Balkan / English / Sublime Tobaccos to Order?

[Nonsailor]

So, as a fledgling piper, I'm enjoying exploring the array of tobaccos out there and the wonderful camaraderie of this online community. At present, I've grown very fond of Frog Morton and Dunhill EMP. While I should probably just keep smoking what I've got, I am thinking about acquiring some of the following:

Gawith 1792
Balkan Sasieni
Presbyterian
H&H Black House
GL Pease Meridian, Kensington, Haddo's Delight, and/or Blackpoint.

I'm terribly infatuated with Latakia (love the Peaty qualities of it), but remain fairly susceptible to nicotine overload. (For instance, one Peterson University Flake can serve as a 2-3 day smoke.) I'd quite like to try the famous Balkan Sobranie, but the reissue seems unavailable (as does Squadron Leader, Penzance, and quite a few others). I don't think I can go wrong with any of those blends, given the general approbation of them among BoB. And, of course, everyone's taste varies and there's no accounting for etc etc. Anyone care to chime in with some suggestions? A hierarchy of must-smoke-now vs. try-it-later? Obvious oversights? More friendly-to-newer pipers vs. stick-in-the-cellar for a few years?

 

[Kyle Weiss]

If you are sensitive to vitamin "N" (nicotine) I'm thinking a good portion of that list is probably going to make you think you're touring the Wonka candy factory at some point... :lol:

I'm a huge fan of Squadron Leader and EMP myself. Next on my list to try is Nightcap.

Personally, I like stuff to be on the medium to strong side, or the other direction, subtle and intriguing. Rattray's does a good job of the latter. If you lean that direction, start researching some of their stuff. Hal O The Wynd is a popular one among many here, by example. Lacks the Lat, but gives you a whole different perspective on tobaccos.

Otherwise, except for the heavy nicotine content (1792 especially) I think your list largely mirrors my "to try" list after much consideration and research. 8)

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Kyle, I beg to differ on Hal O' the Wynd; it's one of the strongest "VAs" I've smoked, about equal in nicotine to University Flake.

 

[Muddler]

Personally I'd lose the 1792 & Presbyterian.

You need to add Lagonda & Abingdon in there. In fact, a Lat sampler of GLP blends is a very good way to go.

 

[Jimbo]

1792 is far too aromatic for me so I avoid it like the plague. Also, I personally don't like Haddo's. You ought to enjoy all your other suggestions though.

May I also suggest:
G.L. Pease Samarra, Maltese Falcon, and Quiet Nights
Dunhill 965 (a classic)
Lancer's Slices (a Latakia bomb that's balanced and delicious)
Star of the East Flake, also lots of Latakia but very tasty (from Cornell & Diehl)
Esoterica Margate (sister of hard-to-find Penzance)

These will provide plenty of delicious and smooth Latakias for you!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Kyle, I beg to differ on Hal O' the Wynd; it's one of the strongest "VAs" I've smoked, about equal in nicotine to University Flake.

I think you misunderstood my wording, because you're probably right, and, I've never tried it myself. I just know a lot of folks are partial to it and Jimbo might enjoy it 8)

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Kyle, sorry, I don't know what I was reading, as when I read your post again, repeatedly, I find you never said it was a low nicotine blend!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Kyle, sorry, I don't know what I was reading, as when I read your post again, repeatedly, I find you never said it was a low nicotine blend!

*shrug* I've never tried it, I just know people like it. I have Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie under my belt, they were moderate nicotine and medium-bodied (and delicious!) at best.

Your mileage may vary, as they say on the Internets.

...plus, everyone should know from the get-go I'm full of crap. Even on the off-chance I get lucky and know what I'm talking about. :lol:

 

[Nonsailor]

Personally I'd lose the 1792 & Presbyterian.

You need to add Lagonda & Abingdon in there. In fact, a Lat sampler of GLP blends is a very good way to go.

Great suggestions! I'd read up on Lagonda, but had missed Abigdon. Thanks for the tip--those look exactly like what I'm wanting.

 

[Nonsailor]

1792 is far too aromatic for me so I avoid it like the plague. Also, I personally don't like Haddo's. You ought to enjoy all your other suggestions though.

May I also suggest:
G.L. Pease Samarra, Maltese Falcon, and Quiet Nights
Dunhill 965 (a classic)
Lancer's Slices (a Latakia bomb that's balanced and delicious)
Star of the East Flake, also lots of Latakia but very tasty (from Cornell & Diehl)
Esoterica Margate (sister of hard-to-find Penzance)

These will provide plenty of delicious and smooth Latakias for you!

I'll check those out--especially Margate, whom I now envision as the less-cool sister to an Austen heroine. I'm considering simply ordering the entire Old London line as well.

I have a tin of 965 that I've smoked a bit. We're not friends yet, 965 and me. It seems too hot and ashy when I smoke it, so I don't find the happy place with it--although it's not 965, it's me. If anything isn't smoking well, it's probably my still-developing technique rather than the tobacco. Stuck some in a mason jar, as I read that should improve it.

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[Nonsailor]

If you are sensitive to vitamin "N" (nicotine) I'm thinking a good portion of that list is probably going to make you think you're touring the Wonka candy factory at some point... :lol:

I'm a huge fan of Squadron Leader and EMP myself. Next on my list to try is Nightcap.

Personally, I like stuff to be on the medium to strong side, or the other direction, subtle and intriguing. Rattray's does a good job of the latter. If you lean that direction, start researching some of their stuff. Hal O The Wynd is a popular one among many here, by example. Lacks the Lat, but gives you a whole different perspective on tobaccos.

Otherwise, except for the heavy nicotine content (1792 especially) I think your list largely mirrors my "to try" list after much consideration and research. 8)

LOL, indeed. Thanks for the Hal O the Wynd suggestion. As far as 1792, I'd just read so many good things about it. Perhaps one to look forward to in a few months. There's just so much good tobacco to try... : )

 

[riff raff]

+1 on the Meridian.
If you shop at Park Lane, try some Connoisseurs Flake.
Boswells Magnum is my favorite light English.
I have a tin of Sanseini but haven't opened it yet. I was so-so on the sister Sobranie.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I'll add votes for Blackpoint and Abingdon. I almost feel that if you have one, you should have the other. Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard is something I also highly recommend. It's incredibly smooth, and because it is mild on the punch, it's beautiful complexities can be easily missed. I like that in a blend. The aroma is otherworldly, too. Unfortunately, because 4noggins has a monopoly on online sales, you can't shop around for a better price or to throw it on with other tobaccos as you shop around for them. As for Star of the East from C&D, for it's price, it is a decent tobacco. It's really a very simple tasting blend, very one-dimensional. I grew tired of it very quickly because of that.

 

[Boxerbuddy]

I'm a fairly new pipe smoker myself and I've been trying every tobacco I can get my hands on from every different catagory. Va's VaPers, burleys, englishes...everything. I've been a cigar smoker for years and before that cigarettes. I am not nicotene sensitive in the least. Having said that the only tobacco that I really felt the N content of was 1792. I can't speak to the other ones on your list because I haven't tried them yet...but I can vouch for the strength of 1792.

I've smoked university flake before and didn't really feel much. So take it from someone who has been pickled in nicotene for years.....if you are N sensitive 1792 is almost definately not for you.

On top of that its heavily topped with tonguin bean extract which is....odd tasting to say the least. Its really a love/hate blend and maybe not something you want to start out with.

But seeing as though you've ordered it already you should give it a go...who knows you might love it....but just smoke it slooooow lol.

Oh and if you get a chance try Hal o the Wynd....one of my favorites. Its a strong Va with a little Perique. It can bite a little right out of the tin so open it and let it air out and age a little.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

One thing I've been doing is keeping a journal and list, along with space for notes as I go along. I have kind of a scattered, non-alphabetical list that's organized by type (English, Balkan, Other Lat Blends, Perique Blends, etc), and sometimes I learn more and switch one tobacco to another as I see it fitting better. I color-code by text things I like a lot, stuff that is just "Meh," and light gray stuff that I'm probably going to avoid for now.

What this does for me is keeps the names, makers, tobacco makeup and whether or not I have it on hand to try, in a way I can refer back to it, see if there's any patterns, and remember sometimes who gave them to me to eventually ask suggestions of those who might have similar taste.

It has grown to about 100 tobaccos. That seems overwhelming, but it's a small percentage of what is out there. It's a small price to pay in work to make sure I'm approaching this with some rationale and see where my tastes are going.

Might be worth doing. *shrug* 8)

 

[Nonsailor]

+1 on the Meridian.
If you shop at Park Lane, try some Connoisseurs Flake.
Boswells Magnum is my favorite light English.
I have a tin of Sanseini but haven't opened it yet. I was so-so on the sister Sobranie.

The Boswell Magnum looks good. Funny name for a lighter blend, innit? I'll put this one on the list.

If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious: what didn't you like about Sobranie?

 

[Nonsailor]

I'll add votes for Blackpoint and Abingdon. I almost feel that if you have one, you should have the other. Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard is something I also highly recommend. It's incredibly smooth, and because it is mild on the punch, it's beautiful complexities can be easily missed. I like that in a blend. The aroma is otherworldly, too. Unfortunately, because 4noggins has a monopoly on online sales, you can't shop around for a better price or to throw it on with other tobaccos as you shop around for them. As for Star of the East from C&D, for it's price, it is a decent tobacco. It's really a very simple tasting blend, very one-dimensional. I grew tired of it very quickly because of that.

Thanks for the tip. Reading up on OLB, it looks quite good. I like those terms, "smooth" and "mild" and "complexities." It's easier for me to enjoy a smoke when my head is still attached.

 

[Nonsailor]

I'm a fairly new pipe smoker myself and I've been trying every tobacco I can get my hands on from every different catagory. Va's VaPers, burleys, englishes...everything. I've been a cigar smoker for years and before that cigarettes. I am not nicotene sensitive in the least. Having said that the only tobacco that I really felt the N content of was 1792. I can't speak to the other ones on your list because I haven't tried them yet...but I can vouch for the strength of 1792.

I've smoked university flake before and didn't really feel much. So take it from someone who has been pickled in nicotene for years.....if you are N sensitive 1792 is almost definately not for you.

On top of that its heavily topped with tonguin bean extract which is....odd tasting to say the least. Its really a love/hate blend and maybe not something you want to start out with.

But seeing as though you've ordered it already you should give it a go...who knows you might love it....but just smoke it slooooow lol.

Oh and if you get a chance try Hal o the Wynd....one of my favorites. Its a strong Va with a little Perique. It can bite a little right out of the tin so open it and let it air out and age a little.

That's quite a testimony. I'll be steering clear of 1792, although the tonquin topping sounds interesting. Most full-strength cigarettes would remove my cranium, back when I'd smoke them. Not many problems with pipe tobaccos yet. I've yet to try anything with perique in it, so I'll take a good look at Hal of the Wynd. Thanks!

 

[Nonsailor]

One thing I've been doing is keeping a journal and list, along with space for notes as I go along. I have kind of a scattered, non-alphabetical list that's organized by type (English, Balkan, Other Lat Blends, Perique Blends, etc), and sometimes I learn more and switch one tobacco to another as I see it fitting better. I color-code by text things I like a lot, stuff that is just "Meh," and light gray stuff that I'm probably going to avoid for now.

What this does for me is keeps the names, makers, tobacco makeup and whether or not I have it on hand to try, in a way I can refer back to it, see if there's any patterns, and remember sometimes who gave them to me to eventually ask suggestions of those who might have similar taste.

It has grown to about 100 tobaccos. That seems overwhelming, but it's a small percentage of what is out there. It's a small price to pay in work to make sure I'm approaching this with some rationale and see where my tastes are going.

Might be worth doing. *shrug* 8)

Yeah! Now we're getting somewhere! Indexing and cross-referencing! :cheers:

I've been using Evernote to keep track of pipes, tobacco, techniques, tastes, a list of things to try, etc. Each tobacco I'm smoking has its own note and I add observations. It's a cool program because it runs on Android as well as PC, does web clipping, and supports tagging, so I can sit on the porch and type on my phone while smoking (writing about smoking while smoking). In a notebook, I keep a dated list of what I smoke and in which pipe and add a couple of words on how it was. I anticipate moving toward a spreadsheet in the future, but I'm very fond of fountain pens.

Your idea of color-coding seems a terrific idea. /hadntthoughtofthat

I seriously think that the bookkeeping qualities of pipe smoking is part of what I enjoy about it. As you note, there's so much out there that some rationale is necessary to keep track. Thanks for sharing your research and notekeeping.

 

[roogles]

Yeah! Now we're getting somewhere! Indexing and cross-referencing! :cheers:

I've been using Evernote to keep track of pipes, tobacco, techniques, tastes, a list of things to try, etc. Each tobacco I'm smoking has its own note and I add observations. It's a cool program because it runs on Android as well as PC, does web clipping, and supports tagging, so I can sit on the porch and type on my phone while smoking (writing about smoking while smoking). In a notebook, I keep a dated list of what I smoke and in which pipe and add a couple of words on how it was. I anticipate moving toward a spreadsheet in the future, but I'm very fond of fountain pens.

Your idea of color-coding seems a terrific idea. /hadntthoughtofthat

I seriously think that the bookkeeping qualities of pipe smoking is part of what I enjoy about it. As you note, there's so much out there that some rationale is necessary to keep track. Thanks for sharing your research and notekeeping.

Continuing along this thread might be considered thread derailment (or hijacking) - but I had to pipe up here.

<geek>
I'm a HUGE note taker, love writing, and echo that I am very fond of fountain pens. I burn through moleskine notebooks and Pilot varsity disposable fountain pens way faster then I burn through pipe tobacco. I find writing and note taking relaxing, cathartic, and often have often been accused that I use note-taking as a coping mechanism (pffff).

My brother got me a really cool leather journal for Christmas, as well as a large box of disposable fountain pens and I've decided to make it my pipe and tobacco journal. I'm taking notes on what I smoke, tastes, thoughts about packing, lighting, etc. Hoping that it will be a good resource as I learn about and try more tobacco.

Just since early December I took the time to catalog my small pipe collection, make notes about where they came from, how they smoke, what I like/don't like about them, etc... I'm keeping that in the back part of this same notebook.

This aspect of pipe smoking - the note taking, research, almost scientific aspect of it - has huge appeal for me.
</geek>