I'm Late to the Party With Squadron Leader

[BPatrick]

Greetings everyone! Work has finally slowed down. I can take a breath, and relax.
I almost want to justify my post title by saying I'm a new pipe smoker but I am not. So why so late to the party?
Well, in the past this blend has been difficult to source and I had a rule, a while ago, that if something was a unicorn, or extremely small batch, or hard to get; then I'd pass on the blend and smoke other blends more readily available.
Well, I keep seeing it always available at the places I order tobacco and it occurred to me that I don't have it or have ever smoked it.
So I ordered 4 tins of it and I'm glad I did. Not because it's the best English blend I've ever smoked, but because it's a fantastic blend and an iconic blend. It is exactly what it should be.
Now, I have many light English blends so I'll make a point to rotate Squadron Leader into my rotation for sure. I smoked this blend, and really enjoyed it for what it is, not what it isn't.
Anyway, has anyone else found it hard to find Squadron Leader in the past? There are a few other blends I've steered clear of for this reason and will go back and check availability.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

It disappears maybe once or twice a year for a spell then it returns. Have you tried Skiff Mixture? I think it’s a better blend and pretty much always available. It’s a bit fuller flavored.

 

[BPatrick]

It disappears maybe once or twice a year for a spell then it returns. Have you tried Skiff Mixture? I think it’s a better blend and pretty much always available. It’s a bit fuller flavored.

Yes, I've had Skiff Mixture and like it. I really try to enjoy each blend for what it is. I think Squadron Leader is meant to be a mild blend and I really enjoy it for that. I do enjoy stronger blends so when I'm in the mood for something stronger I'm selecting Skiff Mixture over Squadron Leader .

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Yes, I've had Skiff Mixture and like it. I really try to enjoy each blend for what it is. I think Squadron Leader is meant to be a mild blend and I really enjoy it for that. I do enjoy stronger blends so when I'm in the mood for something stronger I'm selecting Skiff Mixture over Squadron Leader .

Couldn’t agree more. Squadron Leader is meant to be mild and an all day blend of sorts.

 

[shanez]

We're all late to the Squadron Leader party. It's an unsung hero.

 

[BPatrick]

We're all late to the Squadron Leader party. It's an unsung hero.

Agreed. I didn't want to get my heart broken again after Frog Morton. Now that I have Squadron Leader cellared, I seem to be spending all my money on G.L Pease's Old London Series. Especially, Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights. My 2 favorites and the tobacco I have most cellared. I've decided these are the 2 blends I can't do without. My redheaded wife seems to think I should have chosen her.

 

[kcghost]

All you have to remember is just to enjoy what you like. Most people have at least a passing interest in Squadron Leader. Most like it and some don't.

 

[BPatrick]

All you have to remember is just to enjoy what you like. Most people have at least a passing interest in Squadron Leader. Most like it and some don't.

In regards to Squadron Leader, if you like English blends, then you'll like squadron leader. The ones I find that don't compare it to Quiet Nights or another strong blend and say it's too bland. Lol. It's like ordering a light beer and then criticizing that it doesn't taste like an IPA.

 

[mortonbriar]

I prefer skiff mixture, I find it more subtle than SL. But both have great tin art.

 

[RookieGuy80]

Squadron Leader is a great mild English blend. I don't have too much trouble finding it usually. I'll usually order 5 or 6 tins at a time so I have enough until the next drop.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Squadron Leader is tasty stuff. It was either the first or second English blend I tried (along with Dunhill #965), and I remember being captivated. It was so exotic compared to the aromatics I had been juggling, and I no longer had to struggle to get flavor.

In the time since, I've tried much stronger English/Balkan blends, so when I finally got my hands on a few more tins of SL recently, I was a little surprised by how mild it seemed, and it didn't seem quite as much like smoking an exotic incense. Had the blend changed, or was it me? As I've worked through the jar, I've re-contextualized it as a mild Virginia-forward English blend, and am really loving it for that.

 

[BPatrick]

I

I prefer skiff mixture, I find it more subtle than SL. But both have great tin art.

Love the tin art

 

[BPatrick]

Squadron Leader is tasty stuff. It was either the first or second English blend I tried (along with Dunhill #965), and I remember being captivated. It was so exotic compared to the aromatics I had been juggling, and I no longer had to struggle to get flavor.

In the time since, I've tried much stronger English/Balkan blends, so when I finally got my hands on a few more tins of SL recently, I was a little surprised by how mild it seemed, and it didn't seem quite as much like smoking an exotic incense. Had the blend changed, or was it me? As I've worked through the jar, I've re-contextualized it as a mild Virginia-forward English blend, and am really loving it for that.

My grandfather got me into pipe smoking as he did. He explained to me that if you want to smoke on the house learn to love Aromatics and English blends. He'd smoke his English blends in his study in front of his fireplace or in the living room on a nice day with the windows open. My grandmother loved the smell of a pipe too but he didn't want to over power the house with English blends when windows couldn't be opened. He introduced me to his holy Trinity of blends: Dunhills EMP, MM 965, and NC. He said there are other great blends but these are the standards for all other comparisons. I love them as they are great blends but more so because they remind me of smoking with my grandfather. I now have 2 favorites, Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights. While I love their full flavors I have to admit, I still think I enjoy the Peterson blends more because of the fond memories of my grandfather. I learned so much about WWII from him. He'd talk about the different battles ( never details) and their significance, and as a paratrooper, he'd talk about the English infantry and airmen and how he got into pipe smoking from them. He would say, it didn't matter how much money someone came from, if they were a pipe smoker back then, you could tell they were a gentleman and had proper manners. He learned to go to the local tobacco shops and trade his American cigarettes for pipe tobacco. His cigarettes were in such demand that he'd get tons of pipe tobacco for it and he'd mail most of it home for his dad and uncle. I asked him what kind of tobacco it was and he'd look at me with a smile and say English son...we were in England lol. I wish he could try Chelsea Morning and Quiet Nights as I'm sure he'd love them.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Those are some wonderful memories to have, @BPatrick.

 

[BPatrick]

Those are some wonderful memories to have, @BPatrick.

Thank you. Before I knew it I was going off on a tangent with some wonderful memories and just decided to include them anyway.
He was a great man and very wise. Not school wise. His words, not mine. He left high school to fight in the war. From D Day through the European theater. Came back and was a machinist and tool and die maker.
He had a sophomore year in high school education and read so much you'd think he was a professor of world history.
He could fix almost anything. I asked him, when I was young, how he got so good at fixing things. He said he grew up poor in the Appalachian Mountains and if it broke you had to fix it. He said, Then I met your grandma and taught her how to drive. That's when I got really good at fixing stuff lol.

 

[tobakenist]

I am lucky that I live in the UK, SL is always in my rotation plus many English Blends.

 

[BingBong]

I smoked a ton of SL and then switched mainly to Skiff, often alternating between them.

I have an order in for packs of St Bruno Ready Rubbed and Gold Block, in order to blend them into "Ogden's Mixture", out of curiosity. While Mac Baren exists.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Another great mild/all day Squadron Leader style blend is LJ Peretti’s Royal. I know how recommendations are, but man, it really blew my mind how good it is. Seriously, give it a try. It’s got spectacular Orientals and on the more medium to mild side of Latakia. Not as much Virginias as SL, but still has great sweetness. It’ll make you think of mild, old school English mixtures from back in the day. It’s right there with Gawith and Pease’s stuff.

 

[BPatrick]

I am lucky that I live in the UK, SL is always in my rotation plus many English Blends.

That's a dream trip for my wife and I. We want to visit England. I just imagine a cool rainy night sitting by a big fireplace and enjoying a good pipe with a single malt.

 

[BPatrick]

Another great mild/all day Squadron Leader style blend is LJ Peretti’s Royal. I know how recommendations are, but man, it really blew my mind how good it is. Seriously, give it a try. It’s got spectacular Orientals and on the more medium to mild side of Latakia. Not as much Virginias as SL, but still has great sweetness. It’ll make you think of mild, old school English mixtures from back in the day. It’s right there with Gawith and Pease’s stuff.

That sounds great and thank you for the recommendation!