A One Blend Man

[unkleyoda]

Maybe years ago, when pipe tobacco seemed to be more regional. But today with 'exotic' tobaccos easy to get ahold of, I don't think so. I am far from a 'seasoned' pipe smoker, but I have my staple tobacco, MM965, and I have others in my rotation. To me one tobacco all the time would get boring.

 

[redpanda]

" OP: Supposed to? NO. Okay to do so: YES! "
Alright, now I see how it could sound a bit wrong. I did not mean it that way. For a lack of a better word, perhaps I should have said " don't seasoned pipe smokers typically...? " .
btw guys, it is a bit off- topic but I have just discovered SG Commonwealth, and......well I think it is the nicest thing I have smoked, ever !

 

[mso489]

A lot of the pleasure, for me, comes from the variety and the possibility of continually trying new blends or single tobaccos, mixing, and generally trying many blends. However, my dad smoked Granger for decades, and only had one functional pipe at a time, with maybe a nearly burnt-out pipe as a back-up until he could get to a newsstand to buy a new pipe. So I respect both approaches. I'd probably want two or three blends in a limited market, if that was all I could get, but I find variety most enjoyable. It's like variety in food, not essential to survival beyond a certain point, but certainly more appealing. In my dad's case, simplicity and thrift were part of his joy in life, and in some some areas, I follow his example.

 

[josephcross]

Things would be so simple if I was satisfied with just one tobacco. I think the biggest allure of pipe smoking for me, is the variety.

 

[jpmcwjr]

" OP: Supposed to? NO. Okay to do so: YES! "
Alright, now I see how it could sound a bit wrong. I did not mean it that way. For a lack of a better word, perhaps I should have said " don't seasoned pipe smokers typically...? " .

Understood, but based on replies, other readings, and my own pipe friends, I think it's still 'no', as most smoke several blends to dozens. -Tho, if 90% + smoke aros, perhaps the majority of them are one blend guys.

 

[deathmetal]

I'd probably want two or three blends in a limited market, if that was all I could get, but I find variety most enjoyable. It's like variety in food, not essential to survival beyond a certain point, but certainly more appealing. In my dad's case, simplicity and thrift were part of his joy in life, and in some some areas, I follow his example.

In counterpoint, one of the traps of human cognition is in perceiving variety that is not there. There are probably a dozen or so known combinations of leaf-types that make blends, and within each of those many options, most of which are just bad and a few of which are clear winners. When viewed this way, the amount of variety is much less. And this leads me to wonder what exactly we are pursuing when we chase after variety. Nonetheless, I fall prey to it myself; any new blend immediately perks up the eyebrows.

 

[skraps]

Uni Flake, Royal Yacht and my own blend are my 3 primaries. I would be fine if that's all I had.

 

[toobfreak]

A 'one-blend' smoker makes about as much sense as a 'one-woman' man; it just ain't natural in neither case.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I smoke straight Virginia's somewhere around 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time gets broken down to Virginia/Perique 12%, Burley 8%, and English 5%. The 75% of the time I'm smoking Virginia's is split between 4 primary blends with the rest being secondary blends. The other 25% is comprised of 5 blends, give or take a few. I've tried a lot of tobacco, and have spent way too much money, but feel like I've figured out what I like after 5 years of pipe smoking. This is what I think being a seasoned pipe smoker is; finding out what you like. It can be a short process for some and a long process for others; it's all relative. I still like to try new things, but have made it a point to only do so on occasion at my local B&M.

 

[redpanda]

" This is what I think being a seasoned pipe smoker is; finding out what you like."
There is the truth of it . Very well said indeed.

 

[weezell]

I could do one blend only, but it would be a rope or plug for the variety of preparation. You can get different tastes from the same depending on how prepared....