Switching Away from Aromatics

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johnsteam86

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 1, 2018
271
0
Well starting this month I decided I would try to switch away from aromatics and mainly focus the year on english blends & navy flake like tobacco. While I do enjoy the flavor that you can get from some aromatics like SWR and Ole Shenandoah sometimes the flavor itself can be a little bit well lacking. With the arrival of the Three Nuns last month I really found the enjoyable taste of the tobacco by itself but the wife of course did not enjoy the room note. So I have since dedicated those types of tobaccos to my makeshift pipe shop that is currently being worked on.
To start off the adventure I ordered two pouches of Drexel. One VI and the other VIII since they had favorable reviews both here and on P&C. The cost being relatively average also was a consideration since I did not want to spend on the upword market for a new blend type at this time but if I turned out to like the blend type then well we all know how TAD can be and cellars expanded. So if you have recommendation for the english blends or the navy flake I am all ears for future orders and contemplations into our great little hobby.

 
Aromas are subjective, so here is how to train your wife...

Pick up a pouch of Semoise and a tin of Nightcap (or any latakia will do). When you are in a mood for Three Nuns, fire up a bowl of Semoise. She will start to gag at the barnyard aromas mixed with cigar notes. Then fire up the latakia, something raw and nasty. After both of those are gagged at, teary eyed, screams of horror, and wobblies are thrown, fire up the wonderful Three Nuns and tell her that it was awarded some Cosmopolitan award for being wife friendly. They love to know that other wives agree with them. And, if she ever bawks over it after that, just remind her that "just the other day, she said it smelled wonderful." Then, go through the whole thing again with the Semoise and Night Cap. Trust me on this. :puffy:

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,166
107,864
Aros definitely aren't good for starting out. Go for full bodied English and burley blends for now. Follow through with the Virginia family of blends, then some way down the road, you may find that aros are better than you thought.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,427
Two of so many possible recommendations: For a mild refined complex English blend with a little burley thrown in (which I think is truly sophisticated), it's Nat Sherman 536, in the tin or, if you are in Manhattan, in bulk at the store. For a heady full-strength English, C&D Stratfordshire, strong but not overbearing. You can sample English blends, and many burley blends too, for years and not find any you dislike, if you're lucky. Lane and Sutliff have nice menus of blends you'd like. Russ O. at PC does too; try his Fire Storm, a Va/Per dark-fired, or for an Americana blend, Log Cabin. After steeping in non-aromatics, you might want to go back, selectively, and try some tobacco-forward aromatics which make a nice change of pace. The best aromatics, to me, are those that don't shovel the flavor at you, but use it to bring up the flavor of the tobacco itself. Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic does this nicely, for me.

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,515
50,548
Here
Peter Stokkebye has both in bulk selections at very comfortable prices.
I'm liking my Englishes with a milder latakia these days. English Luxury Blend fits nicely. They also have stronger English blends, if you prefer (I think Proper English is one of the stronger in latakia blends). Their navy flake is OK but I prefer the Bullseye Flake.
Pair up the Stokkebye's with a site sale and you're often smoking for $2.00 an ounce.
jay-roger.jpg


 

d4k23

Can't Leave
Mar 6, 2018
426
669
Texas
I second the Peter Stokkebye route. Bulk that is relatively inexpensive, but holds a lot of flavor. Picked up some Proper English and English Luxury. Proper had more flavor and I enjoyed a little more, but that might mean more Latakia and bigger adjustment.
The English Oriental Supreme is decent as well, smokey and earthy.
Good thing too is you can by an ounce at a time to test the waters. My brother enjoys aros, but didn't care too much for the Oriental Supreme, but he's only been smoking pipes for about three weeks (I've been trying to get him off other tobacco).

 

bosmer

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 27, 2017
100
2
Certainly give the Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme a try. Not only is it easy on the wallet, it is quite a good smoke with IMO a great room note. wife agrees too :)

 

chilipalmer

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 24, 2017
219
342
fire up the wonderful Three Nuns and tell her that it was awarded some Cosmopolitan award for being wife friendly. They love to know that other wives agree with them. And, if she ever bawks over it after that, just remind her that "just the other day, she said it smelled wonderful." Then, go through the whole thing again with the Semoise and Night Cap. Trust me on this.
Cosmic, it's not every day I see genius in action, but, if the wisdom above doesn't qualify, I don't know what does! The statement, "They love to know that other wives agree with them," is pure comedy gold and, like all comedy gold, is based in more than a little truth. :worship:
Cheers,
Chili

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
I totally agree with getting away from aromatics...... :clap:

Every genre has its good and its bad but I wouldn’t go swearing off aromatics, you just haven’t found the right ones yet.

I would recommend Orlik Golden Sliced and Escudo. OGS has some top flavor added and it really helps bring out the citrus flavor in the VA’s. Escudo is just awesome all around, good enough for beginners and interesting enough to keep the more seasoned pipe smokers coming back. Those two were my gateway VA’s.
As far as Lat blends go, maybe some Bengal Slices or Northwoods would fit your fancy. Both have a top dressing that adds some nice flavors to the smoke and make for a pleasant room note. If ya want to go even bolder I would go for some Engine 99, Star of the East Flake and Billy Budd from C&D.

 

barepipe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 29, 2017
134
0
Dunhill 965 is available in bulk for a reasonable price and is a great English with a great history to start with. If you are willing to spend a little more Quet Nights from GLP is absolutely incredible.

 
Jun 27, 2016
1,273
117
It's fun to get away from smoking aromatic tobaccos with flavoring added, but you might find stuff out there that still might have some flavoring added, even when it says "none" in the reviews. Sometimes this is a problem, sometimes not, that all depends on the smoker. Also it's not a bad idea to pick up a bunch of small bags of blending components, and use those to make it easier to avoid things that you don't like in future blends that you are thinking about buying. So, time to start experimenting with everything out there!
:puffpipe:

 

johnsteam86

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 1, 2018
271
0
Oh I see what yall have been writing about now. Tried the VIII today and I think I'm in love with VaPer now. Wife not so much. So many brands so little time. Thanks for all of the recommendations guys it was sure helpful.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,427
For many pipe smokers who do mostly non-aromatics, aromatics make a good change of pace. You just have to find the right blends. After enjoying good non-aros, heavily flavored aromatics that mask the tobacco altogether will probably not be enjoyable, for most. I don't think I want to smoke a chocolate bar or a licorice stick, etc.

 
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