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alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
Some blends I love on first light. Others I'm not sure I like so much at first. Yet I keep smoking them for some unknown reason. Before long I've gone through a tin and think I really need some more of that, and they end up becoming a regular. I've had several of my favorites hit me that way. (Old Joe K - hated it, then ended up loving it, Cumberland - kind of didn't like it then loved it, and more) Lately I've been going back to Redburn, which initially I didn't seem able to make up my mind if I liked it or not, and now the tin is almost gone and I think I really need some more. I like it... I think... but is it a 1 tin buy to continue trial? or a 5 tin like?
Do blends (or which blends) ever hit you that way?

 

spartacus

Lifer
Nov 7, 2018
1,022
795
Mesa, Arizona
Bob's Chocolate Flake. First time I smoked it I thought it was unique. I smoked it again the next day and didn't care for it. I was going to cellar it except the next day it was calling my name. Smoked most of the tin and still can't decide if I like it or not.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Most non-aro reveal their charm soon if not immediately. It took me a second try with some aro's, such as Three Star Blue. I liked D&R Two Timer but it improved with a little time. On the other hand, some blends I liked right away faded in their appeal fairly quickly, like Lane's LL-7 and to some degree the rum aro Queen Anne's Revenge, when I found better versions with similar blends. Always wise for me to sample in small quantities, and often not smart to buy blends by the pound.

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,243
Alaska
All Virginias! When I first started smoking I found Virginias to be bland and boring. But I kept smoking them anyway because I didn't want to waste the tobacco and as my palate developed, slowly but surely they have become some of my favorite blends.

 

troyniss

Can't Leave
Jul 8, 2018
467
1,194
Michigan
I was not a fan of English blends at all when I started last year, but I've come to like the mustiness and campfire flavors it produces, gently reminding me of late summer and early fall camping.
My first tins of English were Chelsea Morning and MM965. I smoked all through Chelsea Morning and thought I wouldn't smoke English Blends anymore but I opened the MM965 after and it grew on me. I have since opened a tin of SPC Plum Pudding, although a Balkan, still has the parts of an English, and Plum Pudding is now one of my favorite blends to smoke.
I also didn't like burleys, and still really don't, but MacBaren HH Burley Flake is a great blend that I am starting to cellar.
I have also tried Redburn. Reading the tin description made me want to try it even more, but I still find it in my rotation may once every 20 smokes. I won't be buying it again. Perhaps C&D Burleys don't sit with me.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Sometimes jarring a blend I don't like and leaving it for months causes a magic transformation. I don't think it is mostly the aging, though that may help. Some drying may occur that is to the good. But some of it is approaching the rejected blend with fewer expectations and more curiosity, and a more open mind. Similar to reacting to people when you don't like the first impression, but later talking with them realize they are truly interesting.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
In my opinion, the best blends out there are the ones that take time for them to grow on you, that’s been my experience anyway. Also the blends that blew me away on first try tend to grow old fast. It’s like poppy radio songs, they have the same formula, verse, chorus, verse... you can sing along almost immediately but then by the 5th listen the same song makes you want to puke. But then you take a 10 min song by King Crimson, it’s complex and ever progressive, the first listen doesn’t really do much for you but with repeated listens you begin to “feel” it, you start to understand the meaning behind the song and its complexities and you can relate the the lyrics and compare them to your own life. The tempo change and the odd time signatures along with the perfect collaboration of true musical talent erupts into true musical bliss, it becomes something almost metaphysical, which gives you chills on the back of your neck. So yeah, in a way, pipe tobacco is like music for me.

 

timt

Lifer
Jul 19, 2018
2,844
22,729
St. Bruno Flake. The first couple times I smoked it, I was convinced there was something wrong with it. I thought it had fleeting moments of a sour, almost putrid after taste - or was it my imagination? But after sticking with it, I love it and have 3 pounds put away.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
King Crimson! I thought I was the only one that remembered! (And it made me see Red!)

Lol, you’re not alone! They actually just gave into the streaming apps so their music is up on Apple Music and the like so I’ve been jamming them a lot lately. I have a lot of their albums on vinyl but now I can listen to them in the car with ease. Now, if only Tool would follow suit.
St. Bruno Flake. The first couple times I smoked it, I was convinced there was something wrong with it. I thought it had fleeting moments of a sour, almost putrid after taste - or was it my imagination? But after sticking with it, I love it and have 3 pounds put away

Any friend of Saint Bruno, is a friend of mine.

 
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