This is a good question, and I had to think about it for a bit ... I gave up all smoking for about 10 years, then picked the pipe up again about 6 years ago. The last year or so I've been exploring aromatics and codger blends, which I've enjoyed a lot, but my standard smokes for a long time were va-pers and Balkan blends that lean to the tart side.
I regularly rotate blends, but I think I really started noticing dissatisfaction a while ago. My mother died in July, and while caring for her in hospice I contracted COVID and was sick as a dog for several weeks. It was some time after that when I began to notice less satisfaction with pipe smoking towards the end (though I still very much enjoy the earlier acts).
So maybe this is some lingering COVID thing, or maybe this is part of my grieving process. I dunno. I guess I'll take a break from pipes and maybe have a cigar tonight instead.
