How to pick a tobacco.

Depends a lot on body chemistry and what tastes good to you, and nicotine content could also be a factor. There are several different types of tobaccos. Latakia is an Oriental leaf that is cured over an open flame and has a kind of campfire type burning leaf/old leather quality. A lot guys really like the taste of Latakia, some don't. Virginias taste kind of sweet, not like sugar sweet but like natural fresh cut grass/lemony/soft wheat bread kind of flavor. Burley tastes kind of nutty and chocolatey but is very alkaline and can cause tongue bite for some. Burley is often used in a lot of aromatics. It might help to get a sampler of some different tobaccos and see what you like. Pipesandcigars.com has a Hearth and Home sampler that has a little bit of everything that you can try.
If you let us know what you are interested in and what kind of taste you would like, one of us could probably point you in the right direction.

I'm with PN on most what he said... except for burley being "nutty and chocolately". I think the stuff is pretty much flavorless, which is why it is used as a base for so many aromatics.
Joachimmoe, you ask for an explanation of the "differences"... the differences between WHAT?

You should try Golden Virginia, Cavendish"

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Golden Virginia AND Cavendish or Golden Virginia Cavendish? If they're two separate tobaccos, the Golden Virginia is probably lightly cased with some kind of flavoring if it is cased at all and will have a light taste to it. Any kind of Cavendish tobacco can be from just about any kind of tobacco leaf. Cavendish refers to a manufacturing and curing process and doesnt really indicate which KIND of tobacco it is, could be Virginia, could be Burley, could be anything. Id really recommend a sampler from some place like pipesandcigars.com or maybe even Cornel and Diehl. Dont be afraid to call up either company and talk to someone, tell them what you like, what you don't like, and what you are interested in, and they can steer you in the right direction.

If its Virginia AND Cavendish it is probably a mix of Virginia and Burley, probably something slightly aromatic. As I said before, Cavendish refers to a process rather than a type of tobacco, but Im willing to bet its probably Burley. Its the base for a lot of aromatic blends, so if a blend says it has Cavendish, odds are that it is aromatic of a sort, meaning it will smell really pleasant to the other people around you but may be lacking in the taste department. Some aromatics are no like this, most are, it just depends on what you get. The only way to get a good feel for what you will like and what you dont is to just experiment and see what tastes good to you. Take bigvan for example. He said Burley tastes flavorless to him. I love the stuff personally and get a great taste from it. It just really boils down to personal opinion and what your taste buds are like. A lot of guys on here love Latakia. A few of them don't. It just takes time to find something you like.

i've seen this question a few times here and here's my thought. i have maybe a dozen blends around the house although i mostly only smoke 3 or 4 of them most of the time. but almost every time i pick up a blend i haven't had in a while i think "wow this is so good why don't i smoke it every day?" i think if you buy an ounce or 2 of a few blends and they're decent quality stuff you'll like them. and you can always set them aside - you might like them after they've aged a few months, or after your tastes have changed. the "what are you smoking" thread is a great place to look for ideas of good stuff to try.

joachimmoe Welcome aboard!

A good place to start if you are looking to understand the terminology, you should look up the following in Wikipedia. The information is rudimentary, but clear. Once you can affix a definition to a word, then you can use that word with confidence.

Virginia Tobacco

Cavendish Tobacco

Oriental Tobacco

Latakia Tobacco

Perique Tobacco

The online book, All About Tobacco, by Milton Sherman, is very informative, and a quick read. It discusses all the various leaf types, and the different Cavendish processes.

Welcome aboard!
Since you have a B & M handy,ask the people who work there questions. Answering questions is part of their job.