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...but an awakening.
My basket is still full of OTC pouches bought in my first rush of pipe enthusiasm. PA, 3 BRs, 2 or 3 CBs, something called Virginia Gold (regular and cherry!), Amphora, Half & Half, SWR, a couple others. Plus, I have my tubs of Granger and SWR (the latter still nearly full). But I recently got some, well, more complex blends. Starting out with Dunhill Standard--I'd have to smoke it again to get a good flavor profile, but as my first non-OTC blend--was a tobacco bomb. What a fantastic flavor! So I ordered some of the EGR that I've read so much about, along with 4 single-origin leafs from McClelland. They all arrived in a state of dryness, no PG on them.
The EGR I wasn't much impressed with. It was better than OTCs, but not by a lot. It had some subtle nuances that I would have to clear out my tongue with over a few days and many bottles of club soda, but I don't know if I'll be better able to pick them out with a few days' rest. I also don't know if I could hold off smoking that long. I'm not that nic-addicted yet, but I really enjoy the ritual of filling, packing, lighting, etc. I'll go through several bowls in a day, just enjoying the time spent.
So I tried the McClelland single-origins first, blending the first but then deciding I needed to taste them straight so I could taste them in blends. So...let's see. Stoved Virginia. That was a lovely flavor bomb. Sweet but not overpowering, a touch smoky and oaky, a bit of taste (and more of aroma) of dried currants and fig. Very damned nice. I will find some others to blend with this, as long as the FDA allows us to at least recommend blends to each other.
Latakia. Don't know the place of origin, but nice and strong, earthy, peaty, a little mossy, very smoky with a flavor like applewood. (Really fine in equal amounts with the Virginia. Between the two of them, they remind me of coffee over a campfire in a woods near the lake.) The flavor is almost pristine, so without toppings or sweetness, but fresh and clear.
East Carolina Ribbon. So bright! From time to time, reminded me of citrus, autumn sweetness, but with summer brightness. This is going to be nice with some darker leafs.
Last, Blending Perique. I hate to say it, but about halfway through this smoke, my tongue was getting burnt. I think it was because of the habit of swirling the smoke around in my mouth and allowing it to go through my nose so I could get the full sensual effect of it. I was burning it too fast and too hot to boot. So my perique report is not much. What I could tell was wonderful: a light, sweet loaminess with a touch of molasses, underscored by a strain of many dried fruit--fig, plums, grapes, cranberries, even a little unadulterated dried mango--and a bit of Maduro. This and the Latakia, from the beginning, are going to be the most fun to blend with.
I need a notebook, as someone said. There is so much to learn, so much in the pipe tobacco world to pick up on and compare. I've only touched the skin of it. With any luck, we'll all make a journey of it.
My basket is still full of OTC pouches bought in my first rush of pipe enthusiasm. PA, 3 BRs, 2 or 3 CBs, something called Virginia Gold (regular and cherry!), Amphora, Half & Half, SWR, a couple others. Plus, I have my tubs of Granger and SWR (the latter still nearly full). But I recently got some, well, more complex blends. Starting out with Dunhill Standard--I'd have to smoke it again to get a good flavor profile, but as my first non-OTC blend--was a tobacco bomb. What a fantastic flavor! So I ordered some of the EGR that I've read so much about, along with 4 single-origin leafs from McClelland. They all arrived in a state of dryness, no PG on them.
The EGR I wasn't much impressed with. It was better than OTCs, but not by a lot. It had some subtle nuances that I would have to clear out my tongue with over a few days and many bottles of club soda, but I don't know if I'll be better able to pick them out with a few days' rest. I also don't know if I could hold off smoking that long. I'm not that nic-addicted yet, but I really enjoy the ritual of filling, packing, lighting, etc. I'll go through several bowls in a day, just enjoying the time spent.
So I tried the McClelland single-origins first, blending the first but then deciding I needed to taste them straight so I could taste them in blends. So...let's see. Stoved Virginia. That was a lovely flavor bomb. Sweet but not overpowering, a touch smoky and oaky, a bit of taste (and more of aroma) of dried currants and fig. Very damned nice. I will find some others to blend with this, as long as the FDA allows us to at least recommend blends to each other.
Latakia. Don't know the place of origin, but nice and strong, earthy, peaty, a little mossy, very smoky with a flavor like applewood. (Really fine in equal amounts with the Virginia. Between the two of them, they remind me of coffee over a campfire in a woods near the lake.) The flavor is almost pristine, so without toppings or sweetness, but fresh and clear.
East Carolina Ribbon. So bright! From time to time, reminded me of citrus, autumn sweetness, but with summer brightness. This is going to be nice with some darker leafs.
Last, Blending Perique. I hate to say it, but about halfway through this smoke, my tongue was getting burnt. I think it was because of the habit of swirling the smoke around in my mouth and allowing it to go through my nose so I could get the full sensual effect of it. I was burning it too fast and too hot to boot. So my perique report is not much. What I could tell was wonderful: a light, sweet loaminess with a touch of molasses, underscored by a strain of many dried fruit--fig, plums, grapes, cranberries, even a little unadulterated dried mango--and a bit of Maduro. This and the Latakia, from the beginning, are going to be the most fun to blend with.
I need a notebook, as someone said. There is so much to learn, so much in the pipe tobacco world to pick up on and compare. I've only touched the skin of it. With any luck, we'll all make a journey of it.
