Unpleasant Surprise re Dark Fired Kentucky

[Relax62]

Title edited for caps and specificity. Please see Rule 9.

Hope everyone is having a great New Year!

So, I’m heading into this weekend with some new blends I’ve purchased over the last year and plan to try them (first time) for my first year anniversary of pipe smoking. It’s been a very interesting (amazing) experience! WOW! So many different techniques I’ve learned and tried, acquired several pipes (a couple of really nice ones), and I’ve tried so many different blends (probably too many in such a short time)… and I’m just getting the hang of it and beginning to really learn my likes and dislikes.

All of this background leads me to my question, which is about one tobacco that has me confused. It’s Dark fired Kentucky. Back a few months ago I tried some Mac Baren (HH) Dark Fired ready rub flake and I loved it!! Smoking it daily (sometimes more than once a day) and every time I placed an order to try something new, I would pick up some more DFK. Then I finally started to learn how to smoke and enjoy Virginia blends and the DFK was put aside until today. I was thinking about it all day, mouth watering, and pulled out a Rossi billiard that I have dedicated for DFK, and waited. Leading up to my evening smoke, I read what I had written about my smoking experience with this tobacco from a few months back and began remembering all the flavor and overall smoking experiences (all wonderful) with this tobacco. I pulled out one of my jars and the aroma was wonderful! Ahh… ready to smoke! After my typical dry time… first light was very different. I lightly tamped and second light.., what? This isn’t anything like I remembered, or had written down. All I tasted was pencil lead. No sweetness, no tangy BBQ/ketchup, or woodsy notes… just lead.

So the question is… have any of you had this experience with DFK, or really any blend? Secondly, is it possible, or likely, it could be a soured pipe (I smelled a very strange smell from my pipe after smoking). I feel like I do a good job keeping my pipes clean, but even my wife commented on how the pipe smelled.

I thought about trying a different pipe, but just couldn’t get past the disappointment. I really enjoyed DFK for a few months… could my taste have changed that significantly in a relatively short period of time?

Confused, curious, and seeking some advice/suggestions from anyone, especially those with more experience than myself. I really want to like ii again!

 

[kcghost]

Never had this problem with DFK. You need to try changing something in the way you are smoking it or give it up all together.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Sounds like a dirty pipe. Strongly suggest trying in a different pipe.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

This is pretty typical. In the beginning, hardly anyone really just starts tasting the tobacco right off the bat. This i s the same for just about anything; bourbons, wines, coffee... As you try different varieties, you are creating an aesthetic yardstick. Before, your yardsick was actually a small ruler, maybe 4", and of course you liked the one tobacco on that measure. But, as you tried Virginias, your ruler grew more inches, and maybe DFK just wasn't the largest thing on your stick anymore. And, as you try latakias, maybe some aromatics, you will get a full on yardstick, and when you return to DFK, it may again be one of the largest tobaccos for you.

This is why we tell newbies not to toss out tobaccos that they immediately dislike, because after exploring more flavors, you may love it again. Maybe jar up your DFK, keep exploring tobaccos, and come back to it. And... enjoy the ride.

 

[PaulRVA]

Im leaning towards a soured pipe.
Only if that particular pipe has been over used and not rested properly?
Try it in a cob or another pipe and
If thats the case you'll know.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

More recently for me, I joined a bourbon tasting group here in town. Each week we would taste samples of different whiskeys. The day I joined, they were tasting an Evan Williams, and I was all, "Yuck, blech." Then we tried a Three Roses single Barrel, "yuck, blech." Then, I really liked Jack Daniels, very smooth. Bulliet, scotches, ryes, and almost after a year opf tasting a new one each week, I came back to cheap ol' Evan Williams, and really liked it, whereas I don't really care for Jack Daniels. I found the more expensive the drink, the more it just burns and is harder for me to swallow. So, I know that my tastes are in the cheaper range, which is good for a guy who doesn't even like the way alcohols makes me feel, ha ha.
But, tastes evolve like this. Like it one day, not the next, and then after a while you can make a more informed decision.

Just a year of smoking, doesn't sound like your pipe is rancid yet. But, if you smoke that one pipe everyday... maybe, but I doubt it.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Maybe a couple more things to consider:

1. How are you storing tobacco? I don’t think dry tobacco could be the issue but you never know.
2. Maybe it’s a mental thing. You built up an image of what you thought you remembered, got excited, and reality didn’t match expectations. Plus maybe in your excitement you freight trained your pipe and smoked too fast creating an unpleasant experience.

Neither could be factors but something to consider.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just twenty or so years ago, the only beers anyone drank were the big daddy commercial beers, and you may have been in one of several camps of Budweiser, Coors, Heineken, or.... the poor man's PBR. You would have drank what the table drank. and if you hung out with working men, PBR might have just been your one beer. Or, you may have started off setting with Coors guys, or maybe even uppity Heineken guys. Most of these guys just never really explored the other beers, not like we do tobaccos. Same for cigarettes. You start off on a brand and stick to it. So, many just don't have the experience of trying many many varieties. But, when a PBR guy would drink a beer outside of his class, it would have been odd, not what he was used to. Same for cigarettes, a Camel guy would have just thought a Lucky Strike tasted weird, so he would have said, "I just don't like those."

You're hanging with us now, and the way we do pipe tobacco on here is not like any of that. Maybe twenty or thirty years ago, guys would be Carter Hall guys or PA guys, and anything else would just be weird. But, on here, variety rules. There are still guys who are one brand one blend guys. I know a few. Anything else is weird, "get that out of my face," reactions to anything not their blend. But, developing a palate takes time. Be patient.

Aesthetics is my thing. I've spent a long time studying why we all like what we like, and your experience is very common. However, in the head of someone else, they may have different ways of explaining all of this to themselves, because aesthetics is so tied to psychology also.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Maybe a couple more things to consider:

1. How are you storing tobacco? I don’t think dry tobacco could be the issue but you never know.
2. Maybe it’s a mental thing. You built up an image of what you thought you remembered, got excited, and reality didn’t match expectations. Plus maybe in your excitement you freight trained your pipe and smoked too fast creating an unpleasant experience.

Neither could be factors but something to consider.

My first thought wasn't toward the pipe itself, but the tobacco.

Op, how have you kept the tobacco stored in the interim? Has it dried a good deal?

In my experience, dark fired burley flavors have the ability to really morph over time, according to how it's stored. For me, moisture levels play a big part in the flavor. The sweet, smoky, juicy flavors inherent to good DFK prosper with a fair amount of moisture. The drier it gets, the greater those flavors diminish.
Thats in my experience.

Could be your pipe needs a deep clean.

 

[canucklehead]

Maybe you had a big chunk of stem or some foriegn material like a piece of twine in your tobacco. I've found string and even plastic twine in tobacco before.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Maybe you had a big chunk of stem or some foriegn material like a piece of twine in your tobacco. I've found string and even plastic twine in tobacco before.

Nothing better in the morning than catching pipe cleaner lint on your first draw lol

 

[suamrai61]

I cast my vote for tobacco.

I recently encountered a similar issue as you. I purchased some bulk ODF and Scottish blend from across the ocean, and upon arrival, both tobaccos tasted exactly as you described.

During this period, I used the same pipe to smoke some other VA blend, which turned out to be quite sweet.

Prior to this, I occasionally encountered similar situations with other bulk tobaccos.

So I speculate that the extended international travel and simple packaging have caused these wonderful blends to lose their “essence”. (Although the HH series claims to use only minimal casing)

 

[Sigmund]

Well..if your wife even noticed an odd smell Id say you were burning something other than tobacco.

 

[Relax62]

This is pretty typical. In the beginning, hardly anyone really just starts tasting the tobacco right off the bat. This i s the same for just about anything; bourbons, wines, coffee... As you try different varieties, you are creating an aesthetic yardstick. Before, your yardsick was actually a small ruler, maybe 4", and of course you liked the one tobacco on that measure. But, as you tried Virginias, your ruler grew more inches, and maybe DFK just wasn't the largest thing on your stick anymore. And, as you try latakias, maybe some aromatics, you will get a full on yardstick, and when you return to DFK, it may again be one of the largest tobaccos for you.

This is why we tell newbies not to toss out tobaccos that they immediately dislike, because after exploring more flavors, you may love it again. Maybe jar up your DFK, keep exploring tobaccos, and come back to it. And... enjoy the ride.

Always good advice from you, and others. I’ve not thrown away anything yet, and don’t plan to for the reasons you mentioned. I was just so surprised and disappointed with such a big change in taste! Thanks again for response!!!

 

[Relax62]

Maybe a couple more things to consider:

1. How are you storing tobacco? I don’t think dry tobacco could be the issue but you never know.
2. Maybe it’s a mental thing. You built up an image of what you thought you remembered, got excited, and reality didn’t match expectations. Plus maybe in your excitement you freight trained your pipe and smoked too fast creating an unpleasant experience.

Neither could be factors but something to consider.

Very good point on #2… I really built this up all day long and was prepared for a great smoke, and may have puffed more than I should’ve. I jar all of my tobacco as soon as I open the tin, or bag of bulk tobacco, so don’t think that’s the problem. Thanks for the response!

 

[Relax62]

Just twenty or so years ago, the only beers anyone drank were the big daddy commercial beers, and you may have been in one of several camps of Budweiser, Coors, Heineken, or.... the poor man's PBR. You would have drank what the table drank. and if you hung out with working men, PBR might have just been your one beer. Or, you may have started off setting with Coors guys, or maybe even uppity Heineken guys. Most of these guys just never really explored the other beers, not like we do tobaccos. Same for cigarettes. You start off on a brand and stick to it. So, many just don't have the experience of trying many many varieties. But, when a PBR guy would drink a beer outside of his class, it would have been odd, not what he was used to. Same for cigarettes, a Camel guy would have just thought a Lucky Strike tasted weird, so he would have said, "I just don't like those."

You're hanging with us now, and the way we do pipe tobacco on here is not like any of that. Maybe twenty or thirty years ago, guys would be Carter Hall guys or PA guys, and anything else would just be weird. But, on here, variety rules. There are still guys who are one brand one blend guys. I know a few. Anything else is weird, "get that out of my face," reactions to anything not their blend. But, developing a palate takes time. Be patient.

Aesthetics is my thing. I've spent a long time studying why we all like what we like, and your experience is very common. However, in the head of someone else, they may have different ways of explaining all of this to themselves, because aesthetics is so tied to psychology also.

Excellent point!! I’m applying your analogy above to the beer I drank years ago to what I like now, and you are 100% correct!! Perhaps I’m trying too many different tobaccos too quickly and in the process I’m not really taking the time to first appreciate and fully understand the blend I’m smoking, before moving on to trying something else? Thoughts?

 

[Relax62]

My first thought wasn't toward the pipe itself, but the tobacco.

Op, how have you kept the tobacco stored in the interim? Has it dried a good deal?

In my experience, dark fired burley flavors have the ability to really morph over time, according to how it's stored. For me, moisture levels play a big part in the flavor. The sweet, smoky, juicy flavors inherent to good DFK prosper with a fair amount of moisture. The drier it gets, the greater those flavors diminish.
Thats in my experience.

Could be your pipe needs a deep clean.

I store in jars and it was still quite moist when I began preparing to smoke it, in fact… I had to let it dry for about 15 minutes before loading the pipe. Thanks for sharing information regarding the flavors of DFK, as it relates to moisture levels!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Excellent point!! I’m applying your analogy above to the beer I drank years ago to what I like now, and you are 100% correct!! Perhaps I’m trying too many different tobaccos too quickly and in the process I’m not really taking the time to first appreciate and fully understand the blend I’m smoking, before moving on to trying something else? Thoughts?

Me? I grazed across all of them pretty quickly when I started, but I was also smoking 10 or so bowls a day. I think it was a mistake of me to try latakia so early, because I avoided it for many years after that. But some start off on an English, so I am not sure if there is a standard way to browse the genres. Just let you senses be your guide.

 

[Relax62]

Me? I grazed across all of them pretty quickly when I started, but I was also smoking 10 or so bowls a day. I think it was a mistake of me to try latakia so early, because I avoided it for many years after that. But some start off on an English, so I am not sure if there is a standard way to browse the genres. Just let you senses be your guide.

I too started early with English blends as they were the only ones I could really taste and enjoy! Fortunately I still really enjoy them, which is great bc I have a lot. However, I don’t smoke them as often, partly due to my new enjoyment of Virginias and just don’t have the same cravings for them as I did. I do still thoroughly enjoy them a few times a week.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I too started early with English blends as they were the only ones I could really taste and enjoy! Fortunately I still really enjoy them, which is great bc I have a lot. However, I don’t smoke them as often, partly due to my new enjoyment of Virginias and just don’t have the same cravings for them as I did. I do still thoroughly enjoy them a few times a week.

Try GLP's Laurel Heights. It is a Virginia with a mere dusting of latakia. It actually has so little latakia in it that many swear it doesn't have any at all. But, it might be one that brings about both worlds for you. I know that it drew me back to latakia. but, I still love Virginias a tad more.