Blends that "Grow On Ya"
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Hmm. Great post. Did the sample you had that was just ok get some age on it and you liked it better, or did your palatte just gradually change and you developed a hankering?
For me, Tinderbox Tacoma made a limited run of fruity goodness called "12th Man" for our Seattle Seahawks when they made the playoffs last year. I liked it and bought a lb.
Now I can't put the stuff down. I smoke it more than anything else at the moment. It IS just like a mouth full of skittles (their goal, according to the label). I think mine was a palatte thing. I can't imagine those kinds of aros blended together benefitting much from age. lol
For me, Tinderbox Tacoma made a limited run of fruity goodness called "12th Man" for our Seattle Seahawks when they made the playoffs last year. I liked it and bought a lb.
Now I can't put the stuff down. I smoke it more than anything else at the moment. It IS just like a mouth full of skittles (their goal, according to the label). I think mine was a palatte thing. I can't imagine those kinds of aros blended together benefitting much from age. lol
Grassemere was one I couldn't stand the first time I tried it. Over time, I came to find some charm in its floral aggressiveness.
Coincidentally, Old Dark Fire was the first blend that came to mind when I read your post. We smoked it in one our crawls last summer. If I remember correctly, it some time before other members began to really appreciate it. In the end, it was probably the most popular blend we smoked last year - even beat 3 Nuns.
Coincidentally, Old Dark Fire was the first blend that came to mind when I read your post. We smoked it in one our crawls last summer. If I remember correctly, it some time before other members began to really appreciate it. In the end, it was probably the most popular blend we smoked last year - even beat 3 Nuns.
C&D Epiphany. It seemed very bland and lackluster when I first bought a few ounces so I put it aside. After a while, I decided to finish up some of the jars sitting around. I quickly finished 4 ozs and proceeded to buy a few pounds. I don't think it necessarily improved with age but I think I just started to pick up on the subtlety.
I think I may have expected it to be more than it was due to so many overwhelmingly positive reviews of it when it first became available. It probably had some to do with my tastes changing a bit as well. I started picking up a very light fermented / vinegar taste that I enjoyed.
ODF was also the blend for me that I really did not care for when I first tasted it. I put the tin away for about 6 months, let it dry a bit and when I tried it again, I fell in love. That is the only blend that I have had that happen to me.
bobs chocolate flake, my brief notes left in spreadsheet beside each bowls review go from "weird and soapy" to "interesting and soapy" to "delicious...and soapy"
Fmgee,
My 2 year old daughter always laughs and points out that the bunny stole mister dogs cob...
My 2 year old daughter always laughs and points out that the bunny stole mister dogs cob...
Another for Bob's Chocolate flake. Used to hate the smell of it, now I just smoke the cowboy hell out of it. Some age does wonders for it btw.
May seem a strange one but Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake. Tried it a few weeks ago for the first time in a new briar and all I could get was tobacco and some notes of hay (timothy to be exact). Changed over to smoking it in my truck in a cob...changed my whole take on it. First two bowls in the briar and I was determined never to reorder; now, I might just stock it for my cobs.
mortonbriar: Yes that is one content looking bunny. As long as the bunny did not leave tooth marks I reckon Mister Dog would be fine with sharing.
It is always fun to know what kids seen in books like this. Richard Scarry books are great for that.
It is always fun to know what kids seen in books like this. Richard Scarry books are great for that.
I recognize an 'Ole farm boy when I see (read?) one!!
Most folks don't know the difference tween timothy, alfalfa, orchardgrass, red/yellow clover.............you in the dairy business?
Great thread! The blend that grew on me was Plum Pudding. I had been a fan of Mississippi RIver for a while and heard great things about plum pudding. The first two or three times I tried it I wasn't a fan. Put it on the shelf for a month or so, tried it again and loved it! This is about the same for any other perique heavy blend I've tried.
This is an interesting thread indeed.
My vote goes to McClelland's Black Parrot.
At first I couldn't stand the raw smell let alone the puff.
After the third bowl it became my favorite smoke hands down. Though, I'm still not fond of its unlit aroma.
Three seems to be my magic number.
Three pints of Guinness and I was hooked.
I dated three red-heads before marrying the fourth.
It took three viewings of the Notebook to realize it's the greatest love story ever told.
Just checking for A.D.D. with that last one.
My vote goes to McClelland's Black Parrot.
At first I couldn't stand the raw smell let alone the puff.
After the third bowl it became my favorite smoke hands down. Though, I'm still not fond of its unlit aroma.
Three seems to be my magic number.
Three pints of Guinness and I was hooked.
I dated three red-heads before marrying the fourth.
It took three viewings of the Notebook to realize it's the greatest love story ever told.
Just checking for A.D.D. with that last one.
I know pretty quickly whether or not it's going to stick around.
ODF became part of my cellar on the first smoke, as did FVF.
C&D Epiphany, listed above, was an easy "no" for me ... too much topping.
The only tobacco, for me, that ever went from possible trash can to rotation is Semois.
Then again, it's not a blend but rather a straight tobacco ... still counts?
ODF became part of my cellar on the first smoke, as did FVF.
C&D Epiphany, listed above, was an easy "no" for me ... too much topping.
The only tobacco, for me, that ever went from possible trash can to rotation is Semois.
Then again, it's not a blend but rather a straight tobacco ... still counts?
SG Full Virginia is my most finicky flake. When I first tried it I really liked the flavor but the next time I tried it I did not get the same results. It took me a long time to figure out the right humidity and the right cut to get it to smoke consistently great for me. I finally figured out that I needed to cube it into very small cubes and to let it dry longer than I had been doing. I then figured out that I needed to smoke it in a group 4 Dublin to get the best flavors. None of my other flakes took that much experimenting. I am now going to test it in a group 4 Apple and Rhodesian to see if I can duplicate the flavors I get from my Dublin. It is weird because I also smoke SG Best Brown and St James flakes and neither of those did I have to go through this kind of experimenting. Right off the bat I got great smokes from both of the other blends in numerous different shape and sized pipes.
@beefeater22 Not a dairy farmer but grew up on a family farm as a kid (enough cattle, hogs, and chicken to feed our extended family). I can remember that as soon as I was able to lift a bail of hay I was out as part of the haying crew. The smells of the different grasses cut and dried, or in the rain, or in the barn still stick with me today.
@cigrmaster I agree with you that FVF requires some personal preparation. Rubbing it out did nothing for me, but I found fold & stuff worked rather well. I did pull the flake apart a little right before hand before I folded and stuffed which helped keep it lit.
Truth be told, its really my first foray into Virginias. I've always been a latakia or oriental blend fan and have stuck with those. I've some St. James Flake aging right now which will be my first real experimentation with Va/Per.
@cigrmaster I agree with you that FVF requires some personal preparation. Rubbing it out did nothing for me, but I found fold & stuff worked rather well. I did pull the flake apart a little right before hand before I folded and stuffed which helped keep it lit.
Truth be told, its really my first foray into Virginias. I've always been a latakia or oriental blend fan and have stuck with those. I've some St. James Flake aging right now which will be my first real experimentation with Va/Per.
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