In what order do you smoke your tobacco to get the most out of it.

[addamsruspipe]

Morning all. So had a question for everyone out there. Last night I had a bowl of Mississippi River which was good, then I had a bowl of Black Knight which surprised me by being much better then when I had it a week before. It got me to thinking is it better to alternate your tobacco when smoking or is it best to smoke several bowls of the same blend to get the most out of it. Is there a preferred method that will help me get the most flavor out of my blends?

 

[warren]

Not trying too hard would be my simple suggestion. You are certainly not in competition with your pipe or the blends.

 

[Waning Embers]

No rhyme or reason here. Whatever tickles your fancy at the moment.

 

[cortezattic]

You're probably onto something there, addams... It certainly makes sense to have a clear palate before smoking something delicate, and saving the bold flavors (GL Pease comes to mind) for after dinner, or following a full bodied blend. I haven't ever paid too much attention to it, but there are those times when you light-up a bowl and the stars seem to align. I've never tried to design a sequence of blends though, to see what works best. ::

 

[mso489]

Just because I have a number of blends available -- open tins, jars, pouches, tubs -- I don't usually smoke the same blend in a row, but I certainly circle back before completing the whole rotation when I am especially enjoying something. This is like pleasure. No program applies. This is one of those things where you ask yourself, what do I want? It's no more complicated than that.

 

[cortezattic]

No program applies. This is one of those things where you ask yourself, what do I want?

Well, it doesn't have to be based on an impulse. We certainly organize our meals with a program of sorts (breakfast foods, lunch, dinner); and within meals, an order of courses is pretty conventional. It's just that I've never heard of anything so organized in pipe smoking -- though there may be something to it.

 

[tschiraldi]

I truly believe you need to smoke several bowls of a blend exclusively for a while as you are getting to know it. Try it in different sized pipes and prepare it differently. Pack it looser or tighter. With flakes, fold and stuff them, rub them out loosely, cut them into cubes, and stick them in a coffee grinder. I find it often takes me a half a tin before I really understand the blend. After you've become familiar with it, it is fine to then alternate in a rotation. Just my 2 pennies on what works for me. Happy smokes!

Tim