Should You Give Blends A Second Or Even Third Chance?

[shanez]

Partly inspired by mso's regular posts, partly inspired Didimauw's "Change My Mind" thread, and partly inspired by a conversation I had with my wife at lunch while we enjoyed a glass of Yellow Spot, I thought I would throw this out there for discussion.

I first noticed it while tasting various Scotch whiskies that timing is a major factor in the experience. I also have noticed it with cigars very often. "It" being how much I disliked a particular drink or smoke but then really liked it when tried at a different time.

At first I thought it was just me but as it turns out it was not. How hungry/not hungry you are, what you just ate (or did not eat), how tired or alert you are, how thirsty you are, how "in the mood" you are, and myriad other factors truly influence how much you enjoy a drink or smoke experience.

Something that may seem harsh because of what you may have eaten or were not ready for can be not harsh at all at a different time. One really should try things several times and under different circumstances before passing final judgment. I know I would have missed out on many things that I think are great had I not reserved judgement.

So go ahead and try that blend again that you maybe didn't like the first time around. The results may surprise you. Of course, some things actually just aren't good no matter what.

Thoughts?

 

[stbruno70]

This is quite true.

Even if it means putting aside a baccy for a few days, weeks, months or even years, my perceptions can change. A tin exposed to air for a while can blossom into something wonderful, and an opened tin can mature over time into a masterpiece.

Of course the opposite can happen, so I try not to pass summary judgement on a tobacco tried for the first time.

 

[trouttimes]

I agree ! I have given blends second tries months after swearing they were only good for worm food and found them to be really good.
You hit things on the head. Your chemistry, your mood, what you have eaten, etc. all play into the experience in my opinion. This is why I advise people to stick in the cellar blends you don't like. You may come around. Unfortunately, it can go the other way too. I will pack up a bowl of something I love and wow, it taste really bad.

 

[seanv]

Too many variables at play to write things off quickly. I never throw a blend out or write off a whisky, cigar or anything based on initial impressions

 

[didimauw]

Absolutely. I try to atleast smoke through the whole tin before giving up on a blend. Not always straight through, sometimes it takes me a year to finish something.

Sometimes after the third bowl, I really start enjoying a blend. Sometimes it takes ten bowls. Sometimes there is nothing to enjoy.

 

[trubka2]

I give a blend a few tries over a period of months. Just because... obviously. But I'm not going to suffer through a whole tin of something that doesn't appeal to me in any way. Life is too short, and I don't owe that freaking tobacco nothing, least of all a chance to stop sucking.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Yes. I was repulsed by English blends for decades. Then one day, boom, I liked them.


Worse comes to worse and you bought a tin of a blend you don't like, just put some latakia in it. Latakia is the bacon of the tobacco world. It makes almost everything better.

 

[Waning Embers]

Latakia is the bacon of the tobacco world. It makes almost everything better.

Unless after smoking it for decades you've grown to despise it.

 

[lawdawg]

Agree 100%. I think most of the guys who do tobacco reviews would agree that you should smoke most of a tin, or at least a few bowls on separate occasions, before forming a complete opinion.

 

[beezer]

I didn't develop a taste for G.L. Pease's Gaslight until I was more than halfway through my first tin. The first few bowls of it were far from satisfying and at the time I regretted purchasing two tins. Fast forward to today and there are days when I really crave a bowl of it. Come to think of it I'm running quite low on it and should probably restock soon.

 

[logs]

okay but can we draw the line at deer tongue?

 

[briarbuda48]

GL Pease Abingdon believe it or not. The first time I smoked it I didn’t touch it again for several years I think. I smoked it with some age on it and have since purchased several tins for the cellar.

 

[jzbdano]

I have a couple hundred blends in jars that I've acquired over the last 4 years. Many purchased as partial tins from members on this forum or another. About a year into my piping career I thought I had too many jars of tobacco, too many open tins. I tried to be disciplined and dedicated and forced myself to finish a tin before I cracked open a new blend. What happened is I smoked less frequently because I didn't enjoy smoking as much. Now I won't finish a bowl if I'm not enjoying it. I'll bury that jar somewhere in the way back. I might come back to it, I might not. I've only dumped a few bowls but about 90% of my jars I've only dipped into a couple times. The other 10% of my jars get my attention 90% of the time. One thing that has happened in the last year after being disappointed by so many tobaccos is I have lost the desire to try new blends. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything anymore. I chuckle at the hype, especially these "Special Releases" and hard to find drops that I used to go nuts over. After settling down into my groove I like the pipe more than I ever have. So to answer the OP's question, No you shouldn't feel obligated to give a blend a second or third chance unless you don't have any better options.

 

[cigrmaster]

When Mac Baden old dark fired came out I didn’t care for it. I let it sit for months tried it agin and loved it. Now all of my ODF is 2012 and I love it. You never know when something will strike you just right.

 

[greeneyes]

It's like relationships. In an ocean of unpleasantry, the rare one that blossoms unexpectedly into something beautiful is truly something to be treasured.

That having been said, my personal opinion is that approximately 80% - 90% of the selection of currently available tobaccos is safely classifiable as unimaginative and pedestrian. Some might serve a purpose, like distracted smoking while working, but they're not otherwise worth your precious time. Of course it's up to each individual to decide where to draw the line on something like that.

 

[hawky454]

One word, Yes you should.

 

[nunnster]

I'm am now a firm believer in giving something atleast a tin before you say you dont like it, atleast if its not so bad that it makes you revolt. There are a number of tobaccos that I grew to adore that I wasnt a huge fan of out the gate. Mind you, that has limits, but most things now if I can atleast say something good about them initially then more then likely I'll grow to like or love them. However there are a couple things that I can not find any redeeming qualities about and those arent worthy of my time

 

[hauntedmyst]

Unless after smoking it for decades you've grown to despise it.

It sounds like you need to dig down deep, push past the pain and because the hero that you are by smoking it until it gets good again.

 

[Waning Embers]

It sounds like you need to dig down deep, push past the pain and because the hero that you are by smoking it until it gets good again.

Anything with much Latakia now tastes exactly the same. No going back from that. After exploring Virginia/Oriental blends, especially those with Yenidje, my once love for Latakia became a distant memory.

 

[yuda]

Usually if I dont like a blend I will try it in a few different pipes before leaving it alone for a while if I still dont care for it. Time has special affect on tobacco and taste buds, sometimes all it needs is the tiniest change to make it wonderful to smoke.