Professionally writing comes with many perks.
Scholars can get to access restricted documents. Novelists have an opportunity to get rich. Sports Writers get to meet world famous athletes and go behind the scenes of all the biggest g
ames.
But there is one kind of writer who is much luckier: Tobacco Writers. Tobacco writes have the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at how some of their favorite tobacco is made and they get to try samples of an outrageous magnitude.
Luckily for me, I was blessed with the opportunity of touring the Sutliff Tobacco company.
This was the most fun I have had in quite a long time.
To be so passionate about something and to be given a chance to get to know better what I love, I just couldn’t be more ecstatic. I am truly grateful for the hospitality and the generosity of Sutliff for giving me this experience of a lifetime.
I have some favorite moments from this tour that I would like to share with my readers:
I absentmindedly assumed that taking a tour of a large company would be an emotionless corporate activity that involved no authenticity from the guide. I was really caught off guard by the hospitality and friendship I was shown.
By the time the tour was over I was swapping funny life stories and passionately discussing sports with the guide and my friends. Even through the entirety of the tour we didn’t stop talking nonsense and having fun.
This tells me that the people at Sutliff are social people that love what they do. I do not know about you, but I don’t want a product made by robots who are just looking to earn a paycheck. I want my tobacco to be made by passionate people who love what they do and who share that with them.
Something really cool happened at one point on the tour. The day of my tour was the day Sutliff was tinning a large order of their SPS Molto Dolce.
The manager their took a tin that was just packed, sealed, labeled, and ready to ship and literally threw it at me. He said “take this”. Now it is probably not that surprising that I received free tobacco on the tour, that is a common occurrence. What made it memorable was the fact that I got a tin fresh off the line. Brand New! I thought that was pretty spectacular! It doesn’t really matter what it is, but when you get something straight off a factory line, it seems to always be special. It was very thoughtful and considerate for them to give out tobacco in this manner.
(BTW I totally smoked that tin and didn’t age it at all!)
As a man, I am a sucker for machinery. Namely, machinery that has been around for decades doing the same thing over and over and over again. Now this isn’t some modern machinery. This stuff was made to last!
Let me tell you, I just had a ball being around that equipment! I don’t know a guy who doesn’t have their testosterone sky rocket when they are a around such heavy machinery (ladies I am sorry if this does not apply to you).
From the coating machine, to the mixer, presser, steamer, and so many more, being given a tour around tough and dangerous machinery is always fun! Even if tobacco was in no way involved in the tour, the machinery was awesome to behold and admire.
All in all, Sutliff Tobacco Company is a great place.
Great product. Great People.
All I can say from this point on is that I will forever respect Sutliff Tobacco and I look forward to the day I will be invited back once again!
Pictures provided by Sutliff Tobacco Company.
Confessions of a Pipe Smoker 
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