What to do with blends I don't like?

[beardedbassguy]

So I'm VERY new to smoking pipes. And I know jack squat about tobacco really. But I do know I like more mellow flavors, milder tobacco, and stuff that smells good.

I ordered 4 tins of aromatic tobacco last week, got them on Saturday. I have tried all four... and realize I don't care for 2 of them. Once of them I am on the fence about. The other I DO like.

So what do I do with tobaccos that I don't like? Or even the one I am on the fence about? That's a LOT of tobacco for me since I only smoke about 1 bowl a day. And money is kind of tight since we just had a baby and my wife isn't working, I feel like I just wasted my money. I'm not above giving them to someone, but I don't know any local pipe smokers.

They are all jarred, just sitting there , silently mocking me


For those interested:

The ones I don't like are Drew Estate 7th Ave Blonde and Sutliff Taste of Autumn.

The one I am on the fence about is Drew Estate Central Park Stroll.

And the one I DO like is Drew Estate Grand Central.

I picked these because they had good reviews, were aromatic flavors I assumed I would like, and the Drew blends were buy 2 get one free. And Free is good.

However I learned real fast I don't care for the super sickly sweet flavors. I DO like sweet, but more of the simple and nuanced variety that the Grand Central offers over the others.

Sorry if my post doesn't make sense, just trying to figure out what to do with all this tobacco.

 

[RDPipes]

Well, I would say normally to hang on to them because as your palette/taste develops you'll find more and more tobacco's you didn't like earlier becoming more flavorful and vise versa.Sometimes blends will get better just from a little aging also but, if you truly don't like them (and I can understand why) you may be able to trade them off for something you do like or want to try from other members here on the forum.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Keep them and come back to them later, once your tastes have developed a bit. I am of the camp that believes that aromatics are best in the hands of experienced pipers. They're typically high in sugar and tend to burn hot and steamy and for the most part the mild tobaccos used as a vehicle for delivering the added flavorings tend to be way too mild to be very interesting on their own. That said, I'd recommend getting a good simple Virginia like McClelland Red Cake or Fragrant Matured 2000 and a nice mild burley say Carter Hall or the fancier H&H Classic Burley Kake and smoking them to see what works best for you and go from there as body chemistry will sometimes dictate whether you're in the burley or VA camp. For instance I can smoke most Virginia's but only a handful of burleys.

 

[Psmith]

I think you should hang on to them but keep them nicely stored. It is amazing the way tobacco, especially quality aromatic ones, can take on a different character as time goes by. Also, your tastes may change over time and you may find later that they are not so bad.
One experience I had this with was Peterson's Sherlock Holmes. When I first bought it it had this kind of grey dead-grass kind of hue to it and I found the taste to be similar to roll-yer-own cigarette tobacco. It ended up pushed to the back of my shelf and I forgot about it for two years. About two weeks ago I remembered it and gave it a go just break my usual rotation. Wow! Totally different experience. Suddenly its matured into a deep rich red color and the aroma is insane. I'm smoking it twice a week now and regretting that I don't have another tin aging in my collection. Maybe the same will occur with your stuff...who knows.

 

[Big G]

My suggestion - get some 1/2 pint wide-mouth Mason jars, put all the tobaccos in those jars, & revisit them at monthly intervals.  A 1/2 pint jar holds a standard 50 gm tin of tobacco nicely, the Mason jars will prevent the tobaccos from drying out in the tins, & the wide mouths allow easy filling of your pipes.  If after a few months you still don't like a given tobacco, you can always trade it away to someone who likes the blend.

 

[idbowman]

What is it you don't like about these tobaccos?  

Do you actually not like the flavor itself?  If so, I really know that there's much to do but trade/gift the stuff away.  

Or, do you think you'd like the flavor, it's just too sweet/concentrated/wet-burning, etc?  If that's the case, pop into a drug store and grab a pouch of something like Carter Hall (cheap, and readily available) - cut the aromatic that you're having trouble with the CH to see if it improves things for you.  You might find that with just a little bit of blending you can turn a loser into something worth smoking...and experimentation is half the fun.



I'd be careful with all of the advice recommending that you keep them and come back to them later.  Not that that's bad advice, per se, but we're talking about aromatics.  Over time, aromatics will lose the flavor/scent of their particular topping, leaving you with a tobacco missing a lot of the taste it's supposed to have, so don't expect that it can keep indefinitely.

Now, on one hand, maybe that's a good thing.  Store the tobacco in a Mason Jar and come back to it in 12-18 months, and some of the sickly sweet flavor may well have subdued to a point that you find you enjoy it.  On the other hand, the essence may fade so much that you find that all you have is the taste of the base tobacco which is usually pretty underwhelming.

 

[user 2031]

I absolutely hated "Taste of Autumn" the first couple of times I attempted to smoke it out of a briar. I was really wondering how in the world it got such high reviews from guys who say they normally don't like aros. The artificial maple/butter taste was way more than I could handle. But fortunately before I threw the rest of the tin out I tried it in a cob and it was much better. The maple/ butter taste was way less pronounced in the cob. So before you decide on it, you might want to try it one more time in a cob if you haven't already. You might be pleasantly surprised as I was.

 

[huffelpuff]

I'm going to have to agree with Ian (idbowman). If its too sickly sweet your best bet is to cut it with a plain burley, like Carter Hall, Prince Albert, or even Sir Walter Raleigh. Unless you have access to a shop that will sell you blending burley. I would suggest only mixing up a small portion to begin with to see if it improves things for you . If so then go ahead and mix up a larger batch but keep it tightly packed in the jar for 2-3 weeks and then try it again. You will be amazed at the difference that little bit of time will make.

Simple Mans suggestion on trying it in a cob is also an excellent one. As cobs can absorb some of that extreme sweetness. They are also quite inexpensive.

 

[Richard Burley]

Cut it, per the suggestions above, unless it's something you really can't stand. I'm talkin' roughly 50/50. I would suggest Prince Albert or even Macbaren's Golden Extra. Carter Hall has a more noticeable topping that might clash with the others when mixed. Doing this always worked for me, plus you end up with a huge amount of tobacco!

But tastes differ, and sometimes it's just better to toss and start over. If you're new, I'd suggest Bald-Headed Teacher or something else universally liked. Some of those aromatics are a bit, ah...esoteric.

 

[Wet Dottle]

I would offer them for trade in the trading section of BoB. You can trade for something you like of for other blends to try. Shipping is not bad if you use ziplock bags inside padded envelopes.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

This is my theory, YMMV:

Life's too short to smoke tobacco you don't like. If you actually dislike it, toss it (or trade it). I have never found that my opinion has changed on something that I disliked.

There have been plenty of tobaccos that I have tried that I just didn't didn't ring any bells right off the bat. I didn't dislike them, but there was nothing that I particularly cared for in the blend. When my take on the blend is more neutral, I jar it and revisit it down the line.

My best example of this is Hal o the Wynd. I picked up a tin that already had 5 years of age on it. At first, I found it bland and boring. I dumped the tin into a mason jar and stuck it in the back of the cabinet. I pulled it out a few years later and was in love. Now I smoke it more than anything else. I don't know whether my tastes have changed, or I am just able to pick up on something I missed early on, but old or young, I just love the stuff.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

On the other hand 50/50 blending might just end up being a complete waste of perfectly good Carter Hall. That C&D Autumn Evening I didn't care for still tastes like the C&D Autumn Evening I didn't care for, only now with a bit more umph. Ha ha ha...

 

[monbla256]

For me, I've found that my first impressions were usually right and if this were my situation I'd see about finding someone who might like to trade something more to your liking. JMHO :twisted: :twisted:

 

[beardedbassguy]

Thanks guys for all the responses!

I didn't like the 7th Ave because it was SO sweet, and it had a weird flavored smoke. Almost an artificial vanilla flavor smoke that left a terrible taste in my mouth.

The Sutliff Taste Of Autumn I didn't care for because the scent reminded me of rotten fruit, and it was hard to get over it.

The Central Park Stroll had a rotten fruit smell, but not as bad, so I'm willing to try it out again later.

Currently I have the jarred. I may revisit them in a week or 2 to see if that helps. If not, to the trading block they go! Once I have passed my month/ 30 posts that is.

I was on the 4noggins site, and thought of trying their in hose blend aromatic sampler. All the reviews I have read of their house blend stuff says that their aromatics really let the tobacco shine through, and that's what I am after. Anyone have experience with their aros?

 

[user 2031]

Whoops, I had Taste of Autumn mixed up with Autumn Evening. Autumn Evening is the one that got a bit better, (still not my thing) in a cob. I have not tried Autumn Evening yet, but I do have an unopened tin of it.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Not everyone likes all tobaccos, nor should they, as evidenced by the existence of more than half the content of BoB.

Write stuff down, for yourself. Smoke enough to find out if it's "meh," "awesome," or "eff this shyte." The more of one column checked or noted will show your tastebuds trending. It will also help you make future decisions.

"Eff this shyte" will likely never be a winner. You can always give/trade tobacco, provided you have the space to keep it.

Never throw it away. Waste not, want not.

Occasionally I dry out the really bad stuff, keep it in bulk bags, and make tobacco tea insect killer to spray on the houseplants and garden.

8)

 

[user 2031]

"You sit down there and smoke it until it is gone, young man! There are young men and women in Blighty that would love to have your pipe tobacco!"

Did I get it right, Stick? :lol:

 

[RDPipes]

"You sit down there and smoke it until it is gone, young man! There are young men and women in Blighty that would love to have your pipe tobacco!"

Did I get it right, Stick? :lol:

Did you know my Mother? :suspect:

 

[beardedbassguy]

:lol!:

I think I'm going o have to pass on that. Seriously the 7th ave and I did NOT get along.

 

[Stick]

"You sit down there and smoke it until it is gone, young man! There are young men and women in Blighty that would love to have your pipe tobacco!"

Did I get it right, Stick? :lol:

Absolutely bang on Jack old chap. Stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on. That's the spirit.

I would also offer that samples are a good idea to see if you like a blend. 25g is usually enough. That should cost you fine fellows across the pond just a shilling....