Your Most Versatile Blend

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haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
I know, I know, we get these kinds of posts all the time. "If you were on a desert island and could only take one blend, which one would it be??" This is sort of like that, but not exactly.
Over time, I've come to realize that some of my favorite blends are really only right for certain moods/tastes/weathers/etc, while other blends just seem to always fit whatever situation I smoke them in. What are your most versatile blends? The unsung heroes of your cellar that always seem to hit the spot, no matter where the planets are aligned.
Obviously I would never choose to only have one blend, but among the 'old reliables' which always satisfy are:
-Presbyterian

-Three Friars

-HH Burley Flake

-Sir Walter Raleigh
It's a short list for me, but that's because most tobaccos don't clear the bar. And it's not about which blend I consider the best or my favorite. It's about blends that always satisfy. In any pipe, in any weather, in any mood, these blends hit the spot for me.

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
C&D Pegasus or, if time is not an issue, MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired.
jay-roger.jpg


 

hugodrax

Can't Leave
Jan 24, 2013
448
669
Best Brown Flake. Other tobacco is frankly superfluous. I dally with perky young vapers from time to time, and consider leaving for good, but I always come home. I don't know why I roam.

 
Now that I have 20 lbs (98 jars) of it set aside, I can disclose that C&D Virginia Flake in bulk is my absolute favorite these days. It comes a little dry, but it is a cool mellow Virginia that suits my needs. However, I always have a couple of jars or tins of another Virginia open, just to keep life interesting.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I often start out picking out a pipe from the rack with Tabac-Manil Semois under consideration, though I have many blends in rotation or available as a change of pace. Others that come around easily are Old Joe Krantz original, PC HH Chestnut, and currently Haddo's Delight. The list is longer, but I'll focus on those.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
Mine are the usual suspects that I would normally put here because to reach my favorite status one must have the criteria you pointed out above.
Condor

St. Bruno

1792 Flake

Skiff Mix


Could throw in Erinmore Flake & Kendal Cream as well but I’m trying to make it a short list.

 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,080
49
Las Vegas
Most versatile? Probably something like Sutliff Sweet Virginia or Spiced Rum.
As much as I love blends like SPC Plum Pudding SR and GH&C Dark Flake Unscented (damn they're good) they really are "in the mood for it" blends. The Sutliffs mentioned, on the other hand, taste great and require no special attention to enjoy. They may not be the most complex things on the planet but they're good anytime and never disappoint.
Read the reviews on the Sweet Virginia. You'll notice it's hard to find negative comments other than lack of complexity (sometimes it's what is left out of a review that provides more information about a blend rather than what's included). I think it's this lack of complexity that makes it versatile. It'll never win any awards but it'll also never let you down.

 

szconrad

Lurker
Oct 24, 2018
25
1
No matter my current tastes or mood, if I just want something that I know I'm going to enjoy, that'll have to be my GL Pease Quiet Nights. That stuff is dynamo. A great taste that changes and evolves in the course of the bowl. Great stuff.

 
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