Bennington Tobacconist believes in the power of giving back to the community.  It is not just a responsibility, but a privilege and one to be given cheerfully.  Here is a list of organizations that we have been blessed by simply only giving back what has been generously given to us by the grace of God. 

- Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce
- Toys For Tot's 
- United Way
- Easter Seals (Cigar benefit with Jorge Padron)
- Sarasota Film Festival
- Sahib Shriners
- United Cerebral Palsy (Cigar benefit with Avo Uvezian)
- YMCA Sarasota
- All Faiths Food Bank
- Calvary Chapel School
- Circus Sarasota
- The Florida Center for Child and Family Development
- Sarasota Sunshine VFW Post #3233
- Sarasota University Club
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Gulf Gate Elementary School
- Sarasota Police Athletic League 
- Sarasota Ballet Association
- Rotary Club of Sarasota
- Full Moon Promotions
- Showfolks of Sarasota Circus



 

    

Custom Pipe Tobacco Blends

Mr. Bennington was an avid pipe smoker and recognized the opportunity in the lack of high quality pipe tobacco brands in the U.S. market at that time. There were plenty of domestic "drug store" brands, but few imported brands of the calibers of Dunhill, Erinmore or Rattray's for example.
Bennington Blends No. 10 and No. 24 are two such blends and are still popular today. Blend No. 15 is patterned after the famed "Balkan Sobranie White Label," which was very popular back then. In those days, the tobacco manufacturers sold the basic blending ingredients, i.e., Burleys, Virginias, Latakia, Perique, Maryland, and Turkish tobaccos, directly to the tobacconist and offered "formulas" as a general guide, which could be tweaked in order to create custom blends.
Mr. Bennington spent a good part of an evening with tweezers and a scale separating eight ounces of Balkan Sobranie into its component parts of Turkish, Latakia, and Virginia to determine the ratios of the blend. He then refined it to his taste and introduced Blend No. 15 in 1966. Blend No. 33 is another original and is still quite popular. Blend No. 33 is patterned after Murray's Erinmore Flake.
At Bennington’s we still prefer the original method of buying the basic tobacco component ingredients and creating unique blends from them.

Bennington Through the Years

Pictured left to right: Jim Bennington, William Bennington, Zino Davidoff, Jone Judelson, Raymond Scheurer, Mrs. Davidoff, Mrs. Scheurer, Mrs. Edelman.

Pictured left to right: Jack Bennington, Jorge Padron, William Bennington, Gary Bennington.Cigar Event benefiting Easter Seals Sarasota, FL

Pictured left to right: Jack and Kacy Bennington, Avo Uvezian, Katie Klauber-Moulton, Michael MoultonCigar event benefiting United Cerebral Palsy of Sarasota, FL.