How Do You Decide What Tobacco To Try

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adui

Can't Leave
Aug 26, 2019
431
1,318
Mesa Arizona
I'm curious for those more experienced. I have always smelled the tobacco in the jar (always bought bulk at local retailers) and purchased an ounce of something new to try, then go back for more if I like it.

Some of the lighter more fragrant tobaccos are nice, but surprisingly empty to me. So I thought I'd ask how an experienced pipe smoker decides what to try.

 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,231
Alaska
I look at reviews on tobaccoreviews.com (particularly JimInks) and also go on the advice and opinion of forum members. After a while you begin to recognize members who have similar taste/palate/preferences. That and experience with the blender's other stuff weigh in heavily.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,801
I started by reading this forum to get a few pointers. I learned a lot to improve my technique, and I took note of what tobaccos the aficionados were smoking. I tried a few from different genres and learned what I liked.
Later, I joined this forum. Then, I learned about the "new" FDA deeming regulations, and now I spend excessive amounts of money cellaring tobacco :puffy:

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,343
Reviews are too subjective to individual taste. Before finishing my cellar, I would look for blend components.

 

litup

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 16, 2015
722
2,206
Sacramento, CA
If you're only buying house blends in a tobacco store, I'd ask the proprietor for advice. You can talk to them about the other blends you've tried and see if they can suggest something with some of the same components.

 
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olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
Components. Tastes run a very, very wide gamut. Some people taste what they smell, others don't; since I'm fortunate enough to be in the first camp, I follow my nose.

 

trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
I go on reviewers I trust and components. Yes, reviews are subjective, and manufacturers' component lists are sometimes (often?) inaccurate, inconsistent or uninformative. But it more or less works. At the end of the day, you just gotta try a bunch of different stuff for yourself and figure out what your tastes are while keeping in mind that they'll most likely change over time. Trite but true.

 
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1. Individual components/Family

2. Reviews - I read the reviews in a different way. Rather than the ratings, I look at qualitative attributes. I read multiple reviews and see if I can spot a trend

3. SmokingPipes.com sales rank. This helps me get the vote of folks who does not write reviews/post in forums. This is as real as it gets - people voting with their money

4. How excited are the forum members. Anything which folks vehemently love / hate are possibly good. If everyone finds average then possibly it can be passed on

5. Buy a two ounce sample and be your own judge

 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,392
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I just go with my gut first. Then I read what it's made of just to make sure I don't have too much of that style at the moment. I never go by reviews. And frankly there are a few blends I need and must have on hand, but there have been even less blends I didn't like at all. And I always make sure I am trying at least one new thing every few months.
 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I found most of my favorites at tobaccoreviews. Back then it was one of the only sites that has any pipe info. I found some guys with similar tastes and used them. Years later Jimnks showed up and was a great resource. I always look at the components to make sure I will like something.
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,080
49
Las Vegas
I write the names of blends I haven't tried on sticky notes, stick them on the wall, place a monkey in front of the wall, give said monkey a couple of darts, and get the hell out of the way.

Just kidding, I look for blends similar to what I like (tobacco reviews makes this easy), and read the reviews while looking for key descriptors of my likes/dislikes. I'm more likely to take a chance on a blend that may not rate very highly or is described as not very complex but it has descriptors of what I like vs highly rated blends that are complex but contain lots of descriptors of what I don't like.

Like:
tangy, sweet, citrus, dark fruit (especially this one), honey, cool burning, not harsh, etc.

Dislike:
woody, smokey (a little is okay), burns hot, etc.

JimInks is very good a providing descriptors and sometimes what he doesn't say is just as important as what he does say.

Case in point: Sutliff Sweet Virginia #707. Even though it contains the word "woody", this is overridden by "citrus", "sweet", & "honey". Sipping or just smoking very slowly avoids any "harshness". "Uncomplicated" and "requires little though" are adequate descriptors here but, to me, that's part of its charm. A tasty blend that lets me just sit and relax and turn off my thinky melon for a short period. Perhaps "un-contemplative but entertaining" would be good a descriptor.
 

nunnster

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 17, 2019
141
62
It definitely depends. I love going into the B&M near my house and smelling the bulks and/or reading the tin, looking at what kinda tobacco's are in it. About 5 of my top 10 I've found this way. I'll also look at reviews from tobacco reviews, or the reviews on websites that sell the tobacco. Also I read here (a lot more than I ever post) and see what blends are being talked about the most and if it sounds like its something I might like, then I'll pick up a tin. But then sometimes I toss all that out the water and I'll pick something random up that just happens to be on sale that I've never tried or read about and put into the basket.
 

brooklynpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2018
633
1,361
I think to myself what would Stalin have smoked? What will repel kids?

Once you get the hang of it, there's a lot of nuance between brighter and lighter and the red tobacco beatles.
 
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greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
2,125
12,189
I find if you can smell a tobacco, you might have a fair notion of how much depth and body it has by inhaling deeply. Low-quality tobaccos often smell "thin" to me, airy and ghostly. A good tobacco will have weight on the nose, dense aromas of earth and leather. I don't enjoy tobacco without body, so this is my first sense and it informs an initial opinion, and often determines whether I will want to even try a tobacco.
 
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