A Palate for Tobacco

I think you have to have a taste for tobacco at the start, so it isn't tasteless nor unpleasant, but after that, it takes time for most people to pick up nuances and develop considered preferences. I like dark roast coffee mostly, though some light-and-bright is also appreciated. I like many full-strength blends (C&D Billy Budd and Old Joe Krantz), Tabac-Manil Semois (burley variant), for examples). You have to sample around quite a bit and for a couple years to get a range on what you like. Buy in small quantities, an ounce in bulk, a pouch, one tin. Save what you don't like to age and sample again later. It's a process and your taste will evolve, so I wouldn't buy anything in more than two ounces for about two years. Then you'll have an idea. Try all the genres -- English, Balkan, Va/Per, single leaf, aromatics, Orientals, etc.etc. Read up on constituent leaf in many blends and be aware of what is in the ones you smoke. Learn about filters -- if you want to use them, which ones, blah-blah ... these are not very well explained so everyone learns by trial and error. Mostly, relax, enjoy, take it slow. Don't feel competitive; go with what you enjoy.

I agree with mso489. Having a taste for tobacco is key. I never smoked cigarettes, but have smoked cigars(good and bad)since 16. Over time you develop your preferences and with pipe tobacco its much more varied. IMO.

Stronger coffee to me is better and I like it better than weak stuff.

It took me 3-6 months or so, when I really started finding what I liked and didn't like.
I started with drugstore crap cherry (still have most of it jarred up because I never came back to it, ever), moved onto a slew of tobaccos from a Chicago B&M, bought 1 oz each of 25 different kinds, covering ALL the bases, then reordered only 5 of the 25 blends.
Then moved into many Va and VaPer flake recommendations from this forum, which is what I almost exclusively smoke now, and love.
I find all tobacco tastes good with coffee, dark or light.
Capstan Blue and Orlik Golden Sliced were the first 2 tobaccos that wowed me (they were also the first "tins" I bought versus bulk) to the point of starting a small cellar with those 2. Others have wowed me since, and when they do I reorder larger quantities beyond my standard 2 tin original purchase.

For me it was a very long, slow process. My epiphany moment was when I started smoking pipes in tandem. I was able to pick up on a lot more subtleties between blends and now I’m to the point where I can pick up on the crazy notes I used to think was all BS. I’m 8 years into it now so it’s definitely been a slow process but I’ve enjoyed all of it along the way.

I am curious how long it took other pipe smokers to build thier palate for tobacco.

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Several years. Had I been a hardcore smoker, probably about eighteen months. It helps to:
1. Smoke a variety of tobaccos

2. Keep a journal where you analyze your experience

3. Smoke challenging tobaccos

4. Smoke constituents of blends (bright Virginia, dark Burley, Latakia, white Burley, red Virginia, Orientals, Perique) in addition to blends themselves
That way, you are confronted with the variety of blends that are out there, and can make up your own mind.

After I got the mechanics down, it took about 2 months to start to recognize the different nuances and enjoy them.

After about 4 years of consistent pipe smoking, I've learned to distinguish some of the basic constituent leaf types, however, fine nuances as found in the best tobacco reviews still escape me. That said, I now know what I'm personally looking for in an English or a Burley forward blend. I know which aros I´ve enjoyed and why. I now have favorites that I've repurchased several times and blends I won't go back to. All in all, I'm happy where I am as I get much more enjoyment out of my pipe and tobacco selections, now that I have some experience. I still love to experiment, but I'm also happy smoking my "no fail" blends that I will continue to buy and smoke. There's a world of blends out there, keep exploring!

For me, it took a bit of time, how long, heck after nearly 20 years, still finding things I missed.
The first time I smoked a blend with latakia (Nightcap), I thought it tasted like a railroad tie splashed with diesel then set alight in a swamp. Didn't touch it again for a couple years. Then I tried Balkan Sasieni, and I found myself going back to it more and more.
Over time, I began to discern the nuances and now, can sort flavor along with aroma, something that draws me back to a specific brand or type. The sweetness of the Virginia, the spicy/smokiness of the latakia, the sour to savory flavor of Orientals, at first, I was missing it, but now, after exposure, full appreciation. The biggest shift came when I stopped smoking the pipe and began enjoying the tobacco...if you can dig it.
The constant discovery is probably why I still smoke a pipe. I like the variety and enjoy what I enjoy, but also keep an open mind that either though change in body chemistry, age of the tobacco, or pipe used, climate, etc., I can find something new. At one time, I would have passed on burley blends, not now; I enjoy many of them. Same with aromatics, while many pass on these, I still enjoy them and include them in my rotation.

Very confusing at the start. 18-24 mos.

After 8 months of piping I feel far away from a built up palate. Some blends taste awesome but I prefer to buy different tobaccos almost every time. Other blends seem to be more complex and I smoke them more often. Mac Baren's Mixture Scottish Blend for example is still a mistery for me, smoke it several times a week and it's never the same. The slower you smoke, the more you get.

I can't answer this question fully because I continue to see my palate develop after 2 years of pipe smoking. I was 55 when I first smoked a pipe after having never once smoked a cigarette and only a couple cigars, which were memorable mostly for the foul morning after taste in my mouth. At first, I enjoyed really only the ritual. Even the smell of the pipe wasn't as alluring as when it was secondhand smoke. My progression was typical -- first aromatics, then English after about 3 months, stoved Virginias after about a year, then VaPers and bright Virginias after about 18 months. I absolutely HATED Escudo when I tried it 2 or 3 months in. My Ah Ha moments were Carter Hall and Iwan Ries Gourmet English.
I don't think it's just your palate that develops, though. It's also your pipe smoking skills that are developing. Knowing how to pack and smoke a particular type and cut of tobacco makes a huge difference in how it tastes. Some pipes do seem to work better with certain blends, too. and something I'm just now beginning to learn. I'm glad this is a journey that doesn't look to be nearing its end. I am enjoying making new discoveries and comparing notes with my new piper friends.
Regarding coffees, I like dark roast with robust tobaccos with a bit of dried fruit sweetness. Rattray's Marlin Flake comes to mind. I had Guinness Stout with Esoterica Pembroke recently and found that a great combo. I'd bet Pembroke would be good with coffee, too. For many years, I wouldn't drink a coffee that was less than a Full City Roast and hated when the boutique roasters all decided en masse that dark roast destroyed the nuances of the beans and started roasting much lighter. In time, I found that they were right in many cases and now I enjoy some lighter roasted coffees. But I still love a rich, dark, sweet cup.

I read through this topic, mainly out of curiosity. I wanted to read what other guys had to say about tasting all the different tobacco blends, developing a discriminating palate, etc. Most of the mentioned finer points, elude me. I either like a blend, or hate it...but I could not tell you why. Blend-wise, I can think in terms either "too strong", "mild and pleasant", or "no flavor/bland/boring"....but that's about as far as it goes.
Sometimes I wish I could taste some walnuts, rasins, dried figs, oatmeal, honey-vanilla graham crackers, corned beef-on-rye-hold-the-mustard....but I can't. Luckily, I do know what I like when I smoke it. I have a tendency to just keep smoking what I like, and I'm good with that.
Love reading about the never ending quests for that "Nirvana" tobacco blend that was aged for 12 years. I respect and admire the dedication of some smokers of the briar. Perhaps, if I were much younger, I'd have the time and inclination to search around. I'll never know what I'm missing....and that might not be so bad.
To each, his own.
Frank

I'm a long time cigar smoker who has just recently transitioned to pipes. I felt pretty confident in my ability to appreciate the nuances in cigars. In cigars I lean towards full body power houses - some of the Viaje come to mind but with pipe tobacco I am really enjoying a lot of the subtleties in more mild blends and even some aromatics. I'd never smoke a flavored cigar but flavored pipe tobacco is interesting.

I feel that when you learn the right smoking technique you start to understand and get the subtle flavors of the tobacco. For some that may be a few months and for others maybe a year or two. Some people are bound to have refined tastes that can get flavors right away and others are going to have deaf buds and not get many flavors at all. Everyone is different and I say smoke what you like.

<p>I'm 8 months in. I have smoked cigarettes for 25 years, which is probably why I skipped the so-called aromatics phase. After 8 months I am excited to find that I am still a novice. However, there have been aha-moments, and I am confident more are coming. The first, I think, was about 2 months in, when I got a tin of Nightcap. First bowl was puzzling, strong, strange flavours. Second bowl pleasant, sweet and complex.<br />
The second aha came a month or two later when I first tried to smoke really slowly. This time with Irish Flake, and I suddenly tasted this anis topping, I'd read about.<br />
So my first ahas came with really powerful blends, which kinda makes sense. And i like dark roast coffee

This is encouraging. I've been at this for less than a month, having come from cigars, and from self-stuffed cigarettes more than a decade ago. I am enjoying many tobaccos now but not picking up much of the nuances in different blends yet, except in the tin. Still, its pleasing, I enjoy it, and look forward to the day when I can detect figgy notes or a touch of old hay in a smoke.
And that's my first post here too.

Welcome Scott!
Like everything your tastes will change and evolve over time. I can't imagine anyone picking up a pipe for the first time and tasting all the different subtleties of a particular blend. The best piece of advice when I started was to enjoy the journey, meaning to not to be afraid to try different blends from different makers.

I posted some comments about 3 weeks ago. I basically admitted that I could only discern the strengths of different blends but could not pick out any individual tobaccos.
I think I might have noticed some different flavors between some blends I have been smoking. Here's how I think this happened. I mixed up a batch of my own cigar-leaf blend, which I concocted some sample packets of tobaccos that I had. I smoked the individual blends of tobaccos straight, and then mixed with some cigar-leaf. I can actually pick out the different tobaccos that I used after smoking the final mixture. The final mix contains Lane Ltd. "HGL, match-Elizabethan, Cubed Burley, and some mild, cigar-leaf. I definitely can pick out and taste/smell the cigar-leaf, I can taste the nutty Burleys, Latakia, and maybe the sweet-tea Virginias. You have to concentrate and think about it for a minute.
Hoping to yet taste some figs, berries, nuts, pine needles, sweat socks, etc.
Frank

NYC