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Post by sparks on Sept 29, 2017 7:28:18 GMT -5
My Uncle has smoked the same tobacco for as long as I can remember. His daily blend was BCA labeled as a house blend in our local tobacco shop. I remember his tobacco jar next to his chair with that moist, wonderful smelling black tobacco, and always with an apple slice. He would remind me that the apple slice was to keep the tobacco at the proper moisture level. Later in life, as I became an experienced pipe smoker, I learned that this was wholly unnecessary, as BCA will still be moist without assistance at the second coming. I was always a bit envious that he knew what he liked and could rely on his choice of tobacco day in day out.
I have always liked the idea of having a daily blend. Not the only blend you smoke, but the one you reach for when you just want to puff. It needs to hit all the right marks to qualify. It should be tasty but not too complex. It needs a bit of strength, but should not be a bell ringer. Reasonably priced is always a big plus, but should not be "cheap".
I have gone through this exercise before. The last time it resulted in the procurement of large quantities of a blend that I eventually lost interest in. I learned a valuable lesson and one I hope not to repeat. Most of the common suggestions like PA and CH don't hit the mark for me. They are too light and I just don't fancy the taste to be honest. I have been working my way through some of the C&D line of late. Many of their blends are available in bulk and the price point can't be beat. Though I love their Burley blends, many are just a bit too much to be an all day smoke. I admit, I have a tendency to go down the rabbit hole and wind up with a bunch of samples that I have to gift away.
Then this morning I sit down at my desk, cup of coffee in hand and fire up a bowl of one of my favorites, University Flake. After the first 3 puffs I ask myself, "Why can't this be offered in bulk?". This tobacco is always smooth, flavorful and reliable. Maybe it's time to abandon the search for some holy grail bulk blend and just accept the fact that my daily blend comes in a tin. I would not be the first to realize this and certainly not the last.
What say you, should I stick with what works? And how about you? Is your daily blend (if you have one) in bulk or a tin?
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Post by JimInks on Sept 29, 2017 8:25:10 GMT -5
It's easy to say "stick with what works" because comfortable level is everything in life. Many would say it's the best advice possible. However, pipe smokers - especially those in pipe forums - usually can't resist the siren calls of the enablers, and when something sounds like it may be in your flavor profile, it's hard not to give it a try. Especially when you see somebody else is enjoying it or the blend gets good reviews. But, I say if you like it, smoke it. Stick with what works.
Now, if it's a matter of money, which is very important to most of us as most of us are on a budget, then look for a similar bulk blend. If you find one, consider a tinned tobacco you like as a "treat" smoke for a time when you need a "treat". As money has been a concern for me, I cellared cheaper bulk "work and play" smokes to spread out the cost of the more expensive tinned tobaccos I like. That way, I always have something with some flavor to puff on when I want something easy to keep lit, and that has a decent enough flavor to make it worthwhile. The more complex, expensive blends (those descriptives don't always necessarily go together as some expensive blends can be one dimensional) are saved for savoring while relaxing, reading or watching a good movie.
I haven't had a daily blend in many, many years, but I always have a bowl of Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend each day. One of these days, when I'm reviewing at lesser pace and have fewer samples at the ready, I'll likely limit my stash of open blends to a dozen or more, and I can see a time when I may repeat blends during the day.
The main thing, in my opinion, is to buy what's comfortable in your price range, and enjoy.
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Post by antb on Sept 29, 2017 8:27:48 GMT -5
Your post strikes a chord with me, Justin.
I am a smoker. I take a single blend and a couple of cobs to work daily. I have about half a dozen , or so, bowls at work. My citeria for a daily blend is thus about the same as yours.
Currently I rotate 5 blends that fit the need:
Sir Walter Raleigh - Tub
Edward G Robinson's Pipe Blend - Tub
Sutliff's Edgeworth Ready Rubbed Match - Bulk
Sturks Tobacconist's Nutty Unscented - Bulk
My own Mystery Blend - Bulk
In the past I have found the Amphora's: Original (Brown) and Full Aroma (Red), to be good daily blends as well.
The "better", more expensive stuff, gets saved for my first smoke daily and evening leisure time.
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Post by Lady Margaret on Sept 29, 2017 8:31:44 GMT -5
if i had to pick a daily it would be either CB Cherry (yes, I hear the groans) or The Country Squire's White Rose, which is available in bulk  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2017 8:35:51 GMT -5
Heine's and Edgeworth for me. Prince Albert and Half & Half off of the bench to fill in once in a while.
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Post by puffy on Sept 29, 2017 9:51:58 GMT -5
Most of what I smoke is a Lane bulk called HGL.It's a light Latakia blend that I can smoke inside without complaint from my darling wife.These days it costs almost 3 times what it used to but then that's the nature of today's free enterprise world.Over the years I've smoked a lot of other blends I lost count at something over 300,but far more HGL than anything else.I guess second place would be Captain Black (White)Then there's my stash of Penzance that I only smoke on the porch.The little woman says it smells like I'm smoking dirty socks.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2017 11:13:35 GMT -5
This blends in with an earlier thread about looking up to our dads who smoked a pipe and usually one blend only. There was actually a recent article on this somewhere, too.
I really love this VIP match I have gotten, but I would probably go with Five Brothers or CH or Chatham Manor for an absolute daily.
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Post by trailboss on Sept 29, 2017 13:27:26 GMT -5
I am no help on this, as I am all over the map. I typically smoke 2 bowls a day and I have a crapload of tobacco's.... to me, variety is the spice of life...?unfortunately when I think of blends that I would like bowl after bowl, they are in the high price category.... Curly block, strang, Condor, Mick McQuaid, Dunhill navy rolls, etc...
Still love my Stokkebye flakes and coins and Newminster variants of the same.
I wish I could be content with one blend or a "daily"... but then since two bowls satisfy, that isn't an issue.
Now on to building a snuff cellar.
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orley
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Post by orley on Sept 29, 2017 14:03:23 GMT -5
I'm afraid I'm with Charlie, the boss of all trails on this subject. I have so many different jars of tobacco open because I really like the variety. I smoke whatever I'm in the mood for. To me it's like food, as much as I like pepperoni pizza, I couldn't eat it every day and not get tired of it. It seems more like a treat to have it just once in awhile. Nothing wrong with having a favorite blend you smoke all the time, it's just that I couldn't do it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2017 14:15:38 GMT -5
What those two guys said. ^ ^ ^ @  , I think HGL is a pretty good smoke, too. P&C is having a promo for $1.25 per oz on many Lane blends, including HGL. Problem is, the link seems to only work intermittently. www.pipesandcigars.com/shop/lanebulkoffer/1801102/ |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2017 14:34:49 GMT -5
Starting the day with the same blend works for me. It anchors the day's smoking and gives me a frame of reference and to this end, I smoke 1 - 2 bowls of Lane: HG-2000 daily.
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Post by just ol ed on Sept 29, 2017 15:16:04 GMT -5
little help from here either. Whatever's open any any time. Now...965 & BestBlend. Both '06. No idea yet what I'll open after these are done.
Ed Duncan, Batavia, NY
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Post by peterd-Buffalo Spirit on Sept 29, 2017 16:11:57 GMT -5
...I've always kept a tub of PA and SWR at the ready...several months ago I began buying PA Match...If I had to choose "my daily smoke"...it would be these two...
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Post by peteguy on Sept 29, 2017 18:42:55 GMT -5
Never had UF. Sell off the stuff you bought before and stock up on UF? I know you have mentioned what it was you stocked up on but I can't place it. C somthing. Seemed like a good baccy that should be easy to move.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 15:46:12 GMT -5
My first bowl of the day is routinely Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, nice coffee sweetener. I've cellared a bunch and can't see it changing. I drift afterwards but have been gravitating towards tins/bags lately, mostly Esoterica Dunbar during the day, G.L. Pease Quiet Nights, C&D Epiphany or Esoterica Penzance in the evenings but it's subject to change on a daily basis.
Retirement changes a lot of things. I smoked a lot more bulks on the go when I was working. I'm more in touch with my mortality and look to smoke finest kind whenever I can now while I'm still able.
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Post by crapgame on Oct 1, 2017 16:09:29 GMT -5
My first bowl of the day is routinely Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, nice coffee sweetener. I've cellared a bunch and can't see it changing. I drift afterwards but have been gravitating towards tins/bags lately, mostly Esoterica Dunbar during the day, G.L. Pease Quiet Nights, C&D Epiphany or Esoterica Penzance in the evenings but it's subject to change on a daily basis. Retirement changes a lot of things. I smoked a lot more bulks on the go when I was working. I'm more in touch with my mortality and look to smoke finest kind whenever I can now while I'm still able. Not a darn thing wrong with that Mark! |
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Post by PhantomWolf on Oct 1, 2017 20:12:34 GMT -5
I love reading these accounts of old tymme smokers and their cherished blend. I love the thought of one's beloved uncle Joe and his trusty barrel of Granger sitting next to his chair. I look forward to the day when I find the right leaf and put a ring on her finger, but until I've smoked every blend I can get my wallet around, call me Don Juan.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 20:36:47 GMT -5
I love reading these accounts of old tymme smokers and their cherished blend. I love the thought of one's beloved uncle Joe and his trusty barrel of Granger sitting next to his chair. I look forward to the day when I find the right leaf and put a ring on her finger, but until I've smoked every blend I can get my wallet around, call me Don Juan. I think I am similar. Dad with his SWR. Mr. Pratt with his Half and Half. My main squeeze is Five Brothers now, but I still feel like I want to know all the ones that strike my fancy, so often failing. Looking up ever berry flavored aro and not finding The One. Same with Maple, and a host of others. And my latest attraction that I would have cringed at 40 years ago is cube cut burley. If my older brother gets wind of this he'll make me pay for all the girly photos he let me copy in his darkroom |
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Post by GRUMPY on Oct 1, 2017 21:27:59 GMT -5
 For many years I smoked primarily Smoker's Pride black cavendish, cause it has less vanilla than their vanilla cavendish. It was affordable and available in my rural community. This was in the pre internet shopping days. I tried many OTC baccies, but returned to Smoker's Pride. For a while there was a "Toasted Cave" From Smoker's Pride available. I guess not enough people liked it, so it disappeared. I liked it.
Now in the internet shopping age, I have hundreds of brands and thousands of blends to choose from. At home I have say half a dozen tobaccos to choose from. If out of the house a pouch of C&D Crooner or my own latakia mix is in my back pocket. My own blend is 44% latakia,44% dark burley and 12% light virginia, a latakia bomb.
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chasingembers
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First Name: Duane
Favorite Pipe: My Growing J. Everett Collection, Fifteen Day Bruce Weaver Set, Meerschaums, Oguz Simsek Skulls
Favorite Tobacco: Black Frigate,Solani Silver Flake, Yenidje Highlander, Angler's Dream, Watch City Slices, Salty Dogs, Mephisto, Ennerdale Flake, Rich Dark Honeydew, 1792 Flake
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Post by chasingembers on Oct 2, 2017 0:39:13 GMT -5
I am up to over 200 pounds in my cellar, but if I had to call a daily blend, it would be a toss up between Black Frigate, and Angler's Dream.
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sablebrush52
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Favorite Pipe: Barling
Favorite Tobacco: whatever is in it
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Post by sablebrush52 on Oct 2, 2017 1:09:05 GMT -5
I'm another of those "variety is the spice of life" types. After being content with a couple of blends for many years, I decided to go exploring and there was no turning back. But there are times when I revert to old behavior and smoke one blend for days on end. Usually it's Chatham Manor, but sometimes it's Dunbar, Dorchester, or the Va/Per of the moment.
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Post by paulllaser on Oct 2, 2017 10:45:29 GMT -5
I am up to over 200 pounds in my cellar, but if I had to call a daily blend, it would be a toss up between Black Frigate, and Angler's Dream. You Sir, seem to be set for at least a few weeks with that cellar. Enjoy! |
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Post by paulllaser on Oct 2, 2017 10:53:21 GMT -5
In my first go round with pipes in the 70s-80s, I was able to settle on Amphora Green (Rich Aromatic) as my go to blend. I would dabble in others but Amphora Green always seemed to satisfy. Rediscovering the pipe in 2014, and discovering that my previous go to blend was no longer available, I resorted to investigation on forums and websites and found my tastes and interest has moved in other directions. I usually get bored with routine, so many different blends are filling the bill, and my cellar currently. If I had to choose only one blend or nothing today, it would probably be OGS. I probably could live with that.
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Post by trailboss on Oct 2, 2017 12:07:00 GMT -5
In my first go round with pipes in the 70s-80s, I was able to settle on Amphora Green (Rich Aromatic) as my go to blend. I would dabble in others but Amphora Green always seemed to satisfy. Rediscovering the pipe in 2014, and discovering that my previous go to blend was no longer available, I resorted to investigation on forums and websites and found my tastes and interest has moved in other directions. I usually get bored with routine, so many different blends are filling the bill, and my cellar currently. If I had to choose only one blend or nothing today, it would probably be OGS. I probably could live with that. If you replace Amphora green with Tinderbox North Sea (Stokkebye Nougat), you just wrote my “This is your (pipe smoking) life. |
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Post by Artistik on Oct 2, 2017 12:46:25 GMT -5
Carter Hall and Amphora Brown will almost always be in my daily smoking routine.
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Post by sparks on Nov 2, 2017 10:54:37 GMT -5
So, a bit of an update for me when it comes to a "daily smoke". I have been on a sampling odyssey for a last month or so. Trying out all types of tobacco to find something that can be my go-to, dip in the pouch and go tobacco. I have been all over the spectrum as far as bulk blends and to be honest, have been mostly disappointed.
So far, the most reliable for me has been OJK. Though it's strong for some, I find it just right and it's one I can load up, light up and be content with puffing on. Great flavor, smooth, no nasty bite or bitterness. Granted, I'm currently smoking stock that has been aging for quite a few years, but it's working.
Sometimes I think I look to hard when what I like is right in front of me.
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Post by trailboss on Nov 2, 2017 12:42:47 GMT -5
OJK is a fine smoke, one I really enjoy...just checked my stash, I am down to a half pint jar from 2014..  |
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Post by haebar on Nov 2, 2017 13:43:29 GMT -5
If I had to make such a choice, then my "daily smoke" would be Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. It comes in big 12 oz. tins.
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Post by sparks on Nov 2, 2017 14:18:19 GMT -5
If I had to make such a choice, then my "daily smoke" would be Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. It comes in big 12 oz. tins. I keep a tin of that around. I enjoy it, but sometimes it can be a bit too sweet. |
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