Tobacco question

[moonman]

I joined this forum a couple of months ago and I have really enjoyed the opinions, advice and all round good information and wisdom on pipes and tobacco and smoking in general from all of you.
First let me say I have smoked a pipe off and on my whole adult life (62 now) but none more seriously than the last six months. I enjoy it, it relaxes me in an ever changing fast paced world.

I also am like others, searching for the Holy Grail in pipe tobacco. One that I will never get tired of and smoke all day if I choose. I am finding there are many I like.

I think I have purchased and sampled and smoked at least 20 blends over the last three months.

So I thought I would try and keep up with them so I started a spreadsheet....rating them from 1-10 for taste, how it burns, room note, cost per ounce, etc. I have also found out that I am very partial to English blends.
But here is my dilemma....some tobacco's I tried maybe two months ago would only rate a 3 or 4 for one reason or another or I ask myself, would I purchase this again? Sometimes the answer was no.

But now, I go back several months later and re-sample the same blend in the same pipe, it will rate higher marks. And some that were high are now lower? So I ask myself why did I give it this rating?

How do I explain this? Has the tobacco aged and yields a better flavor? Is it my mood or taste buds on a particular day? Does food I've eaten during the day influence it?
Am I crazy or have others experienced this. Do I even try to rationalize this or just accept it or is there a reason?
I am far from an expert on pipes or tobacco so I would like to hear what others have to say on this subject. Many of you have smoked for decades and I value your knowledge.

Thanks,

Moon
(you may say, Hey Moon, you're crazy...lol)

 

[anglesey]

I often say you age as much as the tobacco. The tobacco might change it's flavours, but your opinion towards one you dislike softens over time, and it's never as bad or whatever as you remember.

 

[mso489]

Yes, it's a moving target. That's why it's good to have an ample rotation, if you can and play around

with mixing blends, at least a little, to suit your tastes of the moment. Usually you can get your selection

to be pleasing most of the time. Some days, nothing tastes good. Such is life.

 

[fadingdaylight]

I would say that all of those factors could have an impact. Age of tobacco can certainly change the flavor, but so can what you have eaten. I can't get scientific on this, but I think most of us have experienced it. Just like the way coffee pairs better with some tobacco than tea. Mood could certainly have an impact (IE, smoking latakia when your wife is mad, just because she hates the smell, and that makes it taste great sometimes...)

 

[foggymountain]

All the things you mention are in play. There is something you did not mention. A new pipe often has a strong taste from the wax & stain. After a lot of smoking that lessens and eventually disappears, unless you re-wax or buff it. That is why some guys prefer well broken in estate pipes. (I am not among them. I love the taste of a new Dunhill, while appreciating how it improves with exercise.)

 

[salewis]

Usually, no matter what the blend, whether it be Virginia, latakia or other oriental blends they will change with age. Especially the Virginia based blends they age very well. Even a latakia blend will soften as I ages and become more smooth. Usually, when we refer to age most pipe smokers are talking at least a year.

 

[eastwoodaudio]

Not much else to add here, but I agree with everything mentioned above. My tastes have matured quite a bit I believe. I always liked Virginia flakes, and VA/Per blends, much I'm able to pick out more of the subtleties lately. Also, blends are becoming more consistent for me, if that makes any sense. The first time I tried Christmas Cheer, I knew it was something special, and likes it the most out of any pure virginia blend. However now, it's probably my absolute favorite non-Latakia blend. Sometimes it doesn't taste as good as other days however, which I attribute to what I've eaten/drank that day, or even the temperature/humidity. It's really cool to revisit blends I set aside that I didn't care much for at the time and see if I like them more now.
Another example is McClelland's red cake. I thought it was pretty boring and bland when I first started smoking a pipe. Now, I could smoke it by itself. Hope this helps a bit!

 

[moonman]

All very good points, gives me a lot to think about and consider and what better way than to smoke my pipe as I ponder all these comments. Many thanks to all of you.

 

[cigrmaster]

Another thing to consider is that certain pipes will smoke certain blends better than others. For example if you are smoking a Virgina Flake in a group 4 Dublin and then smoke that same blend in a group 6 Apple, you can get a completely different experience. When I get a new pipe, I will try a number of different blends in it to see what works best.

 

[dottiewarden]

I have been experiencing something similar. Although I have only one go to in my rotation of four different blends of pipe tobacco, I find the smoking experience can be dramatically different from bowl to bowl. I remember one bowl that was absolutely delicious from beginning to end and a couple that were almost unsmokeable. In my case I attributed it to two factors: moisture level of the tobacco and smoking cadence. When I opened the first pouch the tobacco was a bit too moist and I was far too inexperienced to know the difference. On another occasion upon opening a new pouch the tobacco was quite dry, and this is a Little more difficult to remedy, especially on the spot. I decided to smoke it anyway: it was horrible. Even worse I had to wait about 4 days for it to remoisten. My smoking cadence has also slowed down and that has improved the flavor of the tobacco immensely.
Dot

 

[topd]

I'm with cigrmaster on the pipe! I don't dedicate pipes as I smoke English Blends almost exclusively, but have certain pipes I like with a certain mixture. I know this sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it's not because I'm concerned with ghosting. I've been smoking long enough to just about tell if I'll like or dislike a tobacco from reading the contents in the description.

One I like is Butera's Pelican. I'll smoke it in a meer, brier, calabash or clay. But when I smoke it in my 1932 Dunhill Shellbrier, it's so good I could almost get a spoon and eat it right out of the tin! It's a mystery to me on why, so I just go with it.

Another thought is this: I'm not a dentist and have no toothpaste stock, but I recommend brushing your teeth after eating to prepare to smoke. I don't claim to brush after every meal, but when I do, it just improves the experience for me...

Keep experimenting and you'll find what you like best. Keeping a log is a great idea, I wish I had started one 40 years ago!