Changing taste

[ryeguy]

At least half of the new blends I buy just don't do anything for me. I always seal them up and plan to come back to them periodically in case my tastes change.
After many months I just revisited McClelland 5100, Red Cake. It had previously never done much for me; for some reason it always reminded me of a wet and greasy dog. But boy, now it hits the nail on the head. I rather suddenly and unexpectedly get why people like it so much, and I'm very glad I held on to it.
So my question:
What blends have taken time to grow on you? What is the most remarkable change in opinion you have had about a blend? Conversely, have you cellared pounds of some blend only to learn a few years later you can't stand the stuff? Can you identify something that caused your change in taste (like a "gateway" blend that opened you up to a new set of flavors that had previously been off-putting)?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

How many times did you smoke it before you realized that you did or did not like it? I like to give a blend at least two ozs or one whole tin before I decide. Bit, yeh, lots of stuff that gew on me with age. And I have been guilty of buying a pound and then realize, “uh oh.” But, a pound at $50 is no different than buying a meal at a nice restaurant and finding out they cook their steaks too long or it just didn’t meet my expectation. Ive walked away from a few meals like this, only to do a drive thru on my way home. So, a pound... no biggie.

GLPs Virginia Cream took me three tins before I realized it was a breakfast smoke for me. I was afraid that buying ten tins was a mistake in the beginning. And, now I just wait till winter before even trying a latakia of any sort. Summers here in Alabama just aren’t conducive for latakia, for me. But, it’s all a out expectations, subjectivity, and personal preference.

 

[ryeguy]

How many times did you smoke it before you realized that you did or did not like it?

I'd estimate I initially smoked an ounce over 2 or 3 months before moving on to other things that were either newer or that I enjoyed much more. However, I like small bowls so it takes me a lot more than 10 bowls to finish a 50 gram tin (I seem to remember your saying not long ago that you smoke the equivalent of a tin a day).
If I had to guess I'd say it was the combination of Old Gowrie and McClelland 2010 that primed me to enjoy it on this most recent test.
I'm excited by this development because this is the first time I've gone from being decidedly unenthusiastic about a tobacco to really liking it. It give me reason to think that I have new experiences to look forward to, and also reason to think that those tins I've only had a couple bowls from will end up being good investments if I give it a little more time.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I still have a tin of GLps Robusto open, and has been for a couple of years. I just can’t... The funny thing is that I’ve smoked several rins of Key Largo, since openning the Robusto, and the ingredients are exactly the same. Except Robusto gives me a headache, and Key Largo is a flake. Go figure.