Blends on which You Changed Mind

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Cadfael

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Probably all of us have some blends on which we've changed our minds. For me, Waccamaw is a big one. I hated it when I first tried it - strong and bitter. But now, after a year in the tin, I really like it - complex and the VA twang comes through nicely.

Any of you flipped on a baccy one way or the other?
 
After enjoying Carter Hall for 55 years as one of my favorites, lately CH hasn't quite tasted the same.
 
Most recent for me, Embarcadero went from good to righteously-sublime in a matter of four months. It took trying a few different pipes and experimenting with a couple different packing methods to get there, but man oh man is it fantastic. The tobacco from the tin I opened might have benefitted from sitting a few months in a mason jar as well. Who knows.

Also Blackwoods Flake. First time I tried it - Meh. However, as soon as I started thoroughly breaking it up and letting it dry for a good 30 minutes before putting a match to it, it just kept getting better and better with each smoke. Very warm and bready VA, with some fantastic subtleties.

And Haddo's Delight. Fresh = Yikes :evil: Put Five years on it and Holy Moses I am in love. :twisted: 
 
Biggest for me is Hal o the Wynd. When I first tried it I tasted nothing but boring. About a year later I revisited it and it has become one of my favorites. In these past few months it has probably become my most smoked blend.

Not to the same extreme, but I had a similar experience with FVF. I had not tried it until it became hard to come by - then I felt the need to see what all the hype was about. When I did finally try it, I wasn't all that impressed. But it sure did grow on me.

Ironically these two are two of my three most smoked blends (Blackwoods Flake being the third).

 
When I first tried Mac Baren Old Dark Fired, I did not care for it. I put it away for a few months, let it dry some and when I revisited it I loved it. It is now a regular in my rotation and it has a large space in my cellar.

I am hoping my tin of Wessex Burley Slice will be the same way, it has been resting for about 4 months now and I will be checking it out again soon.

 
FVF

Yes, believe it or not. It was not love at first sight (or light/bowl/whatever)!

Tried to like it initially but sold off what I had just purchased, just after coming off my 8 yr pipe hiatus. This was all new production, and I don't think I took into account the excess moisture factor. Anyway, I got rid of it....

:no: 


After a few yrs came back around and tried some aged stock, and took the moisture level down a few notches. That made all the difference! Certainly an "A-HA" moment.........

So FVF is back on my rotation. Don't think it's a desert island blend for me at this point, but it sure does fill the bill sometimes.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

:rabbit: 


Cheers,

RR
 
tiltjlp":ytaa5mt5 said:
After enjoying Carter Hall for 55 years as one of my favorites, lately CH hasn't quite tasted the same.
I think has something to do with the recent shortage. I wonder if it's an aging thing or different sources for the ingredients.
 
Wessex brigade Campaign Dark Flake.

Years ago, it was utopia in a pipe.

Then they turned it into a mug of hot cocoa.

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: 

:face: 
 
Royal Yacht. Hated it at first, then after a couple more tries I finally got it. Time elapsed: almost 20 years!! :lol: 
 
Hereward":bur7ftdh said:
I think has something to do with the recent shortage. I wonder if it's an aging thing or different sources for the ingredients.
You mean it's no longer sitting on a shelf for 50 years before they actually ship it out to someone. :p 

I find Carter Hall to be a fairly pleasant OTC. It beats smoking Sir Walter Raleigh. When I feel like some burley which is pretty rare, I go Storm Front or Solani ABF.
 
Latakia blends in general. I used to love a good latakia hit. Now I wonder why there are so many in my cellar? :shock: 
 
Lat blends in general, went through a phase of loving them, I got so hooked on Lat I started adding blending Latakia into Lat blends to get more of a Lat kick, can't stand the stuff any more, I have tried getting back into it, no chance, I've come to realise that what I was hooked on in Lat blends was the Perique, now I'm a very happy Va/Per Junkie. :)
 
Latakia for me as well. Used to love it, now it's a very rare one I can tolerate. One big exception is GLP's Samarra.

The other is Lunchtime Blues, a newer one from C&D. First tin I bought smelled like a dead skunk upon opening...and not in a good way. lol It had improved within a week, and by a month was smoking like a true champ.
 
DrumsAndBeer":srh3kpjh said:
You mean it's no longer sitting on a shelf for 50 years before they actually ship it out to someone. :p 

I find Carter Hall to be a fairly pleasant OTC. It beats smoking Sir Walter Raleigh. When I feel like some burley which is pretty rare, I go Storm Front or Solani ABF.
Yeah, it's been bitter lately. I'm betting on some aging to mellow it out. I have a pound of it in jars. :| 
 
Blackhorse":e7dn9q78 said:
Latakia for me as well. Used to love it, now it's a very rare one I can tolerate. One big exception is GLP's Samarra.

The other is Lunchtime Blues, a newer one from C&D. First tin I bought smelled like a dead skunk upon opening...and not in a good way. lol It had improved within a week, and by a month was smoking like a true champ.
ditto. except i've never had lunchtime. magnum opus by H&H is my other exception. but man samarra with a few years on it is really nice.
 
GLP Fillmore. Hated it once upon a time, now I smoke it regularly.

I couldn't stand the stuff when I first tried. It was very early on in my smoking "career" when I bought a tin...I was stubborn enough to finish the tin, but couldn't wait to be done with it. I revisited it a few years ago just for kicks and it was a total 180. There are plenty of things I do "better" now that I did when I started (cooler smoke, cleaner pipes, more experience palate), but I think it's the little bit of Latakia. Early on, I couldn't stand the stuff so even the slightest bit could have been a huge turn off...nowadays, I can't get enough lat, so when I want a Va or VaPer, Fillmore give me that plus a little bit of a lat teaser.
 
Every season, for me, tobacco changes drastically. Usually my mind is made up and something else changes. Could be the leaf or batch. Could be the over-spiced chili for dinner. Could be the weather. Could be the pipe. Could be stress. Could be years, could be weeks. :shrug:

I just keep going back for what tastes/performs to expectation until it doesn't. I know what I like, it's when I like it that tells the tale.
 
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