Sent from ... hey Jon, where's my damn sandwich

Disagree! If diamonds, pearls, and gorgeous women were easy to find, they would still be quite special.
I think it's the opposite. If these things were easy to find, people would be happy about that.
Show me someone that would not enjoy an extra, diamond, pearl or super model then I'll join your side

Don't matter how hot she is, there's someone sick of her crap somewhere...

It's all good.........but I'd still love to have a big fat bowl of Esoterica Margate!