Do You Find Yourself Gravitating Toward 'Simpler' Tobaccos?

[futureman]

I've found myself adhering to the following routine:
1. Burley in the AM (Classic Burley Kake, Storm Front, various burleys from Uhles).

2. Virginia in the PM (McClelland 5100, HOTW).
I've put away (for now) the few challenging tobaccos I have. Heavy perique blends are out, as are spicy Kentucky blends (which taste like perique to me). Lats are out (could never do it!) as well, as are heavy aros. It's the simpler and straightforward smokes that interest me these days. Anyone else incline toward a simple, pure smoke? If so, what are you smoking?
Edit: Corrected capitalization in title per Rule #9, L.

Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine

 

[jfox520]

I actually find my self leaning more towards the Latakia and Balkan blends. I think that it depends where your taste lie.

 

[durham270]

I lean more towards Virginia's in the morning and English at night.
Lately my normal rotation include two blends with maybe an aro thrown in sometime in the afternoon.
Morning - McClelland Stave Aged Virginia, Fribourg & Treyer Blackjack
Mid-Day - Stokkebye Golden Dansk, Lane Hazelnut
Evening - FM Cellar, Solent Mixture, HH Vintage Syrian

 

[daytonsean]

This question is open to some different interpretations.
For me, English and Balkan blends are simple smokes. Or to rephrase that - they're easier for me to understand. VA's are a bit more in depth in the flavor department for me. I don't quite get them like others get them.
To answer the second question, I have a very regular rotation at this point. Lately I've been smoking HH Vintage Syrian or Black House in the morning, and Peterson Old Dublin in the evening. Some days I don't get to smoke at all. Other days I can throw in something else like some 1Q, Orlik Golden Sliced, or HH Old Dark Fired to break up the English monotony.

 

[neverknowsbest]

Simple in the sense that the blend is made consistently, dependable, available, and easy to smoke, yes. The Danish/German Golden Virginia blends like Golden Sliced, Escudo, Veermaster, Luxury Navy Flake, Special London, Reiner Gold, etc., have really won my favor. As you smoke these kinds of blends more, you become more sensitive to their flavor profiles as gently sweet, oaky, nutty, hay/grassy Virginia. Sometimes they have kind citrus or vanilla notes too, depending on the blend. When I first started smoking them, I thought they were kind of on the bland/airy side, but it takes a while to really get a sense of their delicate flavors.

 

[futureman]

Nicely put, coalsmoke. I just blew through a bag of McClelland red Virginia cake (#5100). After a year or so of serious pipe smoking, I finally caught on to what simple VAs like this had to offer. I didn't have to try too hard to discern flavors or get too cerebral about something that was meant to be enjoyed in a leisurely setting. I understand and respect that others look for something different in tobacco; and some like to mix it up with diverse rotations of blends. This just isn't were I'm at right now. If the smoke is one dimensional, so be it. So is a banana. And I love bananas.

 

[ssjones]

Like Sean, I consider an English lat-heavy blend to be a simple blend and that is my primary focus. Sometimes I feel that I'm "missing out" by not branching out, but most of those other blends just don't satisfy my current palette. (MM965, Nightcap, EMP, Sasinei my main blends)

 

[tjameson]

I tend to get a bit bored with certain smokes but mainly those are Aros. I don't like a single flavor to be present throughout the bowl. I like straight VA's but usually a good one will develop different flavors and textures as the bowl progresses. I enjoy smoking one blend for awhile but usually that lasts a week at most an then ill throw something completely different in the rotation for a bowl or two and then return to the same blend. This tends to work well for me. I do enjoy a simple burley or straight VA but I could never smoke the same thing day in and day out.

 

[whitebriar]

Burley based all day long..B&B and Morley's Best provide what I need..