Strange Phenomena

So, I don't even know how to describe what's going on but I will try.
I have lately discovered a strange phenomena. For a long time I have always avoided smoking an English blend before I smoke my Virginia's so I would tend to smoke my VA's the first part of the day and save my English blends for the ladder part, I always heard that you shouldn't muddy up your taste buds with Latakia before you smoke a VA so you can appreciate the subtleties of the Virginia. Last week I went outside with 3 pipes loaded (1 English, 2 VA's). I started with Escudo, lit up and it just tasted horrible, it was harsh and I couldn't get any flavor out of it. I decided to put it down and light up my English blend and it really hit the spot. When I finished that bowl I thought I would go back to the Escudo and give it a whirl. Holy cow! This stuff really sang, in fact, I have never tasted Escudo like this before in my life! It was just brilliant! I went to bed that night so excited about my newly discovered taste that I found for Escudo that I even dreamnt about it. I woke up and ordered 5 more tins and couldn't wait to light up a bowl the second I got home from work... It was not the same! It was horrible, and I couldn't get any flavor out of it. What the hell? I then proceeded to retrace my steps, so I lit another English blend up and smoked it about half way down and went back to my pipe filled with Escudo and wallah! My Escudo has transformed into the breath of God, absolutely amazing!

I have experimented with many Virginia blends now and I am absolutely amazed at how well they open up and how flavorful they become when smoking an English blend beforehand. It's as if the Latakia is jump starting my pallet and "waking" it up.

Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be? It's kind of a hassle to have to light up to pipes per smoke but I will continue to do so until the Virginia's sing on their own. This is the weirdest thing I've ever experienced within my 7 years of pipe smoking.

I would love to hear if any of you have had similar experiences, if not, try it out and see what happens.
I apologize if my post is in the wrong section. I thought this would be best in the "general pipe smoking discussion."

I absolutely agree and I chalked it up to being just one of those things. It will probably eventually pass but it has been this way for a good month now. I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, to be honest. It makes me that much more interested in this hobby though, as there are so many variables at play. Strange stuff.

I thought I would note that I also thought it might be a result of DGT (delayed gratification technique) as I had lit the pipe first and laid it down to be smoked for later. I had tried this on several different situations and while I find it does seem to help some blends out this was not the culprit in my situation.

Indeed that is exceedingly strange. I have heard of people finding a phenomenon, but never a phenomena.

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Oops! Hahaha... Well darn, I can't go back and edit that now, I used the word wrong, thank you for pointing that out, I'm sure you know what I meant, you're so smart. Phenomenon is singular and Phenomena is plural.

I have found that alternating styles works really well for me. Like yesterday, I had a bowl of Magnum Opus, and then a bowl of Stokkebye LNF. The smokey/spiciness of the Balkan blend really made the sweetness of the Virginias in LNF stand out. After the LNF, I had a bowl of Bengal Slices, and the LNF really highlighted the smokey, incensey flavors of the Bengal.

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Yes! This is working very well for me, too... it only took 7 years for me to figure this out. I always figured that the subtleties would be even that much more subtle, when smoked right after a heavy Latakia laden blend. I was very wrong and would recommend people try this if they have not already. It really brings out the best in the smoke. For instance, I could not find one thing pleasurable about Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture, I thought it tasted like I was puffing on a cigarette! After a pipe with Exotique in it, I loaded up a bowl of EM and my God man! It's one hell of a tasty blend! It's delicious!

Yes I knew what you meant. I'm fluent in English as well as the pidgin dialect of Americans under 40

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Wow!

If I smoke multiple bowls during a day its usually the same tobacco as I rarely alternate blends. If I do alternate blends I don't put any real thought into it other than what the mood strikes. I'm also a big English/Latakia fan so I'm not shy about starting my day with a stronger blend. As a fan of Escudo I may have to try a nice Latakia blend followed by some Escudo and see what happens.

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Yeah, man, give it a go! Please be sure to let me know if it brings out the flavor for ya. Being a fan of English blends have you tried Exotique from Smokers Haven? Someone on another forum recommended it to me awhile back and let me tell ya, it is hands down the best English mixture I have ever tried. It's wonderful!

Yes, that's part of the reason why I love doing what we do. So many variables. Sometimes, just when ya think it can't get any better, it does!
Anyway, if these were just subtle differences I wouldn't have started a thread about it. What this has done for my VA's, is mind blowing and has totally changed the game! Ya would think that once I created a "taste memory" that I would taste the same thing every time but that certainly has not been the case, as of late.

Change it up, Smoke a Lakeland and reset the taste buds. Or an aromatic that you enjoy. If you don't like aromatics, time to experiment and find one you like.

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I'm not picky, I like to smoke all kinds of tobaccos but I rarely find an aromatic where the smell in the tin actually translates to taste. I really enjoy Sillem's Black, Autumn Evening, and Blue Note.

As far as Lakeland's... I'm trying. I just recently got another tin of Bob's Chocolate Flake and as of right now, I just don't know. I don't feel like floral's pair well with the smoke and cocoa topping. I'm not writing them off just yet but they certainly are an acquired taste.