Old Dark Fired 2lbs boxes and tins and Kendall Plug 2.5+ lbs. Fortunately I Enjoy both (Kendall Plug especially) but ODF was a lucky sucker beginner buy.
Ever Take A 25 Tin Flyer On Something You Have Never Smoked?
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I bought 5 lbs of SG Fvf after smoking one bowl of it. Can't wait to smoke that down the long road
Never 25 tins, but I did buy 10 tins of Balkan Sobranie without buying a test tin first when Germain's first released their take on it. I used to smoke Balkan Sobranie in the '70's and 80's and loved it. I popped the top, filled the pipe and fired her up. OMG, what a horror story. Ugly flavors that taste like gasoline infused puppy farts and which resemble Balkan Sobranie about as much as I resemble a speedo model.
Absolutely unadulterated revolting stomach churning crap.
I've still got the tins. Horrible, disgusting, and completely unsmokable. The best justification for the FDA guillotine blade falling next year is that it will remove this travesty from the shelves.
Absolutely unadulterated revolting stomach churning crap.
I've still got the tins. Horrible, disgusting, and completely unsmokable. The best justification for the FDA guillotine blade falling next year is that it will remove this travesty from the shelves.
I bought 8 oz of Father Dempsey without even as much as smelling it ahead of time. I know it's not the same as 25 tins, but it was still a gamble. One that paid off.
I just bought 16 oz of Black Twist. They’re jarred up and ready to age and use. I have maybe 8 tins of Escudo from over 10 years ago. Can’t remember how much and how long but love each one I pop open. ?
25 tins..., that’s like 5 boxes of SG BBF a long time ago.
And I used to regularly buy 20 - 3.5oz tins of McC Christmas Cheer each year for 15 years running.
Sorry, some of those were Red VAs, the Orange VAs were/are the best.
Yep, done it.
And I used to regularly buy 20 - 3.5oz tins of McC Christmas Cheer each year for 15 years running.
Sorry, some of those were Red VAs, the Orange VAs were/are the best.
Yep, done it.
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Closest I can get is 10 tins of Artisan's...I'm usually a big latakia guy and people were touting it as a replacement for Nightcap. not impressed.
I bought 3x200g of Motzek ropes, having just a recommendation for the Dark Twist, luckily I really liked all three.
Other blind purchases that I haven't tried yet are 3xWarhorse Bar, and 3xWhite Knight. They're still sitting with my cousin in NYC since March...
Other blind purchases that I haven't tried yet are 3xWarhorse Bar, and 3xWhite Knight. They're still sitting with my cousin in NYC since March...
Nope, I don’t think it’s the smartest move to buy 25 tins of something you’ve never tried before.
I did buy a tub of Edward G. Robinson’s Pipe Blend as they didn’t have the small tins at the time. If I just look at that stuff it gives me chemical burn. Horrible, horrible chemical burn. Ugh!
I did buy a tub of Edward G. Robinson’s Pipe Blend as they didn’t have the small tins at the time. If I just look at that stuff it gives me chemical burn. Horrible, horrible chemical burn. Ugh!
Honestly, I don’t get your hatred for this one... you must have gotten a really bad batch or something, it’s a really fine Balkan blend in my opinion, similar to the likes of Margate, Our Best Blend and Exitique. Sure, I understand, it doesn’t taste like the Balkan Sobranie that you grew up loving but to say it’s a ‘horror story’ has gotta to be a bit of a stretch don’t ya think? Do you like any of the Germain’s Latakia blends? I’ve had bad batches of Margate in the past, it’s tasted dull or boring but never revolting. Really, 99% of the bags of Margate that I’ve gotten were, in my opinion, one of the finest English/Balkan blends on the market. I’m not a Balkan Sobranie apologist but I do think it’s a great blend in its own right, not worth the secondary market prices but certainly worth retail value. You are entitled to your opinion but something just doesn’t seem right if you think it’s that terrible. Have you tried it from another year? I remember thinking it was, ‘meh’ when it was first released but I decided to give it a try several years later and I absolutely loved the stuff. I don’t go out of my way to find it but it’s easily obtainable in my neck of the woods. Anyway, if your up for trying it again, I’d be happy to send you a sample but if it was that bad, I imagine you wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole (pipe).
I meant every word of it, though I will admit to being a little kind.
A year or so ago I tried it again just to see if some aging had improved it. Two puffs showed me that it was just as awful as ever. I dumped the bowl, scrubbed out the pipe, and gave samples away to others here who wanted to try it.
No one who I have spoken with who'd smoked actual Balkan Sobranie thinks it's anything but crap. It's Balkan Sobranie in name only.
You like it, I despise it.
Fair enough. I just find it interesting that you have such strong feelings for this blend, like a woman scorned. Indifference I get, but this hatred that you harbor is going to eat you up inside man, it might be worth seeking some professional help.
(I kid, I kid)
I have smoked the real Balkan Sobranie from the 70’s. Not regularly (obviously, I ain’t that old) it was good. I would certainly have stronger feelings for it if it was a regular that I grew fond of over the years.
No. For a new to me Virginia blend, I buy two tins, one to try now, one for aging. It would never even enter my mind to buy lots of a blend that I have never tried.
I'm right with you on that, Sable. I bought two tins, hated it, got rid of it.
1 lb bulk MacBaren Burley - horrible tongue burn
1 lb Iwan Ries Kings Oriental - explosion at the fisherman's friend factory or something. blech
1 lb Iwan Ries Kings Oriental - explosion at the fisherman's friend factory or something. blech
I never buy more than an 8 oz tin of anything, and then, they are in my primary rotation to begin with. I'm not a big fan of aging too much (not for years), at least not the blends I like.
That said I did take a one pound flyer (never tried in advance) on Briar Fox and I'm damn happy I did. It's a staple to me now, so I don't mind adding another pound when it gets about halfway down. Most of my staples are readily available, and reasonably priced so I don't have worries of them disappearing or becoming unobtainable without warning.
Twenty Five tins? Nope never have. I can't think of anything I'd want 25 tins of at once, even if it weren't a flyer.
That said I did take a one pound flyer (never tried in advance) on Briar Fox and I'm damn happy I did. It's a staple to me now, so I don't mind adding another pound when it gets about halfway down. Most of my staples are readily available, and reasonably priced so I don't have worries of them disappearing or becoming unobtainable without warning.
Twenty Five tins? Nope never have. I can't think of anything I'd want 25 tins of at once, even if it weren't a flyer.
Indeed I do. I have an 8-ouncer of that I tap into occasionally.
Yep, not a blend my body chemistry can handle. I purchased five tins. Slowly and carefully worked my way through one tin. Got rid of the rest.
It’s a shame too, because I really enjoyed the taste.
But, that’s pipe smoking. You can take two blends, with almost identical, if not identical components, and one is worthy of deep cellaring and one is a dumpster fire loaded with dead rotten raccoons.
It’s amazing how manufacturing subtleties change the chemistry of the finished product.
Yup, ODF.
I'm ASSuming that I will like it one day. So far...meh.
I'm ASSuming that I will like it one day. So far...meh.
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