Changing Palette

alexnc · Sep 24, 2016

Well, I just noticed a year has slipped by since my first tobacco purchase at P&C.
I am noticing that I reach for my old Latakia favs less and less and now reach for other things more and more and skip the latakia forward blends I used to love for latakia seasoned blends like El Nino, Black Frigate, etc - centering more on GLP Cumberland, Triple Play, etc - VaPers and DFK instead
Is that a common progression? Moving away from the Latakia heavy hitters into a different zone?

bigpond · Sep 24, 2016

I'm not sure there's a standard progression at all since we all enter the arena at different starting points. Not everyone get's started with dime store aro's, for example. I can say with certitude that tastes in pipe tobacco are quicksilver and our tastebuds are capricious masters. In other words, yeah...you're totally normal.

tinsel · Sep 24, 2016

I don't know if it's a "common progression", but it matches my progression over the last year pretty closely.
When I first moved away from OTC blends I went towards lat forward blends for a while. After a few months of that, my tastes started shifting more and more to straight Va, VaPer, VaBur, and VaDFK blends.
I've come to a point now where straight Va and VaPer blends make up about 95% of my smoking.
I've also noticed ... and this seems weird to me ... that Lat forward blends tend to lead to tongue bite for me. I rarely have bite issues with Va blends (which most people seem to have issues with). But everytime I decide to load up a lat blends I have to really pay close attention to my cadence or else they bite me BAD. Maybe my body chemistry is just really unusual.

alexnc · Sep 24, 2016

First love was Nightcap, have a tim waiting until it calls me. Sometimes 3 or 4 or the morning one of those tins whispers my name. That's probably what it is Coyote - just a phase.
Tinsel - if I didn't know what that was I'd think it had water in it!

pagan · Sep 24, 2016

yeah...you're totally normal

That's a steep comment coming from this community :laughat:

shutterbugg · Sep 24, 2016

Nobody would ponder if it's normal to get tired of eating pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a year. If you're into pipe tobacco for the taste it's no different. Only the old codgers smoked the same blend all day for their entire lifetime, because it wasn't about taste it was about continuous absorption of nicotine.

bigpond · Sep 24, 2016

Only the old codgers smoked the same blend all day for their entire lifetime, because it wasn't about taste it was about continuous absorption of nicotine.

This is often bandied about and maybe entirely accurate, but every time a see a photo of a codger's old stash it's invariably well rounded. Why is that?

jacks6 · Sep 24, 2016

I was more into Lat Heavy blends at first, that's where I was able to get the most flavor. After some time and experimentation now I've found that I'm more able to appreciate Va/Per blends and even some straight VA's. I would say that VaPers are my favorite category now.

aldecaker · Sep 24, 2016

A wide variety is essential to my enjoyment of pipe smoking. When my palate is bored with one genre, I switch to another, keeping pipesmoking interesting for me. I think it is very common, but I don't think there is a standard progression or rotation of palate fatigue; I believe that is as individual as each pipe smoker.

tinsel · Sep 24, 2016

This is often bandied about and maybe entirely accurate, but every time a see a photo of a codger's old stash it's invariably well rounded. Why is that?

Perhaps because the codgers who smoked only for the nicotine didn't keep "stashes"? I'd assume that most of them bought a tub or two, smoked it until it ran out, and bought another tub or two. Those who left behind "stashes" probably were the ones who were more rounded in their tastes and kept several different kinds on hand.
Just a thought, could be totally wrong. I could speak anecdotally about the older men in my family who were pipes smokers, but that doesn't really provide a well rounded test group.

mso489 · Sep 24, 2016

Not exactly. My intuition is that Latakia and Perique have become somewhat default condiment flavorings for non-aro and other blends, and though delicious, and wonderful when used really well, they're overused when there are many other good alternatives -- Cavendish, dark fired, cigar leaf, Izmir, Oriental, and a wide array of varieties of Virginia and burley to be had (among others). So we all get supplied with many Latakia blends and then discover that everything doesn't have to be Lat. I still enjoy the many Lat variations, currently Mac B's Latakia Flake. But more balance in the rotation is pleasing, so branching out is a good thing, and it really improves the Latakia (and Perique) experience when it comes back around. It's too much of one, or a limited number, of condiment tobaccos, not Latakia itself.

jabo · Sep 25, 2016

I do really like Lat. But anything nice can get old with familiarity. So, I really try to vary my rotation. Even an occasional aro(aero) occasionally. Variety is the spice of life !

fitzy · Sep 26, 2016

I go through season swings in preference. Now that it's starting to get a bit cooler I'm heading back into latakia country.

cosmicfolklore · Sep 26, 2016

but every time a see a photo of a codger's old stash it's invariably well rounded.

There is an old guy in my neighborhood that I check in on daily who only smokes Prince Albert, day in and day out. When we had the flood in the Spring, there were empty tins of PA and Dr Pepper bottles covering the surface of the river.

Eh, codgers are all different, just like people. : puffy

:

dottiewarden · Sep 26, 2016

A wide variety is essential to my enjoyment of pipe smoking. When my palate is bored with one genre, I switch to another, keeping pipesmoking interesting for me.

+1
What I don't get is how cigarette smokers stick to one brand year after year.

pipesmokingtom · Sep 26, 2016

What I don't get is how cigarette smokers stick to one brand year after year.

Couple reasons. The habit of ordering a pack from the gas station clerk really drives a lot of it. I stop, ask for the smokes, run my debit card, and am already further on my journey before I even realize what I've done. It's surprising how subconscious the process is given how much activity is involved in it.
Another reason is how harsh cigarette smoking is. Switching brands can be really jarring after your respiratory system gets used to 20 of the same cigarettes day in and day out.
Plus, few really smoke cigarettes for the flavor experience. There's not much incentive to change once you're locked in to a brand.

dottiewarden · Sep 26, 2016

@pipesmokingtom
Thanks for the clear explanation!

Changing Palette

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