Who likes to smoke through one blend at a time?

[sparroa]

Who likes to smoke one blend at a time?
I presume that most of us only smoke one pipe at a time, but that's not what I mean...
I'm wondering who likes to smoke through an entire tin without interruption, staying faithful to the one blend?
Okay, that's strict. So maybe a couple "variety" smokes are allowed, but who consumes the same blend 80-90% of the time until the tin is finished?
I have come to prefer this mode of pipe smoking, in stark contrast to my early days when I was obsessed with trying different blends from bowl to bowl.
The benefits are twofold: you aren't left with stale or dry or otherwise unenjoyable tobacco; you also get to really know and love a blend. You find out what its made of and you appreciate its qualities and you really take notice of its quirks and downsides...
If one is so inclined, you can also marry your pipe with the character of specific tobacco by smoking it in the same pipe over and over. Pipe dedication really does make a big difference in my appreciation of a tobacco.
So who else does this?

 

[cleidophoros]

I do; when I open a tin I try to finish it as soon as possible unless it needs some airing or drying. Partly because I don't have easy access to many different blends; not too many distractions.

I find that smoking the same blend without much interruption helps me get said blend easier.

 

[kris]

I generally have about 4 blends on the go at any given time, a different one for whatever time of day it is....

 

[sparroa]

I think the initial palate shock of a new blend has led to thousands of bad tobacco reviews.
If you gave each blend a few bowls, nevermind a whole tin, then the reviews would be much more accurate and consistent. (People also take for granted that they are trying a new blend when they are sick, or after they ate a bunch of sweets or drank a beer - all of these things will distort your perception of a tobacco)
There's nothing wrong with smoking a variety of tobacco, but I usually find myself craving the same thing for the most part - the benefits listed above are just a bonus...
Occasionally, I want some burley to offset my diet of VAs; infrequently I will be in the mood for latakia.
(Very sound advice, by the way, to never throw anything out unless you've given it a few months of aging. If it doesn't give you an allergic reaction or turn your stomach, then you should jar it up!)
*PS to Roth: Do you find blends like Embarcadero at all similar to your house blend?

 

[oldredbeard]

I agree, I have also found that sticking basically to a certain blend does give you a better respect for the blend, even if sometimes it happens that you really don't care much for it. I always start the day with PA and coffee, but enjoy finishing the one new blend(to me) for that better aspect.

 

[rcstan]

+1 roth
I have my "mainstays" that make a daily smoke for me : SG Commonwealth and PS Balkan Supreme. I keep an empty tin of Commonwealth and replenish it from the jarred bulk stuff, and smoke out of it for at least a week, sometimes even two weeks. Balkan Supreme comes in bulk only, so I transfer some from the big jars to the little jars and the pouch and smoke that up.
I find myself smoking Balkan Supreme more than Commonwealth out of economic reasons though ::
Right now I have 2 tins opened for "occasional" use: Mc Baren Black Ambrosia and Seven Seas Red. I'll do maybe 2 bows a week each for a change of pace. Mc Baren has a very long "shelf life", usually about a month after opening before the top layer starts getting dry.
Grousemoor, the other mainstay, of which I religiously smoke one little bowl each evening before retiring, has its' own jar.

 

[sparroa]

I love and hate TobaccoReviews for the very same reason.
I feel it is like some crazy tobacco scripture that needs to be reinterpreted over and over again.
There are even kernels of truth in those bad reviews, but you'll probably need to read them a couple times over the span of many months before you can separate the good from the bad...
TR.com is a good way to waste a few hours if you like reading about tobacco - you'll always notice something different and it can make you nod in agreement or laugh or gnash your teeth.
The "sick with a cold" ones have to be the worst - how do they expect to taste anything?
To oldredbeard, Prince Albert is a perfect example of a tobacco that needs to be smoked quite a bit before you garner a good appreciation for it. Somebody brand new to a pipe who's never smoked anything before will most likely see nothing special about it, but there are qualities that emerge over the course of a few bowls that demand repeating... The same could be said for the other old codger blends - no fireworks here, just a dependable tobacco that will take your mind off the act of smoking itself.
I kind of felt the same way about Luxury Bullseye Flake - didn't see much to enjoy about it, it certainly was no match for Escudo, but now with a bit of time it has a marvelous bready taste that is great for times when you don't want to bombard the palate and you want your pipe to smoke itself.
rcstan, do you ever buy one-off blends just to try for their own sake or do you stick with the tried and true blends you listed? I take it you switch up the "occasional" blends every once in awhile... Your rotation is basically what I was talking about. Smoking one blend (or even style) for the vast majority of the time, and the rest you just throw in a few different flavours to mix things up...
Roth, thanks for your opinion - I must say I am very very curious about Sunday Picnic. Golden VA, Izmir, and perique is it not? I haven't had anything like that but it sounds delicious.

 

[rcstan]

roth there are two pipes I usually smoke Grousemoor through : The Pete African Meer and the Belgique. I smoke other blends in the African Meer, but since my daily routine is heavy English/Balkan aka Lat Bombs it's a non-issue.
simenon I used to buy pairs of tins or 4 oz increments of bulk when I first started smoking to "try out", I'd smoke some, get an idea .... if they really weren't my cuppa but still quality I'd trade them ( which started getting expensive figuring in postage, envelopes etc ) ..... if they were "dogs" ( yes, I had some of those ) I'd put them in the leftover jar and give them to one of my neighbors who smokes the relabeled RYO.
Eventually I figured out what I liked and started stocking up on it. I still buy an occasional tin or two of something that sounds good ( to make the $99 threshold for free shipping at 4noggins for example ) or throw some $$ at an ounce or two of something that sounds good here at the B&M ( even though 90% of his stuff is Aromatics and I smoke mostly Englishes ), but as a rule of thumb I haven't placed strictly TAD orders since this spring.
My baccy budget and cellar seem to go further since then too :P

 

[flyguy]

I like to rotate four different blends, mixing in an odd blend every once in a while. My only concern is that maybe the tins/bulk tobacco will start to go stale before finishing. I do keep my tins/bulk tobacco in a humidor after opening. The great thing about pipe smoking is the variety and there are not too many tobacco blends that I dislike.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am an unmitigated whore. I have a rotation of over 20 blends that I smoke consistently. I love variety and I honestly could never see myself smoking one blend 70% or more. Now you have to understand that my 20 plus blends are all VA or Vaper flakes so they are in the same families. I usually start my day with a lighter va flake such as Dunhill Flake, Wessex Gold Virginia Flake, F&T CVP or Vintage or Hamborger Veermaster or Rotary Navy Cut. My next bowl of the day will be a stronger flake like a Wessex Brown VA flake, or Astleys no. 44 Dark Flake or John Aylesbury Luxury Flake or SG Best Brown flake. My next one is usually a vaper flake like Escudo or Solani 633 or Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls or SG St James Flake. My next bowl will go up in strength to say SG FVF or Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake or Stonehaven or Solani Silver Flake . The next bowl will go even stronger to say Petersons Irish Flake or Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired. I love having a lot of choices and always keep plenty of open tins and bulks available to suit whatever mood I am in. I have no issues keeping a tin open for well over 2 months without it going dry with my storage methods. I just discovered a new flake that will make my rotation, it is Wessex Gold Brick, it is a tasty va plug that has just a hint of coffee.
I am also always on the lookout for new blends, I recently tried Wessex Burley Slice and after the first bowl which was just ok, I will put it away for some months, dry it out some and try it again. I honestly do not know how people can review a blend after just one bowl. I will smoke that Burley Slice at least 10 times before I decide if it is for me. It has potential which I can see after the first bowl, and I know age will help. If I didn't have this system I would have missed out on some of my favorites. Old Dark Fired is one I did not really care for when I first tried it but now I love it, same with Irish Flake. The reviews on TR are very helpful if you can see past the people who really have no business reviewing tobacco. It has been a valuable resource over the years for me and most of my favorites are because of that site. I look at reviews from the older guys and the ones that have similar tastes to mine.

I think one of the things that I love so much about pipe smoking is the plethora of blends that are incredible tasty. As much as I love lobsta I would not eat it ever day, same principle applies to how I enjoy my pipes. The old saying that variety is the spice of life holds very true for me and my tobacco.
Anthony, great topic by the way, thanks for posting it.

 

[ohin3]

I am way too ADD to smoke one tin at a time. I usually keep 20 or so on the go in mason jars.

 

[cigrmaster]

ohin, you think I have the same issue? lol

 

[ohin3]

Im just in the mood for different tobaccos at different times. I go through the same thing with single malt whisky. I had to get a bunch of small bottles to keep all of my open single malts. Never in the mood for the same whisky all the time.

 

[nsfisher]

I keep about 25-30 blends on the go, and seldom smoke a bowl that is not layered or mixed.

 

[vaboatbuilder]

i usually buy in small amounts so it no problem finishing one befor i move to another. I just bought my first tins, so we will see how that goes. not too hard at the moment im trying it in different pipes. i need to find somthing other than a aromatic to try tho. im still lost on the whole tobacco issue.

 

[captainbob]

simenon,
Whatever you determine is the best enjoyment for you is the best way to go! Me thinks we think alike? Except, I have three pounds of my three C&D blends in operation all the time and I rotate pipes dedicated to those blends and I rotate the blends throughout the day as well. So, I guess I do what you do "times-three". I always say, smoke what you enjoy and enjoy what you smoke. Carry on, Bro.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[rigmedic1]

I think I have the equivalent of tobacco ADD. I have 28 different things open at the moment, and the only things I smoke with any sort of regularity are Edgeworth and Old Dominion. Besides those two, I have been trying some 4th Gen 1957, Esoterica Pembroke, Peterson Irish Whiskey, Sutliff Barbados Plantation, McClelland Christmas Cheer 2008, and I just poppped open a gift of Peterson Holiday 2012. That'stoday, anyway.

 

[sparroa]

I figured that the majority would have a large rotation of blends but I'm not quite sure that that approach works for me anymore. I am happiest when I find a blend that I like that makes me crave for the next bowl; as a result, I seldom feel a need to switch up.
If I get slight palate fatigue, a bowl or two of burley tends to snap me out of it and I can go back to the tin in question.
Maybe I am too sensitive to moisture changes or "degradation" of the tobacco? I'm not sure.
All I know is that when I smoke from blend to blend, I can't dial in well enough on the flavours and I am often left dissatisfied. I could spend an hour smoking a new blend and end up wishing that I had my usual blend instead.
I should note that I picked up this practice when I began to smoke predominantly Virginias. That may be a factor.
Harris, there is definitely a wide range of flavours in your chosen blends but since they're all VA flakes of one kind or another they do have certain affinities so I guess you scratch the itch for consistency that way.
Come to think of it there are probably a lot of "specialists" who stick with one type of leaf. I've mostly come across people who are diehard burley smokers but now that I think of it I hear of aro guys and lat heads all the time.
Captain Bob, do you just smoke your own blends exclusively? I suppose I would smoke my own custom blends, too! I want a full dark VA flake cased with molasses and a dark yet medium strength VA flake cased with tonquin named in my honour.
Vaboatbuilder, there is a lot of temptation with tins to crack open every single one but I have come to dislike that practise over time. It just doesn't work for me. You may sing a different tune if you are a frequent smoker because that'll make it easier to manage so many open jars...

 

[philip]

I usually have four tins open at once. One for each major tobacco category.

I don't have a lot of room for a bunch of unopened tins.
I do think prolonged exposure to a blend helps my appreciation of it.

 

[cigrmaster]

Anthony, you are right, I am pretty consistent in that, I only smoke Virginia's or Virginia/Perique or Virginia/Burley blends. I wonder how many folks smoke all 4 of the major categories? I think most of us fall into certain camps, lat guys, aro guys, va guys and burley guys.
I wonder if we took a poll, how many are whores like me and Nsfisher and rigmedic1 compared to guys with much smaller rotations? I would not be surprised to see that there are many more with smaller rotations than large ones. Maybe Kevin can ask that question on his next smokers poll.
Sam, it is advisable to smoke all types of different blends when starting out, everyone needs to get a feel for what is out there and then they can focus on what is for them. Just don't be surprised if your tastes change many times on this journey, it has happened to many of us.