The big hunt for the perfect blend is one of the coolest and most interresting advantures in the pipe smokers world. I love to try new blends and to surf the Internet for new tobaccos and locations. Then after all my expiriences i like to discuss the taste and flavor of various tobaccos with my pipe buddy's. So funny to hear there impressions. *Taste is realy subjective* and one mans holy grail could be the hell for the other's !

My favourite Tobaccos has changed from aromatics and danish to natural blends. Straight Virginias, Virginias and Perique, natural Danish or Scottish and English (containing Latakia). Sure some of the aromatics are still in my daily choice but the heavy cased blends are all gone. I have changed my smoking style and my tastebuds seem to be more sensitive and experienced now. As i live in Austria it is not easy to get a huge variety of different blends in my homecountry. I order from several stores in Europe and the USA. If anybody have some suggestions in that case --- feel free to mail me. By the way - i write tobacco description for myself of any (down) listed blend i have tried (some tins i have ordered are still unopened). Untill now the desciptions are just in German but if anyone would like to have a description of a blend - please mail me !! Thanks in advance.

My "Tobacco Bar" !!! on 12.May.2000 and still growing....
After such a long time of testing and collecting tobaccos i have filled up my shelfs and store several blends to let them age and see what time makes out of them. It is interesting how my taste changed from the beginning and how my ranking changes every year or season. At the current i have about 190 different blends in my desciption list. Not all smoked so far but they have seen my shelf someday.
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  • My personal ranking so far (on 23.11.2001):
     
    • Aromatics (lightly flavoured) and danish:
            1. Calledonian Flake No.499 (wow)
            2. Capstan medium Flake (slightly fruity flake)
            3. Barbary Coast (the rookie of 2001)
            4. W.O.Larsen No.50 light sweet (the classical danish)
            5. Grousemoore Plug (english flavourized)
            6. Davidoff Danish Mixture (just a bit expensive IMO)
    •  English with Latakia:
            1. Mephisto (what a combination)
            2. Penzance (was the rookie of the year 99)
            3. And So To Bed (english aromatic rich and smooth)
            4. Dunhill My Mixture #10 (Sir Alfred in a tin)
            5. My Mixture 965 (the sweet and full english from Dunhill)
            6. Gawith & Hoggarth Bob's Flake Choc (only 8% Latakia, a winner in Y2K)
    •  Virginia or Virginia-Perique:
            1. Escudo (Virginia Perique in discs)
            2. Old London (the EEC version from Ashton)
            3. Butera Blended Flake (Virginia Oriental Perique )
            4. Marlin Flake (Rattray's Virginia..hmmmmm........)
            5. McClelland Virginia No.24 (my favourite out of the matured Virginia series from McClelland, contains some Oriental)
            6. Old Gowrie (Rattray's Virginia..hmmmmm........)
            7. Haddos Delight (getting better every day)
    • Blends that are outstanding in some way (good and bad):
            1. Buteras's Kingfisher (Virginia Burley Perique in flakes)
            2. Sans Souci (the caramel glue for your pipe..sometimes I like it:-)
            3. Samuel Gawith RB Plug (Virginia Plug with the scent of an asian food store)
            4. C&D Cross Eyed Cricket (an aromatic Latakia blend with rum punch :-)
            5. Bulldog Golden Flake (the worst piece of soap I ever smoked ...warning !)
  • New blends I am workin on right now !
            • G.L.Pease "Tribute"
            • PCCA Boston
            • Butera Dark stoved
            • Davidoff Royality
            • Brown Sliced
            • .................
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BTW i like to collect the tins aswell !
Some tins i like - designwise and tastewise !!

mailme!

last update: november 2001
(c) 2001 by martin steinthaler
updated on 15.05.2000