OTC blends - whats your favorite?

[nortac]

Borkum Riff Whiskey was the first tobacco to make me puke. I don't know if it's particularly high in nicotine, or just more than I was used to, or if the couple of beers I'd had played their part, but I won't buy any more to find out.

Borkum Riff is the reason I stayed a complete non-smoker from my late teens, when I tried it in a Riley vest pocket pipe, till two years ago at age 57. Now I have over 50 pipes and 35 varieties of tobacco on hand!

 

[captaincaveman]

for you guys who smoke OTC blends and other more expensive tobacco, do you find the OTC blends more forgiving or is it just me?

I do not.

If we're talking bite, I seem very bite-resistant. It's very difficult for me to get bitten no matter what I smoke or how aggressively I smoke it. It's happened a couple times, but not much.

If we're talking burn behavior, I find that they vary as much as average non-OTC blends, and there are a few non-OTC blends that I've found to beat all in burn behavior.

Here are my thoughts on individual OTC blends...

Carter Hall: Like a cigarette to me...I don't like that. It is, at least, the most dry OTC blend. I could use it as filler to stretch another blend I suspect, and I bet it would be good for mixing with something too wet.

Prince Albert: Less cigarettey than CH, not as dry.

Sir Walter Raleigh regular: I love the funky granola-cut. Sometimes it's cigarettey, sometimes a little nutty.

Admiral's Choice Cherry Cavendish: Drenched in PG, can't be dried to a decent level, good luck burning it. Decent generic OTC aromatic flavor.

Middleton Apple: Decent...but didn't they discontinue it?

Prince Albert Vanilla Cavendish: Good stuff.

Captain Black Royal blue, 8 year old pouch of it: Still drenched in PG 8 years after opening the pouch, good luck burning this. Tastes ok.

Borkum Riff bourbon, 8 year old sealed pouch: More dry than the Sahara despite having not been unsealed. I ought to try it again, but when I tried it early in my smoking career I wasn't impressed.

 

[captaincaveman]

I've never had it or even heard of it. I'll try any tobacco at least once.

I'm so tempted to give mixture 79 a try

Smoker's Pride comes 8, 12, or 16oz (can't quite remember) in a plastic bag much like a large bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, laying flat on the shelf. For some reason when I think of it I think of casinos full of old folks gambling, which makes absolutely zero sense to me. It's a somewhat generic brand which I assume to be similar to Admiral's Choice (which uses the same packaging and distribution model, though with CVS quitting tobacco it has been taken up by P&C who AFAIK is now the sole seller).

I've never heard of Mixture 79. I'll try any tobacco at least once too, unless it's reported to have anise/black licorice flavor (so no Half & Half for me).

 

[spazchowww]

Mixture 79 is the only tobacco I've ever thrown out without at least trying to find someone else who wanted to try it.

 

[Freebirth]

I have half a pouch of PA from late last year. Think it could still be good?

 

[Senshi]

@captaincaveman where you get the PA Vanilla Cavendish it sounds like something I would like.

I really wish there was a nice Vanilla tobacco that I could find. Sometimes I want a nice sweet smoke. Not a fan of Lane 1-Q, Molto Dolce is just too goopy, MB Vanilla cream was not for me. Maybe this PAVC would be ok?

Mixture 79 is the only tobacco I've ever thrown out without at least trying to find someone else who wanted to try it.

Hearing this is just challenging me to try it more

I have half a pouch of PA from late last year. Think it could still be good?

I think it should be alright. Probably won't taste much different than the fresh pack

 

[Hirsute]

The PA I've seen is "soft vanilla cavendish." It's pretty good stuff--light vanilla aroma, clean taste, not too goopy. Reviews are mixed on tobaccoreviews. P&C carries it but they're out of stock right now.

 

[Senshi]

You and Dustin turned me onto the Middleton Apple. It's actually a nice change of pace tobacco. Maybe the Soft Vanilla Cavendish can be the fix for the vanilla tobacco.

 

[Kilroy6644]

The PA I've seen is "soft vanilla cavendish." It's pretty good stuff--light vanilla aroma, clean taste, not too goopy. Reviews are mixed on tobaccoreviews. P&C carries it but they're out of stock right now.

I like that much better than the regular PA. I actually had my best smoke ever with Soft Vanilla. I was still a beginner (less than a year in) and the pipe I used has always been a hot smoker, so the odds were not in my favor, but the planets were aligned just right, and it was a beautiful thing.

 

[Hirsute]

You and Dustin turned me onto the Middleton Apple. It's actually a nice change of pace tobacco. Maybe the Soft Vanilla Cavendish can be the fix for the vanilla tobacco.

And a secret place that still has Middletons in stock also has the PA Sodt vanilla.

 

[captaincaveman]

@captaincaveman where you get the PA Vanilla Cavendish it sounds like something I would like.

I really wish there was a nice Vanilla tobacco that I could find. Sometimes I want a nice sweet smoke. Not a fan of Lane 1-Q, Molto Dolce is just too goopy, MB Vanilla cream was not for me. Maybe this PAVC would be ok?

Sounds like PAVC could be a good fit. Also consider Pipa. I got PAVC at a gas station.

 

[Deano]

I went with CH because I have been smoking on a pouch the last few days. It and PA are pretty much a tie for me though.