Another question I have for you pipe folk while sitting here enjoying some Bankside. I think this is the right spot for it, if not, mods, please forgive me.
I know this might go against my previous post about simplicity and burleys being part of that, but I don’t think this post really changes that either.
I’m wondering if I’m alone here or if there are others like me. My palate tends to enjoy a wide range of blends, but there have been a few that just don’t click for me. I’ll happily smoke most things though.
Because of that, building a cellar or rotation feels… tricky. Conventional advice is usually: buy deep on blends you love and get a few tins of something else to rotate in for trial. But for me, almost everything is enjoyable, so going “deep” feels harder to justify. I’ve also gotten rid of jars that bore me because they’re basically the same as something I already have or I just never reach for them, life’s too short to smoke a blend you’re not motivated about.
Even though I mostly sip on the burleys, my rotation is small but slightly heavy on Old Joe Krantz, Night Train, Bankside, Speakeasy, and Pegasus, with a few aromatics and medium-strength Englishes like Horizons and Kings Fool. I usually start with a aromatic, move into something like OJK, and end the day with an English. I’ve tried OJK and Night Train back to back and almost needed chest compressions so doing all day burleys with what I currently have is a test in survival not enjoyment
. Anyway…
I’m curious how others like me navigate this “anything goes” palate:
Do you build a deep cellar, or just keep a small, flexible lineup?
How do you decide when to buy more of something versus trying something new?
How do you avoid boredom without overbuying?
Would love to hear how other smokers handle this. I feel like I’m in a unique spot , most advice seems geared toward folks with more defined palates that favor a baccy family or certain components in a lead role, but I think there’s a crowd out there who genuinely enjoy most blends.
I know this might go against my previous post about simplicity and burleys being part of that, but I don’t think this post really changes that either.
I’m wondering if I’m alone here or if there are others like me. My palate tends to enjoy a wide range of blends, but there have been a few that just don’t click for me. I’ll happily smoke most things though.
Because of that, building a cellar or rotation feels… tricky. Conventional advice is usually: buy deep on blends you love and get a few tins of something else to rotate in for trial. But for me, almost everything is enjoyable, so going “deep” feels harder to justify. I’ve also gotten rid of jars that bore me because they’re basically the same as something I already have or I just never reach for them, life’s too short to smoke a blend you’re not motivated about.
Even though I mostly sip on the burleys, my rotation is small but slightly heavy on Old Joe Krantz, Night Train, Bankside, Speakeasy, and Pegasus, with a few aromatics and medium-strength Englishes like Horizons and Kings Fool. I usually start with a aromatic, move into something like OJK, and end the day with an English. I’ve tried OJK and Night Train back to back and almost needed chest compressions so doing all day burleys with what I currently have is a test in survival not enjoyment
. Anyway…I’m curious how others like me navigate this “anything goes” palate:
Do you build a deep cellar, or just keep a small, flexible lineup?
How do you decide when to buy more of something versus trying something new?
How do you avoid boredom without overbuying?
Would love to hear how other smokers handle this. I feel like I’m in a unique spot , most advice seems geared toward folks with more defined palates that favor a baccy family or certain components in a lead role, but I think there’s a crowd out there who genuinely enjoy most blends.
