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I really don't know what the term covers, I regularly smoke whatever I like - two of them being HH Vintage Syrian and Vanilla Cream, both from Mac Baren. I guess Vanilla Cream is what you would call aromatic, and Vintage Syrian would be non-aromatic?
If you take Mac Baren and ST-products, what else would you call non-aromatic?
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Steen,
I found this on another web site... Maybe it will help.
"In the truest sense some tobaccos are considered "aromatics" in their natural state, both Latakia and Perique, fall into this category. But as normally used aromatic refers to any blend which has had its aroma enhanced. The expensive way is by relying solely or primarily on the mixture of tobaccos to achieve this end, the easy way is take a tobacco and add other ingredients to get the end you want. These other ingredients can be as simple as honey or whiskey, to a whole slew of artificial flavourings.
The amount of non-tobacco ingredients is set by law and usage, according to Milton Sherman in "All About Tobacco" :
"It is estimated that less than half of one percent of the weight of any given brand manufactured in the United Kingdom is composed of flavorings, as contrasted with some brands manufactured in the United States in which casing sauces constitute as much as 25% of the gross weight of the tobacco product, or in the ease of Dutch tobaccos, as high as 35 %."
His book was written before the Germans entered the marketplace in a big way, so i have no idea what limits they have on their product.
But you will note that the Brits are never going to produce anything like some of the confectionary products of other countries.
What really matters is what you like. I still rotate some aromatics through my pipes, and tend to them in social situations, simply because non-smokers seem to find the much less offensive."
Thanks for the info phil.
You're right - smoke whatever you like, and don't think about what category it fits into
phil, thanks for the post. I think that 1st paragraph is as good a description as I've read in a long time.
I don't consider myself an aromatics smoker, but I do smoke some flavored, or topped, tobaccos. I don't avoid the flavors so much as the artificial tastes (and aftertastes) that nearly always accompany flavorings (casing sauces.) Just as with cola drinkers, who either tolerate the "diet drink taste" or not, there may be two types of tobacco smokers in the world. I'm one that has a hard time with diet cola and aromatics.
I'll leave it for someone else to discuss the tendency of aromatics to smoke wet and bitey. Hmmm, let's see, is that due to the glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, poly-phenyl-doodle-poop, or what?
Yeah, I hate somking an "aromatic" blend and getting that chemical taste. I avoid most aromatics because of this. I do occasionally try an aromatic or two, but have yet to find one that suits me just right. Until then....
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A good compromise would be something from the Cumbrian Gawith houses - not casings, just "scents" - which seem to impart additional aromas to the tobacco rather than overtaking them. No wet goop, no bite, just flavour.
Thanks for the recomendation furandfeather, Unfortunately I don't have a B&M close to me so I'm forced to using the Internet to aquire my tobacco. Everyone here is out of SG and HG blends for the most part. I have some firedance flake on the way from SG. It was one of the only blends available. I will try more when everyone re-stocks.
sapo59 try some macbaren cube ? if it leave's a ghost taste clean your pipe with everclear and rock salt .
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Goldwing,
Sappo did try the "Cube', I ended up with all of it but about three pinches! I still have to try it myself...
A good aromatic can be a joy. A bad one is a pain forever! I don't get the dreaded Mac Baren's bite so I tend to pick those when I am in the mood. Stokkebye's Highland Whiskey is also a nice one. Most times though I like the Balkan and English blends that are naturally aromatic because of the Oriental leaf involved.
Art
Try some Esoterica St. Ives. Wonderful stuff. Its an english with an aromatic topping and smoke wonderfully.
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Hauntedmyst, Esoterica St. Ives looks like a good one, but the places I’ve looked its 8oz minimum and price is $25.00... I hate to pay that much for something I didn't like...
Fur, you recommended
A good compromise would be something from the Cumbrian Gawith houses - not casings, just "scents" - which seem to impart additional aromas to the tobacco rather than overtaking them. No wet goop, no bite, just flavour.
bump for new discussion?
Way back when I first picked up a pipe I smoked mainly Perique and Cavendish, the harder and nastier the better. I wanted to feel the tar building up on my teeth and my lung hairs burning off.
Now my tastes have changed quite a bit in many years, and I've gravitated to aromatic and downright flavored tobacco. I've been running through several Altadis flavors, and have some more on order--including several "vintage" ebay tins (honey & chocolate, anniversary kake, holiday cheer). Right now, all my pipes are aromatics; as my tastes change, I'll get more pipes (I'll have to, of course!). I can already feel the craving for mild, rich but unflavored weed creeping up on me.
Like any blend, there are good and bad aros. I find that the ones made to sit on the shelf tend to be sticky and wet and quite hot to smoke. But then there are quality ones like the MB and PS and C and D that are quite good. Park Lane makes some good ones as does Russ Oulette. Don't judge all aros by the drug store variety or the ones that are buld and used as house blends for B and M's.
I almost think we need a re-definition of terms.
A tobacco that tastes as good as it smells and obviously has had something added to it should be called "aromatic".
A tobacco that has had something added but tastes different, or the scent burns off, or your mouth tastes like you just smoked a pack of swisher sweets? That should be known as "crap" or "ass".
Aros fall into what I call the cowboy movie class. The Good, The Bad and the UGLY!
haha I like that Arthur, it fits Aros perfectly!
I think there must be alot of people who start out thinking like I did that I would only like aromatics, but then be drawn rather quickly over to liking the rather strong, unique blends ( Scotttish, Lattakia, Penzance, English, etc.). That's what happened to me.
Years ago I wouldn't touch an aromatic, and looked down my nose both literally and figuratively at anyone who smoked them. I came from a school that said “if the tobacco is no good, adding flavoring to it won't help, and if the tobacco is good, and good tobaccos is all the flavoring that is required.” I think I've modified my views somewhat, and while I agree with uncle Arthur who said that aros come in three types: the good, the bad and the ugly, the same can be said of non-aromatics, of which I've tasted more than my share and found some to be rather poorly selected and blended. I was particularly impressed with the video tour of the Mac Baren plant, watching all the loving care that went into blending their fine tobaccos. After watching the video, I went out and acquired some Mac Barens, and frankly I'm impressed. Of course, the bottom line resides in the old Latin saying de gustibus non est disputandum. One can find tobaccos in either category, in sufficient quantity to please any palate, and as for quality, that really is a matter of personal taste. One should not say to someone who smokes aromatics: “that's a poor quality tobacco you're smoking, one that uses flavoring agents to mask the taste of an inferior grade tobacco. You should switch to a nonaromatic if you aspire to being a true pipe smoker.” Reminds me of something that happened to me some years ago when I was smoking my longtime favorite, Balkan Sobranie, of blessed memory, when someone nearby wrinkled his nose and said: “who are you trying to impress with that stuff?” My simple, one-word response: “me.”
excellent response
Aromatics, English, Navy, Balkan, Turkish, VAPER, VA, Burley...I'll smoke them all as I feel they all have a time and place. But when it comes to Aromatics, I really like Black Cordial, Sweet Vanilla Honeydew and Vauen Jubilee Edition...to me, they are like comfort smokes. My wife digs the fragrance and memories associated with places where we've lived and the individual blends and the memories triggered by the aroma of smoke. Some think aromatic blends are for the beginner, I don't believe that at all and never would refrain from something that gives my wife a sensory trigger of good times, places, and friends. Pure pleasure.
Had my first ghost experience today, one of the last aromatics ghosted my pipe I use in my truck....my Penzance tasted like a 1Q/Penzance mix. 
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