Favorite Aromatic, Dry-Smoking Blends?

[dechuckie]

Hi all,
I'm a relative newb to pipe smoking, and first time forum-poster. I've been breaking in a few new pipes,and I was wondering if anyone might want to chime in with some favorite dry-smoking aromatics?
Thanks!
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[papipeguy]

Welcome to the forum. I don't smoke many aros but my favorites are C&D's Gentleman Caller and Rattray's Bagpiper's Dream. CA is burley based with a fair dose of deer tongue. Warning: it will ghost a pipe but is very nice with a great, sweet room note. The BD has several cuts of Virginias and is topped with cognac; a delightful smoke with incredible room note and taste.

Good luck in your journey and check in here often.

 

[puffdoggie]

dechuckie, welcome to the hobby and to the forum. Try Lane 1Q (bulk from many vendors) or Ole Shenendoah Barrel No. 76 (tins available from pipesandcigare.com). They are very close in taste and usually smoke dry for me. Also, if you are getting some gurgle or goop in your pipe smoking you may want to try and slow down on the puffing rate. Slower is better. Happy puffin,
Dave

 

[dechuckie]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. This forum is great.
I will certainly add these blends to my "to buy" list, and check back.
And I'll definitely make a conscious effort to follow the "slower is better" rule. Thanks Dave!
-Chuck
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[cosmicfolklore]

MacBarron's Vanilla Cream Flake, HD's Original Mild Orange, and Former's Private Stock Flake, are my three favorites. The Virginia is the base taste and aroma, with just a little casing in some or a cavendish pressed into it. Good stuff, with just a little flavor just add to the already strong Virginia flavor. These aren't going to be your typical no taste, strong aroma, goopy aromatics that you might get in a jar at the tobacconist. These are more of a quality hybrid.

 

[Perique]

Pipeworks & Wilke No.191
Savinelli Cavendish
Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake.

 

[martiniman]

I am a aro smoker but my new favorite is McClelland Stave-Aged 35 Virginia Ribbon.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

As far as not needing any drying time, I'd recommend Lane RLP-6, it tastes similar to Captain Black but without the bad aftertaste as the bowl is progressively smoked.

 

[papipeguy]

While you're searching you should also look at the reviews here and at tobaccoreviews.com. Bth are a wealth of information.

 

[dechuckie]

Thanks guys. The amount of tobaccos out there is dizzying!
After listening to your advice, and reading some other reviews, I just put in an order for some Lane 1-Q, Mac Baren Vanilla Cream flake, Sutliff's Molto Dolce(found that one at tobaccoreviews.com, thanks Papipeguy), and C&D's Gentleman Caller (plus a free half-ounce of Autumn Evening).
I'm really looking forward to trying them all out!
Another question:
Do I need to be worried about ghosting? I have four good pipes that are in various stages of being broken in with two different blends I picked up at Tinder Box(Sunset and Wilshire). I also have a Roma basket pipe (not the Savinelli kind) that I've used to try some other tobaccos, including some "drug store" blends. Should I be using any of the new blends I'm getting exclusively with one of my pipes?
Once again, thanks to all of you for your help!
-Chuck
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[smokeyweb]

Nice haul. No need to worry about ghosting, and personally, I think dedicating blends to certain pipes is unnecessary. Each of your pipes may smoke a blend a little differently, so try each blend in each pipe, and just enjoy yourself. As for ghosting, I actually enjoy a quick haunt from a past flavor. It's like having an old friend stop in for a quick visit!

 

[dechuckie]

Ha! Thanks a lot, smokeyweb. Also threw in a tin of Stanwell's Melange at the last second, so it looks like I'll have lots of combos to try if I'm going to see how each blend smokes with each pipe.
The next couple of weeks are looking to be quite tasty! ::
Happy smoking, all!
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[dechuckie]

UPDATE!
My haul of tobaccos just came in, and this is what I've found so far:
I tried the Stanwell Melange in my Nording Free-Hand, and it was a pleasant smoke. The draw was a little thick, but that may due to how I packed it. Mild flavor, medium strength, medium taste. Complimented my glass of Spotted Cow Farmhouse Ale very nicely. Looking forward to smoking it again.
I loaded up my Rossi with the Sutliff Molto Dolce, and was very surprised at how smoothly it smoked, considering how moist the blend was out of the can, and that I gave it no drying time. Very nice flavor, extremely mild in strength and taste. Great after dinner smoke. Smoked this blend again in my Peterson System and had the same experience.
I'll be getting to the others over this weekend, and I'll check back.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone!
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[michiganlover]

FYI: Tinderbox's Wilshire is the exact same thing as Lane's 1Q.
History says it was a Tinderbox blend, and Lane liked it so much, they bought the rights to it.

 

[dechuckie]

Makes sense, michiganlover. Thanks.
I immediately noticed that the appearance and tin note were similar when the 1-Q arrived, and

my brother-in-law made that exact comparison as he was loading up his pipe with it last night.

I already had two ounces of Wilshire; now it seems I have four!
Are there a lot of blends out there that companies simply buy up and re-name?
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten".-B.F. Skinner

 

[papipeguy]

One thing to be aware of is that Gentleman Caller will ghost a pipe. I like deer tongue and it likes to hang in a pipe. Just so you know.

 

[apatim]

dechuckie, I find that melange needs a slightly lighter pack than some. I'm told that it will ghost so I have a dedicated cob for it with a longer forever stem. I find it to smoke very cool and easy... perfect morning smoke with cup of black coffee for me.

 

[michiganlover]

"Are there a lot of blends out there that companies simply buy up and rename?"
Yes, it's extremely rare these days for a brick and mortar tobacconist to actually mix their own blends. Almost all blends they sell in bulk are thus bulk blends that come in large bags that they simply rename as they see fit. So Lane's 1Q (said to be the most popular blend in America) can literally be sold under 100s of different names.
It's commonplace and extremely annoying.
All bulks are thus acquired from a small handful of well known vendors (Lane, Peter Stockabye, Sutliff, and Macbaren to name a few).

 

[brudnod]

I agree with Dave. 1Q and Old Shenandoah Barrel 76 are dry smokes and regulars for me. The latter is in a tin and can be cellared easily (a practice that you will probably get into); the former can often be found in bulk and save a bit of money. You will likely learn to buy mason jars to keep the tobacco "fresh". Welcome to the forum, there is always something to learn here even for us old timers...

 

[brudnod]

I would also include MV1000 which is my daily go to tobacco.