More of my Tobacco Journey

[lgoldberg]

Some Musings about my Tobacco Purchases

In the year and a half since I started smoking a pipe (12/22), I have tried a lot of tobaccos. My tastes have changed drastically, multiple times, and I once had a horde of mason jars that rivaled my wife's canning on the basement. Started with the local shop's house blends, none of which lit me on fire at the time, most likely because I had no idea what I was doing. I think their popular starter tobacco set was one VA, and three aromatics. I struggled in the beginning to learn how to pack and smoke a pipe. The four starter tobaccos may have been wonderful, but I would have had no idea, because I was thoroughly messing up everything.

I branched out to see what was available online and at another shop I discovered. The new shop had tinned Tobaccos, whereas the first one I went to only had their dozen jars of whatever. I should probably go back to the old one, likely I'd appreciate them more.

At first, I gravitated to the aromatics. When I inadvertently ordered my first English (Standard Mixture) I thought it smelled like a burning tire, both when lit and when not. At some point, after many frustrating experiences with the aromatics, I tried John Bull, which is kind of a sissy-English, I guess, but it did the trick. My taste then evolved into the English world. I have a lot more ahead of me to try.

Below is a list of most of the tobaccos I have tried. I'm sure there were a few "gimme some of whatever's in that jar" type of purchases that I missed.

The ones with one asterisk after them are the ones I still like. If there are two asterisks, they are tobaccos I need to come back to.

The four 1 oz samples from local tobacconist
Velvet
Half n Half
Carter Hall (Match)
Captain Black
SuperValue Whsikey
SuperValue Cherry
Autumn Evening*
Stovepipe
Haunted Bookshop
Presbyterian Mixture*
Peterson's Standard Mixture**
John Bull*
My Mixture 965*
Sutliff Black Cherry Cavendish
Mac Baren Golden Extra**
Cult Blood Red Moon
Sir Walter Raleigh
Lane 1Q*
S.P.S. Edward G. Robinson
Bayou Morning
Epiphany
Rattray's Accountants Mixture

Lots of money spent experimenting, and now I'm down to three Tobaccos on my shelf, and maybe a little happier for it. There are some things I didn't like that I'd like to go back and try again, like the Peterson's Standard, and the Golden Extra. Gave away some of what I've had, but it's funny to think about how much I've consumed; been a fair bit.

Just some random thoughts for a Sunday evening, FWIW.

 

[UkuleleDude67]

Some Musings about my Tobacco Purchases

In the year and a half since I started smoking a pipe (12/22), I have tried a lot of tobaccos. My tastes have changed drastically, multiple times, and I once had a horde of mason jars that rivaled my wife's canning on the basement. Started with the local shop's house blends, none of which lit me on fire at the time, most likely because I had no idea what I was doing. I think their popular starter tobacco set was one VA, and three aromatics. I struggled in the beginning to learn how to pack and smoke a pipe. The four starter tobaccos may have been wonderful, but I would have had no idea, because I was thoroughly messing up everything.

I branched out to see what was available online and at another shop I discovered. The new shop had tinned Tobaccos, whereas the first one I went to only had their dozen jars of whatever. I should probably go back to the old one, likely I'd appreciate them more.

At first, I gravitated to the aromatics. When I inadvertently ordered my first English (Standard Mixture) I thought it smelled like a burning tire, both when lit and when not. At some point, after many frustrating experiences with the aromatics, I tried John Bull, which is kind of a sissy-English, I guess, but it did the trick. My taste then evolved into the English world. I have a lot more ahead of me to try.

Below is a list of most of the tobaccos I have tried. I'm sure there were a few "gimme some of whatever's in that jar" type of purchases that I missed.

The ones with one asterisk after them are the ones I still like. If there are two asterisks, they are tobaccos I need to come back to.

The four 1 oz samples from local tobacconist
Velvet
Half n Half
Carter Hall (Match)
Captain Black
SuperValue Whsikey
SuperValue Cherry
Autumn Evening*
Stovepipe
Haunted Bookshop
Presbyterian Mixture*
Peterson's Standard Mixture**
John Bull*
My Mixture 965*
Sutliff Black Cherry Cavendish
Mac Baren Golden Extra**
Cult Blood Red Moon
Sir Walter Raleigh
Lane 1Q*
S.P.S. Edward G. Robinson
Bayou Morning
Epiphany
Rattray's Accountants Mixture

Lots of money spent experimenting, and now I'm down to three Tobaccos on my shelf, and maybe a little happier for it. There are some things I didn't like that I'd like to go back and try again, like the Peterson's Standard, and the Golden Extra. Gave away some of what I've had, but it's funny to think about how much I've consumed; been a fair bit.

Just some random thoughts for a Sunday evening, FWIW.

The first 3 bowls of EG Robinson were magical but I haven’t found that zone again. Letting it sit a month or two

 

[ftrplt]

You have gravitated , as many before you, towards an "English" tongue!! Welcome to the group!!! FTRPLT

 

[lgoldberg]

The first 3 bowls of EG Robinson were magical but I haven’t found that zone again. Letting it sit a month or two

What's funny is, I pestered one of the local shops several times to order it. At last I was told they can't get it, so I ordered online. Next time I went into that shop - a dozen cans on the shelf! That was after I decided it wasn't for me.

 

[ftrplt]

My experience with pipe tobacco has taught me that each of us has different "taste buds!!" Takes a while to get all that straightened out!! Plus the ol' "buds" may change over time. I used to avoid Burley like the plague; then Steve Monjour got me hooked on Solani Aged Burley Flake!! Now I smoke many (but not all!!) Burleys!! All this makes for an interesting "ride!" FTRPLT

 

[Gaius Marius]

I'm going through a similar journey. After realising pipe smoking was relaxing and fun, I felt like a kid in a candy store who wanted to try everything- and I've tried to. I've got a little over 50 tobacco blends now. Perhaps I'm less picky with tobaccos but I have only run into two tobaccos that I really disliked.
The first was Peterson early morning pipe which I thought smelled and tasted like vomit. After the third try, I now like Peterson EMP a lot, its very nice and is no longer reminiscent of bile. The other is autumn evening which despite its ubiquitous popularitys, to my tongue has far and away the worse taste of any tobacco I've tried. As ftrlpt mentioned, we all have different taste buds.
Perhaps it would have been better to funnel my funny money into a nicer pipe as opposed to a plethora of tobacco blends but im having fun. I get excited knowing I get to try a new flavor of tobacco.

 

[Ranger107]

I have around 30 open tins/jars of tobacco and another 50 or so in storage, however I find myself smoking the same 10 or so blends most of the time with occasional forays into the others.