Fine Archetypal Blends?

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Sep 19, 2019
42
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Hey all,

To start with some context, I’ve been smoking a pipe seriously for about a year, and trying to soak up as much as I can about each type of blend I try and learning as much as I can. For starters, I love blends like Presbyterian Mixture, the new Bengal Slices, Stokkebye’s Luxury Bullseye, etc. Nonetheless, as it’s only realistic for me to spend a certain amount of money on tobacco and to smoke about twice a week (when the weather’s nice), things have been slow going and there are a lot of holes in my knowledge.

That said, I’m thinking about starting a little local tobacco “club” where a few local people (most of them with less experience than I) interested in pipe smoking get together and try a couple of blends, and get to go home with a tin each. To start this off, it would be cool to rotate through different categories each month, perhaps starting with an English night, picking two English blends to try, and then next month doing a Virginia night, and etc.

The question I have is what particular blends would others consider to be “archetypal” blends for each category? For instance for an English night, I’d like to pick two Tobaccos that are both high-quality and good examples of an English blend. I’ll post my list of categories (off the top of my head, so there may be holes in that too), as well as what my initial thoughts may be, and if anybody has suggestions that would be awesome.

English: Nightcap, -
Virginia: Orlik Golden Slices, -
Burley: -,-
Aromatic: -, -
Aromatic Cherry: - , -
Balkan: WhiteKnight, Bengal Slices
Latakia-Forward: MacBaren Latakia Flake, -
VaPer/Navy Blend: Capstan Blue, Escudo Round
Scottish: -,-
Kentucky Dark: Orlik’s Kentucky Blend, -
Perique-forward: -, -

This is all I could come with off the top of my head. Honestly, this pipe club may not even materialize, but I would still love people’s inputs on it, and for some it may even be a fun exercise!
 
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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Capstan Blue flake is a straight Virginia and maybe the best of it's kind, definitely grab that one.
For a Virginia/Perique I would go either Escudo or Solani 633.
For a Virginia/Burley/Kentucky I love Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky or Mac Baren OLd Dark Fired.
For a real balls to the walls aromatic, go Cult Blood Red Moon or Sutliff Molto Dolce.

I can't help you with the rest as I don't smoke English, Balkans,Orientals, or straight Burleys.
 

Casual

Lifer
Oct 3, 2019
2,577
9,420
NL, CA
Balkan supreme for a Balkan.

Solani Aged Burley Flake or HH Burley Flake for fancy burley. Sutliff Ready Rubbed Match for codger burley.

Actually, just going through the Mac Baren HH lineup one at a time would be cool. Every one I’ve tried has been great.
 
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chilipalmer

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 24, 2017
219
343
Hi, Cigarmaster!

Dunhill Nightcap is great but contains perique and that excludes it as a gold standard English.

Some suggestions:


English: Dunhill Standard Mixture, Stokkebye Proper English
Virginia: Capstan Blue, flake or ready rubbed.
Burley: Sir Walter Raleigh
Aromatic: American style - Boswell's (pick one), Lane Limited 1-Q or RLP-6. European Peter Stokkebye (pick one), Peterson Connoisseur's Blend.
Aromatic Cherry: Robitussen.
Balkan: Arango/Stokkebye Balkan Supreme
Latakia-Forward: C&D Star of the East or Pirate Kake
VaPer: Escudo Navy Deluxe, Samuel Gawith St. James Flake
Navy Blend: Samuel Gawith Navy Flake
Scottish: Druquer & Sons Blairgowerie, Rattray's Black Mallory or Red Raparee, Dunhill Aperitif
Dark Fired Kentucky: MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired or Bold Kentucky
Perique-forward:Byzantium, Voodoo Queen, or the notorious C&D Bayou Morning

Cheers,

Chili
 

rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
English: Standard Mixture, Presbyterian, SG Squadron Leader
VA: Capstan, Sutliff VA slices, SG FVF
Burley: Prince Albert, Edgeworth, Ready Rubbed(LL or sutliff match) SWR, Carter Hall
Lakeland: GH Ennerdale, SG Grousemoor, SG 1792, either Chocolate Flake
Kentucky: Orlik DSK, SG Lakeland Dark
VaPer: Escudo, Rattray's Hal o the Wynd, Cabbies, Elizabethan match (victoria)
Balkan: anything representative of BSOSM and 759. Ie., Whiteknight/Blackhouse, Sasieni/Supreme, etc..
Crossover: Bengal slices, Pembroke, HGL, Sutliff Aro English
Aro: SWRA, Molto Dolce
Cherry: GH Kendal Black Cherry, any OTC Cherry to compare
Lat Bomb: Ten Russians, Larry's Blend, Pirate Kake, Commonwealth, Quiet Nights, Star of the East
Cigar Blends: Key Largo, Billy Budd, semois for comparison.
 
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chopper

Lifer
Aug 24, 2019
1,480
3,317
My recommendation for an aromatic is Butternut Burley and Trout Stream.
1Q and RLP-6 are good [I bought a pound of each] but BB is my absolute favourite.

I'm not a fan of overly sauced aromatics. They tend to be too moist, often loaded with PG and will cause tongue bite.
 
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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,442
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Love your list and think it's a great idea. To help fill it out, my suggestions are:

Burley: Solani ABF, MacB HH Burley Flake, Lane Ready Rubbed

Scottish: Rattray's Red Rap, Black Mallory, etc., Peterhill MM965

Perique-forward: GLP Fillmore and Haddo's Delight, C&D Bayou Night.

I would also add MacB Old Dark Fired, 1792 Flake/Lakeland Dark and JackKnife Plug to the KY entry, and Balkan Supreme and Spark Plug to the Balkan list.
 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
Burley - I second the HH Burley Flake, and add Haunted Bookshop!
I might also add VaPer - GLP Telegraph Hill - but you're already got some great recs there (Escudo & 633 are mandatory)
adding an Oriental forward category might be fun like, GLP Temple Bar, C&D Oriental Silk
 
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