Lets Talk Blends! Jsiddle's Q&A

This is a vast topic, so I'll only answer that part of it on which I am rather opinionated.
I started out with drug store "blend" aromatics, which is to say, cased Burley (with a "plastic-like" aftertaste).

Over the years I've discovered that there are three kinds of aromatics:
- the above mentioned drug store stuff -- designed to deliver nicotine and regale the wife's nose, not your palate

- natural tobacco blends with either a topping or a non-tobacco amendment such as deertongue

- Cavendish blends -- cased, but much less artificial tasting, and aimed at the tastebuds rather than the wife's nose.

You might enjoy reading The Pipe Tobacco Aging, Storage and Cellaring FAQ.

In very broad terms:
Aromatics

Virginias, and their subset, Virginia/Perique blends

Latakia blends, which are usually referred to - in the States anyway - as Balkan or English blends

Burley based blends
The cheap drugstore stuff is either low-end aros, or the burley based "American classics" - Prince Albert, Carter Hall, and so on.
I personally don't smoke any aros, unless you count some of the lightly-topped MacBaren blends as aros - which I don't. I smoke a variety of latakia based blends, some Virginias, and am exploring better quality burleys.
As a rule: smoke the best tobacco you can afford. You'll enjoy it more.

Most of your commercial bulk aromatics smell good but don't have much flavor. However, aromatics by Cornell & Diehl, Boswell, McClelland, Dan, and others often have a wonderful flavor, and are made of higher-quality components.
An "English" or "Balkan" blend will be a combination of latakia, virginia, orientals and maybe a little something else. These are very flavorful, but not as pleasant smelling. Most of my favorite blends fall under this category. I don't think there is anything in this world as tasty as a good English/Balkan blend.
Virginias are popular, but I recommend staying away from them until you get a little more experience under your belt. If you do want to try some VAs now, I suggest starting with McClellands products. You might also want to look into Va/Per blends (Virginia with added perique) as they tend to be a little easier to smoke.
I usually recommend burley blends for those who are just starting out. Grab a pouch each of Carter Hall and Prince Albert. They are of much higher quality than you would expect, they are quite flavorful, and they are PERFECT to learn your basics from (puffing cadence, for instance).
Does your local tobacconist have a selection of tinned blends?

30-50 kinds is a pretty decent selection these days. Look for blends from Cornell and Diehl, GL Pease, McClelland, and Samuel Gawith. Also, look for Blue Note (it's a tinned aromatic). Someone else has recommend Frog Morton (by McClelland) -- that's a good choice for a starter English blend.
Both Carter Hall and Prince Albert have very pleasant room notes. In fact, when you hear women say "That smells great -- that's what my dad/grandad/uncle used to smoke", they are probably referring to one of these two blends. Seriously -- given them a whirl. They are some of the cheapest smokes out there, and they are one of the very few instances in this hobby where less money equals more quality.

I would also recommend any of the peterson aro's and university flake

I would be very careful of a Mclellend virgina, many people myself included cannot smoke them do to an acid burn on the tongue. They are loaded with red virginia's which have a tendency to bite very badly. Now you may be able to smoke them without issue as many do, but I would start off with a no bite virginia that is mild and sweet. I posted my list on another one of your threads, grab one of those.
I categorize the different blends as aro's, viginia's, virginia/perique, english and burley's. There are literally thousands of blends and everyone has their favorites.

Js, I would recommend starting with Frog Morton for English, Butternut Burley for your Burley. Grab a tin of Orlick Golden Sliced for a va flake, everyone carries that and it is a nice intro into flakes. If you can find a tin of Fribourg& Treyer Cut Virginia Plug grab that over the Orlick.

Ok...

For aromatics, I'd recommend 1-Q, which your local store should carry. They might not carry it under that name, however -- many stores buy 1-Q or other bulks and then re-label them as a "house blend." In fact, 1-Q might even have been what you've already tried, but you won't know until you ask.

Some good tinned aromatics they might carry would be Dan's Blue Note, C&D's Autumn Evening, or any of the McClelland's Premium Aromatics series (Captain Cool is my favorite). I've heard that Peterson makes some good aros, but I've not tried them yet. Heck, you might want to give good ol' Captain Black a try, too.
Good starter English blends would be any of the Frog Morton series or anything by GL Pease, especially Chelsea Morning or Maltese Falcon. If you see some Dunhill products like Early Morning Pipe, London Mixture of My Mixture 965, grab one of those. They might taste....weird, at first. Smoke several bowls on different days before giving up. These blends are an acquired taste, like beer or wine, and you might be so put off by the novelty at first that you can't enjoy them. Also, just because you don't like one English blend doesn't mean you won't like the next... The difference between Dunhill's Nightcap and Frog Morton is tremendous. Even little differences in components can make a HUGE difference in the smoke, which is why there are hundreds or thousands of blends to choose from, each of them quite distinctive.
I've already given you my two favorite mild burley blends. I prefer Carter Hall myself (I smoke more of it than any other tobacco) but Prince Albert is also tasty and some guys prefer it. Carter Hall is a little sweeter (think raisins or cake) while Prince Albert is a little less so (think dark chocolate). I don't think you'll go wrong with either of them.
Please let us know what you think of them! We can also give some advice on drying, packing, etc if you run into trouble.
BTW -- most tinned blends are going to cost between $7 and $12. If you smoke one bowl a day, one of these tins will last you for a couple of weeks! Cig smokers regularly pay $5 to $10 per day for their tobacco..... It can seem expensive, but we often forget that we get a far, far better deal than any other tobacco users in our society get.

What are the different types of blends? So far I know: Aeromatic, Virginian (VA), and English
Aromatic (flavored tobacco), Virginias(sweet/grassy/hay), VaPers (Virginia/Perique), Perique(Fermented tobacco), English(Latakia is in it, the proportions are still being debated), Burley(nutty), Lakeland(A british styled aromatic using natural oils, rose oil, lavender, etc., acquired taste)
I know that aeromatics smell very nice, but the one I have doesnt taste at all, no flavor...

Is this a norm with aeromatics?
No, you just have to find the right blend. Also, if you can't blow smoke out threw your nose (without inhaling the smoke) you're losing a lot of flavor. Especially when it comes to these aromatics that lack taste but have great room note.)
Which types of blends have sweeter flavors? which have heartier / baccy flavors?
Sweeter... Anything with Virginias(naturally sweet) or Cavendish(made sweet with toasting and maybe some sugar water) Everything else has baccy flavors. Usually the darker stuff with have a more pungent smell and taste. Think latakia, orientals, burley. No added flavors just added tobacco. I'd recommend G.L.Pease blends or Hearth and Home blends.
Which types burner cooler? hotter?
If a tobacco is too dry, or contains too much sugar, cavendish or straight virginias, it has a tendancy to burn hot. You have some control over this and will master it in time.
Which types need lots of relights? which dont?
This question is too personal for an exact answer. It depends mostly on you. It depends on how good your packing is, how good your cadence is, how hard or soft you're puffing, the weather, the pipe, the humidity of the tobacco, whether you woke up on the left or right side of the bed today, etc. etc. It's got everything to do with how you smoke it.

1Q and Butternut Burley are about the same as a Dog and a Wolf. Both Sweet, different flavors.

1Q is an aromatic.
Oops, Spartan has the better answer.