That first English... the horror.

[petes03]

I should state that I only commented on the Grousemoor, and that I don't consider it an English, but rather a Lakeland.

I actually liked my first English, which was Boswell Countryside. I admit that the first few puffs I was thinking "What the hell is this $#!+?", but half way through the bowl that changed to "Hmm... This stuff ain't half bad!"

Grousemoor wasn't the first Lakeland I'd had either, it was the second. But after giving two completely different Lakelands a try, I feel I can safely say that I really DON'T like Lakelands!

 

[cuchulain]

Sean81- I had the same reaction.

 

[anglesey]

+5 grousemoor. I smoke this exclusively in a clay cause I'm that worried about it ghosting. Other than that, I live it, when I'm in the mood.
I'm sorry to read about your experience with 'English' blends though, they're my favourite.

 

[metarzan]

It was and still is Peterson Old Dublin for me. It came highly recommended and my first venture from aros. Still to this day I can't use the pipe it tainted. Will have to try this Grousemoor you guys speak of...

 

[allan]

It still amazes me how tastes change.
When I first started pipe smoking, it was only drug store (candy store) blends such as Capt Black, Amphora, etc.
The tobacconist at my pipe store suggested some English blends, and I just couldn't understand why anyone could smoke that stuff.
1 year later, my favorites are all 'English' blends.
Amazing hobby, isn't it?

 

[andrew]

That said, I do wish to one day try C&D Epiphany but I am very hesitant over flavoring concerns.

Give it a go, I ordered 4 ounces and it's a nice light english blend but pretty strong, kind of like EMP strong. You can smell some kind of flavoring on the tobacco but it really isn't at all aromatic.

 

[portascat]

Haddos Delight...heh.
That stuff will have you stumbling around the house and calling old girlfriends.
Got a tin of it that must be 3 years old with no more than 4 bowls out of it. I keep it around and smoke it about one a year in a Savoy.

 

[drwatson]

Haunted Bookshop and Bagpipers dream!

 

[kalvort]

My first english was Davidoff Royalty. To be fair it did get a bit better by the time I was half way through the tin. Never again!

 

[fearsclave]

The first pipe tobacco I tried was some Brigham's Vanilla Maple.
When I returned to the local B&M, a kiosk in the local mall, which, thanks the the heroic proletarian shock legislators drafting the People's Democratic Republic of Ontario's glorious enlightened tobacco legislation, which boldly marching forward into the future will bring about... Well, something.
Anyhow, since my local B&M can't put anything on display without getting hauled off, put up against the wall, and shot like the yellow running dog bandit lackeys of the international bourgeois Trotskyite-revisionist arm of the capitalist-imperialist conspiracy to enslave the whoops sorry I had to shop from a catalogue.
Which I did with aid of the organ of the people's revolutionary tobacco press, tobaccoreviews.com on my phone.
I wound up picking some Solani White & Black on that basis. When I opened it, it took me a while to figure out how to describe the tin note. Not quite Stalin's unwashed socks... I ultimately settled on "fermented prune cough syrup".
However, it proved to be rather nice stuff when smoked, and definitely steered my n3wbish explorations further into English/Balkan territory.