Flavors Seem Weak

hmhaines · Sep 7, 2016

So, here's the basic problem; All of the tobaccos I try taste a bit... Soft.
Almost lazy.
I just puffed through a bowl of McC Perique. It was calm, cuddly, with a mild tinge of Black Pepper at the beginning. Even that bit of spice mellowed out quite quickly. It was an enjoyable smoke, just not the flavor explosion that everyone talks about.
Now, I don't have a developed palate yet, I have only been piping for about two weeks. Still, I was told this would knock me down, pick me back up, and then use me as a marrionette.
None of the tobaccos I have tried have seemed strong in flavor, despite having purchased baccy that was supposed to be as strong as can be. (Escudo, for example. ) This issue doesn't come up when I smoke cigars, so I'm kinda lost.
What do you folks think is happening? Is there a secret to releasing flavor?

rfernand · Sep 7, 2016

Pipes are different - you can taste more by retrohaling by the way. That may help.
I think for people who come from strong tobacco taste, something like Carter Hall or Key Largo are good "transition" blends. But that may be just me.

hmhaines · Sep 7, 2016

Definitely a big fan of the retrohale! Is pipe tobacco just weaker than cigars? That's fine, I'm still enjoying the pipe, just want to understand it better.
I'll look at getting some CH and/or Key Largo.

rfernand · Sep 7, 2016

It's just different.. with a cigar you're getting a lot of volume, really fast. You sip a pipe (slowly hopefully, otherwise you'll get some nasty tongue bite), so you don't get those mouthfuls you're used to.

andrew · Sep 7, 2016

Go big, try some G&H Happy brown bogie and some other rope tobacco's. Also G&H dark flake unscented is really strong. If you smoked pure perique and it didn't do anything I would say go to ropes and twists. Escudo isn't very strong on the spectrum at all. I smoke pipes and cigars and find I get quite a bit of smoke volume from a pipe. It just takes time to learn, if you puff to fast you'll scorch your tongue, but you can get a big volume of smoke still. Also stuff like 1792 flake by Samuel Gawaith might be up your ally. I find stuff like happy brown bogie and other twists to be quite cigar like, the closest thing you can get to a cigar experience in a pipe. And it will bring you to your knees. You may also want to try some english blends like nightcap, latakia is quite tasty but not cigar like, but I find I smoke a cigar if I want a cigar, the pipe is a different experience.

mcitinner1 · Sep 7, 2016

Hm if you describe smoking a pipe as "puffing through a bowl", isn't it getting pretty hot tasting? Actual puffing is only to get an ember going, and then you slow to sipping the pipe. You may already know this, I don't know. It's hard for me to relate to your issue, though I smoke some strong pipe tobaccos, and I love the Spectre cigars, I didn't come from cigar smoking.

frozenchurchwarden · Sep 7, 2016

It usually takes a while to really adjust. For the first month or so, don't worry about how it "tastes" and just worry about developing a cadence that doesn't fry your mouth.

The next best thing I can recommend is to try some heavy English blends, they tend to be more "in your face" with flavor.

peejaay · Sep 7, 2016

Here is a dumb question.. Tell me then you can shoot me... :D
What is retrohaling?
Sounds like something I need industrial blower for.. :D

carver · Sep 7, 2016

Retrohaling is basically exhaling the smoke through your nose instead of from your mouth.
Here's a few links:

Retrohaling thread on the forum

On YouTube
Hope it helps.

mawnansmiff · Sep 7, 2016

"Is there a secret to releasing flavor?"
Yes, it's called lighting the tobacco :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.

kanse · Sep 7, 2016

Escudo is not by any means a taste-bomb.

Here, why don't you have a look at this list?

I filtered it out to give you some stronger blends(in taste department).

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/search?Taste=Full%2CVery+Full%2CExtra+Full%2COverwhelming&Rating=Highly+Recommended&ReviewCount=25&Production=Currently+available&Show=Avg+Taste

seagullplayer · Sep 7, 2016

Cows will be had when I say this but yes cigars are stronger than pipe tobacco.
You will never get that strong of a flavor from your pipe.
IMHO the less cigars you smoke the more you will enjoy your pipe.
Or you can stuff your cigar in your pipe, folks do that.
Lots of people enjoy both, as I do, but your exceptions have to be different.

hextor · Sep 7, 2016

I retrohale and it enhances the flavor quite a bit, also when I smoke slowly i can really taste the tobacco.

hmhaines · Sep 7, 2016

I do have Brown Bogie waiting to try, as well as a few other GH blends that are supposed to be quite strong. The Dark Flake is on order already.
Puffing may not be the right word, my smoke isn't too hot or anything like that.

cosmicfolklore · Sep 7, 2016

Yeh, perique is not as crazy tasteful as everyone thinks it is. Escudo is a very mild tasting blend. Carter Hall, you won't taste that either, so my $0.02 is not bother with it.
I assume that you are coming from cigars. Try Semois, a latakia blend, like Night Cap, 965, or Key Largo. Any Twist tobaccos. And, maybe one of those Frog Morton blends I see guys talking about.

hmhaines · Sep 7, 2016

Definitely coming from cigars. Love the things quite a bit, but there's definitely something I'm finding even more lovely in the pipe.
Ordered Nightcap and 965 already, they're on the way! Avoiding Frog Morton, isn't that cased/flavored? Not really interested in that.

andrew · Sep 7, 2016

Yeah frog morton has sweetened latakia, I liked it when I first started pipe smoking but it doesn't do anything for me now, and it's quite mild. Also the effects of nicotine and the pipe are alot different vs. cigars I find. With a pipe I'll just get hiccups mostly if I'm smoking something strong, and sometimes I'll be glued to a couch for a good 30 minutes after a bowl of something really strong, but it's not really the same feeling as when you smoke a strong cigar. I think it could be also the fact that it's heresy to let a cigar go out and not finish it, whereas the pipe you can take a break.

hmhaines · Sep 7, 2016

Trying Brown Bogie right now. Stronger flavor than the straight Perique from last night. Quite nice tasting, this'll be a favorite for a while.

Flavors Seem Weak

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