What did you think of Abberant?
And I hope some of that GH stuff was Dark Flake Unscented if you like dark fired.
Your Blend Of The Year 2022
- Thread starter alaskanpiper
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
And I hope some of that GH stuff was Dark Flake Unscented if you like dark fired.
If you like DFK and don't want any BBQ you could also tried Warped Until the End. Whatever grade of DFK they're using is a lot different from the standard stuff. Not really smoky its more earthy with no bbq notes. That blend is on the mild side but the smoke it produces is thick and creamy, good stuff.
I have two tins of Abberant, both unopened at this point.
Appreciate the suggestion of Dark Flake Unscented, I’ve got some stashed.
Technically I found it last year but I did buy like 20 tins of it this year and more then any other blend this year so I’m going to say windjammer.
2022 was a big year of sampling for me. 1000+ hours of overtime gave me countless chances for commuter smoking sessions and the extra $$$ to fund them! I’ve stumbled across plenty of new blends and blenders to keep me occupied. Some honorable mentions would be Country Squire Northwest Trek and Figgy Pudding, Boswells Countryside, and Wilke Crystal Palace and #400. Sun Bear was pretty nice this year, but for some reason Palmetto Balkan didn’t wow me. All in all it was a great smoking year, can’t wait to see what I come across in 2023.
Gold - C&D Eight State Burley
Silver - SPC Hogshead (RIP Joe)
Bronze - Warped Saint Espresso
Honorable Mention - C&D Palmetto Balkan
Silver - SPC Hogshead (RIP Joe)
Bronze - Warped Saint Espresso
Honorable Mention - C&D Palmetto Balkan
New to me blends I immediately thought I needed more of were
Bob’s Chocolate Flake
Brown Irish X
Night Train
Bob’s Chocolate Flake
Brown Irish X
Night Train
New: Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Carolina Red Flake 2022. I initially bought 2 tins and after the first bowl immediately started buying all I could. Really like this one.
Old: Esoterica Dorchester
Old: Esoterica Dorchester
I started pipes this year so everything was new. My top 3 so far are “Macbarren HH Old DarkFired”, GLP Haddo’s Delight” and “Seattle Pipe Club Hogshead”. When I first started I took the general advice for beginners and got a mild aromatic, I didn’t like it at all! 
almost made me stick to cigars. Glad I tried some other things! As a beginner, I don’t think I agree with this advice. I think I’d start beginners with a mild Virginia perhaps.
almost made me stick to cigars. Glad I tried some other things! As a beginner, I don’t think I agree with this advice. I think I’d start beginners with a mild Virginia perhaps.
Tough question. Before last week I would have said Dorchester because that is the first Va/Per that really got me going. However, LJP Royal may take top honors, few more days left to lock it in.
Hard to argue with Dorchester, an excellent lightly topped Vaper. If you liked it, getting ahold of some Dunbar is also a must. You would likely also enjoy Peacehaven. Easier said than done, but worth the effort.
On a side note, is your handle a reference to the whole Clay Newcombe thing or just random?
I've got a couple tins of Dunbar, I'm waiting to crack them, figure a year or two can't hurt.
Not inspired by Clay Newcombe but I'm guessing we may have come across similar accounts from early American explorers, and their interactions with earlier Americans.
Not inspired by Clay Newcombe but I'm guessing we may have come across similar accounts from early American explorers, and their interactions with earlier Americans.
It’s been a long time since I cracked a tin in the same year I purchased it, but the Low Country guys threw a tin of Anthology on the table at pipe club a few days before the release and I knew it was a winner from that bowl. I bought a bunch for the cellar and opened one right away. So, that’s my “new for 2022” winner. Otherwise, I tried G&H Coniston Cut Plug for the first time and kicked myself for not trying it sooner. Last, I opened my first tin of C&D Interlude from 2017 and fell in love! Deeply underrated simple red VA. It was a great tobacco year - here’s to an even better 2023!
Same here! I’ve only just started buying again after a four-year hiatus. So I’m in awe of all of you who have so much experience with new blends. I feel like I’m playing catch-up.
I bought 2 tins of it the 1st round (think it was it's 1st) and haven't cracked 1 yet. I might just have to now if they release it again in 2023...I'd like to stock up if I feel the same way.
Royal and Omega are my top two for English. LJP makes some good stuff
Possibly the most enjoyable this year happens to be the mixture I've just started smoking the last couple of days. I recently got around to trying Marlin Flake for the first time...popped a tin that was a few years old. I was mostly disappointed. Really super moist stuff...takes long drying time...and just not enough Perique...barely noticeable...and I have a hard time getting much out of Virginias by themselves.
So I tried mixing the MF 50/50 with OJK. Turned out better than I dared hope...seems like more than the sum of its parts. Added a dimension to the OJK and slows its burn down a bit.
So I tried mixing the MF 50/50 with OJK. Turned out better than I dared hope...seems like more than the sum of its parts. Added a dimension to the OJK and slows its burn down a bit.
PS: Oh yeah, there's supposedly black cavendish in the MF too, but I got very little flavor out of it until I added the OJK.
Though I'm letting it age, maybe C&D Eight State Burley on which I splurged for two tins. jiminks gave it a good review, and I am a burley smoker first. It's an interesting combination of some aged tobaccos and others of more recent seasons.
Old favorites this year have included C&D Bayou Night, and the same tobaccos in different proportion, Mountain Camp. They are a good lesson in how proportions can make the same tobaccos completely different blends.
Old favorites this year have included C&D Bayou Night, and the same tobaccos in different proportion, Mountain Camp. They are a good lesson in how proportions can make the same tobaccos completely different blends.