Finding What you Really Like

[Sobrbiker]

Capitals! See Rule 9, please. Edited for brevity.

Original: "How many blends did you try before you found what you really liked?"

I’m new to pipe smoking, my father pre-inherited me a nice collection of pipes that haven’t seen service in close to 50yrs. I remember him smoking pipes frequently when I was a boy in the seventies. I’ve got them refurbished, and between those and a couple cobs I picked up have been smoking for the past six weeks.
I’m curious how long it took y’all to find your groove on tobacco preference? I’ve bought quite a bit of 2oz blends to try and am leaning towards English/VaPers but I think I mentally lean that way from the learning curve of not having the hang of smoking/packing aros worth a darn.
What’s annoying is I’ll think I really like something after a bowl, then a couple days later not so much.
It’s getting better, I’ve found mixing in some Lane Black Rasperry or Sutliff Sunset Rum into leftovers of straight tobacco blends I’ve picked up at least lets them not go to waste (I mixed a tin of Barbados plantation into a few ounces of Haunted Bookshop my buddy gave me and that’s pretty good). Maybe non-cough syrup burley/cavendish aromatics are a direction to explore.

Am I doomed to just buying a ton of different small amounts for a long while and hope to hit on “the one” or is the never ending search the gist of the hobby?

I just don’t wanna go broke getting buried in little bunches of bulks hoping to figure it out.

Maybe my palate and technique need refining before I sweat it too much…

Wow, that’s a wandering post, but I’m gonna hit “post thread” anyway.

Cheers!

 

[anotherbob]

all of them. From 1st to the one I just am about to smoke.

 

[bullet08]

It depends on an individual. I still enjoy most of genres and smoke what I feel like.

 

[TheDesertPiper]

Quite a few cheap ones. I kept trying drug store blends and wasn't really impressed. I decided I would order some more popular blends from online. If I didn't like any of those I was probably just going to give up. I ordered a few different random tins that had good reviews. One of them was nightcap and after smoking it I realized how much I enjoy latakia.

 

[TN Jed]

Maybe my palate and technique need refining before I sweat it too much…

I started out with nothing but goopy Aros. When my technique got better my palate changed and now I don't smoke Aros at all. I still have a pound+ of them laying around.

 

[fireground_piper]

I certainly went through multiple dozens before stopping much of my sampling. A few of my favorites were instant, and a few took a little time before I realized they were. And I knew pretty early on the genres I liked (Virginia and aro) so I never really went crazy in the worlds of burley, English, and oriental. I did spend longer than I liked trying vapers. Finding at least the genres you prefer should help keep some of the sampling down, but it's still a crap shoot.

Then you end up with a bunch of stuff to power through, give away, trade or trash. I've been doing a combination of all of the above.

 

[warren]

Fifteen or twenty I suppose.

 

[boston]

Many, but I did homework to seek out good blends and did not start on drugstore blends... although I'm sure there are fine ones. Sampling from the major houses at the time I tried McClelland, GLP, C&D both gawith houses, esoterica and others. I learned for me that stronger blends were better starters for me because I'd not have to smoke like a freight train to get flavor. That backfired with 1792...it had too much nicotine for ma at the time. I enjoyed Latakia blends in the first half of the hobby and learned / migrated to vapers and then straight VA blends. Always had a problem with tongue bite on VA based blends so enjoyed ones that were more tame like Veermaster. Much later I started to enjoy a few aromatic blends, counting frog on a log in there, as well as Ennerdale and 1792. Most recently discovered KBV and he's got more than a couple winners... mostly aromatic in my opinion.

 

[NomadOrb]

I tried about 7 until I tried latakia and it clicked. Then dozens more to find out what I really liked.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Try some quality blends from the different genres. See if you find a genre or three you prefer. Try some more within those genres. It's more of an evolution. Chances are, you'll enjoy many of them. Hopefully, you can find some you like more or most. Perhaps you'll find you like a lot of different ones. Nothing wrong with that.

What's more important is you refund your technique for drying, packing, lighting, tamping and the right cadence. If you do that, you'll enjoy the journey regardless.

 

[chopper]

I've not ever been a fan of goopy aromatics.
Whenever I've bought blends that are too moist, rather than drying I do the same as you did with the Barbados Plantation, simply mix it with a much drier straight Virginia, Burley or an English blend.

Since you're new to smoking a pipe, your mouth and palate will take time to adjust.
What you don't like today you might really like in a year or two.
So don't chuck any blends. Just store the ones you don't like in the back of a cupboard and forget.

 

[anotherbob]

more then finding the right blends. Now I am better at picking what I am in the mood for now.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Gleaning some great input folks!
My technique has gotten better, but I still run pretty hot-the breath technique was an eye opener for me. I don’t smoke in the house (we’re in a rental), and smoke more at work than anywhere else (equipment operator/streets maintenance foreman) so I’m working on not rushing.

Hoping to find a few that are available and relatively inexpensive. I have found drugstore pouches are not for me-not to break the rules but I did switch from cigarettes to a air freshener/vape a few years ago and I’m pretty sure running pg-based liquid for primary nicotine delivery has affected my taste for blends that use it as a humectant.

 

[trudger]

Seems a formidable task from the onset. Smoke a sampling of the different genres (vaper, vabur, English, oriental, va, burley etc.) and find one you like. Then try different blenders versions of that genre in flake, broken flake, plug, ready rubbed, ribbon, and shag. On the way you will either go mad or find serenity. Good luck.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Off topic-there’s another Bob in my avatar

 

[anotherbob]

Gleaning some great input folks!
My technique has gotten better, but I still run pretty hot-the breath technique was an eye opener for me. I don’t smoke in the house (we’re in a rental), and smoke more at work than anywhere else (equipment operator/streets maintenance foreman) so I’m working on not rushing.

Hoping to find a few that are available and relatively inexpensive. I have found drugstore pouches are not for me-not to break the rules but I did switch from cigarettes to a air freshener/vape a few years ago and I’m pretty sure running pg-based liquid for primary nicotine delivery has affected my taste for blends that use it as a humectant.

pg has always been a ruiner for pipe tobacco for me. Before vapes where even a major thing. If you're enjoying yourself now, well in not too long you should be finding more blends you really dig.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Seems a formidable task from the onset. Smoke a sampling of the different genres (vaper, vabur, English, oriental, va, burley etc.) and find one you like. Then try different blenders versions of that genre in flake, broken flake, plug, ready rubbed, ribbon, and shag. On the way you will either go mad or find serenity. Good luck.

Sound like a logical approach, thanks for sharing!

 

[shanez]

+1 for "all of them"

Sure there are specific blends I don't care for but not genres.

Ya gotta smoke according to your mood/whim.

 

[monty55]

Am I doomed to just buying a ton of different small amounts for a long while and hope to hit on “the one” or is the never ending search the gist of the hobby?

Yes!

Stick with tins until you know exactly what you like.

You might find out that you like English and Va/Per no matter what the blend.

And then you start buying every English and Va/Per blend you can get your hands on.

And down the rabbit hole you go ...

 

[Sobrbiker]

Yes!

Stick with tins until you know exactly what you like.

And down the rabbit hole you go ...

I fear tins will eat all the money the horses, harleys, shooting, hunting rabbit holes I already have