Well Bob, to be honest, I'm a bit of a noob. I've only tried straight Virginia, VaPer, and Aromatics (
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake,
Virginia Slices #507-C,
Lane Limited - Captain Black Dark,
Lane Limited - BCA,
Lane Limited - RLP-6,
Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake. I tried Bob's Chocolate Flake several years ago and really didn't like it, so I guess that means I don't like Lakeland blends? I also found Captain Black Dark not to my liking and very hot burning. I love the smell of the straight Virginia 507-C, but the ph may not agree with my chemistry. In order of favorite to least favorite, I guess I liked the 507-C, then RLP-6, then Luxury Navy Flake, then BCA, then Captain Black, then Bob's Chocolate Flake. So to answer, I guess I like Virginia and Cavendish blends.
I've listened to sooo many reviews on YouTube in an attempt to narrow down a mail order because duties will STILL result in each tin costing about $100 NZD. At some point I'd like to try a dark fired Kentucky and an English or Balkan blend. I have no experience with Latakia or Orientals, but would like to try them all. The main thing at this point is avoiding tongue bite, and I tend to like a sweet smelling tobacco or nutty cigar aroma. Perhaps there's some clone recipe out there for popular blends like Frog Morton, or White Falcon, Plumb Pudding, Dunhill 965, Peterson Irish Flake? I wish I could import small quantities of these type of blends, so that I can narrow down what I like without spending a fortune on NZ duties. I'll be heading to America soon for a visit and am hoping to sample as much as I can before heading back to the NZ.
In any case, it seems my best long term option is learning to blend since importing whole leaf tobacco is apparently not taxed at the same rate in NZ. The problem is, it seems the minimum orders are either 1 or 1/4 pound, and I hate the idea of spending a lot on shipping for something I won't like.