So Many New Blends

[puffy]

In years gone by I worked a lot of overtime so the cost of cigars and pipe tobacco wasn't an issue.In those days I could afford to smoke a lot of cigars so I did.I was familiar with most all the major brands and some not so major.I even got my hands on a couple of cubans.Recently I've been going on line checking out cigar sites.BOY.talk about a lesson in humility.In these many years that I've pretty much been away from them everything has changed.I don't have a clue about all these new ones around today.This isn't just about cigars.The same is true for pipe tobacco.It seems that new blends are coming on the market so fast.If I live to be a hundred I doubt if I can try all the ones that are out now let alone the ones that are yet to come.I guess it's good that there's a market for them.Maybe pipe smoking is making a bit of a comeback.I just feel that because I can't try them all I must be missing something good.

 

[igloo]

Puffy I like to buy cigar samplers just make sure they are full sized sticks before giving up your money . Pipe tobacco is a whole lot more bang for the buck . Every time a new blend hits the street I want to try it . But either I forget to buy it or I do and it justs sets there waiting in the cellar . Sometimes when I do open a new blend it is not all that and bag of chips . Everyone should have a dailey smoker and a treat blend or blends . But darn it , which one . That is were the trouble starts .

 

[matchstickman]

I find that a 2 ounce tin of the really good stuff is usually 9-11 dollars a tin. At this point in the game, I ahve a pretty good idea what I like and what I dont like based on the contents of a blend. At the rate I smoke, a tin will last me anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. If I pop a tin and don't like it, I figure I can always trade it off for something else. If I pop a tin and I do like it, I have a good, long going run with that particular blend. I order anywhere from 3 to 5 tins whenever I get paid, and I have built up a great cellar doing it that way. This hobby is pretty cost efficient for me and allows me to enjoy the highest quality product at reasonable cost.

Everyone should have a dailey smoker and a treat blend or blends

I consider every blend that I smoke and enjoy a treat blend.

 

[judcole]

Everyone should have a dailey smoker and a treat blend or blends

I humbly beg to disagree. I have a blend or two I can smoke everyday - but why limit myself? I typically have 12-15 blends open, and rotate between them. Usually I smoke two bowls of a latakia blend, and one of a virginia/vaper or burley every day. If I smoke a 4th bowl, it might be a good quality aro, or a codger burley, or maybe another latakia bowl. I frequently smoke a Syrian latakia in the morning, and a Cyprian at night.
As for trying them all: nope. Don't even wanna consider it. I know what I like. Va/pers and and aromatics or latakia crossovers are pretty far down the list for me. (There are exceptions of course.) I also know I prefer my latakia blends to have some orientals and/or balkans, and I orefer it if they don't have burley. I've learned all of this through a lot of trial and error over the past 8 years, when I picked up my pipe again after smoking cigars pretty much exclusively for 10-12 years.
Does this make me a tobacco fusspot? Yup. :D Does it save me a whole lot of aggravation and cash? You're darn tootin' it does. (Now, if you don't know what you like, I can see trying more blends - I sure did!)