Just cellar variety of different blends. I have a lot of "favorites", so I cellar bunch of different blends.
C&D Carolina Red Flake Question
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Several of my pipes are blend specific and I have many pounds of each of those.
I concur with a reasonable amount of variety being desirable. I've cellared deep and reasonably wide.
I did purchase 5 tins of the new batch of Carolina Red Flake today to go with the 36 I already have. I would get more but I see where the sugar content is a bit lower. I like my Red Va sweet. I don't smoke Red Va as a regular diet and also have several other Red Va blends. I should have plenty.
I guess I haven't found that one. Iwan Ries 3 star blue is really good. I really like it. I like vanilla and sweet tobaccos. I have the sweetest vanilla, according to the web, you can buy from Dan tobacco sweet vanilla honeydew. Its good as well. Only tobacco I have to dry before I smoke it.
Right now I guess I'm looking for what I like. But I get bored with the same food too. Go to certain restaurants and order the same thing, but sometimes I need to try something new. I think that's where I'm at. Been smoking mostly vanilla from different brands along with whatever tobacco the cigar shop has. They have like 10-20 tins of different tobacco. Then they have like 5 jars of tobacco that makes you wonder how many years its been there.
So I've been exploring the different shops in the area. Most all are cigar shops with a few pipe tobacco brands. I found one that has several types of tins and bulk.
The saddest thing is that most the shops I've been in, they can tell you about the cigars, but pipe tobacco, "I don't know". That's what I get. Or they quote the write up for it. One place advertises that they have several brands of pipes. So I go there, they had 8 pipes. 5 of them was over $250. 2 over $175. I wanted to spend $50-$60 they had a Wessex for $50. Turns out its one of my favorites. It was also the only bent one they had. Didn't give me the box or bag that it came in. Just stuck it in a baggie. Asked if I could order a Fe.Ro, no, need to talk to owner. You can't order it for me? No, owner will be here next Friday, in the morning. Can I call him and order it. No, well, you can call here and talk to him. That's ok, I'll go somewhere that has a better selection or can order it for me while I'm there.
Found a great place. Its a cigar shop but they have a large selection of pipe tobacco too. He was also knowledgeable. Said he didn't carry Fe.Ro but suggested some others and showed me what he had available. Told me he could order me a pipe, maybe, I might have to wait until he put an order through for multiples. I wanted to be around $75, wound up spending about $80. he only had about 20-30 tin brands and about 40 jars of bulk. They were store brand tobacco blends from Sutcliffe. It's a local tobacco co. so I guess that's why they chose them. Didn't need tobacco so I didn't get any. I did ask a couple questions about the pipe tobacco. That's how I found out it was their own blends from Sutliff.
I wish we had a better tobacconist here like they used to. They have them in New York, Chicago, and other big cities. But not Richmond. I mean we're the tobacco capital of America. Why don't we have a tobacconist? There used to be one in the mall but its gone. Closed. I bought my first pipe and pouch of tobacco from them. Couple months later, gone!!
I searched online and the phone book. No luck. Only places I found were cigarettes outlets, head shops, vape shops, and cigar shops. Used to have a hooka lounge. But I think it closed or became a vape shop. I guess its a sign of the times.
See y'all later
Right now I guess I'm looking for what I like. But I get bored with the same food too. Go to certain restaurants and order the same thing, but sometimes I need to try something new. I think that's where I'm at. Been smoking mostly vanilla from different brands along with whatever tobacco the cigar shop has. They have like 10-20 tins of different tobacco. Then they have like 5 jars of tobacco that makes you wonder how many years its been there.
So I've been exploring the different shops in the area. Most all are cigar shops with a few pipe tobacco brands. I found one that has several types of tins and bulk.
The saddest thing is that most the shops I've been in, they can tell you about the cigars, but pipe tobacco, "I don't know". That's what I get. Or they quote the write up for it. One place advertises that they have several brands of pipes. So I go there, they had 8 pipes. 5 of them was over $250. 2 over $175. I wanted to spend $50-$60 they had a Wessex for $50. Turns out its one of my favorites. It was also the only bent one they had. Didn't give me the box or bag that it came in. Just stuck it in a baggie. Asked if I could order a Fe.Ro, no, need to talk to owner. You can't order it for me? No, owner will be here next Friday, in the morning. Can I call him and order it. No, well, you can call here and talk to him. That's ok, I'll go somewhere that has a better selection or can order it for me while I'm there.
Found a great place. Its a cigar shop but they have a large selection of pipe tobacco too. He was also knowledgeable. Said he didn't carry Fe.Ro but suggested some others and showed me what he had available. Told me he could order me a pipe, maybe, I might have to wait until he put an order through for multiples. I wanted to be around $75, wound up spending about $80. he only had about 20-30 tin brands and about 40 jars of bulk. They were store brand tobacco blends from Sutcliffe. It's a local tobacco co. so I guess that's why they chose them. Didn't need tobacco so I didn't get any. I did ask a couple questions about the pipe tobacco. That's how I found out it was their own blends from Sutliff.
I wish we had a better tobacconist here like they used to. They have them in New York, Chicago, and other big cities. But not Richmond. I mean we're the tobacco capital of America. Why don't we have a tobacconist? There used to be one in the mall but its gone. Closed. I bought my first pipe and pouch of tobacco from them. Couple months later, gone!!
I searched online and the phone book. No luck. Only places I found were cigarettes outlets, head shops, vape shops, and cigar shops. Used to have a hooka lounge. But I think it closed or became a vape shop. I guess its a sign of the times.
See y'all later
Rigidman, I only mention as I just popped a tin of Dan SVH for the first time a couple weeks ago......but it's a pretty light vanilla compared to other full-blood aro's out there. It's somewhat unique as it's one of the few full VA's done up as an advertised aro......I dig it quite a bit so far. But if you wanted to try something dialed up on sweet/vanilla, may be worth checking out the Sutliff/MacBaren/PS lines (Vanilla Custard, Vanilla Cream, Sweet Vanilla, etc.). You may groove with SVH better in the end, but just a shout-out.
I finally got to try the CRF. I like it. Its very smooth. I also got some Mississippi River rum barrel aged. Very nice. The CRF sort of reminds me of McClelland black shag. Not exactly like it, but it took me back. Once I find those special tobacco, ill probably cellar some as well. Currently researching VA/per brands. Any advice?
Dude, that’s like 576,000 tins...
I'm going to give the speak easy another chance. There may have been factors I didn't know about then. Like moisture/dryness and how they affect flavor. Also I had smoked a different tobacco in those pipes. So I'm waiting on a new pipe for the speak easy. I'm learning. I'm also trying to grow my pipe collection. Currently looking to buy an estate Butz Choquin or 2.
Gave it a second chance and I love it. I think the pipes I tried it in changed the flavor. Didn't know they'd do that.
I like VA/per too. I'm looking for a favorite. Anyone have any advice? A place to start? Lost my favorite when McClelland closed
Thanks
Thanks
I was slow to learn this about pipes. It really is amazing how a blend can blossom or be blah depending on pipe it's in.
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I used to hate record collectors. People who bought rare albums not out of love but as investments. Until I found out that most of the obscure music I like wouldn't make any money if only people who wanted to listen to albums bought them. Then I realized they're part of the market eco system that allows me to enjoy the things I enjoy. I bet people with deep cellars that are never going to be smoked because no one is going to live for 300 years are a significant part of why we can afford to buy tins we're going to smoke. Kind of like how alcoholics help the alcohol industry stay profitable.Wow..... some of you guys are really into cellaring tobacco. Sometimes I smell uncontrolled shopping and hoarding going on with the amount of tins people buy but maybe it's because I'm not 20 years old anymore. I purchased 2 tins to smoke here and there. I'm sure that will last me well into my future considering how much tobacco I already have in the cellar. Plus I don't like to smoke the same thing too often. I get bored.
I was attracted by the description of CRF. Sounds exactly what I like in a good tobacco.
Here's the thing, tastes change.
What you like today you might not enjoy tomorrow and then down the line you'll find that you might like it again.
For a while I went entirely off aromatics but after a year or two I got a hankering for something sweeter.
Now aromatics are part of my rotation [Butternut Burley, Trout Stream and yes, the love it or hate it 1Q]
Tobacco is outrageously expensive here in Nanny State Australia [A 50g tin is now over $120] so nothing goes to waste.
I've yet to find a blend that I can't 'fix' with micro blending.
Aromatics, like Buttered Rum or Mark Twain for eg, that are too sweet for my tastes, I simply blend in Windsail Virginia until it's 'just right'.
PS Luxury Navy Flake was a real favourite but for whatever reason it became less enjoyable over time. That was fixed by blending it with AJs VaPer, some MB Virginia No.1 or a bit of both.
If I lived in the U.S. where tobacco is really cheap, I'd simply jar and cellar my least favourite blends with the expectation that I'd find it enjoyable at some point in the future.
You can't go wrong ordering small batch blends. Those you don't like could be easily traded.
$120!! So I'm guessing you can't get a package from a "friend" containing some inexpensive tobacco?
Makes you wonder, how'd things get so screwed up? What did some politicians dad blow pipe smoke in their face? Now he/she is punishing all those evil pipe smokers to get even. I'd have to give it up.
I hate to ask how much are cigars. A box of 20 you probably have to take out a second mortgage. JEEEZE!!!!
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