thewingedsloth
Junior Member
working on it
Posts: 243 
First Name: maybelater
Favorite Pipe: Todays pipe......
Favorite Tobacco: Semois mixes.
Location:
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Post by thewingedsloth on Apr 6, 2021 14:35:10 GMT -5
So this is a fun bit of inquiry that hopefully will give an amazing depth of opinion on the topic.
Blends should be currently in production. Any homebrew blend should give approximate ratios of the ingredients.
Please rank blenders and blends for quality, blend highlights/lowlights experience with supplies, etc.
Let us all give our thoughts on the best, and the worst our world has to offer.
New enthusiasts might find a lot of value in our efforts.
Tally Ho!
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Post by terrapinflyer on Apr 6, 2021 17:39:17 GMT -5
I'm curious to see the responses, but I'll sit this one out. There's only one blend I can think of* that I would never put in my pipe again (and a couple I would only if they were the last pouches on Earth). "Quality" could be as subjective as taste.
*It's clearly popular enough to keep it on the market.
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thewingedsloth
Junior Member
working on it
Posts: 243
First Name: maybelater
Favorite Pipe: Todays pipe......
Favorite Tobacco: Semois mixes.
Location:
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Post by thewingedsloth on Apr 7, 2021 8:16:43 GMT -5
I'm curious to see the responses, but I'll sit this one out. There's only one blend I can think of* that I would never put in my pipe again (and a couple I would only if they were the last pouches on Earth). "Quality" could be as subjective as taste. *It's clearly popular enough to keep it on the market. A very interesting take on the subject! |
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Post by sperrytops on Apr 7, 2021 10:02:19 GMT -5
Can't really speak to blend quality vs blender quality. All blenders have their popular blends and their less popular blends. Popularity is as as good an indicator of quality as anything else. So much is dependent on personal tastes. Consider aromatics vs red virginias. Two different worlds. I have my own favorite blenders as they produce the kind of blends I like with what I consider quality. My tastes run along strong English or aged dark fired blends. The blenders I go most often to are HH line of MacBaron, GL Pease, Ken Byron Ventures, Germain's (hard to get), Seattle Pipe Club. Can't mention Esoterica (part of Germain's) which is impossible to find or McClellands, which is no longer available. Enjoy your pipe journey. I am certainly enjoying mine.
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exbenedict
Full Member
Posts: 975
Favorite Pipe: This one
Favorite Tobacco: That one
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Post by exbenedict on Apr 7, 2021 10:35:34 GMT -5
I have 12 tobaccos that I make sure to keep fully stocked in my cellar with a few pounds of each at any given time, and they are a fine mix of HH MacBaren, GL Pease and C&D, with two other random ones. Beyond that, I often grab a pouch or tin of something new to try occasionally and if I don't care for it, I jar it up and put it away for bit to see if it mellows any at all.
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Post by simnettpratt on Apr 7, 2021 11:05:58 GMT -5
It's hard to judge leaves as being of higher or lower quality; they're leaves.
The absolute cheapest tobaccos will tend to have some stems that prick your fingers when you're tamping down the bowl, and don't taste as good, so you do well to pick them out, but other than that, pipe tobacco is judged more on what blends you like, not on whether a virginia is a higher quality leaf than a burley.
Some folks don't mind flavorings added, whether vanilla, or rum, or peach or whatever - others want only pure tobacco.
The point is, you can't tell someone the blends you like are of higher quality than someone else's, only that you like it more.
Except cherry - those blends suck and the people who like them are wrong.
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thewingedsloth
Junior Member
working on it
Posts: 243
First Name: maybelater
Favorite Pipe: Todays pipe......
Favorite Tobacco: Semois mixes.
Location:
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Post by thewingedsloth on Apr 7, 2021 12:41:37 GMT -5
So far some great replies!
I am learning to keep plenty of SPC and c&d, GLP in my tiny storage bin. Might fit 30 2oz tins total so i have to pick carefully or start storing in the kitchen cabinets..
The quality aspect was to more expose what posters consider quality but it seems to be a bit muddled in reality.
My worst experience was with a basket bent filled way too tight with escudo. The draw was almost plugged and I kept puffing until it was a hot, soggy, mess. At the time i was trying to stop smoking cigarettes and had returned to pipes after 20years. No helpful forums back then so naturally I just made all the mistakes.
When i returned this time i had long ago quit cigarettes so I went out of my way to get some escudo and have a "proper" smoke as now I was skilled enough in basic methods to correctly fill, light, and ultimately enjoy the tobacco.
A few years of cigar smoking actually helped to adapt to pipes as I got used to less and less nicotine allowing pipes to replace them.
Nothing offers more flavor and satisfaction than a pipe provided one follows a few simple rules of use!
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chasingembers
Senior Member
Posts: 1,884
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 Apr 7, 2021 12:59:53 GMT -5
"Quality" could be as subjective as taste. +1000 |
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jay
Junior Member
Edward's Pipes....only Edward's pipes....and Buccaneer in the bowl
Posts: 442
First Name: Jay
Favorite Pipe: Edwards handmade
Favorite Tobacco: Buccaneer, Special Balkan, Scottish Moor
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Post by jay on Apr 7, 2021 14:04:01 GMT -5
What's my favorite is my favorite, and what's your favorite is yours. They may overlap, or they may never meet, but it's always interesting to hear what other people like, and why they like it. I've found a few new blends that I enjoy from that process.
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old
New Member
Posts: 60
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Post by old on Apr 7, 2021 17:19:51 GMT -5
Except cherry - those blends suck and the people who like them are wrong. just spewed coffee out my nose onto the keyboard,,,, |
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Post by terrapinflyer on Apr 7, 2021 17:27:22 GMT -5
What would all shrewd judges say?
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jay
Junior Member
Edward's Pipes....only Edward's pipes....and Buccaneer in the bowl
Posts: 442
First Name: Jay
Favorite Pipe: Edwards handmade
Favorite Tobacco: Buccaneer, Special Balkan, Scottish Moor
Location:
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Post by jay on Apr 8, 2021 16:51:43 GMT -5
What would all shrewd judges say? In my experience, when a judge says "that's a novel argument, counsel"...you are so going down, in 🔥. |
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Post by terrapinflyer on Apr 8, 2021 18:11:56 GMT -5
What would all shrewd judges say? In my experience, when a judge says "that's a novel argument, counsel"...you are so going down, in 🔥. Fortunately, I haven't had that experience! Yet. |
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