How Often does Your Favorite Tobacco Change?
- Thread starter BriarLinedMeer
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Exactly this. I'm a lover of bourbon and in that community its the same thing. People hunting these elusive rare and allocated bottles when there is PLENTY of good stuff on the shelf at any given time.
Almost never.
I smoke a wide range of styles/genres, but for the last 17 years, Penzance has been my favorite blend. And it remains my favorite, even though the current challenge of acquiring it has made it near-impossible to buy fresh tins (and I very much prefer it when fresh). So I’ve kinda decided I probably won’t be smoking it any more.
Maybe we’re defining “favorite” differently. To me, a favorite stands head-and-shoulders above all of the other blends I enjoy, captures my imagination, satisfies me with every bowl, and continues to surprise with what it reveals over months and years of smoking.
For most of my pipesmoking life—and I’m 61, having begun with the pipe at 18—I can’t say I had a “favorite,” per se, just many blends I really enjoyed. Then I discovered the tragically short-lived Bohemian Scandal in 2004. Then Penzance in 2006, which hooked me like no other blend since. (The closest contenders might have been Yenidje Highlander and Frog Morton Cellar.) So maybe I don’t need a “favorite” among the dozens of blends that I love.
When I started with the pipe I picked up some of everything, restocking what I liked best with more tins of the same.
Presently, tins of Carolina Red Flake, Peterson Flake, Sutliff Crumble Kake Red Virginia, SPC Hogshead, Squadron Leader, and Full Virginia Flake comprise about 90% of my store.
I suppose that list can tell you exactly where my tastes lie!
Presently, tins of Carolina Red Flake, Peterson Flake, Sutliff Crumble Kake Red Virginia, SPC Hogshead, Squadron Leader, and Full Virginia Flake comprise about 90% of my store.
I suppose that list can tell you exactly where my tastes lie!
About every other new tin, bag, or sample that I open. And it will last for a short time. I'm working my way through trying a couple hundred different blends and am finding that I simply think there is a lot of good pipe tobacco out there, a bit that is great, and some that is not for me. But I sure love the expectation of opening a new-to-me blend and seeing how it tastes. Sometimes I simply think that I'm hooked on "new", or that I'm pleased by the variety of contrasting flavors more than the idea of having the same thing day after day.
I don't have a favorite blend, more like a favorite genre, which right now is VA or VA/PER. At one time it was latakia blends, now I rarely smoke them. I like variety so I skip around, sometimes 3 different blends in a day. I can't imagine picking a single blend and smoking that exclusively or even predominantly.
I'm still to new to the hobby that I haven't smoked more than one tin of anything yet. My favorite so far has been Whimsical, but since that's just a limited product I'm ok with having had the experience. Capstan Blue I will buy more of, but I'll still trying out all sorts of stuff. To early for me to comfortably settle on anything just yet.
So far, never. My favorite blend is not really a blend but a blender: c&d dark burley. Sometimes I will spice it with a little Izmir and perique. With few exceptions the commercial blends I try only show me that I prefer dark burley