Avoiding foot-in-mouth disease

bloodwood · Nov 5, 2014

In general, are there any blends considered a private guilty pleasure or all out faux pas in their mention?

* Blends that no man with even a smidgen of testosterone would openly talk about in a positive light.

* A Tobacco concoction so virulent merely packing one's pipe would induce severe gynecomastia.
The last thing I need is having the old salts coming after me with torches and pitchforks yelling, "Blasphemy! Burn the indignant wuss."

Followed by a short campaign to have my Pipesmagazine card revoked.

mikestanley · Nov 5, 2014

Tastes vary so widely that it seems to

me no blend could, or should be spoken

of as having no redeeming qualities.

That being said, I can think of a few that

are of no value to me.

Mike S.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

Nope, as soon as someone seems to discover something so vile that it removes the flesh from the tongue, someone else will report that it is their every day smoke. It would have once been said that Middleton Cherry would scorch the tongue of the slowest smoker, yet people were reporting how wonderful it was. Mixture 79 and condor used to be passed around as the butt of many jokes, yet... We even had someone make "condor" their forum name. Ha ha.
It seems that one man's garbage, truly can be another man's treasure. So, you can like whatever you want. There's an article going about the socials about a man in Iran who smokes dung. There is no limit to what the brain can say taste good, blech.

natibo · Nov 5, 2014

I am guilty of enjoying the occasional bowl of Captain Black white. Such an admission takes me out of the "connoisseur" realm.

condorlover1 · Nov 5, 2014

Real men smoke Condor!

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

Menthol, if you say that you enjoy a good menthol flavored, we will all laugh at you and point : puffy

:

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

At my B&M hangout, there's this big burly guy with motorcycles and skeletons tattoo'd all down his arms, wears a padlock in his ear, with a beard down to his navel. His clothes always look like he just returned from a car wreck where there were no survivors, and his boots are circa Nazi era. He comes in every week and buys his 1oz of this blueberry smelling aromatic that smells like he just shoved a Smurf into his dainty little bent meerschaum, takes a huge draw deep into his lungs and has this look of peace come over him.
And, this pencil necked accountant looking guy diminutive in stature with bow tie and fedora will occasionally come in and buy his tin of Black XX twist and leave.
I guess you can't judge a book.

jmatt · Nov 5, 2014

Never admit to buying tobacco at a drugstore. And never admit you like any Lane bulk aromatic blend.

(paradoxically, if you go to pipesandcigars.com and click on "most popular tobaccos" the top hit is Captain Black White - a "drugstore blend," followed by Lane 1-Q - a Lane bulk aromatic blend.

derfargin · Nov 5, 2014

This isn't about what others think you should smoke. You're the one with the pipe in your mouth, so you should enjoy what's in it. I don't care if it's a blend called "Summer's Eve" if you like it, don't be afraid to enjoy it.
It's been said before many times. "Like what you smoke, smoke what you like." Can't get any more simple than that.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

90% of the sales at my local B&M are aromatics. And, it has been said over and over by tobacconist that have been on the radio show that by a huge margin, the majority of tobaccos sold are aromatics. Those of us on the forums are a little different. We don't tend to represent the codger blends or the smoking for habit smokers. We tend to be the connoisseurs that are exploring the leaf and blends for the enjoyment in the sake of doing so. Not looking for a blend to "stick" with, but merely tasting for the sake of tasting. We are the ones who mostly discuss and banter about the blends, so we usually have more to post and comment on. The codgers with one pipe, one blend, don't usually come on here, because what would they have to contribute and what would they want to gain? Continually posting that "Carter Hall in a cob is all you need," would get boring for everyone. And, aromatic smokers can't taste anything anyways when they smoke. God bless them, they only smoke for the enjoyment of others, and I can dig that.

johnnyreb · Nov 5, 2014

If you get caught smoking something called Summer's Eve by your buddies, expect to turn in your man card.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

Hey, Summers Eve, isn't that a Lakeland by Sam Gawith? I thought only guys with huge mustaches smoked that. That sounds like a Manly man smoke to me. : puffy

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escioe · Nov 5, 2014

There are plenty of blends that people smoke that, if they were the last blend on earth, I'd sooner quit smoking than smoke myself. But they keep tobacco stores in business, so I can go and buy my pipe cleaners and lighter fluid and be disappointed that they don't carry more than a half dozen blends I'd put in my pipe.

johnnyreb · Nov 5, 2014

"I thought only guys with huge mustaches smoked that. That sounds like a Manly man smoke to me."
Right up there with Christmas Cookie & Cupcake!

phil67 · Nov 5, 2014

I smoked a Christmas cookie once, but a piece crushed pecan got stuck in the stem and the burnt raisins fowled up the bowl. Never again.

wyfbane · Nov 5, 2014

I admit it. I don't mind smoking Smokers Pride tobacco. It never bites and I can HOOVER it and never get nicotine poisoning.
There. I let out my dirty little secret!

bloodwood · Nov 5, 2014

I'm definitely among the gatekeepers; with a great sense of humor to boot.

Poring over the replies a tear of pride rolled down my cheek.

Relevant tobacco terms like insect repellent, Smurf and Summer's Eve truly gives one a sense of belonging.
Why I ask:

As explained in my intro/profile, the wife has me pigeonholed to candy store blends.

This constitutes the base of our "agreement".
The millstone has been lifted:

You gentlemen DO NOT understand the internal hell I've been going through.

The sleeplessness, the long walks and self loathing. All within two hours before my posting.

"How will I ever fit terms like butterscotch, vanilla and cherries into conversation?"

I might as well be talking about ponies, The Bachelorette or fingernail chipping... I thought to myself.
I'm much better now. I thank you all.
Brad

ravkesef · Nov 5, 2014

We all take pride in our selection of top-grade tobaccos, or at least those we like to claim are top grade. To back this up, there are a fair number of blenders who are purchasing some of the world's finest grades of tobacco and blending, aging them, and marketing them to the 10,000 or so connoisseurs on this forum, plus the many smokers with sophisticated palates unknown to us because they aren't on the forum. That said, there are more smokers smoking Mixture 79 than there are smokers smoking the so-called "gourmet" blends, and morre Mixture 79 is sold by weight than all our fine tobaccos that we prize so highly and discuss with such sophistication. In short, there are ore of "them" out there than there are of "us," and it behooves us to watch our language or to whom we offer our erudite evaluations of our fine tobaccos.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 5, 2014

try as I might, I just don't get Virginia tobaccos

That's quite alright. I don't understand latakia. I have much Carter Hall, and a few cobs. Just my preferences far outreach just one tobacco. I would get bored with sticking to any one blend, even if it was an Esoterica Virginia. I have to have diversity.
And, I am guessing that there aren't more than 50 or so of us on here in a given week. When I look at posts where most contribute, it is only about ten of us, with only 15 logged in right now. So, we make up a very microcosm of pipe guys, with millions more who could care less about a forum.
When I first got on here, I would ask guys at the B&M if they do any forums. At best they just roll their eyes. Most smokers just buy their tobaccos and smoke them there or go home. And, as a jeweler, I can tell you that the most wealthy of people who have come to me for work, never carry a phone nor ever turn on a computer. They get more done, and enjoy life more. They can always turn to someone and ask them to make a call for them. But, for the most part, they could care less. So, I imagine the wealthiest of pipe men could care less about forums.
So, we are the few. But, I enjoy it here. But, we by no means are an example of the norm.

bloodwood · Nov 5, 2014

Your posts are reassuring to say the least.

Maybe in time my palate will evolve.

Right now it's like having one taste bud and he's busy looking for a friend.
I find the simple action of smoking a pipe zen. Taste (within reason) be darned.

The only analogy that comes to mind is being skunked fly fishing and still having a great day.

Avoiding foot-in-mouth disease

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