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I smoke a lot of different tobaccos. It sort of comes with the territory. Lots of things I smoke before they're on the market, or even while they're still in the development stage. I also get to smoke lots of things that never make it to market. Of course, this would be obviously true for things C&D makes, but it's also true for blends from a host of other tobacco manufacturers. I don't have that sophisticated of a tobacco palate — there are a handful of guys I'd defer to in the office before I asked me for my own opinion (bear with me there) about a blend — but I do have the opportunity to try lots of different things.
So, all that said, this is my list. Keep in mind that these are personal rather than professional recommendations: it's what I like to smoke, that I've tried for the first time (or just revisited after many years) just within the past few months. Most are new to the market, but not all.
Yes, Gaslight was an awesome blend from Greg too, as were JackKnife and others, but it's sort of the difference between being able to appreciate beauty and being in love. I love Sixpence.
I prefer the flake version by a nose because I can rub it out less thoroughly and more carefully control the burning characteristics, but I'm very fond of both versions.
And maybe it was because I was on a diet and I hadn't had anything sweet in three weeks. Or maybe it's because it was fall and the promised flavors just fit with my mood. Or something. But I fell hard for it. About a week went by and I smoked little else and I've continued to keep it in the regular rotation since. Yes, it's aromatic: it's sweet and maple-y and all sorts of tasty. But the rich bed of the red virginia cavendish supports the sweetness in ways that just work for me. No, it's not the sort of thing I have historically smoked (Sixpence is far more akin to the things I've historically smoked), but I love it.
The more serious virginia/perique smokers among you are probably shaking your heads, having decided that I've finally fried my tongue and I'm no longer a good guide to the world of tobaccos and that I should be put out to pasture and ignored, but seriously, if you've not tried it, give it a try.
When the finished tins arrived for the first time — right before the IPCPR show in Las Vegas — we cracked open one of each to try again. The Dublone D'Oro was great, but Brunello Flake was magnificent: the virginias had a comforting, almost oatmeal-like flavor that I just couldn't get enough of. We had tins open at IPCPR for folks to try. I think I smoked half of the sample tin of Brunello on my own. In some respects, it's not as sophisticated as Sixpence or Oak Alley, but I just couldn't get enough of it. I bought 500g of it when I got home (and I'll need to buy more soon).
A few weeks ago, Shane asked me what I thought of Oak Alley — and he asked it with that look in his eye that suggested that if I said I didn't like it, he would henceforth consider me a tobacco philistine and that I should be consigned to whatever circle of hell houses people that don't appreciate good pipe tobaccos — and I had to honestly answer that I thought the blend was very good, but I wasn't super excited about it when I'd tried it shortly after C&D first released it. And, as only Shane (actually, at this point, Jeremy was chiming in too — the peer pressure was mounting rapidly) can, he looked at me with perhaps the most earnest expression anyone has ever mustered and said, "Seriously, dude, you need to smoke this. Now."
And I did. And then I bought a tin. And then another. And then a whole stack of them. I'm still not sure that I overlooked it early on because I wasn't paying attention or because I had a cold or I just had a brief period of tobacco insanity, or simply because at seven months it's way, way better than it was soon after it was put in the tin, but this stuff is amazing. Subtle, complex, symphonic, changeable: there's just so much more going on here than I initially realized. It's a beautiful blend. Thank you, Shane. Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you, the press-gang of my peers.
So that's my 2014 new favorites list. Yes, I'm still smoking Haddo's Delight from time to time. I'm still smoking the occasional bowl of Capstan Blue. And some Escudo here and there. And trying lots and lots of other things, but these have become go-to blends for me in the past few months, blends that excite me personally rather than professionally. Yes, I get that HH Latakia Flake is an extraordinary achievement from Mac Baren or that the revived Dunhill Aperitif is a beautiful English, but those are for me professional observations. When it's just me, sitting at home, smoking what I want to smoke, these five blends are what made 2014 a very special year for tobaccos.
Tagged in: At Smokingpipes Cornell and Diehl G. L. Pease Mac Baren Reviews Savinelli Tobacco
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Comments
The Brunello Flake sounds enticing. When I first saw the name I thought they might use a little Brunello in the mixture. (It would be too expensive I think) Where are the Savinelli blends made?
Thanks for the question, Phil. The Savinelli blends are being produced in Denmark by Mac Baren.
Can you guys make a post about your tobacco line up for a given day. What do you like to start smoking first, and how that prepares you or the next tobacco you smoke, and what do you like to end the day smoking. Or do you smoke one blend or type of tobacco all day? It would be educational and entertaining. Thx
For an aromatic with backbone, blend a 2 ounce tin of each...
Oak Alley and Autum Evening... Absolutely phenomenal!
Enjoyed the read.
Kind regards,
Kevin
Great information on all blends...Thank You...