Tastes Changed Yet Again??

[lgoldberg]

Some might think that I should have waited out the first year of pipe smoking before making any declarations of what certain tobaccos taste like, or make statements about what I like and don't like, but I find it therapeutic to do so, and I hope it's at least amusing to read, in an "oh, you sweet summer child" kind of way.

Over the months since last Christmas, when I got my first pipe, I've gone from "Everything Has to Be Fruit Flavored" to "Fruit Flavors Stink - I Love Burley" to "Everything Stinks" to "English Might be Okay" to "Everything Has to be English," and I'm kind of exhausted by it all. Not in a giving up kind of way; I just wish I knew what I wanted and what pipe it should be smoked in, every time, and not have to feel like the new kid in class every time a box arrives from P&C.com.

At the risk of planting my flag in quicksand on the side of a hill, here's where I am landing now:

Tobaccos I love - John Bull (English) and Lane 1Q (Aromatic). That's it.

Tobaccos I dislike - everything else I have on the shelf right now, maybe a dozen different things.

Pipes I love - Savinelli 673KS, both MM Cobbits that I have.

Pipes I told that we can "still be friends", the other 12-15 I have.

I feel like I've overbought tobacco and pipes both, and I overbought cheaper pipes, trying to find out what shapes I like, materials, lengths, etc. I've gone crazy buying tobaccos trying to figure out what delivers the nirvana smoke. I justify it all by saying that I learned something from every purchase. I got to restore a few antique mall finds, and that's a neat feeling. But then part of me wants a possum to sneak into my house and trim my options to help focus my activity.

Can anyone relate?

 

[Blackhorse]

Mr G - trust us…you have just described “the journey” and it likely will not end.
Your friend on said journey will be your willingness to be easily pleased.
Your enemy will be violated expectations.
We're all on your side as we’re all on mostly the same path.

 

[Timbo]

Yep, what Blackhorse said. Think about food. There's so much variety out there that I don't think anyone has tasted every dish the earth has to offer, but you have an idea about what you like and what you don't from your past meals. Though it is still nice to be surprised by something new.

Tobacco can be considered the same, different genres taste differently and some blends or meals in a genre can be outstanding and others just meh. Even ones with the "exact" same ingredients.

Go and taste tobaccos, I'd suggest samplers or sample sized purchases if possible, and follow your taste buds.

 

[Blackhorse]

Yep, what Blackhorse said. Think about food. There's so much variety out there that I don't think anyone has tasted every dish the earth has to offer, but you have an idea about what you like and what you don't from your past meals. Though it is still nice to be surprised by something new.

Tobacco can be considered the same, different genres taste differently and some blends or meals in a genre can be outstanding and others just meh. Even ones with the "exact" same ingredients.

Go and taste tobaccos, I'd suggest samplers or sample sized purchases if possible, and follow your taste buds.

Don’t get me started on food surprises leading to lifelong passions. I’ll just mention Thai Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce and Red Curry with Coconut Sauce. Oh my!

 

[Zeno Marx]

I don't care what anyone says. There's real benefit coming into a hobby with limited means and less information. I've watched what you're describing in every hobby since post-internet. Music. Shaving. Whisky. Comic books. Pipes. Hunting. Flood themselves with information (and opinions) and focus on consumption (want everything RIGHT NOW). Our brains do not function well with too many options. We can't focus. We literally become scatterbrained (confused and dissatisfied). I personally feel like this is why so many lower-incomed and college students became life-long pipe smokers. They had few discretionary funds and no credit cards. They bought a pipe. They bought a tobacco. They smoked them. They bought another tobacco. They smoked it all. Another. etc. Then maybe they bought another pipe. Traveled some distance (put in some thought and effort) and went to a tobacconist and tried an ounce of this, an ounce of that. The information and options trickled in at a manageable and advantageous rate. At any given time, few options. Knowledge and wisdom came with more experience, less chatter, and little consumption. I don't envy your situation, and if I had a solution to it, I'd be a billionaire. You are not alone.

 

[Ranger107]

Some might think that I should have waited out the first year of pipe smoking before making any declarations of what certain tobaccos taste like, or make statements about what I like and don't like, but I find it therapeutic to do so, and I hope it's at least amusing to read, in an "oh, you sweet summer child" kind of way.

Over the months since last Christmas, when I got my first pipe, I've gone from "Everything Has to Be Fruit Flavored" to "Fruit Flavors Stink - I Love Burley" to "Everything Stinks" to "English Might be Okay" to "Everything Has to be English," and I'm kind of exhausted by it all. Not in a giving up kind of way; I just wish I knew what I wanted and what pipe it should be smoked in, every time, and not have to feel like the new kid in class every time a box arrives from P&C.com.

At the risk of planting my flag in quicksand on the side of a hill, here's where I am landing now:

Tobaccos I love - John Bull (English) and Lane 1Q (Aromatic). That's it.

Tobaccos I dislike - everything else I have on the shelf right now, maybe a dozen different things.

Pipes I love - Savinelli 673KS, both MM Cobbits that I have.

Pipes I told that we can "still be friends", the other 12-15 I have.

I feel like I've overbought tobacco and pipes both, and I overbought cheaper pipes, trying to find out what shapes I like, materials, lengths, etc. I've gone crazy buying tobaccos trying to figure out what delivers the nirvana smoke. I justify it all by saying that I learned something from every purchase. I got to restore a few antique mall finds, and that's a neat feeling. But then part of me wants a possum to sneak into my house and trim my options to help focus my activity.

Can anyone relate?

Box up the ones you absolutely don't like and send them my way. Will gladly pay the postage, lol. Been smoking a pipe since college in the early 70s, still discovering new things all the time. So many choices out there. Have I found Nirvana? Maybe not, but some blends come pretty close. CS Rivendell, Hobbits Weed, Arango Balkan Supreme, and my own Urban Cowboy. Just enjoy the journey.

 

[Swede]

I don't care what anyone says. There's real benefit coming into a hobby with limited means and less information. I've watched what you're describing in every hobby since post-internet. Music. Shaving. Whisky. Comic books. Pipes. Hunting. Flood themselves with information (and opinions) and focus on consumption (want everything RIGHT NOW). Our brains do not function well with too many options. We can't focus. We literally become scatterbrained (confused and dissatisfied). I personally feel like this is why so many lower-incomed and college students became life-long pipe smokers. They had few discretionary funds and no credit cards. They bought a pipe. They bought a tobacco. They smoked them. They bought another tobacco. They smoked it all. Another. etc. Then maybe they bought another pipe. Traveled some distance (put in some thought and effort) and went to a tobacconist and tried an ounce of this, an ounce of that. The information and options trickled in at a manageable and advantageous rate. At any given time, few options. Knowledge and wisdom came with more experience, less chatter, and little consumption. I don't envy your situation, and if I had a solution to it, I'd be a billionaire. You are not alone.

20 plus years ago, I spent lots of time hiking, backpacking, camping and canoeing. So, I was always looking at "gear" and reading magazines like Outside. There were always new types of gear to get (or so I thought), then realized that the best gear was what I mostly grabbed without a lot of thought. For me, that extends to pipes and tobacco. Give me one of my Petersons or cobs and some PS Luxury Navy Flake or Amphora Original or possibly Prince Albert and I'm good. I have more choices, but those are for times when I can "plan".

 

[lgoldberg]

Thanks for the replies; it's good to not feel alone

 

[Zeno Marx]

20 plus years ago, I spent lots of time hiking, backpacking, camping and canoeing. So, I was always looking at "gear" and reading magazines like Outside. There were always new types of gear to get (or so I thought), then realized that the best gear was what I mostly grabbed without a lot of thought. For me, that extends to pipes and tobacco. Give me one of my Petersons or cobs and some PS Luxury Navy Flake or Amphora Original or possibly Prince Albert and I'm good. I have more choices, but those are for times when I can "plan".

Don't get me started on backpacking gear. I lived to backpack for a decade+ and really got into the gear, especially backpacks. I could start a rental service. They're simple things, but they're also not. The one good thing about them was that at $200-400, you weren't likely to buy a bunch of them at once, so you could really test them and get a number of field trials with them before coming to any conclusion. Again, the options thing. You likely spent a stupid amount on one, so it was your only option. You worked out all the kinks and really got to know this tool. You know, that old adage that it requires 10,000 hours of practice with something before you become a master or expert at that thing. The number isn't the point. The lesson is focus and dedication.

 

[ftrplt]

Can only say "Been there, Done that!!" I smoke & enjoy tobaccos today I hated way back when!! This is one reason, when asked, why I caution new pipers to not "stock up/amass" a large quantity of a given tobacco early in their journey. Tastes change with experience and age. You are not alone, I assure you!!!!! FTRPLT

 

[Ranger107]

Seems like you guys are over thinking things. I used to do a lot of hiking/backpacking in CO when I was young. Got by with a surplus army backpack I picked up for 20 bucks at a surplus store. I could carry food and gear for 3 days. Also carried a Ruger 41 mag Blackhawk. Guess it helps to be a cheapass, lol.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Seems like you guys are over thinking things. I used to do a lot of hiking/backpacking in CO when I was young. Got by with a surplus army backpack I picked up for 20 bucks at a surplus store. I could carry food and gear for 3 days. Also carried a Ruger 41 mag Blackhawk. Guess it helps to be a cheapass, lol.

I definitely did, but I also, eventually, ended up with a backpack that could carry 50+LBs and still feel like I had the most comfortable couch on my back with very little body/back fatigue. I'd watch other people dying to take off their packs when we would stop for breaks, but I'd just take a seat and leave mine on because it was functioning perfectly. Backpack technology is fun. The new military packs were designed and made by Arcteryx, and they are very nice backpacks, regardless of military use.

 

[lgoldberg]

I used to have an old army backpack lying around here. Looked like it was designed by the Marquis de Sade.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I used to have an old army backpack lying around here. Looked like it was designed by the Marquis de Sade.

Comparatively, the old military packs are brutal carries. They didn't care if a GI was struggling through a hump. The new ones, like the USMC ILBE, were based on a tried and true civilian design that was a great seller and a notoriously comfortable and quality pack. Of course, they added another couple pounds of webbing and woven nylon-cored rubber zipper pulls, so they weren't exactly the same. Nevertheless, I bet those jarheads couldn't wait to trade in their old MOLLE backpacks for the ILBEs. The difference in comfort is like night and day, and they didn't sacrifice any durability.

 

[Swede]

I definitely did, but I also, eventually, ended up with a backpack that could carry 50+LBs and still feel like I had the most comfortable couch on my back with very little body/back fatigue. I'd watch other people dying to take off their packs when we would stop for breaks, but I'd just take a seat and leave mine on because it was functioning perfectly. Backpack technology is fun. The new military packs were designed and made by Arcteryx, and they are very nice backpacks, regardless of military use.

I stopped at a Dana Designs Bridger made in the good ole USA. I could go 4-5 days with about 40-45 pounds no problem. I liked bushwacking too, and it never gave me any balance problems. That guy could design a pack. I think he makes them under Mystery Ranch now. @Ranger107 I get what you are saying, and I was caught up in a gear trend. Still glad I bought that one and still have it. This was at a time when things were going from external frame to internal.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Yes, Dana makes Mystery Ranch and also, at least at one time, had a government contract supplying certain parts of the military. I assume elite units, because it is very rare to see them end up on the open market. I've kept a few photos from when they've ended up on ebay. It's all hush-hush, so the information is limited. I could be 100% wrong because of how quiet everyone is about it.

Funny you mention the transition from external to internal. Dana also designed a few external backpacks right at the end of Dana Design, which are still very popular with some of the big game hunters because you can pop the bag part off the frame and then use just the frame+shoulder harness to pack out elk, moose, bear, deer, and the heavier game. He also sold in limited quantities just the frame+harness just for the hunters, but they're pretty rare. They're very cool backpacks and probably the best designed, and most comfortable, external framed backpacks ever made. I've never fully understood why Dana walked away from recreation backpacks and went to almost exclusively marketing to hunters and hunting. Dana Design was considered the finest backpacks made in the world and sat alone at the top of the recreation market. Kind of strange he didn't just open up another division of his company for hunters so he could dominate two different markets. By the way, a Japanese outfit bought the rights to Dana Design, and I believe they still make backpacks under that name in Japan and only for the Japanese market.

That USMC ILBE I mentioned being designed by Arcteryx, which is a Canadian company, was then executed by Propper* in the USA. No clue who Propeller is. I think they made some jackets under military contract too, like the MA-1 flight jacket.

EDIT: I got the name of the US contractor for Arcteryx wrong. I fixed it. It is Propper, not Proppeler. Oh, and if you've read this, and if you have interest in purchasing one of these packs, get a Gen 2, aka Generation 2 version. The fixed some of the shortfalls in the Gen 1 version.

 

[Swede]

Yes, Dana makes Mystery Ranch and also, at least at one time, had a government contract supplying certain parts of the military. I assume elite units, because it is very rare to see them end up on the open market. I've kept a few photos from when they've ended up on ebay. It's all hush-hush, so the information is limited. I could be 100% wrong because of how quiet everyone is about it.

Funny you mention the transition from external to internal. Dana also designed a few external backpacks right at the end of Dana Design, which are still very popular with some of the big game hunters because you can pop the bag part off the frame and then use just the frame+shoulder harness to pack out elk, moose, bear, deer, and the heavier game. He also sold in limited quantities just the frame+harness just for the hunters, but they're pretty rare. They're very cool backpacks and probably the best designed, and most comfortable, external framed backpacks ever made. I've never fully understood why Dana walked away from recreation backpacks and went to almost exclusively marketing to hunters and hunting. Dana Design was considered the finest backpacks made in the world and sat alone at the top of the recreation market. Kind of strange he didn't just open up another division of his company for hunters so he could dominate two different markets. By the way, a Japanese outfit bought the rights to Dana Design, and I believe they still make backpacks under that name in Japan and only for the Japanese market.

That USMC ILBE I mentioned being designed by Arcteryx, which is a Canadian company, was then executed by Propeller in the USA. No clue who Propeller is. I think they made some jackets under military contract too, like the MA-1 flight jacket.

That's very interesting information. I thought I'd read they made for special forces. Maybe Dana intended some innuendo with the new company name. I always thougth of Dana Designs as THE epitome of backpacks. There used to be some info on the Mystery Ranch site. It's kind of sad in a way, but figure there was a good reason for all the change. I have "fanny" (always disliked that name) pack from Dana too, and it is very functional.

 

[Timbo]

Getting back to more important matters...

Food, BH is very astute, I've found just about anything from SE Asia to be delicious. Curries, fresh salad rolls, soups. pork buns, dumplings, stir fries, mmmm droooool.

FYI, when I said a sample size purchase of tobacco. A tin is a good sample size for me as I can come back for multiple tries with multiple pipes. If I don't like it at all by the end of it well there you go.

 

[ralphmcculley]

Some might think that I should have waited out the first year of pipe smoking before making any declarations of what certain tobaccos taste like, or make statements about what I like and don't like, but I find it therapeutic to do so, and I hope it's at least amusing to read, in an "oh, you sweet summer child" kind of way.

Over the months since last Christmas, when I got my first pipe, I've gone from "Everything Has to Be Fruit Flavored" to "Fruit Flavors Stink - I Love Burley" to "Everything Stinks" to "English Might be Okay" to "Everything Has to be English," and I'm kind of exhausted by it all. Not in a giving up kind of way; I just wish I knew what I wanted and what pipe it should be smoked in, every time, and not have to feel like the new kid in class every time a box arrives from P&C.com.

At the risk of planting my flag in quicksand on the side of a hill, here's where I am landing now:

Tobaccos I love - John Bull (English) and Lane 1Q (Aromatic). That's it.

Tobaccos I dislike - everything else I have on the shelf right now, maybe a dozen different things.

Pipes I love - Savinelli 673KS, both MM Cobbits that I have.

Pipes I told that we can "still be friends", the other 12-15 I have.

I feel like I've overbought tobacco and pipes both, and I overbought cheaper pipes, trying to find out what shapes I like, materials, lengths, etc. I've gone crazy buying tobaccos trying to figure out what delivers the nirvana smoke. I justify it all by saying that I learned something from every purchase. I got to restore a few antique mall finds, and that's a neat feeling. But then part of me wants a possum to sneak into my house and trim my options to help focus my activity.

Can anyone relate?

I can relate. I went through this 12 years ago. Luckily for me I got in this when John Harden "Matches860" was still alive. He spent time talking with me on what shapes and tobaccos to smoke. One afternoon I called him and said I'm at my wits end. I've spent too much money on tobaccos and I couldn't figure out what I would really like. He said it could be as simple as a old drugstore tobacco. He said to try Prince Albert. I bought a box from Walmart and it sat in my tobacco drawer for weeks. After I finished my tub of Sir Walter Raleigh regular I opened the box and packed a bowl. After I smoked up the box I immediately bought two tubs of PA from an online store. I've been smoking PA for 6 years now and just this year I started really getting into Cornell and Diehl burleys. Pegasus is starting to take over my everyday smoke. Don't give up though. The initial excitement is dwindling for you. This is normal. It seems like you dig "Sweet" English style blends. Try Boswell Northwoods. You can even call The Country Squire Tobacco Shop and talk to Jon Cole the owner. He has some VERY delicious sweet English blends that he makes. You will find your smoke, trust me, Matches860 smoked a pipe for almost 15 to 20 years before he found his favorite all day smoke Haunted Bookshop. Utilize the mom and pop tobacco shops too.

 

[ralphmcculley]

Can only say "Been there, Done that!!" I smoke & enjoy tobaccos today I hated way back when!! This is one reason, when asked, why I caution new pipers to not "stock up/amass" a large quantity of a given tobacco early in their journey. Tastes change with experience and age. You are not alone, I assure you!!!!! FTRPLT

I stocked up early in my pipe smoking journey. Am I regretful?, not really, do I wish I would have stocked up on the stuff I like now?, absolutely ! But I would buy a tin of something I knew I didn't like or that I didn't try when I would do my order. I'm glad I did that. I also bought in bulk and jarred them up. The only taste that changed with me in the last 12 years is the fact that I'm liking strong burley blends more as I get older. I still like a bowl of Captain Black and RLP-6 now and then but I've been chugging away on Pegasus lately. I've even been cheating on my beloved Prince Albert for the last couple months with Pegasus. I'm starting to get a pound every month or so just so I will never be without it.