New smoker having trouble tasting...

wfin73 · Aug 31, 2014

So, i started smoking back in July. I've tried several tobaccos ( some aros, some not)in both a cob and two different briars. So far they all seem to taste not that much different to me. How long before I start to tell the differences? I'm still working on my snorking, I know that will help some once I get better at it. I enjoy every bowl, they just don't all seem that different to me. Am I doing something wrong or is it typical learning curve I'm going through?

wfin73 · Aug 31, 2014

Thanks to my brother in law who was gracious enough to let me try some of his stash, I've tried sir Walter Raleigh, carter hall, captain black (white), macbarren Virginia no 1, Molto dolce, Eileen's dream, and some others. I can definitely tell they all smoke differently, but I don't "taste" much of a difference. I smoke on my front porch, so the smoke dissipates rather quickly, so I don't really establish much of a room note, not sure how much of a difference that makes. Thanks for your patience with this newbie, you guys are great.

mso489 · Aug 31, 2014

People taste things differently, and some people taste differences in flavors more strongly than others.

Burley tobacco, for example, some people can't really taste it much, other taste it and find it unpleasant,

and some, like me, find it quite wonderful. I think coalsmoke has a good idea, to try some blends with

distinct differences. It helps to smoke slowly and sip, so you are more likely to taste what you're smoking.

If you smoke fast, inhale, run it through your nostrils, etc., you probably won't pick up much nuance.

One set you might try -- a mild Virginia like McClellands 5100 and a Cavendish like Dark Obsession with

walnut, sipped, should taste quite different. Others may have other, better suggestions for contrasting

blends.

wfin73 · Aug 31, 2014

My brother in law tells me I'm a sipper compared to him. He finishes a bowl in half the time I do, so I know I'm not smoking too fast. I'm averaging right around an hour per bowl, whether in my cob or LJ Peretti briar. Thanks for the tobacco suggestions, I'll give some contrasting tobaccos a try. I've been told you have to have patience for this hobby, I just want to make sure I'm on the right track. Thanks guys!

cobguy · Aug 31, 2014

There's two blends that you mentioned which should help you out.
Take the Carter Hall in one pipe and the Virginia #1 in the other.
The CH, while it does contain Va's, is a predominately Burley flavor.
The Va #1 is a straight Virginia, no Burley.
Focus on those two to start with to see if you can start getting the flavor differences.
Lastly ... SLOW DOWN. If you're puffing away too fast it's all going to taste like ash.
Pack it lightly, smoke it lightly, tamp it lightly, etc ...
Best of luck and welcome to the forums!

wfin73 · Aug 31, 2014

Should I try them Both in the same pipe for comparison? I should clarify a little,I can tell some slight differences between each one, but I can't really distinguish their individual flavors so to speak. Does that make any sense?

cobguy · Aug 31, 2014

Makes total sense and this does take some time.
You can visit tobacco review sites to see what others taste for comparison.
Read about what is in the blend and what others taste and then fire up a bowl.
No matter what you do ... just be relaxed and enjoy it! :D

brokenkrayon · Aug 31, 2014

Not sure if you mentioned, but are you using new pipes or estates? If new, the pipe could be tainting the flavor till broken in. I am a new smoker as well, and find that I only am starting to pickup some nuances. I also thought I was a slow smoker until I really started to learn to sip. I found I was smoking slow, but drawing hard on my sips. This was killing any flavors.

wfin73 · Aug 31, 2014

New pipes. My briar I have only smoked Mac barren virginia no 1 in thus far to break it in.

torque · Aug 31, 2014

As cobguy suggested, you might want to narrow your focus a little. One technique that I have found enjoyable is to smoke a straight virginia, like your MB VA #1, and follow it with a good Virginia/Perique blend in the same sitting. This really highlights the perique and brings the additional component into focus. My taste buds are already acclimated to the sweetness of the VAs so the spicy/plummy goodness of the perique really stands out. A good one to try would be A&C Petersen's Escudo, should give you a really nice contrasting flavor profile between a stright VA and one with an additional component.
Personally I find that MB VA #1 bites the crap out of my tongue no matter how I try to smoke it. If I was smoking a bunch of that I suspect my taste buds would be pretty fried but a lot of folks love it and don't experience that problem.

yaddy306 · Sep 1, 2014

You could also try exhaling through your nose.

Snorking will help you taste the differences between blends.

wfin73 · Sep 1, 2014

I got a little bit of bite from the VA No1 the first time I smoked a bowl, but after that I slowed my cadence and didn't draw as much, and it was much better. I've been intrigued my periques, maybe I'll give that one a try.
And I'm working on my snorking, I can't quite do it on demand yet. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.

bphilli75 · Sep 1, 2014

I recommend perique blends also. I have a bit of trouble tasting a lot of tobaccos, but for some reason, I can taste perique quite well. Hearth and Home Anniversary Kake is a nice example. I find it very flavorful.
Best of luck,

Bill

frozenchurchwarden · Sep 2, 2014

Two flavours I picked up almost immediately were aged Virginia and a heavy Latakia blend.

I'm starting to think that what I find appealing in a good VaPer is actually just the Virginia and I may or may not be tasting Perique.

My best recommendation is a tin of Escudo and Ten Russians, those seem to have pretty bold flavour.
Of the dozens of blends I've tried, ones with good flavour are still few and far between.

wfin73 · Sep 2, 2014

So, I'm feeling better about not actually tasting the flavors in the tobacco, as it seems a lot of others have the same issue as well. I'm going to go ahead and try some stronger stuff like some of your recommendations, and see how it goes.I still love the relaxing nature of sitting on my porch and smoking a good bowl, so if I don't taste the tobacco like I thought I was supposed to, so be it!

tallguy · Sep 3, 2014

Being a new smoker, I will certainly try this technique. I also took note of the different blends mentionned here.

wfin73 · Sep 4, 2014

I picked up some "1888 After Dinner", hopefully I'll get a chance to try it tonight! It's all my local shop had that had perique in it.

tinkertank · Sep 5, 2014

I had a hard time tasting tobacco at first. mostly because I was trying to hard to get the first light and ended up biting a bit, thinking this was normal. Since I've gotten the hang of getting it lit and keeping it slow I've realized I was a friggin' idiot.

smeigs · Sep 5, 2014

This took me a while I must say. When I first started the pipe I had a hard time picking up anything really. They all smelled the same or didnt taste like they smelled. It took me a good 6 months of trial and error and learning how to smoke slower and pack a pipe right to get the full experience. I find out that even with a couple years of smoking under my belt, I am still finding new flavors and smells. My pallet is constantly changing and that is one of the great things with smoking a pipe. It will come, just be patient and find stuff you like. Also try different beverages with your smoke to clear your pallet, I found that helps sometimes. Good luck!

peteross · Sep 6, 2014

I can't add to what the other have suggested already but I wanted to mention how packing affected my taste over night. I was packing way too tight. Over time I learned that I like only a slight resistance on the draw. For me this allows for slower sipping.

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