For Veteran Pipe Smokers, How Many Types and Blends do you Enjoy on a Regular Basis?

[jtkuga]

As new pipe smoker, I'm still figuring out what I like. Despite the warning against aromatics, I have found I like a lot of them. I also really like, in fact my two favorite blends are Quiet Nights and Chelsea Morning. I don't like other English blends. In general I have not found myself liking Virginias, although I have only had a few. Burleys are ok but a bit boring to me.. But my question is for veteran guys, 5 years, 10 years or more what do you smoke? Just one type like Virginias or English Blends? A little bit of each? And within each type do you smoke a bunch of different stuff or gravitate towards one or a few blends?

 

[Chasing Embers]

34 years in

Ribbon cut Yenidje and Engine 382 nearly all of the time.

 

[tschiraldi]

3 Virginia blends and 2 Lakeland blends on a regular basis. I will pull out something different occasionally, but mostly the regulars.

 

[Bbailey324]

I'm about 38 years in. I'm all over the place on what I smoke, it changes with mood and wind direction. VaPers are a default but also a lot of English blends. Aromatics some of the time and burley/codger blends some of the time. Oh and some of the offerings from Gawith Hoggarth, whatever style they may fall into.

 

[WVOldFart]

This is my 45th year with a pipe. My first pipe in the morning with my coffee is Milan's "our" Prince Albert, usually followed by some other Codger blend, such as Granger, Match Field and Stream, Match Flying Dutchman or Milan's Royal Comfort. I have Milan's Sunset Rum sometime during the day and enjoy some light English blend in the evening. Sometimes I enjoy Father Dempsey in the evening. I smoke a lot of other blends too.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Smoking a pipe since 84 and I have jars available with the full spectrum of tobaccos, maybe 12 or so but generally only 1 or two tins opened because I like to smoke the tins most days once opened to really dig into the blend. Having said that I'm still exploring and learning.

 

[The Libertine]

Been smoking a pipe for 14 years. Started in the codger blends, now I'm more into English.

 

[sablebrush52]

I've been smoking pipes for about 53 years, so I'm just getting the hang of it.
At the beginning, I tried out various blends, the usual pipe shop Cavendish blends, some English, some aromatics, and some Virginias.

I smoked a lot of Captain Black, Danish Delight, basically Vanilla aromatics, Codger blends, then moved into English and Balkan blends, like Balkan Sobranie when it was made by Sobranie Ltd, 759, and other English and Balkan blends.

Gradually, I started smoking more Virginias, as well as Va/Pers, Three Nuns, etc. About 12 years ago I burned out on Latakia, just couldn't tolerate it, and went whole hog into Virginias, Va/Pers, Va/Burs, Va/Per/Burs, etc and that's pretty much what I smoke today, with the occasional mild Engllish blend or a good Burley.

The thing about Virginias is that they are more delicate flavorwise than English blends, and are more difficult to get right. But once you crack the code there's nothing better in my experience.

 

[jtkuga]

I've been smoking pipes for about 53 years, so I'm just getting the hang of it.
At the beginning, I tried out various blends, the usual pipe shop Cavendish blends, some English, some aromatics, and some Virginias.

I smoked a lot of Captain Black, Danish Delight, basically Vanilla aromatics, Codger blends, then moved into English and Balkan blends, like Balkan Sobranie when it was made by Sobranie Ltd, 759, and other English and Balkan blends.

Gradually, I started smoking more Virginias, as well as Va/Pers, Three Nuns, etc. About 12 years ago I burned out on Latakia, just couldn't tolerate it, and went whole hog into Virginias, Va/Pers, Va/Burs, Va/Per/Burs, etc and that's pretty much what I smoke today, with the occasional mild Engllish blend or a good Burley.

The thing about Virginias is that they are more delicate flavorwise than English blends, and are more difficult to get right. But once you crack the code there's nothing better in my experience.

Yeah I'd like to like Virginias, I just haven't yet. Maybe I need to sip more to crack the code? I'm pretty good at sipping my aros, but I just don't do as well with my Virginias I have tried. Quiet Nights and Chelsea Morning are very forgiving, I can puff away with no tongue bite with those it seems and get lots of good flavor, and I think that makes it hard for me to get into blends that require more technique, especially since I'm just really enjoying those blends. Quiet Nights is the blend I can smoke out of my biggest pipe, going for 1.5 hours and still be mad when bowl is finally over.

 

[OzPiper]

Started with pipes in the early 1970's.
Had a very long break and started again in 2018, after smoking cigars exclusively for @15 years prior.

Smoked aromatics for a couple of months, then was introduced to Latakia & Oriental blends by a friend.
I couldn't get enough of them for a few years.
I didn't "get" Virginias/VaPers initially, finding that they "lacked flavour" or "too much like cigarettes".

After re-setting my palate, I find the gentler, more subtle flavours of Virginias/VaPers and blends with Burley/Cavendish more to my liking now.
I still like Latakia/Oriental blends, but reach for them less often.

And I have re-discovered a liking for aromatics - even the much-maligned (unfairly, IMO) Mixture 79

 

[The Libertine]

Yeah I'd like to like Virginias, I just haven't yet. Maybe I need to sip more to crack the code? I'm pretty good at sipping my aros, but I just don't do as well with my Virginias I have tried. Quiet Nights and Chelsea Morning are very forgiving, I can puff away with no tongue bite with those it seems and get lots of good flavor, and I think that makes it hard for me to get into blends that require more technique, especially since I'm just really enjoying those blends. Quiet Nights is the blend I can smoke out of my biggest pipe, going for 1.5 hours and still be mad when bowl is finally over.

Virginia's are temperamental. They burn a lot hotter. Turn your sip even slower.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

4 to 6 on a regular basis. All Virginia Flake.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I like variety so I can easily smoke a virginia/perique, followed by a goopy aromatic, followed by a Balkan, followed by a navy Flake or even a rope twist. I have an assortment of them all and more. Lately I've been smoking a lot of aromatics compared to the others but next week balkans may take center stage.

 

[warren]

No change since the last time, a month or so ago, this was asked.

 

[irishearl]

Been smoking around 50 years. Have always only had 2 blends around at a time while periodically changing up the blends.

 

[wyfbane]

I like variety so I can easily smoke a virginia/perique, followed by a goopy aromatic, followed by a Balkan, followed by a navy Flake or even a rope twist. I have an assortment of them all and more. Lately I've been smoking a lot of aromatics compared to the others but next week balkans may take center stage.

Pretty much exactly this ^ with the addition of burleys sometimes and Englishes too. I blame my ADHD.

Edit: I also love Crooner w/ the deertongue and all the various Lakeland essence blends. Yum!

 

[anotherbob]

honestly about three blends almost all of the time and shake it up with something else every once in a while. Variety might be the spice of life, however digging deeply into a blend gives me more pleasure then jumping around from blend to blend. At this point one blend probably gives me more surprises and variety and notes then I could get out of a hundred back when I started.

 

[OverMountain]

You’re off to a great start. Some things will stick around, and some things your taste will change on over time.

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Like 10 years or so...
Aromatics, Latakia and some Virginia in order of preference.
10-15 blends I come back to them again and again but still testing some new.
Goal is to stick to these -not more than- 15 blends.
Good luck with your journey to this Universe!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I've been smoking a pipe for right at 10 years.
I mostly smoke Virginias, VaPers, or Burley blends.
I usually have 4-6 tobaccos in the rotation at the same time. The 2 blends I smoke the most at the moment are Hal o' the Wynd and Peterson Irish Flake (was HH ODF but started smoking more Irish Flake when we found out it was going away). There's usually some Full Virginia Flake and Elizabethan Mixture in the mix as well.

Early on, I would sometimes have 20 blends open and jarred at a time but I was just trying to figure out what I liked.
I feel good about how it's going now.
I still enjoy trying new things, but not several at the same time. I have a few staples open and one new one.
For example right now I have a tin of Haddo's Delight open and it's the first time I've tried it. When it's gone, I'll open a new tin of something for the first time.