Dishonorable Mentions

[yanoJL]

...
Sillem’s Black is the other one that I won’t be going back to. All I could taste was cough syrup.

Same.
So many favorable reviews. So many mentions in "what blend should I try next" threads. Such high hopes.
I opened the tin about 2 months ago. I've smoked 2 bowls.
The tin I received was almost 18 months old (tin date). Really cool tin, poorly packaged. It was, In the words of Pink Floyd, "Dry as a funeral drum". So that may have something to do with my experience. I tried rehydrating a few grams, packed a third bowl, didn't make it to the halfway mark.
It's still there, in a jar, chosen over every time.

 

[KaunThePiper]

Haddos Delight.

It tastes like a Hawaiian Tropic marinated hobo that had been roasted over a dumpster filled rotted cabbage and regret.

I have to say it didn't hit me as anything special really. I mean it was bleh. Weird taste. So it became a workbench blend, where I just puffed through the tin focused on something else entirely

 

[KaunThePiper]

I don't know...I had a Brazilian girlfriend who was both those words on steroids.

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[LeafErikson]

It's been awhile but as someone who was switching from cigarettes to the pipe I found Lane BCA/1Q to be terrible. I knew nothing about pipe tobacco and just bought a couple of the most popular blends to try out. I hadn't ever had flavored and topped tobacco like that. I've only tried a few other black cavendish-based aromatics since then and I just don't think they're for me.

 

[timelord]

I've a new one to add, and this is one that I'm pretty sure was mentioned in this thread by several others: Mixture No. 79.

Now, I should like this blend, at least as an occasional way to satisfy a sweet tooth. I'm one of those weirdos that love black licorice, and boy, is this stuff cased heavily. It's an old codger blend in a pouch, so I'm not expecting much. I just wanted a smooth and clean smoke with strong licorice flavor. But man, is this stuff vile. It tastes like black licorice, but in a way that tastes stale and oily. This would not stay lit, it left a rather nasty aftertaste, and ghosted my pipe something fierce. It took a good cleaning and roughly three bowls of Haunted Bookshop to exorcise that ghost!

I've had some good codger blends (SWR and PA) and bad ones (Borkum Riff Whiskey), and but this one is pretty nasty. I still have most of the pouch left, and I have a feeling I'm just going to eventually trash it.

Thanks for warning! I also love black licorice (and Scandinavian salt licorice) so have often thought hmm, might be interesting!

 

[sablebrush52]

Pics or it didn't happen

Sorry to disappoint you, but 40+ years ago, making personal sex tapes wasn’t a thing.
But rest assured, it happened…
a lot…

 

[seaweed]

Edward G. Robinson

I know the veritable Jim loves the stuff, as do many other members here, but it’s the only time I’ve not finished a tin. I smoked five or so bowls trying to figure out what I was missing, then chucked the rest.

In general, I’m fairly picky about what I like enough to reorder, but I can always finish a tin, with this one exception.

Haddos almost had me tap out, but there were times when I could almost see why people might like it, so I smoked through the tin.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Pics or it didn't happen

The incident was the inspiration for the song Lola by The Kinks.

 

[peejhunt]

Here’s a scientific depiction of an anatomical dummy that depicts where on the doll Haddos Delight hurt me.

View attachment 174161

How's the therapy going?

 

[Butter Side Down]

I've disliked about 90% of what I've tried over the years.

I'm sort of close to this but it's rare for my feelings to rise to active dislike. This could be a matter of semantics though. To me there's a difference between "didn't like" (which is passive, like... Meh, not for me) and "disliked" (which is active, like... Yuck! Ptooie! Pass me the mouthwash!!!).

But regardless, like Jesse I only like 10% of the things I try enough that I'd want to smoke them again. Maybe less actually.

But on the original topic, most of the things that I thought were gross beyond belief were the things that were recommended to me as a new pipe smoker. Usually house aromatics. Not that I have anything against aromatics per se, but as someone coming from 20+ years of unfiltered cigarettes at the time, aromatics were probably not the best choice for the transition because I puffed hard and fast just to get the level of flavor and nicotine I was used to. Which I know now is not the way to enjoy a well-blended aromatic. Live and learn.

My salvation was the lady who worked at the pipe shop who listened to me and said, "Hmm. For you... Maybe an English or a stoved Virginia... Here's a few for you to try."

 

[peejhunt]

I am fairly tolerant of tobaccos that don't do it for me. It's like my eating habits, I like a lot more than i hate.
There is one that has been mentioned above, that I can understand. Borkum Riff Bourbon Whisky.
I like other BR blends but that one hit me with a bad case of ick mouth. Food didn't taste right for a week.
...and we just can't have that.

So far, most tobaccos I've tried have some redeeming qualities, but that one? ...ew. (slight shiver)

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Sorry to disappoint you, but 40+ years ago, making personal sex tapes wasn’t a thing.
But rest assured, it happened…
a lot…

That's not what Roman Polanski said..

 

[sittingbear]

Edward G. Robinson

I know the veritable Jim loves the stuff, as do many other members here, but it’s the only time I’ve not finished a tin. I smoked five or so bowls trying to figure out what I was missing, then chucked the rest.

In general, I’m fairly picky about what I like enough to reorder, but I can always finish a tin, with this one exception.

Haddos almost had me tap out, but there were times when I could almost see why people might like it, so I smoked through the tin.

I like the flavor but it burns the hell out of my tongue when no other blend really does.

 

[sittingbear]

Newminster Virginia Flake #400. I just can't. It smells and tastes like Fruit Roll-ups, which was fine when I was six years old, but I don't want to stick that stuff in my pipe.

 

[litup]

What blends would you not recommend to anyone? For me its Macbaren HH Rustica. It made me gag and it was too strong. Only smoked half the tin before throwing it away.

If this thread is proof of anything, it's that people have vastly different tastes. Because of that, I might recommend something I hate that others like based on what the smoker tells me they like.
That said, there are plenty of blends I won't ever smoke again:
-1792 - made me puke (literally I puked in the sink. I'm not proud of that but it's true.)
-Autumn Evening - I think my TR.com review mentioned that it reminded me of smoking the ashtray from IHOP at 3:00 a.m.
-Royal Yacht. Didn't like the taste and for whatever reason the nicotine felt unpleasantly strong.
-Haunted Bookshop - weirdly bland and harsh at the same time.
-Folklore - although I didn't hate it, I didn't like it enough to justify having bought a full pound.

 

[Kobold]

If this thread is proof of anything, it's that people have vastly different tastes. Because of that, I might recommend something I hate that others like based on what the smoker tells me they like.
That said, there are plenty of blends I won't ever smoke again:
-1792 - made me puke (literally I puked in the sink. I'm not proud of that but it's true.)
-Autumn Evening - I think my TR.com review mentioned that it reminded me of smoking the ashtray from IHOP at 3:00 a.m.
-Royal Yacht. Didn't like the taste and for whatever reason the nicotine felt unpleasantly strong.
-Haunted Bookshop - weirdly bland and harsh at the same time.
-Folklore - although I didn't hate it, I didn't like it enough to justify having bought a full pound.

Now you got me nervous about cracking my tin of 1792!
I agree with you on Folklore. I want to like it but every time I smoke it I’m disappointed and wish I loaded my pipe with something else other that it.

 

[ashdigger]

How's the therapy going?

It’s not going well, I’m haunted by the Ghosts of Haddos Past.

 

[litup]

Now you got me nervous about cracking my tin of 1792!
I agree with you on Folklore. I want to like it but every time I smoke it I’m disappointed and wish I loaded my pipe with something else other that it.

You should try it. Just make sure you've had a full meal first. We've all got different chemistries but that one destroyed me.

 

[NC TX ID pipeman]

You should try it. Just make sure you've had a full meal first. We've all got different chemistries but that one destroyed me.

Actually I kinda liked 1792 ..only got it once before it disapeared...

 

[orvet]

I'm always trying new blends that look like they might be in my va/per wheelhouse. Recently I purchased a tin of Sutliffs red Virginia crumble cake. It wasn't the worst tobacco I've ever smoked, it really didn't have much flavor. Generally I like red Virginia's but this was very bland. Not horrible, just a snoozefest!