So I was out fishing on Lake Redman this weekend and decided to take my pipes with me. I had picked up some Carter Hall and some Lane 1Q to try since I had heard decent things about both. The Lane was very good I thought and the Carter Hall I didn't like at first but it definitely grew on me....especially for what it was. My old favorite used to be Nightcap and I decided to crack open a tin I had bought a few months ago. I hadn't smoked any since before I quit smoking cigarettes for the last 12 years with a pack a day habit. At first it tasted very good but the more I smoked the worse it got. When I finally stood up I had a huge headache and broke out in a sweat. I'm thinking maybe too much of a nicotine overload? Maybe I should stick to the not so full bodied tobaccos from now on. Once the headache went away and I ate lunch I was fine and went back to smoking some Carter Hall in a Cob on a perfect day for fishing.....just too bad that the fish weren't biting.
An Old Favorite Not a Favorite Anymore?
- Thread starter navypipe23
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Happens to me all the time. Some blends seem perfect to me and then something changes and meh! It's one of the biggest mysteries of pipes to me, how something that seems so great, fades into bland, middle of the road experience as time passes. The one thing I've learned is to just put the offending blend in a mason jar and revisit it in a few months time. Frequently the magic returns after we've had a few months apart.
The only blend I can think of that never returned to favored status is a house blend from one of my local pipe shops. I'd describe it as a captain black in bulk, it was probably a renamed bulk blend but I loved it when I first picked up the pipe. It was dark, rich and full of vanilla topping. It was a bit bitey but I really enjoyed smoking it. Then I tried some English blends and some Va's and VaPer's and now I can't stand the stuff. I've tried a couple ounces here and there over the years and I can't even make it through a whole bowl.
Luckily, I've got plenty of blends I do love so nothing to complain about. I'm just left puzzling why my tastes changed so much??
The only blend I can think of that never returned to favored status is a house blend from one of my local pipe shops. I'd describe it as a captain black in bulk, it was probably a renamed bulk blend but I loved it when I first picked up the pipe. It was dark, rich and full of vanilla topping. It was a bit bitey but I really enjoyed smoking it. Then I tried some English blends and some Va's and VaPer's and now I can't stand the stuff. I've tried a couple ounces here and there over the years and I can't even make it through a whole bowl.
Luckily, I've got plenty of blends I do love so nothing to complain about. I'm just left puzzling why my tastes changed so much??
I also go back & forth between blends. If one doesn't "do it for me" one time, a month later I'll probably enjoy it.
An exception is C&D's Mississippi Mud. Years ago it was a regular in my rotation that I enjoyed smoking at least 1-2 times a week. At some point I got distracted from it with so many other blends for a few years until a little more than a year ago when I opened a tin and struggled to finish the bowl. It wasn't horrible, just a lot of nothing. I've tried several times since, but it just doesn't click for me any more and I still have about 1/4 of that same tin left taking up jar space. A little sad for me, I used to love it.
An exception is C&D's Mississippi Mud. Years ago it was a regular in my rotation that I enjoyed smoking at least 1-2 times a week. At some point I got distracted from it with so many other blends for a few years until a little more than a year ago when I opened a tin and struggled to finish the bowl. It wasn't horrible, just a lot of nothing. I've tried several times since, but it just doesn't click for me any more and I still have about 1/4 of that same tin left taking up jar space. A little sad for me, I used to love it.
It happens sometimes. I had Best Brown Flake as one of my favorites, but now it became too sweet for my taste.
Also there was a time when I smoked 2-3 days per week latakia blends and now it once per month.
Also there was a time when I smoked 2-3 days per week latakia blends and now it once per month.
Early on, I was all about the "lat-bombs", but now I like Latakia when it's in the background and only used as a spice. Been smoking Black Frigate for nearly two decades, and still haven't tired of that one!
It used to be Latakia bomb Balkans or nothing for me, now if it has more than a whisper (think Presbyterian or McConnell Oriental) I'm not interested. For that matter, this summer I have been off pipes and smoking cigars exclusively. The last time I was a 100% cigar man was when was 17, and Ive gone the last 5 years without even smoking one. Moods and tastes can come and go.
Definitely happens with some blends. Royal Yacht it is with me. I'll smoke it for a while and all of a sudden detest it. After a long break I seem to get a renewed appreciation for it.
I probably have 25 jars of various blends that I keep handy for daily consumption. a few of them I open more than others; a few that I barely open at all. Re the tobaccos I smoke more often, I will hit the pause button on them...not because I get tired of them but because I want to savor them.
I probably have some 50 blends active and in the cellar. I don't think I have a favorite blend. I do have preferred types of tobaccos, but I don't think my pallet is sophisticated enough to discern one VaPer from another.
Once I had a bowl of Dunhill Durbar that was truly delightful, but I've never been able to replicate that experience. I think it's just luck that a particular bowl is way better than others. Most times I just enjoy a good bowl (the fat part of the distribution curve) but occasionally my smoking sessions are in the tails.
I probably have some 50 blends active and in the cellar. I don't think I have a favorite blend. I do have preferred types of tobaccos, but I don't think my pallet is sophisticated enough to discern one VaPer from another.
Once I had a bowl of Dunhill Durbar that was truly delightful, but I've never been able to replicate that experience. I think it's just luck that a particular bowl is way better than others. Most times I just enjoy a good bowl (the fat part of the distribution curve) but occasionally my smoking sessions are in the tails.
Even blends I enjoy very much I don't always keep on hand. I smoke moderately, a bowl or two a day, and sometimes none, so in order to sample from the vast buffet of what's available, I have to keep moving. With the new regulations, I may find myself circling back more, to enjoy fewer blends, but more often. I've always assumed if I smoked only one blend steadily, I'll get tired of it. At any one time, I have ten blends in rotation, and some other blends available. I say blends, but also some single-leaf tobacco like Semois.
Interesting thread this and I agree that this is one of the most curious things about pipe smoking. I have had a few go nasty on me over the years. Some I fall in love with again and some never come back to me. Marlin Flake is an example of one I loved for a long time before going nasty on me for the best part of a year. I love it again now, though. A blend that became foul to me and never came back was Dunhill My Mixture 965.
Then there are the ones which I didn't like much to start and then click into place as quite delicious. DeLuxe Navy Rolls comes to mind.
And then there is Full Virginia Flake. This stuff is and enigma to me and I just can't work it out. The first 6 or so smokes with this stuff I confess were unpleasant and one day it gave me the sweetest most wonderful smoking experience I have ever had and I have been a smoker of all kinds for 20 years. The thing with this stuff is that happens only about 1 in 5 smokes and it has never been as good as that first good one. It constantly sways between superb and unpleasant. I have just never got it to smoke consistently and I have tried everything.
Then there are the ones which I didn't like much to start and then click into place as quite delicious. DeLuxe Navy Rolls comes to mind.
And then there is Full Virginia Flake. This stuff is and enigma to me and I just can't work it out. The first 6 or so smokes with this stuff I confess were unpleasant and one day it gave me the sweetest most wonderful smoking experience I have ever had and I have been a smoker of all kinds for 20 years. The thing with this stuff is that happens only about 1 in 5 smokes and it has never been as good as that first good one. It constantly sways between superb and unpleasant. I have just never got it to smoke consistently and I have tried everything.
I've been battling with flakes for a while, that's why I haven't tried FVF yet. But just 2 days ago, I followed the consensus on cube cutting and am about to try it. I am very interested to see what surprises await me. Thanks for sharing about this :wink:
I feel like I am in the same position as jazz with Full Virginia Flake (or any predominantly Virginia blend). I love the taste, but I feel like it needs to be planned. I am still experimenting with drying out the flake. But even then, there is always either a challenge of dealing with tongue bite or it falling flat in some way. The same thing goes with a lot of VaPers that I smoke. I love them but struggle with them at the same time. VaPers usually have a bit of a nicotine kick. I am a bit of lightweight though.
But ... that's the joy of pipe smoking.
However, there are some aromatics I start liking and then decide I have to cellar it for some time, hoping I'll be good with it again.
My preference now is Frog Morton cellar. It just does not fight me like some other blends it seems.
But ... that's the joy of pipe smoking.
However, there are some aromatics I start liking and then decide I have to cellar it for some time, hoping I'll be good with it again. My preference now is Frog Morton cellar. It just does not fight me like some other blends it seems.
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