I bought my first pipe on my eighteenth birthday and I have never looked back! I work a local B&M where I restore estate pipes, blend proprietary blends as well as custom blends and smoke as many pipes as I can in a day. I am predominately a Virginia smoker and lean towards stronger, darker blends. I love Kentucky blends and recently have acquired an obsession with Va/Oriental blends. I love Lakeland varieties, especially the heavily cased plugs and flakes. I like English mixtures though they are less frequent in my rotation, typically only in the colder months. I generally prefer mixtures with less Latakia as I find it overwhelms the other tobaccos, especially the subtle mustiness of the other Orientals. Aromatics do find their way into my pipes from time to time, especially when I am out smoking in public, but I tend to prefer the topping to be light and complement the tobacco flavors rather than mask them.