As regular customers will note, we have recently expanded our range of tobacco tins to add in some new colours. From the 'heritage' black edition to the more vibrant pink and cool blue, these new accessorries have gone down a storm with Bull Brand customers. Those that have been buying online have given us positive reviews about the latest smoking accessories from Bull Brand.
In a world of disposable plastics, it's hard to remember that over the years, people had items that were designed to last a lifetime and were not just single-use. With the backlash against single-use plastics, and rightly so, people are more and more aware of the importance of using products which they can use over and over again.
We first saw tobacco on these fair isles back in 1573 when Sir Francis Drake returned from the Americas bringing with him a tobacco leaf. It wasn't until around 1586 when colonists returning from Virginia were seen smoking pipes at Plymouth Docks. This scene caused Elizabethan people to take note; by 1595 there was even a book titled the 'Art of Smoking'.
With pipe tobacco smoking taking hold and interest growing, tobacco supplies flooded through the English docks from the new world. It became so popular that by 1615 there were over 7,000 shops selling pipe tobacco in London alone, quite an achievement given London's population was only around 200,000. Soon government forces became aware of the popularity and the ability to generate revenue and tax tobacco. During this time, tobacco was transported in large wooden cases, while individual users used small leather bags and rarely carried large quantities with them.
Pipe smoking was seen as the working mans vice, but to distinguish themselves the aristocracy started to use snuff that was transported in small jewelled boxes. Naturally this fashion filtered down to the mass market who could buy the snuff in small paper wraps or crude cardboard boxes or even loose just like their pipe tobacco. By the mid 1760s some entrapeneurial shop keepers started to pre-pack tobacco in fixed quantities and specific prices - at this time the small tin box started to appear. Cheaper shag tobaccos were sold in tins that had a simple branded paper sleeve over them. However, more upmarket products began to be supplied with painted tins, adding more style and design to proceedings. Fast forward to circa 1850 and tin printing became technologically possible; brands began incorporating their branding onto their tobacco products.
By 1900 most tobacco could be bought in branded tins, with large retail units sold in vacuum-packed tins similar to how tennis balls are now shipped. The approach helped keep the tobacco fresh and avoid it from going mouldy as shipping took longer in those by-gone days. However, the pocket-sized tins were the product that most smokers would keep all their smoking accessories and tobacco tins in.
This brings us nicely onto the Bull Brand Tobacco tins, a nod to our heritage with a modern twist. The strong branding led by the 'beast' helps you stand out while the compact nature of the tin keeps all your essentials in one place. Smoking has evolved, and whether you roll your own or you're a pipe smoker, the Bull Brand tin is the perfect accessory. So next time you're buying you pipe tobacco online or your rolling tobacco, make sure you add a tobacco tin to your order. They are handy, cheap, and avoid your pockets being full of loose filters and tobacco strands! What's not to like!Smoking Accessories: The Humble Tobacco Tin
