Dunhill 965 and a turning point?

jmagen · Jan 4, 2017

I'm 3 months along this journey (and enjoying every damn bowl full), and something's changed. I've been chasing this aroma from my memory. Captain Black blends have come the closest so far. Since there's an aroma I'm after, I've been focusing on aromatics. Thing is, thus far, I don't taste any of the things I've read in the descriptions, and I smoke outside, so room note is irrelevant. At least my hoodie and fingers smell amazing.

While back I tried some Dunhill 965 in one of my (then) 3 pipes, and all I tasted was like "phew, that's a damn cigarette."

A month or so passed, and I've got a couple more pipes...enough to devote a cob and a Dr G to aromatics, and an older one to (future) non-aromatics.

Went back to the 965 in a pipe I haven't used in a few weeks, and damn. I got flavor, not just smoke. Not just char. It was smoky, but not yuck.

Any ideas why it's so palatable now, as opposed to then? I was thinking maybe it was the pipe not being used w/ aromatics (left alone for a couple weeks)?

For what its worth, I'm disillusioned by the aromatics now, and interested in broadening out into other tobaccos. Frog Morton is on deck..

Thanks.

snoopy311 · Jan 4, 2017

jmagen, welcome to pipe smoking. So many variable and so little time.

theloniousmonkfish · Jan 4, 2017

You probably adjusted your smoking over time, some blends get pushed into smelling/tasting like cigs when you heat them up too much. Check out Presbyterian or Blakeney's Best Latakia Flake.

saltedplug · Jan 4, 2017

Some say that pipes like certain blends and dislike others. My experience is that as long as the pipe is reasonably well-drilled, the pipe is irrelevant. My ability to taste or the condition of my palate is, however, relevant.
To maintain it I brush after eating anything. What I ate and how long ago I ate it is very important. My best palate is in the morning; while asleep I go the longest period of time

without eating.

backwoodsjack · Jan 4, 2017

My experience with 965 is that it is a technical blend. When I smoke it slow with a bit of concentration I get a sweet, nutty, smokey, complex work of art. When I smoke it too fast & hot, it tastes like a tire fire.

fitzy · Jan 5, 2017

If your going to try Frog next I VERY HIGHLY recommend you try Frog Morton Cellar first. It really is fantastic.
Also you should think of trying the Hearth & Home Marquee blends. They are all amazing but my favorites are Blackhouse and Magnum Opus.

shutterbugg · Jan 5, 2017

I'm betting you unconsciously have slowed your smoking cadence. Most blends are more flavorful when smoked slowly, but VA's and ribbon cuts like most of Dunhill's especially tend to taste bland and cigarettish if smoked too fast.

jmagen · Jan 5, 2017

Thanks for the input gents!

montalslog · Jan 5, 2017

I'll second what others have said here. Took me weeks to realize that my 'passable' drugstore tobacco was way better than I was experiencing prior, just had to learn how it like to be packed and smoked.
Being a newer pipe smoker (~1 yr), I make a habit of not finishing pack and tins so I get to go back after time and see if my initial impressions are still valid.

mso489 · Jan 5, 2017

I think new smokers tend to draw like they're eating a cheeseburger, just to get it down. As you go along, you learn to let the tobacco flavors come to you, give it more time and draw more gently. That's when you begin to understand the flavors you are after. Go slow, don't push, experience in the present.

newbroom · Jan 8, 2017

So, you're basically a brand new pipe smoker. It's a new experience for your palate. The ability to taste is learned and tastes change over time.

Many factors affect taste. Awakening your palate to tobacco flavor takes a little time and experience.

Take your time, and experience!

woodsroad · Jan 8, 2017

Your journey of enjoyment of pipe tobacco is not unlike that of many others. I started the same way. Appreciation and perception are evolved through experience. All good advice here on palate, cadence and the appreciation of nuance. I would strongly suggest that you find a place to smoke indoors, even if it's just the garage or car. Being able to surround yourself with smoke makes a huge difference in the discernment of aroma and flavor. When I smoke outdoors (which I love to do in nice weather), I often feel like I'm missing half the show.

jmagen · Jan 8, 2017

woodsroad that may be the advice that keeps me from selling/ trading/ giving away the remaining aro's I have. I've latched on to the 965, and I think I might open the London mixture that came in the same sampler. Definitely been forcing myself to go slower since i noticed the flavor (and the remarks).

Thanks to you (all) for advice!

oldmojo · Jan 10, 2017

965 and London mixture are both on my regular rotation favorites list. To my palate, London is a bit lighter with a bit less of the Latakia bass note. It is often my first bowl of the morning.

unkleyoda · Jan 30, 2017

It's exactly what my pipe smoking journey was like. At first I only liked aromatics and my tastes slowly shifted. No I find aromatics disgusting for the most part.

Dunhill 965 and a turning point?

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