I recently reorganized my pipe cabinet and noticed that I have quite a few tobaccos with primarily Virginias and Orientals, and little to no Latakia. Always in search of the "purest" smoking experience, I've decided to change one of my smaller English blend pipes into an Oriental pipe. At the risk of reopening the question concerning English blends vs Orientals (and Balkans for that matter), I would like your thoughts on the meaning of Oriental blends, it's characteristics, your favorites, your pipe selection process when deciding to smoke, say, EMP, Red Rapparee, Classic Samsun, etc.
Personally I find Oriental blends to be harsh--something akin to a cigarette. After doing some research I've found that Oriental tobaccos are used especially in cigarette production. And while I dislike the taste of cigarettes, I'm curious as to why pipe tobacco producers--who are certainly driven by flavor--would choose Oriental tobaccos as a dominant flavor profile. Now these are the ruminations of but a single pipe man who knows blenders don't have a picture of him hanging in their workshops. Nevertheless, I hope that with more time studying this blend in a pipe solely dedicated to its characteristics, I too will experience the beauty of the Orient :roll:
Personally I find Oriental blends to be harsh--something akin to a cigarette. After doing some research I've found that Oriental tobaccos are used especially in cigarette production. And while I dislike the taste of cigarettes, I'm curious as to why pipe tobacco producers--who are certainly driven by flavor--would choose Oriental tobaccos as a dominant flavor profile. Now these are the ruminations of but a single pipe man who knows blenders don't have a picture of him hanging in their workshops. Nevertheless, I hope that with more time studying this blend in a pipe solely dedicated to its characteristics, I too will experience the beauty of the Orient :roll: