Aromatic And NonAromatic

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pipeude28

Might Stick Around
Jun 14, 2016
58
1
Hello. I was wondering if i could use both aromatic and non aromatic tobaccos in a single pipe? Or should I have 1 pipe for non aromatics and 1 for aromatics?? Thanks

 

sjfine

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 4, 2012
653
4
You should smoke what you like. If you are afraid of ghosting a pipe beyond redemption, you might try your experiments in a cob.
Also, you could try an "aromatic" non-aromatic, like Erinmore Flake or Peterson University Flake.
At least, I think I'm right about my description of these tobaccos.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
People have widely diverse opinions on ghosting pipes. Some enjoy keeping separate pipes for types of blends, separating aromatics, English, Virginia and Va/Per, and so on. Some don't like to smoke Latakia in any pipe used for non-Lat blends. And so on. I have no such compunctions. The only reason I would designate pipes is if I were smoking the so-called "Lakeland blends," some of which have heavy floral or "soapy" or other non-tobacco flavorings. Standard aromatic flavorings in non-Lakeland blends might ghost the next bowl or two, but rarely linger for any length of time. Frankly, if I got a little spike of Latakia in a non-Lat blend, or a little carry-over from an aromatic in a non-aro bowl, that would be an interesting treat and wouldn't bother me. It's only the idea of a dogged penetrating flavor that never goes away that bothers me, and I've never encountered that, only heard about it with Lakeland blends, and only a selected number of those. So it's up to you. If your taste is very sensitive, and you are only happy designating pipes for specific blends, you should do it. Most of us don't feel that need.

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,818
3,612
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
I like to keep my aromatic pipes separate from non aro pipes, and well, a bit more than that, too. I won't pain you with a description. Do what you like. If you have a light, delicate tobacco, it's just going to taste a bit like the aromatics that you smoke through that pipe. That may upset you, or you may find it a pleasant touch. If you are having trouble tasting other tobaccos, relegate an aromatic pipe. If you are happy, smoke everything through one bowl.

 

macaroon

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 2, 2015
279
96
Michigan
I only own two pipes, so I don't worry about what tobacco goes in what pipe, for the most part. If I thought the toby would have a high propensity for ghosting, I'd opt to put it in my cob. I've not encountered any problems thus far.

 

shutterbugg

Lifer
Nov 18, 2013
1,451
21
Sometimes smoking a blend in a pipe that has been ghosted by another blend tastes pretty good actually. It really depends on the blends and the smoker's taste. The exception would be a Lakeland of course, which are almost apocalyptic in their ability to render their surroundings unfit for human inhabitance.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
I can't stand a ghost. That Autumn Evening has permeated my Legend. Thank god it's just a Legend.

 
Mar 1, 2014
3,647
4,917
The only things I don't smoke in the same pipe are a select few Aromatic blends and Latakia. Nothing scientific about it that's just how I feel the flavors go together best.
Basically I'll smoke Virginia blends in anything, and then I generally keep my Latakia pipes and Aromatic pipes separated. You mat feel like it's worth separating pipes for Virginia blends too but that kind of experimentation is half the fun of the hobby (if this is a hobby).

 
Jan 4, 2015
1,858
11
Massachusetts
Areos can "ghost" or change the flavor of the tobacco being smoked. As can be seen from the responses there are mixed feelings about that. There are some very heavily flavored Areos that probably should not be used in a pipe that will also be used for lighter blends. In the end you have to decide if that "ghosting" bothers you or not and then do what works best for you. One of the interesting things about using a pipe for almost any blend is that the ghosting produces an almost endless number of subtle variations in the experience you have. I'd recommend you pick up a few cobs and experiment. If it turns out you don't like the cross contamination it won't have cost a lot to make that determination.

 

svgev

Lurker
Aug 4, 2016
1
0
Pipeude28, to the fantastic answers other people have provided, I would just maybe add that something to take into account is that aromatic tobaccos usually burn hotter. As the flavors add sugars and oils (liquor, vanilla extracts, even directly brown sugar, etc), when these combust the tobacco reaches a higher temperature. Thus a cooler pipe (smaller bowl, 9mm non-balsa filter, longer stem...) will probably work better with your aromatics. Especially if you feel a burn bite when smoking them with a particular pipe.
Regarding rotating blends in the same pipe, as somebody mentioned there are people who won't even smoke non-aromatics with and without latakia or perique in the same pipe, but that's a matter of preference. Just try, and see if you see a difference or not. What I think is really important is never breaking a briar pipe with aromatics as, because of the added sugars and oils, they will leave behind a gooey residue. If your pipe already has a nice, dry cake from non-aromatics, and you take good care of the pipe cleaning stem and shank after each smoke, this is not much of a problem, as the 'wet' cake layers will easily go away when you use the reamer. Thus the pipe should be ok and perfectly ready to switch to a non-aromatic again. If the first, 'breaking' layer is from a gooey aromatic, though, it will have infiltrated the bowl and cake and residual taste will be almost impossible to remove.
I smoke mostly non-aromatic blends of virginia, latakia and orientals (try also ones with some perique; my guess is that it will be either love at first sight or total hatred... like with soccer or opera, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground when it gets to perique; bu,t as somebody said above, non-aromatics can be pretty flavorful without the added artificial flavors). I also have a pretty small rotation (I always end coming back to pretty common and relatively similar stuff like Altadis Fox & Hound, Old Gowrie, or Old Rapparee), so rotation in the same bowl is not really a problem for me. However, after more than thirty years of pipe smoking, I've just very recently got acquainted with corncobs (quite the pleasant surprise), and I am increasingly using them to try some aromatics that would never put into one of my briars. I would give them a try to experiment and see how much residue each blend leaves behind, and how switching between your blends affect the taste. They are cheap, so no fear of ruining one in an experiment, and surprisingly neutral and good for trying new stuff (now I finally understand how so many people like stuff like Captain Black Gold or Lane HS3... completely different experience in a cob). Plus for really enriched aromatics I do not think the pipe makes much of a difference, as the added flavors usually overwhelm everything else.

 

hextor

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 20, 2015
642
6
You can, I had sampled some mixed English and aromatic before and it is quite good.

 
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