One thing I've learned about tobacco blends!

[leparker]

DONT GO BY FIRST IMPRESSIONS! In my short experience as a full time pipe smoker, of all the blends I've tried I've only found one I'll never smoke again, that was a sample aro from 4Noggins. It may taken a dozen bowls in various pipes to appreciate a blend.

 

[rmbittner]

I tend to agree. I've had a few blends that I hated from the first couple of puffs -- largely due to their high nicotine content. That kind of thing isn't going to change down the road. . . . and I'm not going to try; I simply cannot smoke high-nic blends.
That said, I try not to review/rate blends until I've had at least 10 bowls. After all, it takes time to burn away the previous blends. And some blends take time to figure out in terms of ideal moisture level, packing approach, and smoking speed. Never mind that often our perceptions are colored by the time of day when we smoke, what we last ate, the weather, our overall mood. Lots and lots of variable that can affect what we think of a given blend on any given day.
Assuming you don't hate a blend early on or are made sick by it, I'd definitely recommend folks stick with a blend for at least half a tin (which, for me, tends to be around 10 bowls).
Bob

 

[mso489]

Definitely, the first bowl is just a glimpse. Often a blend gets better as you go.

 

[wilson]

I agree. It takes a few bowls, at least, to begin to fully appreciate a blend. There has been more than one blend that I found pretty disappointing at first, only to find that I really liked it by the time I was half way through the tin.

 

[halfy]

100% agree. Time is the crucial thing. I don't think one may understand a tobacco for smoking it for less than a few months and sometimes even longer. You have to try it in different pipes, status, humidity, occasion, moods ...

 

[cortezattic]

I have noticed that I am often enamored by the first bowl of a new blend. Perhaps only because it's a new experience, a change.

Soon after that the novelty fades and the blend loses its brilliance. So, for opposite reasons, the above advice still holds.
For purposes of reviewing a blend, rmbittner's comment resonates most with me:

Lots and lots of variable that can affect what we think of a given blend on any given day.

 

[jmill208]

DONT GO BY FIRST IMPRESSIONS!

Agreed. The other thing to consider is your changing (graduating) tastes. I tried a lot of tobaccos early on that got rave reviews and found them to be either too much for me to handle or didn't seem to live up to the hype. Luckily, I cellared what I bought.
The end result for me has been a few really great surprises waiting in those long ignored jars.

 

[dottiewarden]

Captain Black White tastes like the consummate pipe tobacco at first: half a dozen bowls in you wonder, "What was I thinking?"
Dot
P.S. This is just my experience. I have full respect for smokers of all brands and blends, and if CBW is your cup of tea, then smoke on!

 

[latbomber]

Totally agree. I only judge a blend after smoking at least a whole tin and through several pipes.