There have been a couple of questions lately about how to go about learning to distinguish tastes when smoking, so I thought I'd do a quick write-up of yesterday's taste test...
I discovered Latakia blends relatively early on for a newbie. I've only been smoking for about a year and a half, but one of my first tobacco orders included a selection of English/Latakia blends from Hearth & Home. Initially, I couldn't really tell the difference between them (though I could tell the difference between them and Black House pretty much right off the bat) - they all tasted like campfire smoke, which I liked, but the subtle differences were completely lost on my neophyte palate.
I still purchase tobacco from a local B&M as my way of "paying the rent" on an indoor smoking space, and most recently I picked up tins of Frog Morton and Frog Morton Across the Pond. My initial reaction to Frog Morton was one of surprise, as it seemed more Latakia-forward than I was expecting after hearing so much about it being a crossover English blend - I would have expected it to be somewhat lighter.
Of course, I hadn't been smoking the H&H Latakia blends as much when I tried it. Last week, I broke out the Daybreak and reminded myself what the classic English blends are like (Daybreak being the lightest of the 3 H&H blends that I have on hand.) It was a great reminder - the smoke was fairly thick, with an almost creamy texture and the campfire smell/taste of Latakia.
So yesterday, I cleaned out a couple of jars (transferring the remainder of the tobacco in them to smaller "sample size" jars) and cracked the tin of Across the Pond, which I'd been saving. I had my afternoon free, and I had several chapters of a book to finish, so I decided to smoke a bowl of Frog Morton Original and then follow up with a bowl of Across the Pond. Keep in mind, I'm still a neophyte smoker, but my experience indicated that my palate is coming along nicely - so for those that are worried about not tasting differences, just keep at it. It comes with time...
First thing I noticed was that Frog Morton Original is, indeed, a lighter blend than even Daybreak. The smoke isn't as dense and creamy, and there's a subtle sweetness to it that I've heard tell is a function of the Latakia that they use in blending it - perhaps a little extra casing or somesuch. I don't really have the vocabulary yet to describe the differences in detail, but I could definitely tell that it was different. Best analogy I can think of at this point is a burger made of grass-fed beef vs. a good quality steak - both made of good beef, both with similar tastes, but very different experiences with some flavor subtleties.
Once the bowl was finished, I let it cool. My wife got home about that time, and we made dinner. Afterwards, I headed back out for a bowl of Across the Pond - my first exposure to Syrian Latakia, as opposed to the Cyprian used in most blends. ATP is not as sweet as FM - there's not as much of the classic "campfire" aroma/flavor, and more of what I would describe as a "grassy" taste. I've heard Virginias described that way, and it may also be that I'm tasting the Orientals added to ATP that are not present in FM - their tin notes are also different, and in much the same way.
So there it is - a year ago, I probably wouldn't have noticed a difference between the two. If you're interested in learning to distinguish tastes, start by learning about the broader varieties - between aros and Latakia blends, for example, or between Burleys and Va/Per blends. Then pick a variety, and get a couple of examples to try back-to-back once you think you've got a handle on the basic flavor. And even if you can't quite tell the difference yet, you've still got some good tobacco to smoke while your palate matures a little more. :puffpipe:
I discovered Latakia blends relatively early on for a newbie. I've only been smoking for about a year and a half, but one of my first tobacco orders included a selection of English/Latakia blends from Hearth & Home. Initially, I couldn't really tell the difference between them (though I could tell the difference between them and Black House pretty much right off the bat) - they all tasted like campfire smoke, which I liked, but the subtle differences were completely lost on my neophyte palate.
I still purchase tobacco from a local B&M as my way of "paying the rent" on an indoor smoking space, and most recently I picked up tins of Frog Morton and Frog Morton Across the Pond. My initial reaction to Frog Morton was one of surprise, as it seemed more Latakia-forward than I was expecting after hearing so much about it being a crossover English blend - I would have expected it to be somewhat lighter.
Of course, I hadn't been smoking the H&H Latakia blends as much when I tried it. Last week, I broke out the Daybreak and reminded myself what the classic English blends are like (Daybreak being the lightest of the 3 H&H blends that I have on hand.) It was a great reminder - the smoke was fairly thick, with an almost creamy texture and the campfire smell/taste of Latakia.
So yesterday, I cleaned out a couple of jars (transferring the remainder of the tobacco in them to smaller "sample size" jars) and cracked the tin of Across the Pond, which I'd been saving. I had my afternoon free, and I had several chapters of a book to finish, so I decided to smoke a bowl of Frog Morton Original and then follow up with a bowl of Across the Pond. Keep in mind, I'm still a neophyte smoker, but my experience indicated that my palate is coming along nicely - so for those that are worried about not tasting differences, just keep at it. It comes with time...
First thing I noticed was that Frog Morton Original is, indeed, a lighter blend than even Daybreak. The smoke isn't as dense and creamy, and there's a subtle sweetness to it that I've heard tell is a function of the Latakia that they use in blending it - perhaps a little extra casing or somesuch. I don't really have the vocabulary yet to describe the differences in detail, but I could definitely tell that it was different. Best analogy I can think of at this point is a burger made of grass-fed beef vs. a good quality steak - both made of good beef, both with similar tastes, but very different experiences with some flavor subtleties.
Once the bowl was finished, I let it cool. My wife got home about that time, and we made dinner. Afterwards, I headed back out for a bowl of Across the Pond - my first exposure to Syrian Latakia, as opposed to the Cyprian used in most blends. ATP is not as sweet as FM - there's not as much of the classic "campfire" aroma/flavor, and more of what I would describe as a "grassy" taste. I've heard Virginias described that way, and it may also be that I'm tasting the Orientals added to ATP that are not present in FM - their tin notes are also different, and in much the same way.
So there it is - a year ago, I probably wouldn't have noticed a difference between the two. If you're interested in learning to distinguish tastes, start by learning about the broader varieties - between aros and Latakia blends, for example, or between Burleys and Va/Per blends. Then pick a variety, and get a couple of examples to try back-to-back once you think you've got a handle on the basic flavor. And even if you can't quite tell the difference yet, you've still got some good tobacco to smoke while your palate matures a little more. :puffpipe:
