Regular Rotation?

[anotherbob]

It's funny the two things people seem to have going on in their pipe tobacco ingestion schemes would be a big wide cellar and jumping around from blend to blend or the main blend and occasionally smoking a few other things. What I wonder is how many people are more like me. Where they have a collection of old reliables that are the majority of what they smoke. With the occasional trying something new to see if it can join the ranks. I ask because it just doesn't seem like that gets talked about much but I imagine it's more common. Like it would surprise me to find out something like a 1/4 (roughly speaking) of pipe smokers on and off forums have 4 to 10 blends they keep on hand and smoke again and again while throwing in a tin or two of something else.
Mine are Yorktown, Dark Twist, Key Largo, EGR, Five Brothers, Semois, and now Mixture 79. Those are the only ones I've bought multiple times and will buy sometime shortly after I run out of one. And yeah there are others that I've bought more then once and will again but I don't need them now.

 

[clynch]

I expect to become like you with a group of favorites. I'm currently in the early stages of finding what I like. It seems its much much easier to find what I don't like. Almost everything smells great. Right now my only true like is Capstan Blue. I'm deep diving Boswells Best and Lane RLP 6.

 

[scloyd]

I have about 3 dozen different blends in jars and I hop around from blend to blend. I smoke 2-3 bowls a month and I have way too many blends. Eventually, I want to get down to 8-10 favorites. One mistake I made, like many new pipe smokers, is I wanted to buy, buy, buy more blends...I wanted to try them all.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

At one time I chased around and tried as many blends as I could and was always buying the next new thing. As I've gotten older I have dialed in a few blends that have become my standbys. There are so many blends out there that you cannot try them all. I probably have 5-6 blends that I smoke most of the time and a cellar full of different stuff that I can break open when the mood strikes. Having said all that, I can still be tempted by a new blend if it sounds good and meets my criteria.

 

[reloader]

My go to blends are Haunted Bookshop, Pegasus, any Old Joe Krantz and KBV Burley Morning Pipe. I have quite a few others cellared but those are the ones I reach for most often.

 

[ashdigger]

My cellar used to be wide with over 90 blends.

I have less than 30 blends that just keep getting smoked. My two main blends are Capstan Blue and Granger.

For pipes, the main pipes a I smoke are BBB (all over 100 years old), my Peterson’s and my Ryan Alden’s.

This has all been very deliberate or delusional depending on the day.

 

[bullet08]

So far, I haven't smoked same blend twice. If I like the blend, I'll buy some for the cellar and move on. It seems there are so many choices out there, I don't think I can finish smoking all the known blends.

 

[anotherbob]

the funny thing is I like pretty much anything you give me to smoke. I've for example had two bad cigars both really expensive ones given as gifts that honestly where gross and kind of remind me of the "weirdiest" bands I like (you have to really love music to get into some of it, you know you have to have heard the same things so many times you need something different Starship Beer is a great example). I have smoked a handful of blends I didn't like in my pipe. One was a sample that never made it into production because pretty much everyone thought the same thing about it, one was local blend that two old guys smoked (never had anything like it actually tasted great but the room note was like a dumpster that a sick dog ate the contents of and then threw back up all on the hottest day in august well not quite but...) anything with too much PG. Otherwise the worst experience with tobacco is just not that impressed still enjoy it but... Why smoke something you don't love when there are blends you adore deeply.

 

[kcghost]

I smoke three blends regularly: Six Pence, Stone Henge, and Mad Fiddler. Have enough of each to last the rest of my life. I do have a few tins ( and I mean a few tins), of HH Rustica, Windjammer.

 

[AlanH]

My go to blends are Haunted Bookshop, Pegasus, any Old Joe Krantz and KBV Burley Morning Pipe. I have quite a few others cellared but those are the ones I reach for most often.

Pretty solid choices ?

 

[anotherbob]

So far, I haven't smoked same blend twice. If I like the blend, I'll buy some for the cellar and move on. It seems there are so many choices out there, I don't think I can finish smoking all the known blends.

I remember when it was the same way for me. It was super heady. Suddenly the internet has all these blends ones old pipe smokers smoked. (the local bm had some stuff they stocked and you could get mostly anything but had to buy a certain quantity that is prohibitive for a blend you don't know if you'll want 10 tins of or a lb. Suddenly I could try those and oh my god so much more. And then one day I'd make an order and realize wait a second I am more excited to get more of this then I am to try something new. I mean I still try new things and there are some semi regulars Escudo Erinmore, and university flake (yeah I like flakes.). That I buy a tin or two of a year.

 

[anotherbob]

Pretty solid choices ?

I have this weird sense there is some commonality between those blends. Like I should be able to figure it out but it's just a mystery.

 

[prairiedruid]

I have 10-12 jars in my rotation. Usually around 3 latakia blends, a couple of VaPers, a Virginia, a plug, a couple burley based blends and an aromatic or 2. That way whenever the mood strikes I have something right at hand.

 

[Hillcrest]

It's funny the two things people seem to have going on in their pipe tobacco ingestion schemes would be a big wide cellar and jumping around from blend to blend or the main blend and occasionally smoking a few other things. What I wonder is how many people are more like me. Where they have a collection of old reliables that are the majority of what they smoke. With the occasional trying something new to see if it can join the ranks. I ask because it just doesn't seem like that gets talked about much but I imagine it's more common. Like it would surprise me to find out something like a 1/4 (roughly speaking) of pipe smokers on and off forums have 4 to 10 blends they keep on hand and smoke again and again while throwing in a tin or two of something else.
Mine are Yorktown, Dark Twist, Key Largo, EGR, Five Brothers, Semois, and now Mixture 79. Those are the only ones I've bought multiple times and will buy sometime shortly after I run out of one. And yeah there are others that I've bought more then once and will again but I don't need them now.

I don't smoke my pipes as often as I would like; maybe 1 bowl a day avg. sometimes 2, 1/2 bowls. My standards so far: 30+ yr old Country Gentleman (a store blend similar to Parsons Blend), Smokers Pride Cherry Cavendish, and Old Toby. My trying out blends: Hunters Creek, Rivendell, Parsons Blend, and Whatever.

 

[anotherbob]

I have 10-12 jars in my rotation. Usually around 3 latakia blends, a couple of VaPers, a Virginia, a plug, a couple burley based blends and an aromatic or 2. That way whenever the mood strikes I have something right at hand.

oh yeah reminds me I always have an English blend on hand. But it changes.

 

[Grangerous]

I have a deep cellar for blends I love.
Granger - 24 pounds
Pegasus - 7 pounds
Winchester - 6 pounds
Crooner - soon to stock up! Crave this one often enough.

I have a wide cellar of samples and multiple tins. But the above are my regular crew.

I occasionally mix it up (but have to be in the mood) with the following:

University Flake
Presbyterian
CD Big n Burley
CD Haunted Bookshop
CD Burley Flake 2
CD Burley Flake 1
CD Briar Fox
CD Old Joe Blue
MacBarren Navy Flake
Solani ABF
Prince Albert
Carter Hall
SWR Regular
Half n Half

Most of the time it’s Granger and it seems all of the others only serve to solidify my appreciation for Granger. I know it sounds nuts, but I’ve never enjoyed a tobacco more.

On edit: Capstan Blue I’ve not tried. Hmm ?. If a fellow Granger aficionado likes it???

 

[dunnyboy]

Sean Ireland's tobacco reviews on the smokingpipes.com YouTube channel is my TAD gateway. Thanks to Sean, I have all sorts of stuff in my cellar from every genre, including too much semois that is finicky to smoke. Since I have to smoke indoors, it's hard to break open the latakia blends until the conditions are optimal for venting the room. So mostly I'm smoking virginia-based blends: Stonehenge; Solani Silver, Virginia and Aged Burley Flakes; Capstan Flakes both Blue and Gold; and St Bruno Flake. Thanks to Sean Ireland I'm also well supplied with Sillem's Councilor, which is darn good.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

This reminds me of this verse:

"Although variety's the spice of life
A steady rhythm is the source
Simplicity's the crucial thing
Systemically of course (work it all out like Norbert Wiener)

So when those French Girls say to you
'Would you like your ashes raked?'
You'll have to take their word for it
It's the only thing to take ..."

—Brian Eno,
"Seven Deadly Finns"

That said, I actually enjoy trying a variety of different blends that seem like they could be interesting. I've always had an adventurous palate when it comes to food and drink—tobacco is no different. When I come across blends I really like, I pick up more.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I'd say I'm in your category. I have a handful or 2 of blends that I have big jars of for daily rotation, and deep stock in my cellar. I probably try a new blend every week, but I stock up and mostly smoke my old reliable.
Sunday Picnic, Pegasus, Royal Yacht, Dark Birds Eye, 400 Navy Flake, 507 VA Slices, and a few more are my go to blends. Burley Flake #2 is slowly finding its way into my daily rotation.
I can't imagine not having a daily blend. I've seen some members discuss that they see that as a habit and not a hobby. I smoke 5 or 6 books a day, so it may be a habit in my case. But it's also a hobby. I have my morning smoke, my lunch time, and my night cap. Those never change. I try new blends around supper time and that's about it.

 

[clynch]

I have this weird sense there is some commonality between those blends. Like I should be able to figure it out but it's just a mystery.

Damn straight, same here.