I know there are no cut-and-dried categories in the tobacco world, and a lot of overlap, but I've been trying to make a sort of checklist for trying out different kinds of pipe tobacco. I'm a fairly new smoker, and I enjoy variety. I figure if I try some quintessential blends in each category, I can narrow down what my favorite my be.
So far I've tried--
- Aromatics - I've tried plenty of these.
- "English" / Latakia blends - I've tried Nightcap and the hybrid FM Cellar, and like both.
- Non-aromatics - I've tried several of these, and have found some I like. MC 5100 is my favorite so far.
You'll notice the one constant is that I liked all of these. No one category wins out, either; I enjoy rotating these fairly regularly. Now, I'm wondering what broad categories I have left to try. Some I've seen mentioned are:
- Virginia / Perique blends - Escudo is the blend I see mentioned most frequently; it seems to be to Va/Pers what Nightcap is to English blends. That said, PS Luxury Navy, Bullseye, and a few others also seem to be frequently mentioned.
- Lakeland blends - From what I've read, these might be the first category of blends that I'm not a fan of, but I'd still like to try them anyway. I understand Gawith Hoggarth & Co is the main producer, but is there a particular blend that is the archetypal Lakeland blend? Is 1792 Flake a Lakeland blend, or just a close cousin?
- Cigar Leaf blends - I'm going to order some of this, not so much for myself, but for a friend who really likes the cigar taste. What might be a decent blend with cigar leaf, but no latakia? I've noticed most highly recommended cigar blends include latakia, but my buddy (strangely enough) likes cigars, but not latakia. This seems bizarre to me: although English blends and cigars taste quite different, I feel the experience of smoking them is much closer than cigars than it is aromatics, but when it comes to pipes he is a Lane 1Q guy. Yet he's always looking for a cigar leaf blend.
- Exotic / Misc. Tobacco - I've read about things like Tambolaka and Semois. I'll probably get around to these last, but it's still nice to have them on my list. (I've also heard Semois actually produces a cigar-like experience in the pipe, so that may be relevant to my previous group.)
If you guys think of anymore broad categories, feel free to suggest a quintessential blend for that category. I don't like easing my way into blends, but rather trying the extreme and working my way back if it's too much--e.g., beginning English blends by trying Nightcap.
So far I've tried--
- Aromatics - I've tried plenty of these.
- "English" / Latakia blends - I've tried Nightcap and the hybrid FM Cellar, and like both.
- Non-aromatics - I've tried several of these, and have found some I like. MC 5100 is my favorite so far.
You'll notice the one constant is that I liked all of these. No one category wins out, either; I enjoy rotating these fairly regularly. Now, I'm wondering what broad categories I have left to try. Some I've seen mentioned are:
- Virginia / Perique blends - Escudo is the blend I see mentioned most frequently; it seems to be to Va/Pers what Nightcap is to English blends. That said, PS Luxury Navy, Bullseye, and a few others also seem to be frequently mentioned.
- Lakeland blends - From what I've read, these might be the first category of blends that I'm not a fan of, but I'd still like to try them anyway. I understand Gawith Hoggarth & Co is the main producer, but is there a particular blend that is the archetypal Lakeland blend? Is 1792 Flake a Lakeland blend, or just a close cousin?
- Cigar Leaf blends - I'm going to order some of this, not so much for myself, but for a friend who really likes the cigar taste. What might be a decent blend with cigar leaf, but no latakia? I've noticed most highly recommended cigar blends include latakia, but my buddy (strangely enough) likes cigars, but not latakia. This seems bizarre to me: although English blends and cigars taste quite different, I feel the experience of smoking them is much closer than cigars than it is aromatics, but when it comes to pipes he is a Lane 1Q guy. Yet he's always looking for a cigar leaf blend.
- Exotic / Misc. Tobacco - I've read about things like Tambolaka and Semois. I'll probably get around to these last, but it's still nice to have them on my list. (I've also heard Semois actually produces a cigar-like experience in the pipe, so that may be relevant to my previous group.)
If you guys think of anymore broad categories, feel free to suggest a quintessential blend for that category. I don't like easing my way into blends, but rather trying the extreme and working my way back if it's too much--e.g., beginning English blends by trying Nightcap.
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