Do You Smoke English Blends All Year?
- Thread starter aquadoc
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
When the real hot weather rolls around, about 105 or higher, I usually don't smoke a full-on English. I used to prefer Middleton's Walnut, but since it is no longer available, I make my own American-English with Carter Hall as a base and a lat bomb like Nightcap or Ten to Midnight as the spice.
I tried that one, and I didn't find it a great match. It may be because I've gotten used to my "home-brew" version, and my memory of the original is distorted because of it. Although, I didn't find Sweet Cask to be a good match to Sugar Barrel, either. They did a great job with Chatham Manor and Prince Andrew, though.
Pretty much all I smoke are English blends though I keep trying to find something I like without Latakia for the hot, humid Iowa summers. As much as I love Yenidje Highlander I've been trying to power thru an old tin of Yenidje Surpreme and while I do appreciate the lack of Latakia I don't enjoy the blend much. An occasional bowl of 5100 is nice and some of the Frog Morton's, Across The Pond & On the Bayou specifically, work well for me in the summer even though they have Latakia...I think it's the added sweetness.
I also like American/English blends more in the summer. A lot of the strong C&D Burley blends beat me up and take my lunch money but I enjoy Junkyard Dawg and Morley's Best on occasion. Jon's Pipe Shop in Champaign, IL has an unusual blend called Garvey's Balkan and it is a Burley based American/English blend with the smoothest Burley I've ever smoked. I don't know if it's cased or it's just the type of Burley they use but it smells sweet, maybe chocolate or vanilla.....it's probably something obvious but I've never smoked any Burley blend quite like it. It's especially great the summer and can smoke it bowl after bowl in a cob or a briar all day when working outside. Keep trying to create something like it with Carter Hall and a heavy Lat blend like aldecaker mentioned doing but so far no luck. Need to just order more.
I also like American/English blends more in the summer. A lot of the strong C&D Burley blends beat me up and take my lunch money but I enjoy Junkyard Dawg and Morley's Best on occasion. Jon's Pipe Shop in Champaign, IL has an unusual blend called Garvey's Balkan and it is a Burley based American/English blend with the smoothest Burley I've ever smoked. I don't know if it's cased or it's just the type of Burley they use but it smells sweet, maybe chocolate or vanilla.....it's probably something obvious but I've never smoked any Burley blend quite like it. It's especially great the summer and can smoke it bowl after bowl in a cob or a briar all day when working outside. Keep trying to create something like it with Carter Hall and a heavy Lat blend like aldecaker mentioned doing but so far no luck. Need to just order more.
I smoke English blends in the warm months. Pairs well with lemonade. I do more Virginias and aromatics during the colder months.
Be gentle with the Highlander as it's no longer in production. []
Yes I know, very, very unfortunate and I think I only a have 2 or 3 2007 tins put away. Not sure why I don't care for the Yenidje Surpreme but I've had this tin in a Ball jar for a long time and keep nipping at it. Lately I've been trying to finish it off so I can justify opening a tin of something else...maybe I should add a little blending Latakia.
I did pick up a few of the other McClelland Syrian blends last summer but haven't tried them. I have a 2004 tin of FM Across the Pond that been calling my name every time I've looked for a summer evening smoke. On the topic of our of production Syrian blends a good friend just sent me an ounce of GL Pease Bohemian Scandal from a old tin he just opened. I could smell it when I opened my mailbox...the aroma is amazing! Almost tried it this evening but thought I'd wait and smoke it on a fresh palate with my morning coffee.
Most definitively. I smoked the occasional tin of EMP and London Mixture in mid/late 90's but unfortunately spent too much time searching for the perfect vanilla or raspberry blend. Didn't begin to get serious about English blends until around the time those Pease blends disappeared.
Code:
:(I found Mephisto and Black Frigate around the same time. Still have my BF, but Mephisto has gone the way of the dinosaur.
Never saw much difference in smoking English blends in cold & hot weather. Smokes the same for me regardless of the weather.
I just don't enjoy my Lat blends in the warmer months so I usually stay away but as soon as it starts getting cold again outside the cravings come back.
I smoke English blends all year long, though in the hotter months, I tend to prefer lighter, more Virginia and Oriental forward English blends like Dunhill's BB1938 & London Mixture. I also tend to smoke more of the American English, Burley forward blends such as L.J. Peretti's D-7485 & D-9575.
- Status