Expanding My Rotation Variety

[txsasquatch]

Hello all. I've been working to expand my pallet and explore different blends. I've come to enjoy a wide range of tobaccos and I'm looking for suggestions for blend styles which may be under represented in my current rotation. The only thing I'm not really exploring right now is aromatics. I'm ok with cross-over style blends which may have a slightly apparent casing or even mild toppings like Frog Morton's Cellar or Peter Heinreichs Dark Strong, both of which I enjoy and are in my tobacco cabinet. I'm trying to find the extreme flavor edges and will then work my way towards the center if that makes any sense. Basically I'm looking for the bomb of each representative style (e.g. Latakia bomb). Here is what I'm currently enjoying.
Virginia Flakes: Sutliff Virginia Slices, Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flakes

Vaper (mild perique side): Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake and Bullseye Flake

Vaper (more substantial perique): Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture, Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning

Burley heavy (with Virginia & perique): Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

Lightly topped(?) Burley/Virginia: Heinreichs Dark Strong

English: Dunhill MM 965 & Night Cap

Lightly topped(?) English: Frog Morton's Cellar

Balkan: Hearth & Home Larry's Blend
My favorites are Virginia Slices, Bayou Morning, Old Joe Krantz, Dark Strong, Night Cap, and Larry's Blend. You'll probably notice that those are all extremely different and fairly full flavored (with the exception of VA Slices I guess) and that is exactly what I am looking for. Do you spot any significant style or varietal holes in my rotation? Can you make any suggestions for blends that would be significantly different from what I'm smoking while also being fairly full flavored?
Thanks!

 

[texmexpipe]

Burley: C&D Burley Slice #1 fits the bill of edge of the taste there I think it's opposite would be burly light without bite.

C&D Pirate Kake is a Lat bomb

C&D Haunted Bookshop is a Bur/Per, if you like OJK and BM then you'll like this one.

 

[Chasing Embers]

C&D's Black Frigate.

 

[ltstone]

No cigar blends? If so try Billy Bud, Habana Daydream, Key Largo...

 

[prairiedruid]

+1 Black Frigate

 

[oldreddog]

Irish Flake by Petersons or some rope from GH.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Capstan Flake Blue... I know it's got a high price tag now, but it is a good full flavored Virginia flake tobacco.

 

[lestrout]

Yo tx
One major component(s) area to check out is Orientals. There are quite a flock of them, and the way I scoped them was via McClelland's Grand Oriental series, where a half dozen varietals are individually highlighted. Orientals are what make Balkans different than Englishes (in the normal parlance) and present tasty tangy aromas. In this realm are Campanile/Orcilla and McConnell's Oriental, H&H Namaste and Uhle's Golden Shag. Peretti's Tashkent is loaded with Turkish.
hp

les

 

[papipeguy]

I'll put a plug in for plugs: Peterson Perfect Plug, Warrior, Mick McQuaid, Revor and Velvan. Va's with a touch of burley. Long cool smokes.

 

[nothingwrongwithabasketpipe]

For your more substantial Perique, have you tried C&D's Exclusive?

 

[samcoffeeman]

If you like full flavored I'd recommend trying some GL Please blends. Union Square(VA flake), Triple Play(VA/Kentucky/per plug), Haddo's Delight, Cumberland.

 

[mso489]

Yours looks like a fine, well-considered rotation to me; you are clearly an experienced smoker. I don't see any holes per se, although in today's universe of blends, the galaxies are infinite. Offhand, you might like to add a blending leaf or two that can also be smoked on its own, like CD's Izmir Turkish and their Cigar leaf. You can tweak other leaf with these, or blends, by mixing it to your desired proportions. Also, Lat and Perique, although I get plenty of those in the blends I buy. I'd always recommend Tobac-Manil Semois, both the thick cut and medium cut -- they come dry as the Sahara, smell like a stable in the package, and, for me, smoke like a dream.

 

[markus]

Your rotation looks a hell of a lot better than mine. Yours is a nicely thought out rotation and I commend you for that!

My rotation is all over the place, it's pure chaos. I have so many open tins and there's no telling what I'm going to be smoking at any given time. :roll:

 

[shikano53]

+1 on the G.L. Pease blends.

 

[txsasquatch]

Thank you all very much for the suggestions, input, and even compliments. I'm going to begin researching these blends mentioned here from top to bottom. Reading and watching reviews is practically becoming another part of the hobby for me. A few thoughts so far, cigar leave inclusive blends - I've certainly seen them out there, but I guess I never thought much about them. I do enjoy an occasional cigar, though they are not a hobby for me like pipe smoking. I'm definitely see myself trying a blend with cigar leaf in the near future!
I'm also glad to see GL Pease and Orientals/Balkans mentioned because that combination is basically what started me on this specific journey. I had a much narrower rotation that basically consisted of LL 1Q, Luxury Navy Flake, and MM 965. On a whim I picked up GL Pease Abingdon and was blown away. Not just because of blend quality, though I certainly enjoyed it very much, but also because of how incredibly different it was from what I had tried. It opened my eyes and showed me that I had a lot of exploring left to do. Larry's Blend is currently sitting in that spot in my rotation primarily because it is what I have on hand (Abingdon got finished off quickly!). I certainly want to keep exploring the Oriental varietals though!
Thanks again to all.

 

[txsasquatch]

Also, with the exception of Haddo's, which I do plan to revisit at some point, I haven't tried any of the blends you all mentioned. They're on my radar now!

 

[iamn8]

I've spent FAR too much time reading this forum because I've allowed the words "Royal Yacht" to be burned into my mind. Thanks for that Speed Metal.

 

[andrew]

For VaPer's I'd say Escudo and McClellend's St. James woods

Va's G&H Bright CR flake, McClellend's Blackwoods flake

VaBur's Macbaren Old Dark fired, G&H Brown flake Unscented

Lightly topped Erinmore flake, Peterson's University flake, Dunhill Royal Yacht

English Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, SPC Plum Pudding, SPC Mississipi River (I find MR to be almost a VaPer) really loving it at the moment, you can tell they use McClellend's tobacco in it.

Balkan-Arango Balkan Supreme

And El Ricon de la Pipa #1 which I start pretty much every day off with, only available from 4noggins.com

 

[txsasquatch]

Asking for these suggestions was probably a bad idea (for my wallet)! I succumbed to a double TAD & PAD.
C&D Billy Bud

C&D Haunted Bookshop

Balkan Supreme (I suspect this is Peter Stokkebye, but can anyone confirm? Balkan Supreme)

McClelland 5110 (Primarily to see how it compares to the Frogs)
Along with a new Stanwell and Nording! This will be my second Stanwell and first Nording.
I'm still keeping all other suggestions in mind, particularly MSO's idea about buying blending leaf to taste some straight varietals.

 

[iamn8]

With this weekend sale on Dunhill I recommend adding any of them to your rotation. Prices haven't ever be so good. Buy two get one free from. P&C