Best Blend of 2024: The Epilogue Part

[Brendan]

Fair point there. I've been smoking 1792 with no dry time whatsoever, but this time of the year in my part of the country means constant high 30's Celsius and RH around 30% or below.

I don't suppose you'd have any SG stuff lying around you no longer need @VDL_Piper

 

[Skippy Piper]

Being part of the Commonwealth means we have heavy exposure to all things British, this includes tobacco. I have lost count of how many pounds of Gawith offerings I have smoked over nearly 50 years but it’s plenty and so I feel I can genuinely report that Sam Gawith really does go over the top with moisture. The other Gawiths are far more manageable but Sam’s stuff is wet and when you live in a part of the world where it rains 300 days a year you start to see the why I prefer others. I can smoke it and I like it but I only have 60 minutes in a hour and 24 hours in a day and I’d much prefer to be smoking than mincing around waiting for a flake or two to dry out.

That I can definitely understand! I was mostly just razzing ya anyway. I smoke a lot of fairly wet aromatics, but Samuel Gawith's flakes are a whole new level of wet that refuses to take to the flame and stay lit unless fully rubbed out and thoroughly dried to the point of being almost crispy first.

Where I live in Minnesota the indoor humidity in the wintertime hovers around 20-30%, so a rubbed out Samuel Gawith flake will completely dry and be ready to smoke in about 10 minutes, but in the summertime the indoor humidity is often around 80-90% and at that point it doesn't matter how long you leave the tobacco out; it just isn't going to dry and trying to keep it lit can be an exercise in futility. For me Sam's blends are definitely best enjoyed during the colder months of the year when the humidity is low.

 

[Tbaggins]

I downvoted Escudo so much I got a cease and desist. Rip OP keep feeding that dog the good shit while you can. I appreciate your hard work no matter what anyone says.

 

[jbfrady]

I downvoted Escudo so much I got a cease and desist. Rip OP keep feeding that dog the good shit while you can. I appreciate your hard work no matter what anyone says.

RIP OP? Never realized I was dead

 

[Servant King]

RIP OP? Never realized I was dead

Dead people seldom do.

 

[jbfrady]

Dead people seldom do.

I guess somewhere along the line I got Bruce Willis’d

 

[Servant King]

I guess somewhere along the line I got Bruce Willis’d

Speaking of which, on the bright side, Haley Joel Osment sees dead people, so you wouldn't be going entirely unrecognized...

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Speaking of which, on the bright side, Haley Joel Osment sees dead people, so you wouldn't be going entirely unrecognized...

View attachment 366918

I was going to post something akin to this, but checking my folder, I never saved @jbfrady ’s original avatar pic (or some portrait photo that was on here somewhere early on in his first days on the forum).

 

[FLDRD]

This was the first time I had ever wished someone would have gotten banned, at least for a while...

 

[jbfrady]

This was the first time I had ever wished someone would have gotten banned, at least for a while...

It put me in quite a quandary. I hate that I messed up the vote. I really do. It would’ve prevented all this, so if I run the game next year I’ll put directly in the rules that if you see a mistake, message me.

I’m a writer, not a mathematician. This game gives me the excuse to just throw together some bullshit that people might like. It’s good practice to keep my skills sharp, but arithmetic, even if straightforward, is not a decided skill of mine.

Much like 1792 Flake, I’m far from perfect.

 

[Val]

I’m curious if you’re at all familiar with last year’s version of this “game.” Much of its entertainment value was the “story time” that you’ve maligned—it seems you’ve taken things, perhaps, much too seriously, much more than anyone else participating and missed the spirit, playfulness, and silliness of the “game.”

I’m sorry that you felt angered that you wasted time, but you could have just stopped participating and let others enjoy the nonsense instead of derailing the thread and getting it closed. Just my two cents.

Was it listed as a game or story time? Which was it? If it’s just a game why on the 3 updates I checked did he feel the need to put extra negatives on one specific blend and positives on a couple specific blends each time consistently? If it was human error why were other blends correct but the blends in question had a consistent pattern? Regarding the game, I wasn’t the one that closed it. The op had a little pity party when I called him out on what he was doing and likely didn’t want anymore attention drawn to the fact the he was cheating at the “friendly” game he created. I didnt close the thread, he did, so put blame where it belongs. I wouldn’t speak for others when you state your preference. I think if others knew what was going on they wouldn’t have played in the first place. I know I wouldn’t have. I called it out as I felt after weeks of playing a game, I was at least playing something that is based on the rules provided and the winner from the game would be determined fairly according to said rules. Now, If you’re the kind of guy that wants everyone to get ribbons at sporting events so no one feels bad, that’s your prerogative, but dont speak for everyone on here. I truly enjoy your posts on tobacco and pipes on here and look forward to future ones and I hope me stating my part helps you to understand.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Was it listed as a game or story time? Which was it? If it’s just a game why on the 3 updates I checked did he feel the need to put extra negatives on one specific blend and positives on a couple specific blends each time consistently? If it was human error why were other blends correct but the blends in question had a consistent pattern? Regarding the game, I wasn’t the one that closed it. The op had a little pity party when I called him out on what he was doing and likely didn’t want anymore attention drawn to the fact the he was cheating at the “friendly” game he created. I didnt close the thread, he did, so put blame where it belongs. I wouldn’t speak for others when you state your preference. I think if others knew what was going on they wouldn’t have played in the first place. I know I wouldn’t have. I called it out as I felt after weeks of playing a game, I was at least playing something that is based on the rules provided and the winner from the game would be determined fairly according to said rules. Now, If you’re the kind of guy that wants everyone to get ribbons at sporting events so no one feels bad, that’s your prerogative, but dont speak for everyone on here. I truly enjoy your posts on tobacco and pipes on here and look forward to future ones and I hope me stating my part helps you to understand.

Time for a BEX mate!

 

[Servant King]

Much like 1792 Flake, I’m far from perfect.

And much like OGS (or PSLNF for that matter), I am perfect (just stating a fact, I simply can't help it), and the best I can do for the lowly masses around me is to lead by example by flaunting said perfection whenever possible.

 

[sardonicus87]

The Internet is Serious Business | Know Your Meme

"The Internet is Serious Business" is a popular catchphrase generally employed to dryly mock another person’s overly-serious tone of language.

knowyourmeme.com

 

[Val]

@Val Whats your take on 1792 flake?

Haven’t had it yet, I’m hesitant to because of the topping. I love fvf and st James and gawith tobacco in general so who knows, maybe I’d love it.

 

[jbfrady]

Was it listed as a game or story time? Which was it? If it’s just a game why on the 3 updates I checked did he feel the need to put extra negatives on one specific blend and positives on a couple specific blends each time consistently? If it was human error why were other blends correct but the blends in question had a consistent pattern? Regarding the game, I wasn’t the one that closed it. The op had a little pity party when I called him out on what he was doing and likely didn’t want anymore attention drawn to the fact the he was cheating at the “friendly” game he created. I didnt close the thread, he did, so put blame where it belongs. I wouldn’t speak for others when you state your preference. I think if others knew what was going on they wouldn’t have played in the first place. I know I wouldn’t have. I called it out as I felt after weeks of playing a game, I was at least playing something that is based on the rules provided and the winner from the game would be determined fairly according to said rules. Now, If you’re the kind of guy that wants everyone to get ribbons at sporting events so no one feels bad, that’s your prerogative, but dont speak for everyone on here. I truly enjoy your posts on tobacco and pipes on here and look forward to future ones and I hope me stating my part helps you to understand.

I appreciate that you’re being explanatory here, so I’ll respond in kind.

Anybody who played last year gets it; last year I even asked if anybody else would like to periodically update the count just in case I fucked it up and the answer was a resounding no. People were having more fun bantering than keeping score and I was too.

While I’m rather competitive in most ways, this game isn’t one of them. The pipe community can be crotchety and tends to roll in a gutter full of griping over what isn’t made like it used to be and this provides a relief from that.

Taking it a step further, I only nominate blends that won’t win. Last year I nominated Sutliff’s Anomalous and it was handily trounced. The same was bound to happen this year to Aus dem Krater.

I regularly up-voted Escudo, but that was only for the sake of the game. To be honest, I don’t own a single tin of it right now. It’s not about that, it’s just about keeping it going. Talking shit about people targeting classic blends.

The fact is, I just like the group of people that tend to gravitate towards this game. It’s why I made this topic as well. I had half a dozen people messaging me about how upset they were that the thread was locked. I like that I’ve created something people enjoy.

But here’s where the conspiracy theory really falls apart… of all the blends in the game, can you guess which I own the most of?

 

[sablebrush52]

I appreciate that you’re being explanatory here, so I’ll respond in kind.

Anybody who played last year gets it; last year I even asked if anybody else would like to periodically update the count just in case I fucked it up and the answer was a resounding no. People were having more fun bantering than keeping score and I was too.

While I’m rather competitive in most ways, this game isn’t one of them. The pipe community can be crotchety and tends to roll in a gutter full of griping over what isn’t made like it used to be and this provides a relief from that.

Taking it a step further, I only nominate blends that won’t win. Last year I nominated Sutliff’s Anomalous and it was handily trounced. The same was bound to happen this year to Aus dem Krater.

I regularly up-voted Escudo, but that was only for the sake of the game. To be honest, I don’t own a single tin of it right now. It’s not about that, it’s just about keeping it going. Talking shit about people targeting classic blends.

The fact is, I just like the group of people that tend to gravitate towards this game. It’s why I made this topic as well. I had half a dozen people messaging me about how upset they were that the thread was locked. I like that I’ve created something people enjoy.

But here’s where the conspiracy theory really falls apart… of all the blends in the game, can you guess which I own the most of?
View attachment 367054

But wouldn’t that complicate your objectivity? Wouldn’t you feel that you had to lean over backwards not to support your favorite blend, kind of like if you were a little league umpire and your son slides into home to make the winning score and you call him out so nobody could think you’re biased?
This really complicates matters. Maybe we should have someone who loves Holly’s Non Plus Ultra handle the count next time.

 

[spearheadbill]

I appreciate that you’re being explanatory here, so I’ll respond in kind.

Anybody who played last year gets it; last year I even asked if anybody else would like to periodically update the count just in case I fucked it up and the answer was a resounding no. People were having more fun bantering than keeping score and I was too.

While I’m rather competitive in most ways, this game isn’t one of them. The pipe community can be crotchety and tends to roll in a gutter full of griping over what isn’t made like it used to be and this provides a relief from that.

Taking it a step further, I only nominate blends that won’t win. Last year I nominated Sutliff’s Anomalous and it was handily trounced. The same was bound to happen this year to Aus dem Krater.

I regularly up-voted Escudo, but that was only for the sake of the game. To be honest, I don’t own a single tin of it right now. It’s not about that, it’s just about keeping it going. Talking shit about people targeting classic blends.

The fact is, I just like the group of people that tend to gravitate towards this game. It’s why I made this topic as well. I had half a dozen people messaging me about how upset they were that the thread was locked. I like that I’ve created something people enjoy.

But here’s where the conspiracy theory really falls apart… of all the blends in the game, can you guess which I own the most of?
View attachment 367054

I would have gone down swinging for aus dem krater plug!!! So good

 

[jbfrady]

But wouldn’t that complicate your objectivity? Wouldn’t you feel that you had to lean over backwards not to support your favorite blend, kind of like if you were a little league umpire and your son slides into home to make the winning score and you call him out so nobody could think you’re biased?
This really complicates matters. Maybe we should have someone who loves Holly’s Non Plus Ultra handle the count next time.

I feel obligated to try that one one day since Holly is my wife’s name… but that day has not yet come

 

[Val]

In the event that my sleuthing was all mere and complete coincidence, repeated over and over by a sheer stroke of lightning striking in the same spot thrice, then I rescind my former arguments and resign to the fact that I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.