I'm Losing my Mind

[sablebrush52]

My big fear with unicorn blends is that they're hyped because they're hard to get and there's some psychology at play where people over-value something because they paid a bunch for it. Which isn't to say they aren't good, just maybe they're over-hyped. Good but not THAT good. Also, if it's SO great and hard to get, why would anyone be parting with any that they have instead of hoarding it?

The Psychopathy Of Scarcity dominates the Esoterica ecosphere. Something being scarce, it must be good and valuable.
By simply buying a bag here and a bag there, for years, from B&M's with whom I maintained a regular customer relationship, I avoided all that drama. I have to admit I was surprised by what I had accumulated when I packed up the cellar for the move. I'd forgotten about bags in this closet or bags in that bin, but it's about 35 to 40 pounds total with about 8 pounds of Stonehaven. I thought I had maybe 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of Stonehaven after giving away poundage of it to others. With the exception of a couple of bags, all of it is pre 2020, so, when the blends were still pretty good, before some of the Virginias were swapped out. Again, all bought at retail, no big effort to obtain.

 

[anotherbob]

The Psychopathy Of Scarcity dominates the Esoterica ecosphere. Something being scarce, it must be good and valuable.
By simply buying a bag here and a bag there, for years, from B&M's with whom I maintained a regular customer relationship, I avoided all that drama. I have to admit I was surprised by what I had accumulated when I packed up the cellar for the move. I'd forgotten about bags in this closet or bags in that bin, but it's about 35 to 40 pounds total with about 8 pounds of Stonehaven. I thought I had maybe 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of Stonehaven after giving away poundage of it to others. With the exception of a couple of bags, all of it is pre 2020, so, when the blends were still pretty good, before some of the Virginias were swapped out. Again, all bought at retail, no big effort to obtain.

I think we just discovered your retirement plan.

 

[KingcobraJFS]

I have a big fear of unicorn blends. I started smoking a pipe I guess only months after McClellans closed their doors. I saw the panic and sky high prices and noped myself right out of temptation. In my case, ignorance really is bliss and I'm happy to not know what I'm missing.

I started right before they closed their doors and didn't get to try any until I was sent a sample of a few blends. Turns out, I didn't really like what I tried, aside from 3 Oaks Syrian, and I'm a big Virginia guy.

 

[jpberg]

For the record, Brown Flake is really really good.
And there’s no substitute, never will be.
My recommendation would be:
Find something else you like
Get a second job so you can afford buying it second hand
Quit your job, so you can sit at home and capture it on release

 

[sardonicus87]

The Psychopathy Of Scarcity dominates the Esoterica ecosphere. Something being scarce, it must be good and valuable.
By simply buying a bag here and a bag there, for years, from B&M's with whom I maintained a regular customer relationship, I avoided all that drama. I have to admit I was surprised by what I had accumulated when I packed up the cellar for the move. I'd forgotten about bags in this closet or bags in that bin, but it's about 35 to 40 pounds total with about 8 pounds of Stonehaven. I thought I had maybe 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of Stonehaven after giving away poundage of it to others. With the exception of a couple of bags, all of it is pre 2020, so, when the blends were still pretty good, before some of the Virginias were swapped out. Again, all bought at retail, no big effort to obtain.

We have two B&Ms here. One of them is 99.9% cigar, carrying very little in the way of pipes or pipe tobacco.

The other one has a lot more pipes and tobacco, but there's not enough pipe smokers here for them to really be at the level of just getting some stuff like that when it's released. And being a small place, there's only so many things they can carry at any given time.

The owners are good people, and the one does smoke a pipe, but he predominantly smokes cigars. He's not ignorant when it comes to pipes or pipe tobacco, but he's not as versed as a regular pipe smoker would be. He's mentioned before trying to get Esoterica and being unable. He had a hard time getting in some regular G&H stuff.