Some of us, like me, think “I’ll have a bowl of this” while others seem to like to contrast blends, or start their day with a specific blend or blend type, and rotate in a similar way throughout the day.
What do you do?
What do you do?
How Do You Pick Your Next Smoke?
- Thread starter sablebrush52
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For me, I favor what I smoke for the time of the day and the heat/cold/humidity factor.
I like to start the day with cowboy coffee or early morning blend.
I transition to Va or VaPer blends until around evening where I will transition to a burley and end the day with some English.
Now in that pattern I do sometimes plan on what blend I will smoke, or sometimes load about 3-5 pipes up, forget what I have loaded them with and then play the guess what I am smoking game.
Now if it’s really cold outside and dark, let’s say around midnight, then it has to be a Lakeland blend.
I like to start the day with cowboy coffee or early morning blend.
I transition to Va or VaPer blends until around evening where I will transition to a burley and end the day with some English.
Now in that pattern I do sometimes plan on what blend I will smoke, or sometimes load about 3-5 pipes up, forget what I have loaded them with and then play the guess what I am smoking game.
Now if it’s really cold outside and dark, let’s say around midnight, then it has to be a Lakeland blend.
I usually smoke 2 bowls per day as time allows. And, usually my first bowl of the day is Haunted Bookshop.
I just finished off the last of my McClelland 2015 (which as one of my favorites). Lately, I’ve been bouncing between Old Dominion, Sixpence & FVF as my second bowl of the day. Once I’ve finished off one of the 3 listed, I’ll likely open a tin of something in a few weeks to add into the rotation.
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I just finished off the last of my McClelland 2015 (which as one of my favorites). Lately, I’ve been bouncing between Old Dominion, Sixpence & FVF as my second bowl of the day. Once I’ve finished off one of the 3 listed, I’ll likely open a tin of something in a few weeks to add into the rotation.
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I only smoke a few pipes a week and I like all sorts of blends minus aromatics so I generally just go with where the spirit leads. On occasions where I can have more than one I'll either just smoke similar blends over the course of the day or I'll start with something milder like a Virginia and move up to something stouter like a Latakia blend with cigar but never the other way around.
It’s very moment-to-moment. Sometimes I’ll get a hankerin for a specific family of blends, but for the most part it’s just walk over to the jars, stare at the jars, and grab one. If I’m traveling I’ll only bring one or two blends, so very predictable there.
Typically, I'll have one tin of whatever that I'm predominantly smoking through at a time, and a few other tins of something a little contrasting to break it up on occasion.
Like recently, I was smoking Sun Bear Black Locust (2024), and halfway through the tin I cracked open XXV Reserve Dusk. Once Sun Bear was finished, I started predominantly smoking Dusk and today, I opened Brothers in Arms, though I'm still mostly smoking Dusk.
Once Dusk is done, I'll predominantly be smoking Brothers in Arms and will pick something else.
I also have a handful of others I'll swap to on occasion outside the main and the secondary, ones that keep well after opening like semois or MB Navy Flake.
However, I usually only smoke one bowl per day (that's about all I have time for). So most days it'll be the main one I am smoking, with some days being other ones. How often I switch up to a secondary or tertiary will depend a lot on how I am feeling at the time, and what the primary is (a heavy puncher or bite-prone one I might switch up more often, though with most aromatics as the primary I don't switch nearly as much).
Like recently, I was smoking Sun Bear Black Locust (2024), and halfway through the tin I cracked open XXV Reserve Dusk. Once Sun Bear was finished, I started predominantly smoking Dusk and today, I opened Brothers in Arms, though I'm still mostly smoking Dusk.
Once Dusk is done, I'll predominantly be smoking Brothers in Arms and will pick something else.
I also have a handful of others I'll swap to on occasion outside the main and the secondary, ones that keep well after opening like semois or MB Navy Flake.
However, I usually only smoke one bowl per day (that's about all I have time for). So most days it'll be the main one I am smoking, with some days being other ones. How often I switch up to a secondary or tertiary will depend a lot on how I am feeling at the time, and what the primary is (a heavy puncher or bite-prone one I might switch up more often, though with most aromatics as the primary I don't switch nearly as much).
T’was one of the most fantastic VaPers I’ve ever tasted. It will be missed, but now a chance to explore other ops.
️I focus on one 4 oz or 8 oz jar until it is empty, with an occasional bowl of something else here and there. I don’t want to store more jars so I try to free up enough to open a Mylar and transfer it to jars. I have about 48 jars. Many of the blends in the jars won’t be repurchased so I’m trying to work through them so I can use them for my standby blends. Once these blends are gone I will be a bit more free form with picking my smoke. I know, too practical.
It’s on my bucket list. I’d like to pick up some pounds of it.T’was one of the most fantastic VaPers I’ve ever tasted. It will be missed, but now a chance to explore other ops.
Some samples i was graciously given, were amazing.
I’m new to the hobby and have around 8 jars of different blends, mostly English with a few aros and virginias. Leaning more towards English most of the time but I appreciate pretty much all of them. Waiting to accrue enough jars and number them so I can do like somebody else on here mentioned and roll a d20 if I’m indecisive.
Couple bowls per week here, but it's a spur of the moment choice for me almost always. But when I have samples to go through, I'll usually favor those versus what I have jarred.
Sometimes I start with a blend in mind, sometimes I stare at my selection until something pops out at me, or a I grab a regular-whichever comes first.
I’m getting better at trying to smoke up “so/so” blends to free up space, but I rarely smoke any blend smoke after smoke. But some days I’ll smoke half a dozen times and not repeat.
I’m getting better at trying to smoke up “so/so” blends to free up space, but I rarely smoke any blend smoke after smoke. But some days I’ll smoke half a dozen times and not repeat.
Rather ad hoc. Very seldom pre-planned.
Sometimes I pick the pipes first.
Other times I pick the tobacco, then the pipes
My working days are pretty much planned and working to appointments only.
So I like some spontaneity in my downtime
Sometimes I pick the pipes first.
Other times I pick the tobacco, then the pipes
My working days are pretty much planned and working to appointments only.
So I like some spontaneity in my downtime
It's a complicated process for me. I look at the blends on my desk, two or three usually and grab the closest one by and large.
I’m lazier than most. I grab a pipe, and some tobacco. I don’t dedicate pipes. After years of fire scenes I’m nose blind to subtle nuances so I just load and smoke.
Nothing special.
Nothing special.
I smoke what I have opened. I have an order in mind when I open tins.