Well, it's officially spring, though having rained most of the day here on the coast of SC, the equinox was a less than auspicious occasion. Regardless, whether you're already enjoying warmer weather or still waiting for a change, it is spring, and for a lot of pipe smokers that means a change in smoking habits. For some it means less pipes and a few more cigars. For others it means they can come out of hiding in their garages and smoke in the wonder of daylight, but for most it's simply a change in the type of blends they smoke, trading in those heavy English blends for something lighter and more suited to the warm weather.

With that in mind, and in the spirit of March Madness (am I Americaning right?), we've put together a bracket of spring tobaccos, each a favourite of either someone in the office or blends we've noticed popping up in social media and the forums. The winners of each round will be selected from your comments and thoughts and impressions from around the office, but don't forget, each has already been culled from a long list of suggestions, so if you're favourite tobacco doesn't "win" it's no big deal — we promise not to pull it off the shelves or anything.

The Contenders

Mac Baren - Virginia Flake

A perennial favourite, the bright Virginias in this blend make it an obvious contender for a spring showdown. Cool smoking with notes of citrus and grass.

Samuel Gawith - Grousemoor

This tobacco came recommended from a few sources around the office, and now that I've had the opportunity to try it, I can vouch for its presence on this list. The finest flue cured Zimbabwean Virginias are steamed, stoved and topped with invigorating notes of rose, lavender and lemongrass.

Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Twist Flake

Yeah, this one has Adam Davidson written all over it, though to be fair you lot buy enough of this that its inclusion was inevitable. Pure Virginias from Zimbabwe and the US are rolled, Cavendish pressed and cut, offering notes of butterscotch, citrus and hay.

G.L. Pease - Navigator

This came recommended from, well everyone to be honest, myself included. Dark fired Kentucky and Virginias are pressed, aged with a drop of rum, and then cut into thick flakes. Burns slow with little bite and presents notes of citrus, rum, and bread.

Dunhill - Flake

Another popular choice, the flue cured lemon and bronze Virginias are sliced into thin flakes, presenting notes of grass and citrus.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Grasmere Flake

Our second entry from the Kendal contingent and another favourite around the office, Grasmere is a medium strength blend of Virginias and Burley, lightly topped with rose and geranium to produce something a little lighter than the ever popular Ennerdale.

Two Friends - Heritage

A current favourite of Jeremy, Two Friends Heritage is a true American style blend of red and lemon Virginias, combined with a touch of Burley, and finished with brown and unsweetened black Cavendish. It presents notes of chocolate, plum, wine and nut and can be enjoyed as either a backdrop to other activities or as the star of its own show.

Fribourg & Treyer - Cut Virginia Plug

As well as being a popular choice around the office (especially around Shane's desk) we're constantly seeing this pop up in the forums and on social media. The finest light Virginias are lightly topped with vanilla and citrus, pressed into a plug and sliced thick to give the smoker a complex smoke that's simultaneously spicy and sweet.

Round 1 Match Ups

We thought a democratic approach to picking match ups would be best, then abandoned the idea and drew names out of a hat when the debate turned a little too lively.

Now that the contenders have been announced and match ups drawn, we're going to get down to the dirty business of smoking all of these blends and picking the winners. If you have any thoughts on who the winners should be, or just want to suggest your own spring time blends, feel free to leave a comment below.