Tobacco Choices in Lithuania. What do you Think?

[Distant Roads]

In my country (Lithuania) there is just one line of pipe tobacco stores. They mostly have up to twenty well known aromatics and only few English and Virginia's blends. I suppose the choice is more than sufficient for the beginner like me. I smoke aromatics very rarely but I try to get acquainted with available English and Virginia blends.

So these are English, Virginia and Burley blends available in Lithuania. What do you think about them? There are some classics here, right? And these should cover English and Virginias of different kind and strength, right? I guess whoever is doing selection, tried to cover basic stiles of tobaccos. What do you think, is it a fair selection?

English blends are:
Rattray's 7 Reserve; Robert McConnell: Boutique Blend, Marylebone, Covent Garden; Ashton's Artisan's Choice; McBarren Vintage Latakia (I bought the last box of that one). They used to sell Vintage Latakia until recently too.

Virginias:
Rattray's Old Gowrie; Peterson Sherlock Holmes, H&H Old Dark Fired, and Three Nuns.

Burley:
Amphora Burley Blend.

 

[OzPiper]

You have a far better choice than I have in Sydney, Oz

I walked into a "tobacconist" last week and asked for pipe tobacco.
The (very) young female shop assistant looked blankly at me.
She then pointed me to a counter full of equipment that were obviously meant for smoking substances other than tobacco.
At which stage I thanked her politely, and left.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

No Gawith in Lithuania? I thought that was sold throughout Europe.

 

[PipeIT]

You have a far better choice than I have in Sydney, Oz

I walked into a "tobacconist" last week and asked for pipe tobacco.
The (very) young female shop assistant looked blankly at me.
She then pointed me to a counter full of equipment that were obviously meant for smoking substances other than tobacco.
At which stage I thanked her politely, and left.

But, it does look like you’ve got nice cigar shops. Sheesh Sydney has a lot more going on than this flea speck of a dot in the world I’m on. LOL

Ok, you send me Cubans, and I send you pipe tobacco! LOL

 

[Pipke]

Good selection. You should be able to order more blends from the same brands.

 

[OzPiper]

But, it does look like you’ve got nice cigar shops. Sheesh Sydney has a lot more going on than this flea speck of a dot in the world I’m on. LOL

Ok, you send me Cubans, and I send you pipe tobacco! LOL

Yes, quite a few cigar shops in Sydney.
For those who can afford the prices there is an excellent selection of Cubans.

The excise on tobacco rises annually. And is now a whopping AUD$1.90 per gram
Since the impost is on weight, a $2.00 stick is taxed the same amount as a $50.00 stick of the same weight/size.
No point in smoking "cheap" stogies.

 

[didimauw]

I am a big fan of Amphora burley, and old dark fired. Great blends.

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Much much better situation than here, in Greece. Enjoy!

 

[Roach1]

Since you are in an EU country try ordering from Estervals in Germany. Drop their Service an email asking about what conditions apply. They have a very good selection. Pfeifen Huber in Munich also has a wide selection.

 

[bullet08]

If Artisan's Choice is same as Artisan's Blend, I can live off that blend. Pretty good Latakia blend, complex and tasty.

 

[Distant Roads]

Since you are in an EU country try ordering from Estervals in Germany. Drop their Service an email asking about what conditions apply. They have a very good selection. Pfeifen Huber in Munich also has a wide selection.

Unfortunately, shipping to Lithuania (among some other countries) are not possible. This is what Estervals says. I guess this is because our local tobacco laws are very strict. And most EU pipe sites says „no shipping of tobbaco products“.

Estervals is one of sites I look for tobaccos descriptions/reviews because they also refer to blend's „tongue agreeableness“ (very good, good, passible).

 

[BrightDarkEyes]

Your selection is better than my little town. There is one good English blend and there used to be Amphora Kentucky until someone passed through town and cleaned out the shop that had it.

Luckily, I can order from smokingpipes.com in Canada.

I really like Three Nuns and Old Dark Fired. As for the rest of those blends I can’t say. I haven’t tried them.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Your best bet for a daily consumption is Amphora,and old gowrie . Barens dark fired for afterdinner , i dont know much about english blends

 

[judcole]

Amphora Burley, Old Gowrie, and Sherlock Holmes are all fine blends.
Try everything, and see what speaks to you.

 

[Distant Roads]

Thank you so much for your sharing and advice. It really changes my attitude. I should be thankful for the blends we have and I have to get to know them first. I'll take it as a sign of providence. :D

I tried the Boutique Blend a month ago and found it a bit lacking in character. But with my lack of experience I shouldn't be too quick to judge and I should show some respect to the blend by not rushing the process and not having any preconceived notions! So today I tried this blend again with a different attitude. And I liked it a lot! It is very gentle and full of flavours. What a good day!

 

[ziv]

Thank you so much for your sharing and advice. It really changes my attitude. I should be thankful for the blends we have and I have to get to know them first. I'll take it as a sign of providence. :D

I tried the Boutique Blend a month ago and found it a bit lacking in character. But with my lack of experience I shouldn't be too quick to judge and I should show some respect to the blend by not rushing the process and not having any preconceived notions! So today I tried this blend again with a different attitude. And I liked it a lot! It is very gentle and full of flavours. What a good day!

Is some ways, limited selection is better than having access to endless options. It's the paradox of choice, right? With so many options to choose from, you often end up unsatisfied with the choice you made and wondering if some other option was better. Whereas with a limited choice, you can take your time, try every option and figure out what you like.

 

[Distant Roads]

Is some ways, limited selection is better than having access to endless options. It's the paradox of choice, right? With so many options to choose from, you often end up unsatisfied with the choice you made and wondering if some other option was better. Whereas with a limited choice, you can take your time, try every option and figure out what you like.

Thanks, yes, exactly!

 

[Sigmund]

I could be happy with Artisians Blend and Old Gowrie. Techincally OG is a Vaper. I prefer some perique (or a lot of it) with virginia. Old Dark Fired is a good tobacco but just not my personal taste on a regular basis...but it is good.

 

[kcghost]

At least you have a few decent blends to choose from.

 

[PipeIT]

@Distant Roads do you know Synjeco? They might ship to you...

Synjeco's Pipe Smoker's Haven

www.synjeco.ch