PSA - Sometimes Your Favorite Blend Stops Being Your Favorite

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I seldom smoke a favorite tobacco more than one maximum two weeks in a row,after this period I use to switch to another blend,

variety adds to enjoyement.

 

[youdancer]

It comes and goes doesn't it. For a year Director's was my go to, now there's no life in the blend for me. Sure it'll change back one day. Right now I'm loving the Sixpence I couldn't stand for ages no matter how many times I went back to it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've smoked Black Frigate for twenty years and it hasn't failed me yet.

Embers, 340 pounds?! I consider myself to be a fairly heavy pipe smoker and I use 6 pounds about a year. 340 pounds would take me nearly 57 years to consume!

There are many people, several of them on here, with easily twice that amount.

 

[sablebrush52]

There are many people, several of them on here, with easily twice that amount.

Absolutely! The the nice people with the butterfly nets are coming to take them to a nice safe place.
For whatever reason, Neal, you've grown tired of Doblone d'Oro. It tastes like ash. Time to switch it up.
When it comes to pipe tobacco, over familiarity always breeds contempt with me. That's why I've stocked a variety of blends and also why I'm not sitting on 10 or 20 lbs of any one thing. I like to change it up. That helps keep the flavors fresh for me. The amount I smoke a day is about half to one third what it was just a few years ago, and I enjoy my smokes more.
If I never bought another tin (and I'm feeling much less inclined to buy online with the growing states scrutiny combined with the procedural ineptitude of online sellers in addressing it - you guys can get the huge excise tax bills with penalties) I probably have more than I'll live to smoke. I'm not stocking up as an investment vehicle, so my modest cellar will suffice just fine. It has nice variety with sufficient depth for me. If I run out of something, it won't be the first time and I won't care.

 

[mso489]

sable', me too, but I haven't philosophized about it as effectively.

 

[bnichols23]

There are many people, several of them on here, with easily twice that amount.
Absolutely! The the nice people with the butterfly nets are coming to take them to a nice safe place.

OHHHkayyyy, now, Jesse..... The only reason I'm letting you slide on that is that you're usually not the guy who tells us to heave to & prepare to be boarded. ::
Bill

 

[cigrmaster]

Neal, I just looked at how much Doblone I bought when it was on sale back in November of 2018. I bought 35 100 gram tins which works out to 7.7 pounds. For a blend that tasted that good and had so much aging potential I figured 35 tins would be a nice number. I will eventually finish the first tin I am smoking from and age the rest for a few years before opening a new tin.

 

[alexnc]

I'm sitting on a few tins of Doblone and haven't tried it yet. Sounds like I better pop one.

340 lbs of stash - wow - that would run 15 years if you smoked an ounce a day!

 

[npod]

I agree with everyone above.
Remember, the original post was a PSA. This is not the first time my palate changed. I wanted to let some of the newer pipe smokers know that this does indeed happen and even experienced pipe smokers change their preferences from time to time.
It's an important teaching point. Often we read message boards looking for the "holy grail" or "tell me your favorite blend" or "What is good to cell". While there are some very good recommendations, based on experience, it is still important to listen to your own heart when it comes to spending money.

 

[npod]

It's back baby!

I laid off Doblone D'Oro for a few months and returned to smoking it this fall. Everything is good in the world again. The blend tastes magical, just like the first time I tried it.

Like others said above, sometimes you just have to hold off on a blend for a while if it isn't smoking well for you.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'm not sure if it is seasonal, allergies, sinus infections, mood or what, but the palate just seems to change a bit now and then. Maybe some of all of the above. One good reason why I smoke a variety of blends rarely smoking the same blend twice in a given day.

 

[cigrmaster]

Neal, glad to hear you are enjoying it once again. Sometimes a little break is all you need.

 

[mtwaller]

I’ve experienced the same phenomenon with SPC Plum Pudding recently. It used to light my very soul on fire with it’s zesty orientals and deep complexity. Now, it falls flat and tastes somewhat unremarkable. However, I noticed that the last tin I opened has a different cut. It’s like 3 huge cakes instead of lots of little broken cakes. I wonder if the change in process has somehow altered the flavor? I rather doubt it, and I’ve also only rarely smoked Plum Pudding, so my palette isn’t burned out. It took me almost 8 months to finish 1 tin of it. Shrug who knows... as many others have said, absence might make the heart grow fonder.

 

[Paul 3.0]

Presbyterian was the first I loved back in 04-05. And throughout the years. I dunno maybe aging physically 15 years (39 now) the palette has changed and it just doesn't do it for me anymore. GLP Meridian was one that hit me in the last few years like Pres did back then. Do keep it on hand.

 

[UncleRasta]

Sometimes your palate just flat out changes. It happens. Don't fret. Tell the tobacco thank you and move on.
[/QUOTE]
Hopefully, this happens before one cellars' pounds and pounds of the stuff lol

 

[mrenglish]

I went through this with St. James Flake. It was my main smoke, so much so that I bought fifteen pounds in 2012. Anyway, around 2013 it was not doing it for me any longer so I sold some off and stashed the rest. Broke open a jar recently and now its back into my regular rotation. This was a long hiatus but I am glad I did not sell it all off to purchase other tobaccos with.

 

[didimauw]

I went through the same thing with Carter Hall. After I found C&D Briar fox, it was all over. CH now tastes ashy and bland to me now. I still smoke it occasionally, but it's no longer my favorite.