Your "Go-To" Blends
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Go to means what I keep and smoke regularly, to me. My go to is any one of the major otc burleys. From there, I keep some bulks in Coined VaDFk, and Latakia/oriental, along with a few lightly topped cavs. With these I either smoke them as they are or blend them to taste.
I do have a few tins on hand and intend to continue to add to my 'cellar' at a leisurely pace.
I do have a few tins on hand and intend to continue to add to my 'cellar' at a leisurely pace.
When I could not find exactly what I wanted, I entered "blending" as a hobby. After many years, I developed a friendship with the late Craig Tarler (founder of C&D). The rest is history. So, my go-to tobacco is my blend produced by C&D. However, I have many other favorites listed below in rotation and smoked frequently:
Milan's - Sunset Rum
Milan's - Our London Dock
Milan's - Buddy's Blend
Iwan Ries - Three Star (Blue)
There are others, but not smoked frequently:
GL Pease/C&D/Two Friends-Heritage (I discontinued smoking this due to price).
Uhles - Bishops Move (I discontinue smoking this due to the 71% Excise Tax on Wisconsin residents).
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Milan's - Sunset Rum
Milan's - Our London Dock
Milan's - Buddy's Blend
Iwan Ries - Three Star (Blue)
There are others, but not smoked frequently:
GL Pease/C&D/Two Friends-Heritage (I discontinued smoking this due to price).
Uhles - Bishops Move (I discontinue smoking this due to the 71% Excise Tax on Wisconsin residents).
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My own mix that I call Brownzance: Penzance and SG's Best Brown Flake in 50:50 proportions.
A real sleeper blend, C&D's Night Train.
Wilderness was almost on that list but I recently got tired of it after beginning to notice an odd (acrid/chemical) taste to it.
edit: Almost forgot another good go-to, GL Peases' Key Largo....never a let down.
A real sleeper blend, C&D's Night Train.
Wilderness was almost on that list but I recently got tired of it after beginning to notice an odd (acrid/chemical) taste to it.
edit: Almost forgot another good go-to, GL Peases' Key Largo....never a let down.
I'm going to chime in here and say, while to date I still proclaim GLP - Gaslight as my top smoke, oddly enough I only smoke it on occasion as I don't want to get complacent with it.(ya..sounds kind of silly)
Having said that, I just recently finished a tin of C&D's - Morley's Best, and I have to say that I'm sad that I don't have more, and will be remedying that very quickly. I can see this as a blend I would put in jar and keep on my desk for daily smokes. It really is a winner for me.
Having said that, I just recently finished a tin of C&D's - Morley's Best, and I have to say that I'm sad that I don't have more, and will be remedying that very quickly. I can see this as a blend I would put in jar and keep on my desk for daily smokes. It really is a winner for me.
The Dunhill trifecta is my fall back, (EMP, 965 and Nightcap). I've been broadening my horizons a bit in the last couple years by trying many other English, Balkan, Virginias, VaPers, VaBer's with some delightful and sublime smoking experiences while doing so but I'm never without the 3 Dunhill blends. In 15 years of pipe smoking behind me I still maintain a great fondness for EMP especially as a first bowl of the day smoke.
My go to's depend on if I'm gonna be outside or not. If I'm outside, I always go for Mississippi River. English blends tend not to smell as nice inside as aromatics. If I'm inside, I do for anything sweet with chocolate or vanilla. I love anything "nougat-y" or truffly.
In no particular order, GLP Fillmore, Gaslight, Jacknife plug; PS Luxury Bullseye Flake, SG Luxury Navy Flake, Squadron Leader, Bobs Chocolate Flake, Old Dark Fired, Errendale, Estorica Margate and Pembroke.
Estorica Stonehaven and Penzance would also be in the list - not necessarily the top of the list - if I could go to them regularly. But since both are still in high demand, I'll for GLP Quient Nights instead.
Pax
Estorica Stonehaven and Penzance would also be in the list - not necessarily the top of the list - if I could go to them regularly. But since both are still in high demand, I'll for GLP Quient Nights instead.
Pax
I love trying new things, I am constantly buying new tins and opening them. In return I have been giving away lots of tobacco as well because I just can't smoke all the baccy that I accumulate.
I do have some staples I have found.
Aromatics: Middletons Cherry and Lane 1Q are my favorites. Both are quite cheap to boot. There is a Whiskey blend my local smoke shop has that may make it to that list. I don't know what its called besides Whiskey something something lol. I like starting my day with a nice cup of coffee and an Aromatic.
Non Aromatics: I'm really loving Peterson 3P right now. Its fun to smoke as well with a lot of fiddly work rubbing out the cake before smoking.
English: Mississippi River and Scotty's Great Hiatus are my go-to's. Both excellent smokes and always try and end the day with a nice English.
I do have some staples I have found.
Aromatics: Middletons Cherry and Lane 1Q are my favorites. Both are quite cheap to boot. There is a Whiskey blend my local smoke shop has that may make it to that list. I don't know what its called besides Whiskey something something lol. I like starting my day with a nice cup of coffee and an Aromatic.
Non Aromatics: I'm really loving Peterson 3P right now. Its fun to smoke as well with a lot of fiddly work rubbing out the cake before smoking.
English: Mississippi River and Scotty's Great Hiatus are my go-to's. Both excellent smokes and always try and end the day with a nice English.
The 3 I am never without and my favourites in order are Rattray's Marlin Flake, Solani Aged Burley Flake and Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired.
Other notable mentions are J.F. Germain's Rich Dark Flake, Rattray's Old Gowrie and Dunhill De Luxe Navy Rolls.
As I write this I am smoking one of my 2 remaining flakes of Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake. What I am finding interesting is after fighting through the tin and deciding it was okay but nothing I was going to rush to buy again I am having one of those perfect smokes with it. It seems it is delicious after 15 weeks in a jar. For the first time I am seeing what others see in it. If I can get this kind of smoke out of it often I can see this being a real regular.
Other notable mentions are J.F. Germain's Rich Dark Flake, Rattray's Old Gowrie and Dunhill De Luxe Navy Rolls.
As I write this I am smoking one of my 2 remaining flakes of Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake. What I am finding interesting is after fighting through the tin and deciding it was okay but nothing I was going to rush to buy again I am having one of those perfect smokes with it. It seems it is delicious after 15 weeks in a jar. For the first time I am seeing what others see in it. If I can get this kind of smoke out of it often I can see this being a real regular.
Once I find something I like I pretty much stick with it. But recently I've been trying a variety of blends sent by a forum member. (Thanks Andrew) At the end of the day I always come back to Peter Stokkebye's Balkan Supreme.
It's a meat and potatoes kind of blend, not fussy. Just load 'n light. It comes out of the bag fairly dry so you can pack it tight and it will not go out. Works consistently well in every pipe I have. Plus, I can buy a pound of it and not go broke!
It's a meat and potatoes kind of blend, not fussy. Just load 'n light. It comes out of the bag fairly dry so you can pack it tight and it will not go out. Works consistently well in every pipe I have. Plus, I can buy a pound of it and not go broke!
Me too, and I suspect for many us Dunhill's English blends are a gold standard. They were what I started with, and they are like comfort food for me.
Add to those of late: Star of the East (Thank you, Jim!), Westminster, Black House, Vintage Syrian.
Ed was kind enough to turn me on to Britt's Balkan from 4noggins, and while it doesn't sound like something I'd like with it's touch of vanilla, it's very nice and I could see that becoming a "go-to".
That's what I'm doing right now
I have a varied number of aro tobacco's in my cellar but have been adding VA's and VaPer's for some time now. I generally have 5 or 6 mylar zip locks around (that are not heat sealed) to smoke out of. My local B&M carries a "Golden Virginia" I find my self going back to very frequently.
The great thing about this hobby is you just can't get around to all of it.
The great thing about this hobby is you just can't get around to all of it.
Escudo
Fillmore
Quiet Nights
Black Irish X
Condor
Dark Flake/Plug
La Brumeuse
Solani Silver Flake
Solani VA/Perique
Cumberland
Chenet's Cake
JackKnife Plug
Fillmore
Quiet Nights
Black Irish X
Condor
Dark Flake/Plug
La Brumeuse
Solani Silver Flake
Solani VA/Perique
Cumberland
Chenet's Cake
JackKnife Plug
MV-1000 is my daily smoke. Like OkiScout, I have a number of mylar packages that get tasted frequently.
I'm fairly new too but so far in my extensive exploration and my advanced stage of TAD I've found that Peterson's Irish Flake is a staple especially as my first bowl in the early morning with my Turkish Coffee. So far its the only blend I make sure I always have on hand. I'm also getting enamoured by SG 1792!
In terms of English/Balkan a few have captivated me to various degrees but I cannot yet call favourite because they're so delightful in general - among them are:
- Red Raparee
- Dunhill 965
- FMOTB
And I'm resisting popping a tin of Nightcap open until I finish my current open tins which I like a lot already!
As for Straight Virginias so far nothing came close to Christmas Cheer and I find myself anxious to stock up on it because while I enjoyed Union Square I felt it was too tangy for my taste.
On VaPer side of things I haven't yet been convinced! With all the rave reviews on Escudo, I did enjoy it but didn't really find myself keen on ordering again at least for now. GLP Cairo got me immensely interested but I'm still on the fence (so did Elizabethan Mixture) regarding the VaPer offering in general. I have a sealed tin of HH Acadian Perique which I'm looking forward to popping since people say its magic!
For Orientals, Drama Reserve completely shocked me with its Olive Oil taste. It sounded wrong and repulsive when I read about it but I couldn't believe how sublime it was (my first tin of this was 4 years old and I'm a bit worried to open a fresh one and be disappointed).
I've developed a bit of a dislike for Aromatics but I find my self reaching for Solani 369 when my sweet tooth calls.
With TAD developing like an out of control tumour I'm sure this will change in the near future but I'm quite confident Irish Flake will continue to be the one. Its mighty, its sweet, its earthy, and its, to me, what Pipe tobacco should be!
In terms of English/Balkan a few have captivated me to various degrees but I cannot yet call favourite because they're so delightful in general - among them are:
- Red Raparee
- Dunhill 965
- FMOTB
And I'm resisting popping a tin of Nightcap open until I finish my current open tins which I like a lot already!
As for Straight Virginias so far nothing came close to Christmas Cheer and I find myself anxious to stock up on it because while I enjoyed Union Square I felt it was too tangy for my taste.
On VaPer side of things I haven't yet been convinced! With all the rave reviews on Escudo, I did enjoy it but didn't really find myself keen on ordering again at least for now. GLP Cairo got me immensely interested but I'm still on the fence (so did Elizabethan Mixture) regarding the VaPer offering in general. I have a sealed tin of HH Acadian Perique which I'm looking forward to popping since people say its magic!
For Orientals, Drama Reserve completely shocked me with its Olive Oil taste. It sounded wrong and repulsive when I read about it but I couldn't believe how sublime it was (my first tin of this was 4 years old and I'm a bit worried to open a fresh one and be disappointed
). I've developed a bit of a dislike for Aromatics but I find my self reaching for Solani 369 when my sweet tooth calls.
With TAD developing like an out of control tumour I'm sure this will change in the near future but I'm quite confident Irish Flake will continue to be the one. Its mighty, its sweet, its earthy, and its, to me, what Pipe tobacco should be!
I certainly have a bunch of favorites, but Forums members and family and friends keep sending me samples and gift tins and I feel swamped by an abundant of riches. It's hard to settle down when every time you discover a new favorite ... you discover a new favorite. Yipes. I was into a non-aro burley journey, and then I discovered the miracle of Semois, and then they came along with these amazing dark fired blends, etc., etc., etc. It's tough being a pipe smoker in the golden age of blends.
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